logo_slogan_bw_med

 

English Language Learner: Evaluation & Assessment

Instructor Name:          Dr. Karen Lea

Phone:                         509-891-7219

Office Hours:               8 a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday

Email:                          karen_lea@virtualeduc.com

Address:                      Virtual Education Software

                                    16201 E Indiana Ave, Suite 1450

                                    Spokane, WA 99216

Technical Support:       support@virtualeduc.com

                                                                                                                                                                                   

English Language Learner: Evaluation & Assessment was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms related to evaluating and assessing students whose first language is not English. This course discusses high-quality assessment and the scope of assessments, including initial placement, annual assessments, and exit assessments. This course ends with a discussion of classroom assessments, including accommodations for those who need language assistance.

 

This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on your home or school computer.  Technical support information can be found in the Help section of your course.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Course Materials (Online)

Title:                English Language Learner: Evaluation & Assessment

Instructor:       Dr. Karen Lea

Publisher:        Virtual Education Software, inc. 2020

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Academic Integrity Statement

The structure and format of most distance-learning courses presume a high level of personal and academic integrity in completion and submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a distance-learning course are expected to adhere to the following standards of academic conduct.

 

Academic Work

Academic work submitted by the individual (such as papers, assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or appropriately attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source. Submission of commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they are one’s own work is unacceptable.

 

Aiding Honesty in Others

The individual will encourage honesty in others by refraining from providing materials or information to another person with knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.

 

Violation of these academic standards will result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit for the course.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Level of Application

This course is designed as an informational course for K–12 teachers, administrators, parents, and related service personnel. Information discussed is designed to help you better understand second language acquisition and current educational models being used to educate English language learners. This course will allow you to compare and identify how school districts in your own area are implementing English language learning programs, handling current issues, and some of the practices teachers are using to educate students and communicate with parents/guardians.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Expected Learning Outcomes

As a result of taking this course, participants will be able to demonstrate their ability to:

1. Identify bias and other ethical concerns in assessments.

2. Apply knowledge of a variety of assessments.

3. Apply knowledge of assessment procedures for ELLs.

4. Apply knowledge of assessment accommodations for ELLs.

5. Implement legal assessment requirements for identification, reclassification, and exit of ELLs from ELL programs.

6. Assess ELLS using a variety of assessments.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Course Description

Information provided in this course has been divided into four chapters, which should be completed in the order in which they are presented in the program. Once you have completed these four chapters, you should have a better understanding of the concept of evaluating and assessing English language learners. You are strongly encouraged to read additional journal articles, books, and research materials outside the course material to gain a better understanding of current issues related to educating students who need language assistance.

 

Chapter 1: High-Quality Assessments

This chapter of the course focuses on the criteria for determining whether an assessment is a high-quality assessment. We will also discuss issues such as validity and culturally fair assessments.

 

Chapter 2: Initial Placement Assessments

Chapter 2 focuses on the initial placement assessments required by legislation. Included in the discussion are the accommodations needed for students learning English as a second language.

 

Chapter 3: Exceptional and/or Gifted

This chapter focuses on students who need language assistance and are also exceptional and/or gifted. Discussion will focus on legislative requirements and practical suggestions for the classroom.

 

Chapter 4: Classroom Assessments

Chapter four focuses on classroom assessments every educator can use to assess English language learners, including possible accommodations.

 

                                                                                                                                                                       

Student Expectations 

As a student you will be expected to:

·         Complete all four information sections showing a competent understanding of the material presented in each section.

·         Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent understanding of the material presented.  You must obtain an overall score of 70% or higher, with no individual exam score below 50%, and successfully complete ALL writing assignments to pass this course. *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

·         Complete a review of any section on which your examination score was below 50%.

·         Retake any examination, after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score requirements are.

·         Complete all course journal article and essay writing assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing assignment.

