Assessing English Language Learners

Assessing English Language Learners

1. Performance- based Assessments

   • Is a form of informal assessments for ELLs
     • It is based on classroom instruction and everyday tasks and it includes processes and products

2. Why should teachers use Authentic Assessments?

   • To show if students can actually apply what they have learned in real situations
     • Students should be able to construct meaning about what they have been taught
       • Application: ELLs should demonstrate to the teacher that they know how to apply their knowledge in real-life situations, such as conversing with a cashier at a store, speaking to their teachers or talking with their peers

3. Definition of Authentic Assessment

   • Authentic assessment contains a task that students perform and it uses a rubric to assess the task
     • Authentic assessment can be used along with traditional assessment
       • Teachers first determine the tasks that students will perform to demonstrate their mastery and then a curriculum is developed
       • Application: Teachers can assess students with a multiple choice test ( Traditional Assessment) and the students can choose to do either a oral report, a presentation, a demonstration or a written assignment ( Authentic Assessment)

4. How are Authentic Assessments made?

   • Initial Assessments
     • Schools are required by law to identify students who are ELLs
       • ELLs must be offered a program that will help them perform well in school
         • Home language surveys are given to parents and potential English language learners in their native language
           • Application: An example of a initial assessment is the Home Language Survey that is given to ELLs and their families before the school year starts
   • The first and most important step in the process is writing the standards
     • Standards lead to authentic tasks, which leads to criteria, which leads to a rubric, which leads to a cut score or benchmark or to adjusting instruction
       • Application: Teachers should make sure that their standards have five components: leadership, relationships, content rigor, relevant and engaging instruction and reflection on practice

5. Portfolio Assessments

   • When teachers collect descriptive records of student work over time
     • Application: Teachers can use oral reports, presentations, demonstrations, written assignments and portfolios as performance-based assessments

6. Ongoing Assessment

   • Regular classroom teachers using portfolios to access ELLs need to pair up with ESL teachers to assess the student work
     • Five characteristics of an excellent ELL portfolio are: it is comprehensive, predetermined and systematic, tailored, informative and authentic
       • Application: Teachers need to have a portfolio for each ELL that contains their written and oral work from the beginning of the school year until the end

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