10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 1 It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got that Swing

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 2 33% of 4 th graders are performing at or above Proficient Level in Reading (NAEP 2007 Reading Results)

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 3 Today’s Situation Why Standardized Tests Don’t Get Good Data

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 4 First Tier of Problems 50% of students have to fail. Tests don’t reveal whether the student knows the material or not. They’re biased Linguistically culturally They have arbitrary cut- scores

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 5 More Problems They happen in a vacuum No teachable moments Stupid questions Testing companies make mistakes They’re one-shot deals

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 6 Even Worse! Ideologically driven rather than educationally They focus on a few easy to measure items to the detriment of other measures, accountability and important things to learn

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 7 Even Worse! They lack predictive value They don’t measure the most important things in life – compassion, creativity They define children as winners and losers Too narrow

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 8 Worse Still! They take the decision making out of the hands of those who can make the most difference

Even Worse Still! Money spent diverts money from things that contribute directly to learning. 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 9

Alberta Spends $12 million dollar per year on the Provincial Achievement testing (grades 3, 6, 9, and 12) as compared to $4 million per year on curriculum 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 10

Ontario Spends between $50 and $59 million per year on testing (although Ontario shaved $5.2 million off their budget by eliminating one test) 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 11

Worst of All: They’re taking the focus off what we’re trying to do. With the known consequences of testing, we aren’t preparing students for what we need in the future: critical thinkers, problem solvers, and effective communicators. 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 12

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 13 Nifty Ways to Improve Test Scores Put all ESL in Special Ed Merge schools so that baseline changes Put all “dumb” kids in one class Lower cut-off scores Suspend kids so scores won’t factor in Encourage low-scoring kids to drop out Cheat

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 14 Goals and Objectives of Assessment Gather evidence on what a learner can do Determine individual strengths and needs Make informed decisions Provide feedback to the learner Describe growth and development Communicate progress to stakeholders

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 15 The Best Assessments Give students a chance to choose Give them latitude Push them to do their best Have high expectations Show what they CAN do

Looking at Data 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 16

GETTING FROM A TO Z Using Data 10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 17

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 18 Level1a  No functional ability to write Standard How it LooksWriting is indecipherable or consists of letter like forms

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 19 Level1a  No functional ability to write StandardLearn functionality of print. Learn to copy. Learn set expressions Labels, LEA Picture books How it LooksWriting is indecipherable or consists of letter like forms

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 20 Level1b  Able to communicate minimally with learned material. StandardKnow functions of literacy, alphabet, directionality, spacing. Personal Information Writes words and short sentences. How it LooksWrites phrases, simple sentences. Few mechanics

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 21 Level1b  Able to communicate minimally with learned material StandardKnow functions of literacy, alphabet, directionality, spacing. Personal Information Writes words and short sentences. Memorize set expressions Learn ocabulary Practice writing/copying LEA Frame Sentences Environmental Print How it LooksWrites phrases, simple sentences. Few mechanics

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 22 Level2  Sufficient control to meet survival needs Standard Simple writing on concrete and familiar topics, basic vocab., common structures and tenses. Conventional spelling. Punctuation. Organize ideas. How it LooksInvented spelling. Some cohesion. Some complex sentences. Many errors.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 23 Level2  Sufficient control to meet survival needs Standard Simple writing on concrete and familiar topics, basic vocab., common structures and tenses. Conventional spelling. Punctuation. Organize ideas. Read simple texts Build fluency and understanding Increase vocabulary How it LooksInvented spelling. Some cohesion. Some complex sentences. Many errors.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 24 Level3  Sufficient control to meet limited practical needs Standard Express complex thoughts. Expanded vocabulary Communicate across the curriculum. Cohesive paragraphs. Varied sentence structure. How it Looks Good control of grammar. Multi- paragraphs. Wide range of vocabulary. Frequent errors.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 25 Level3  Sufficient control to meet limited practical needs Standard Express complex thoughts. Expanded vocabulary Communicate across the curriculum. Cohesive paragraphs. Varied sentence structure. Familiar topics Guided reading Sentence combining Dictation Guided writing Reading beyond the classroom How it Looks Good control of grammar. Multi- paragraphs. Wide range of vocabulary. Frequent errors.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 26 Level4  Sufficient control to meet most needs and academic demands Standard Complex sentences/ complex thoughts Control over grammar. Write independently for academic purposes. Multiple paragraphs. Effective organization How it Looks Approximates native speakers’ writing. Errors persist but more complex and less easy to fix or unravel.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 27 Level4  Sufficient control to meet most needs and academic demands Standard Complex sentences/ complex thoughts Control over grammar. Write independently for academic purposes. Multiple paragraphs. Effective organization Increase control over structures Increase speed in reading Increase writing and reading vocabulary How it Looks Approximates native speakers’ writing. Errors persist but more complex and less easy to fix or unravel.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 28 Level5  Ability to create with language. Standard Write with precision. Read at normal rate of speed Read subject matter with comprehension. How it Looks Writes with a “foreign accent.” Some errors in difficult grammatical structures.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 29 Level5  Ability to create with language. Standard Write with precision. Read at normal rate of speed Read subject matter with comprehension. Increase control over structures Increase speed in reading, increase vocabulary Practice taking accurate notes Extensive reading How it Looks Writes with a “foreign accent.” Some errors in difficult grammatical structures.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 30 Level6  Proficient for professional and college expectations StandardWrite effectively with accuracy. Mastery over syntax. Control. Errors don’t interfere with comprehension How it LooksSatisfies all requirements of school. Succeeds in all-English medium.

10/3/2015ESL Conference: Kananaskis 31 Don’t sacrifice the creativity and the fun