·         Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Examinations

            At the end of each course section, you will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge. You may take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not the highest score.  After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not allow further access.  The average from your exam scores will be printed on your certificate.  However, this is not your final grade since your required writing assignments have not been reviewed.  Exceptionally written or poorly written required writing assignments, or violation of the academic integrity policy in the course syllabus, will affect your grade.  As this is a self-paced computerized instruction program, you may review course information as often as necessary. You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam before you complete all questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the entire exam in one sitting.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Writing Assignments

All assignments are reviewed and may impact your final grade.  Exceptionally or poorly written assignments, or violation of the Academic Integrity Policy (see course syllabus for policy), will affect your grade. Fifty percent of your grade is determined by your writing assignments, and your overall exam score determines the other fifty percent.  Refer to the Essay Grading Guidelines which were sent as an attachment with your original course link. You should also refer to the Course Syllabus Addendum which was sent as an attachment with your original course link, to determine if you have any writing assignments in addition to the Critical Thinking Questions (CTQ) and Journal Article Summations (JAS).  If you do, the Essay Grading Guidelines will also apply.

 

Your writing assignments must meet the minimum word count and are not to include the question or your final citations as part of your word count.  In other words, the question and citations are not to be used as a means to meet the minimum word count.

 

Critical Thinking Questions

There are four CTQs that you are required to complete. You will need to write a minimum of 500 words (maximum 1,000) per essay. You should explain how the information that you gained from the course will be applied and clearly convey a strong understanding of the course content as it relates to each CTQ.   To view the questions, click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the CTQ that you are ready to complete; this will bring up a screen where you may enter your essay.  Prior to course submission, you may go back at any point to edit your essay, but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits.

 

You must click SAVE before you write another essay or move on to another part of the course.

Journal Article Summations

You are required to write, in your own words, a summary on a total of three peer-reviewed or scholarly journal articles (one article per JAS), written by an author with a Ph.D., Ed.D. or similar, on the topic outlined within each JAS section in the “Required Essays” portion of the course  (blogs, abstracts, news articles or similar are not acceptable). Your article choice must relate specifically to the discussion  topic listed in each individual JAS. You will choose a total of three relevant articles (one article per JAS) and write a thorough summary of the information presented in each article (you must write a minimum of  200 words with a 400 word maximum per JAS). Be sure to provide the URL or the journal name, volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the facilitator to access and review each article. 

 

To write your summary, click on REQUIRED ESSAYS and choose the JAS that you would like to complete. A writing program will automatically launch where you can write your summary. When you are ready to stop, click SAVE.  Prior to course submission you may go back at any point to edit your summaries but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits. For more information on the features of this assignment, please consult the HELP menu.

 

You must click SAVE before you write another summary or move on to another part of the course.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Instructor Description

Karen Lea holds a Ph.D. in education. Dr. Lea has fifteen years’ experience teaching at the K-12 level and another fourteen years’ experience teaching education courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Currently she is a coordinator for a cadre of instructional developers and project manager for aerospace online training. Dr. Lea has been professionally published over fifteen times and has served on over a dozen panels and boards, including serving on the NCATE (CAEP) Board of Examiners.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Contacting the Instructor

You may contact the instructor by emailing karen_lea@virtualeduc.com or by calling (509) 891-7219 Monday through Friday. Calls made during office hours will be answered within 24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other issues that involve the operation of the course.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

Technical Questions

If you have questions or problems related to the operation of this course, please try everything twice. If the problem persists please check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help section of your course.

 

If you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com or call (509) 891-7219.  When contacting technical support, please know your course version number (it is located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call. 

                                                        

Minimum Computer Requirements

Please refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility of your operating system.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Refer to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information, Items to be Submitted and how to submit your completed information. The addendum will also note any additional course assignments that you may be required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.

