Big Idea #4: EB/ELLs'
Conversational vs.
Academic Language
Description: Understand
Cummins'BICS & CALP. Assess
Receptive Oral Language skills,
e.g. use of flashcards. Expressive
Language skills can be assessed
holistically or analytically.
Use other analytic
tools that help
teachers focus on
the different aspects
of language use:
Comprehension,
fluency,
pronunciation,
grammar, and
vocabulary.
Applications: Assess EB/ELLs' Writing in
the Classroom: Use
analytical approach to
evaluate writing samples,
identify different traits of
the written work and assign
a score to each trait. - A
teacher or a group of
teachers may develop their
own rubric.
More Applications: Clear directions to ELs,
describe the context or situation,
consider the cultural and linguistic
factors, prompts should be based on the
EB/ELLs’ cultural knowledge and the
academic information they have
learned. Clear and straightforward
praise and suggestions for
improvement, e.g. give EB/ELLs editing
checklists highlighting the types of
errors they will be corrected on.
Applications to assess EB/ELLs'
Speaking & Reading: Assess language
proficiency and academic
achievement through oral reports,
presentations, demonstrations,
written assignments, portfolios,
reading with partners, retelling
stories, playing games, completing
incomplete stories, etc.
Big Idea #1:
Traditional vs.
Authentic Assessment
"Authentic" Description &
Application: Classroom is ELs
Structured, EB/ELLs perform a
task, Real Life,
Construction/Application,
Direct Evidence from ELs.
Meaningful connection, e.g
read a story about a
superhero and compare the
main character to someone
who has helped them in their
lives.
"Traditional" Description &
Application: Teacher
Structured, Selecting a
Response, Contrived,
Memorization, Indirect
Evidence. E.g. Teacher talks
about the "Don
Quixote"book to class, ELs
memorize it and take a
True/False test about it.
Big Idea #2: Steps to
Create Authentic
Assessments
Description: 1. Standards:
Identify what I want my
EB/ELLs to know. 2. Authentic
Tasks for EB/ELLs to perform
and demonstrate that they
meet the standards. 3. Criteria
used to identify the
characteristics of my EB/ELLs
good performance in
authentic tasks. 4. Rubric: Use
set of criteria on step 4 to
build the Rubric that will
measure the EB/ELLs
performance on the task. I
plan to apply this in my next
assignment when I create an
Assessment for my ELs.
Big Idea # 3:
Common Methods
"Portfolios" Description & Application:
Good for all students. Contains works
showing the EB/EL's best scholastic
effort. Comprehensive,
Predetermined, Systematic , tailored,
Informative, Authentic. Shows
ELs'growth and encourages them to
Reflect.
"Performance-Based" Description: Everyday classroom
instruction + Language Proficiency & Academic
Achievement. Applications: oral reports, presentations,
demonstrations, written assignments, drafts of writing
samples or group projects. Clear, fair criteria, and
promote wide range of responses. Evaluation based on
teacher’s judgment.
Big Idea #5:
Assess Content
Description: All ELLs need ESL teacher’s help to exercise
their critical thinking skills and be challenged with content
activities: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application,
Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Application: Scaffold
assessment & Scoring content knowledge: understanding
key concepts, accuracy of responses, demonstration of
processes used to provide responses.
Big Idea # 6:
Knowledgeable ESL
Teachers
Description: Understand Federal and State
guidelines regarding EB/ELLs’
assessments/testing, including ELs with
special needs. Application: provide extra time
during assessment, read instructions out
loud, check for understanding, etc.
Description & Application: Undersatnd EB/ELs'ultural
backgrounds affects their behavior, writings, selection of
reading books, etc, and their interpretation of material
being taught/assessed. Ideas: Encourage literacy in Native
Language, ELs read in L1 and complete Graphic Organizers
(story maps) or draw pictures, etc. Participate in family
literacy programs and keep reading logs, produce written
books about books they have read: Book reports, reviews,
summaries, etc.