November 1999 New Materials Help Assess English-Language Learners
Assessing the knowledge and skills of students whose first language is not English can be a challenging task for teachers. Students’ classroom behavior and performance are often affected by different cultural norms and values. Gaps in students’ English-language ability can mask their content knowledge in different subject areas. And testing formats and procedures can be confounding for both bilingual students and English-language learners.
In the expanded, three-volume edition of Assessment: A Development Guidebook for Teachers of English-Language Learners, teachers will find a wealth of information and resources to guide them in effectively assessing the English-language learners in their classrooms.
"English-language learners need to master English as quickly as possible while, at the same time, they are learning subject-matter content, be that in their native language or in English," writes author Dr. Robert Martínez. "When assessment is used appropriately, teachers will know how long to work on a given goal or objective, when to review material, and when to make changes in curriculum."
The updated guidebook provides the criteria teachers should include when developing performance-based assessment tasks. The information is designed to guide educators in developing assessments that:
Alternative assessments — performance-based tasks, informal measures, structured interviews, writing assessments, portfolios, and so forth — are a good way for teachers to tailor instruction for English-language learners, according to the book. But to be effective for these students, the author stresses that alternative assessments must:
- Determine whether a student may be an English-language learner
- Measure native-language proficiency or English-language proficiency of an English-language learner
- Determine initial instructional placement for an English-language learner in math or reading
- Measure the academic achievement of an English-language learner in math or reading in their native language or in English
To gauge students’ proficiency in both their native language and in English, the guidebook provides scoring rubrics for reading, writing, speaking, and listening — the four skill areas that contribute to language proficiency. To aid teachers in initial instructional placement, content checklists, scoring rubrics, sample performance-based tasks, and assessment scoring sheets are provided for mathematics and reading. To measure students’ academic achievement, grade-specific (Grades 1-4, 5-8, and 9-12) content checklists and scoring rubrics are included for math and reading, as are sample performance-based tasks and assessment scoring sheets. Seventeen Northwest teachers worked together to develop these performance-based tasks. While they are intended to spark ideas, the book urges teachers to develop their own innovative tasks according to the needs of their students.
- Focus on documenting individual student growth over time, rather than comparing students with one another
- Emphasize students’ strengths (what they know), rather than weaknesses (what they don’t know)
- Address the learning styles, language proficiencies, cultural and educational backgrounds, and grade levels of students
The book also discusses testing accommodations for English-language learners, and provides samples of home-language surveys, teacher interviews, and teacher observation forms. Educators will also find guidelines for developing a database of programs serving English-language learners.
In addition to the updated guidebook, other new materials include a Trainer’s Manual and workshop materials for conducting teacher-training workshops. Transparencies and one-sided handouts for photocopying are included in these materials, which cover three workshops: developing assessment instruments to measure native-language and English-language proficiency; developing assessment instruments for initial instructional placement of English-language learners in math and reading; and developing assessment instruments to measure academic achievement of English-language learners in math and reading.
The workshops present information on several different aspects of assessment development, ranging from an overview of relevant reform initiatives to specific content and performance standards. Teachers will learn criteria to include when developing performance-based assessment tasks, and find rubrics for determining student proficiency levels. Scoring sheets are included to provide a record of student proficiency levels, subject content for which students have been tested, languages in which students have been tested, and which testing accommodations, if any, have been used.
For more information on these materials, or on NWREL trainings for those serving English-language learners, contact the Assessment Program by phone at (503) 275-9574 or 1-800-547-6339, ext. 574, or by e-mail at assessment@nwrel.org.
Assessment: A Development Guidebook for Teachers of English-Language Learners, the companion Trainer’s Manual, and workshop materials may be purchased separately or as a set. For ordering information, please see the Document Order Form.
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