                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

Bibliography (Suggested reading)

Abedi, J. (2010). Performance assessments for English language learners. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education [SCOPE]. https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/

Abedi, J., & Ewers, N. (2013, February). Smarter balanced assessment consortium: Accommodations for English language learners and students with disabilities. University of California: Davis. https://portal.smarterbalanced.org/library/en/accommodations-for-english-language-learners-and-students-with-disabilities-a-research-based-decision-algorithm.pdf

Achieve. (2017). Considerations for assessing English language learner students. https://www.achieve.org/files/Considerations_Assessing_ELLs.pdf

Alberta Education. (2012). Assessment tools and strategies language proficiency assessment. https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/documents/language_proficiency_assessment.pdf

Allison, C. S. (2016). An investigation of how districts in one state identify and serve gifted and talented English language learners [Undergraduate Honors Thesis]. Fayetteville, University of Arkansas. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cieduht/12

Armstrong, P. (2017). Bloom’s taxonomy. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Baily, A. L., & Carroll, P. E. (2015). Assessment of English language learners in the era of new academic content standards. Review of Research in Education, 39, 253–294.

Bailey, A., & Kelly, K. (2010). ELPA validity evaluation: Creating enhanced home language survey instruments. http://www.eveaproject.com/doc/HomeLanguageSurveyInstrument.pdf

Bobowski, K. (2016). Teacher resources for communicating assessment results with parents. Teach. Learn. Grow. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2016/teacher-resources-communicating-assessment-results-parents/

Broderick, M. (2016). Time to reassess testing and assessment for English language learners. Education Network.

Cain, S. L. (2018). Watch them grow: 5 non-test alternatives for assessing English language learners. FluentU. https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator-english/assessing-english-language-learners

Card, D., & Giuliano, L. (2016, November 15). Universal screening increases the representation of low income and minority students in education. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. doi:10.1073/pnas.1605043113

Colorin Colorado. (2018). Identifying language proficiency for program placement. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/identifying-language-proficiency-program-placement

Cook, G., & Linquanti, R. (2015). Strengthening policies and practices for the initial classification of English learners: Insights from a national working session. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED565758.pdf

Darling-Hammond, L., Herman, J., Pellegrino, J., Abedi, J., Aber, J. L., Baker, E., . . . Steele, C. M. (2013, June). Criteria for high-quality assessment. Stanford, CA: Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. https://edpolicy.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/publications/criteria-higher-quality-assessment_2.pdf

Department of Education. (2016). Tools and resources for identifying all English learners. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner-toolkit/chap1.pdf

Dodge, J., & Duarte, B. (2017). 25 quick formative assessments for a differentiated classroom (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Scholastic.

Duvall County Public Schools. (2018). ESOL accommodations. https://dcps.duvalschools.org/Page/9913

Dyer, K. (2015, April 10). 7 ways to understand if your classroom assessments are working. Teach. Learn. Grow. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2015/7-ways-understand-classroom-assessments-working

Eberly Center. (2017). Using classroom assessment techniques. https://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/assesslearning/CATs.html

Education Commission of the States. (2014, November). What methods are used to identify English language learners? http://ecs.force.com/mbdata/mbquestNB2?rep=ELL1403

Elsarelli, L. (2018). Gifted and talented English language learners. http://simplebooklet.com/mobile.php?wpKey=LmJwFmHIYp4KZBcphcX9EG#page=0

Evans, S. G. (2013, November 1). Five characteristics of quality educational assessments. https://www.nwea.org/blog/2013/five-characteristics-quality-educational-assessments-part-one

Fenner, D. S. (2016). Fair and square assessments for ELLS. Educational Leadership, 73(5). http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb16/vol73/num05/Fair-And-Square-Assessments-for-ELLs.aspx

Fernandez, N., & Inserra, A. (2013). Disproportionate classification of ESL students in U.S. special education. Teaching English as a Second of Foreign Language, 17(2). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1017754.pdf

Frankfort International School. (2017). Preparing ESL-friendly worksheets and tests. http://esl.fis.edu/teachers/support/tests.htm

George, S. (2016). Identification of English language learners in special education [Capstone project]. Governors State University, University Park, IL. https://opus.govst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1190&context=capstones

