Assessing English Language Learners

Assessing English Language Learners

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  • Author: Guillermo Solano Flores
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 113407350X
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 245

Assessing English Language Learners explains and illustrates the main ideas underlying assessment as an activity intimately linked to instruction and the basic principles for developing, using, selecting, and adapting assessment instruments and strategies to assess content knowledge in English language learners (ELLs). Sensitive to the professional development needs of both in-service and pre-service mainstream teachers with ELLs in their classrooms and those receiving formal training to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students, the text is designed to engage readers in viewing assessment as a critical part of teaching appreciating that assessments provide teachers with valuable information about their students’ learning and thinking becoming aware of the relationship among language, culture, and testing understanding the reasoning that guides test construction recognizing the limitations of testing practices being confident that assessment is an activity classroom teachers (not only accountability specialists) can perform Highlighting alternative, multidisciplinary approaches that address linguistic and cultural diversity in testing, this text, enhanced by multiple field-tested exercises and examples of different forms of assessment, is ideal for any course covering the theory and practice of ELL assessment.


Assessing English Language Learners in the Content Areas

Assessing English Language Learners in the Content Areas

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  • Author: Florin Mihai
  • Publisher: University of Michigan Press
  • ISBN: 0472034359
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 200

Assessing English Language Learners in the Content Areas: A Research-into-Practice Guide for Educators seeks to provide guidance to classroom teachers, staff developers, and test-item designers who want to improve ELL assessment outcomes, particularly in the areas of math, science and social studies. The first two chapters of the book establish the background for the discussion of content-area assessment for ELLs, examining several important characteristics of this rapidly growing student population (as well as critical legislation affecting ELLs) and providing a description of various forms of assessment, including how ELL assessment is different from the assessment of English-proficient students. Important assessment principles that educators should use in their evaluation of tests or other forms of measurement are provided. Other chapters review ELL test accommodations nationwide (because, surprisingly, most teachers do not know what they can and cannot allow) and the research on the effectiveness of these types of accommodations. The book analyzes the characteristics of alternative assessment; it discusses three popular alternative assessment instruments (performance assessment, curriculum-based measurement, and portfolios) and makes recommendations as to how to increase the validity, reliability, and practicality of alternative assessments. The book proposes fundamental assessment practices to help content area teachers in their evaluation of their ELL progress.


Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges to Educational Equity

Assessing English Language Learners: Bridges to Educational Equity

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  • Author: Margo Gottlieb
  • Publisher: Corwin Press
  • ISBN: 1506342159
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 297

Build the bridges for English language learners to reach success! This thoroughly updated edition of Gottlieb’s classic delivers a complete set of tools, techniques, and ideas for planning and implementing instructional assessment of ELLs. The book includes: A focus on academic language use in every discipline, from mathematics to social studies, within and across language domains Emphasis on linguistically and culturally responsive assessment as a key driver for measuring academic achievement A reconceptualization of assessment “as,” “for,” and “of” learning Reflection questions to stimulate discussion around how students, teachers, and administrators can all have a voice in decision making


A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners

A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners

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  • Author: Christine Anne Coombe
  • Publisher: University of Michigan Press ELT
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 240

For many teachers of English language learners, the field of assessment is foreign territory. Assessment has its own culture, traditions, and terminology. This training guide is intended to help classroom teachers become more comfortable creating and using assessments. A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners provides helpful insights into the practice and terminology of assessment. The text focuses on providing the cornerstones of good assessments—usefulness, validity, reliability, practicality, washback, authenticity, transparency, and security—and techniques for testing. It devotes a chapter to the assessment of each of the four main skill areas (reading, writing, listening, and speaking), and also covers placement testing, such as using TOEFL® and MELAB, diagnostic testing, evaluation, and instructional decision-making with regard to testing. Tips to improve students’ test-taking strategies are offered, and each chapter ends with a helpful list of Ten Things to Remember, as well as informative case studies featuring two teachers and their assessment decisions. Incorporating its own principles, A Practical Guide to Assessing English Language Learners opens with a short quiz for the reader called Are You Testwise? that quickly determines how each teacher will benefit from this indispensable guide.


Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8

Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8

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  • Author: Susan Davis Lenski
  • Publisher: Guilford Press
  • ISBN: 1606236660
  • Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 193

Many English language learners (ELLs) require extra support to become successful writers. This book helps teachers understand the unique needs of ELLs and promote their achievement by adapting the effective instructional methods they already know. Engaging and accessible, the book features standards-based lesson planning ideas, examples of student work, and 15 reproducible worksheets, rubrics, and other useful materials. It describes ways to combine instruction in core skills with ample opportunities to write and revise in different genres. Invaluable guidance is provided for assessing ELLs' writing development at different grade levels and language proficiency levels. This book will be valuable for teachers in general education and ESL classrooms; literacy specialists and coaches; graduate students in literacy and ESL programs. It will also serve as a text in graduate-level courses such as Writing Instruction, Teaching English Language Learners, and Teaching English as a Second Language.


Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools

Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools

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  • Author: Mikyung Kim Wolf
  • Publisher: Routledge
  • ISBN: 1000053016
  • Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 252

Assessing English Language Proficiency in U.S. K–12 Schools offers comprehensive background information about the generation of standards-based, English language proficiency (ELP) assessments used in U.S. K–12 school settings. The chapters in this book address a variety of key issues involved in the development and use of those assessments: defining an ELP construct driven by new academic content and ELP standards, using technology for K–12 ELP assessments, addressing the needs of various English learner (EL) students taking the assessments, connecting assessment with teaching and learning, and substantiating validity claims. Each chapter also contains suggestions for future research that will contribute to the next generation of K–12 ELP assessments and improve policies and practices in the use of the assessments. This book is intended to be a useful resource for researchers, graduate students, test developers, practitioners, and policymakers who are interested in learning more about large-scale, standards-based ELP assessments for K–12 EL students.


Assessing Language and Literacy with Bilingual Students

Assessing Language and Literacy with Bilingual Students

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  • Author: Lori Helman
  • Publisher: Guilford Publications
  • ISBN: 1462540880
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 249

From expert authors, this book guides educators to conduct assessments that inform daily instruction and identify the assets that emergent bilinguals bring to the classroom. Effective practices are reviewed for screening, assessment, and progress monitoring in the areas of oral language, beginning reading skills, vocabulary and comprehension in the content areas, and writing. The book also addresses how to establish schoolwide systems of support that incorporate family and community engagement. Packed with practical ideas and vignettes, the book focuses on grades K–6, but also will be useful to middle and high school teachers. Appendices include reproducible forms that can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size.


Instructional Assessment of English Language Learners in the K-8 Classroom

Instructional Assessment of English Language Learners in the K-8 Classroom

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  • Author: Diane K. Brantley
  • Publisher: Allyn & Bacon
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 216

This classroom-ready resource provides teachers in grades K-8 with specific assessments that can be administered to English language learners within the regular classroom. Long overdue and with a focus on the needs of English language learners (ELLs) within the classroom, Instructional Assessment of English Language Learners is a unique book designed to teach readers the basic concepts of assessing English. Today's education courses place an increasing emphasis on the regular classroom teacher to instruct and assess English language learners. Yet, classroom teachers have few resources available to them in regard to assessing ELLs within their classrooms. This book helps readers master the assessments to be administered to English learners and cover a range of literacy skills deemed necessary for English language acquisition and reproduction, while also assessing the student's literacy skills in their primary language. The overarching goal of this book is to enable teachers to acquire a deep understanding of the value of instructional assessment for ELLs and the importance of evaluating the results to provide the students with immediate, appropriate and meaningful instruction. The book addresses the specific areas of language arts related to the development, acquisition, and reproduction of the English language: oral language development and vocabulary; concepts of print and the alphabetic strategies; word recognition and word identification strategies; reading fluency; reading comprehension; written language development and spelling; content area literacy; procedural knowledge; and problem-solving strategies. The strategies presented in this text are research-based and are known to increase reading comprehension for ELLs.


Assessing English Language Learners

Assessing English Language Learners

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  • Author: Lorraine Valdez Pierce
  • Publisher:
  • ISBN:
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 108


Formative Language Assessment for English Learners

Formative Language Assessment for English Learners

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  • Author: Rita MacDonald
  • Publisher: Heinemann Educational Books
  • ISBN: 9780325053578
  • Category : Education
  • Languages : en
  • Pages : 0

The significant challenges faced by English Language Learners (ELLs) become greater during the middle and high school years, when they must learn more abstract academic concepts with emergent English language skills and differing levels of background knowledge. To meet these challenges, ELLs need immediate feedback about how the development of their language abilities interacts with their academic performance; and teachers need practical strategies to help ELLs develop the specific content and language abilities necessary for success. In Formative Language Assessment for English Learners, the research team of Rita MacDonald, Timothy Boals, Mariana Castro, H. Gary Cook, Todd Lundberg, and Paula A. White demonstrates what good language assessment for formative purposes is, explains the cycle of formative language assessment, and shows how it unfolds stage by stage in a school setting. Based on a five-year collaborative project with middle and high school teachers in three major school districts, the book presents a process for: Weaving a language focus into content lessons Analyzing students' language from writing samples to help them broaden their linguistic choices Creating active partnerships with students as they learn and practice new ways to use English. When classrooms are defined by effective language assessment for formative purposes, they become dynamic spaces in which teachers can use that information to plan clear, attainable steps to increase student learning, and students develop deeper understandings of both academic content and academic language. Formative Language Assessment for English Learners provides practical strategies to implement a unique process for formative assessment that can truly change classroom practice. This team of authors works together at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and have collaborated on formative language assessment for English Language Learners through their work for WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment), a 36-state consortium that supports academic language development for linguistically diverse students through standards, assessment, research, and professional development.