Goldenberg, C., & Quach, S. R. (2010). The Arizona home language survey: The identification of students for ELL services. The Civil Rights Project. doi:10.1007/s10993–011–9224–5

Herrmann, E. (2017). Strategies for teaching gifted and talented English learners. MultiBriefs. http://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/strategies-for-teaching-gifted-and-talented-english-learners/education

IRIS Center. (2011). Teaching English language learners: Effective instructional practices. https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ell/

Khauo-Melgar, T., & Hailey, T. (2016). Depth of knowledge. https://1.cdn.edl.io/K9jjFMZ4Vh4R3kqcpObj1oblk1oEq9TlWLgRww6lUKXFWLgW.pdf

Kim, K. H., & Zabelina, D. (2015). Cultural bias in assessment: Can creativity assessment help? International Journal of Critical Pedagogy, 6(2), 129–149. http://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/view/301/856

Klinger, J. (2018). Distinguishing language acquisition from learning disabilities. NYC Department of Education. https://www.cec.sped.org/News/Special-Education-Today/Need-to-Know/Need-to-Know-ELL

Klinger, J., & Eppollito, A. M. (2014). English language learners: Differentiating between language acquisition and learning disabilities. Arlington, VA:  Council for Exceptional Children.

Krashen, S. D. (1987). Principles and practice in second language acquisition. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall International.

Krashen, S. D. (1988). Second language acquisition and second language learning. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall International.

Kruse, A. J. (2015). Cultural bias in testing: A review of literature and implications for music education. Applications of Research in Music Education, 35(1), 23–31. doi:10.1177/8755123315576212

Learner-Centered Initiatives, Inc. (2016). Understanding bias in assessment design.  http://lciltd.org/resources/understanding-bias-in-assessment-design

Linquanti, R., & Bailey, A. (2014). Reprising the home language survey: Summary of a national working session on policies, practices, and tools for identifying potential English learners. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED565756.pdf

Liu, K., Watkins, E., Pompa, D., McLeod, P., Elliott, J., & Gaylord, V. (Eds). (2013). Impact: Feature issue on educating K–12 English language learners with disabilities, 26(1). https://ici.umn.edu/products/impact/261/2.html

Lopez, A., Pooler, E., & Linquanti, R. (2016). Key issues and opportunities in the initial identification and classification of English learners. ETS Research Report Series. doi:10.1002/ets2.12090

Mahoney, K. (2017). The assessment of emergent bilinguals: Supporting English language learners. UK: St. Nichols House.

Massachusetts Department of Education. (2017). Home language survey. http://www.doe.mass.edu/ele/resources/communications.html

McCorkie, M. (2016). The most infamous example of cultural bias on the SAT.  https://www.clearchoiceprep.com/sat-act-prep-blog/the-most-infamous-example-of-cultural-bias-on-the-sat

Mississippi State Board of Education (MSE). (2009). Webb’s depth of knowledge guide: Career and technical education definitions. http://www.aps.edu/re/documents/resources/Webbs_DOK_Guide.pdf

National Association for Gifted Children. (2013). What is giftedness? https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/what-giftedness

National Association for Gifted Children. (2013). Identifying gifted children. https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources/timely-topics/ensuring-diverse-learner-participation-gifted-0

National Council of Teachers of English. (2008). English language learners: A policy research brief. http://www.ncte.org/library/NCTEFiles/Resources/PolicyResearch/ELLResearchBrief.pdf

National Research Council. (2016). Allocating federal funds for state programs for English language learners. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

NCDPI Accountability Services Division. (2016). https://www.dpi.nc.gov/districts-schools/testing-and-school-accountability/school-accountability-and-reporting

Office of Civil Rights. (2015). Schools’ civil rights obligations to English learner students and limited English proficient parents. U.S. Department of Education. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ellresources.html

Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education. (2017). Developing programs for English language learners: Identification. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/identification.html

Office of English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education. (2016). Tools and resources for monitoring and exiting English learners from EL programs and services. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner-toolkit/index.html

Parker, T. (2017, April 28). Sharing progress with parents. Classroom Monitor. http://www.classroommonitor.co.uk/sharing-progress-with-parents

Penn State College of Education. (2018). How can I support ELLs in my classroom? https://ed.psu.edu/pds/elementary/intern-resources/esl-handbook/supporting-ells

Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2017). Use of the WIDA-ACCESS placement test for English language proficiency screening, program placement, and access for ELLs tier selection.  https://wida.wisc.edu/memberships/consortium/pa

Peterson, D. (2012). Avoiding bias and stereotypes – Test design & delivery part 5. https://blog.questionmark.com/avoiding-bias-and-stereotypes-test-design-delivery-part-5

PowerSchool. (2016). 9 benefits of using formative assessment to increase student growth. https://www.powerschool.com/resources/blog/9-benefits-of-using-formative-assessment-to-increase-student-growth/

Robertson, K. (2016). No Child Left Behind and the assessment of English language learners. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/no-child-left-behind-and-assessment-english-language-learners

Robinson, N., Keogh, B., & Kusuma-Powell, O. (2017). Chapter 6: Who are ESL students? U.S. Department of State. https://2009-2017.state.gov/m/a/os/44038.htm

Samson, J. F., & Collins, B. A. (2012, April). Preparing all teachers to meet the needs of English language learners. Center for American Progress. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED535608.pdf

Sanchez, C. (2017). English language learners: How is your state doing? NPREd. https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2017/02/23/512451228/5-million-english-language-learners-a-vast-pool-of-talent-at-risk

Sindelar, N. (2011). Assessment-powered teaching. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Specialty Education. (2017). Understanding the struggles of ELL students and teachers. Reading & Literacy. https://blog.schoolspecialty.com/understanding-struggles-ell-students-teachers

Stanford Teaching Commons. (2017). Assessing student learning. Stanford University. https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/teaching/evaluating-students/assessing-student-learning

Wang, T., & Rajprasit, K. (2015). Identifying affirmative beliefs about English language learning: Self-perceptions of Thai learners with different language proficiency. English Language Learning, 8(4), 1–13. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1075256.pdf

Washington State Department of Education. (2017). Home language survey. http://www.k12.wa.us/MigrantBilingual/HomeLanguage.aspx

Waterbury Schools. (2017). ELL depth of knowledge. http://www.waterbury.k12.ct.us/docs/building/38/bilingual%20dept/guidelines/ell%20depth%20of%20knowledge.pdf

WIDA. (2015). Access for ELLs 2.0: Accessibility and accommodation descriptions. Madison, WI: Author.

Williams, K. (2017). How to be successful on standardized tests. https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/top-10-terms-students-need-know-be-successful-standardized-tests/

Winkler, S. (2017). What is the zone of proximal development? https://lifestyle.howstuffworks.com/family/parenting/child-development/zone-proximal2.htm

Wolf, M. K., Herman, J. L., & Dietel, R. (2010, Spring). Improving the validity of English language learner assessment systems (CRESST Policy Brief No. 10 - Full Report). Los Angeles, CA: University of California, National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST). https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED520528.pdf

Zacarian, D. (2011). IDEA and English language learners. ColorinColorado. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/what-individuals-disabilities-education-act

Zehr, M. A. (2010). Home language surveys for ELLs under fire. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2010/02/16/22homelanguage_ep.h29.html

Ziff, B. (2017). Utilizing Bloom’s Taxonomy in your classroom. http://www.calstatela.edu/sites/default/files/centers/spedintern/hints11bloomtaxonomy.pdf

Course content is updated every three years. Due to this update timeline, some URL links may no longer be active or may have changed. Please type the title of the organization into the command line of any Internet browser search window and you will be able to find whether the URL link is still active or any new link to the corresponding organization's web home page.

3/11/20  JN