Alaskas English Language Proficiency Standards 2005 Alaska Department of Education & Early Development February 8, 2006

English Language Proficiency Standards Serve as guidepost for curriculum, instruction, and assessment of English language acquisition, Outline the developmental stages of English language acquisition, and Align with academic content standards to offer opportunities for continuity of learning.

Alaskas ELP 2004 Standards Developed by committee in 2003 to meet NCLB requirement Based on former TESOL standards Four domains – listening, speaking, reading & writing Included social goals as well as academic goals

ELP 2004 Standards Drafted by committee of educators and administrators with experience in ESL Draft reviewed by larger committee in November, 2003 State Board adopted in March, 2004

AK ELP Assessment Selection Alaska joined the Mountain West Assessment Consortium (MWAC), (10 states) in spring of 2003 to begin development of ELP Assessment The MWAC assessment delivered to EED in December 2004 No responsive proposals received to RFP to implement MWAC ELP assessment. EED issued an RFP July 29, 2005 for proposals to implement an existing NCLB compliant ELP assessment.

State Approved Assessment State selected Pearson Educational Measurement (PEM) and Ballard & Tighe to implement statewide the IDEA Proficiency Test (IPT) beginning March, –NCLB compliant –consistency across the State –useful data at all levels

Review of ELP 2004 Standards Needed Newly adopted Alaska grade level expectations in content areas Extensive ELP standards development by other states and consortia TESOL standards under revision

Research & Other Standards Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Inc. World-class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium standards North Carolina, Indiana, Utah, Colorado, and Virginia state standards Academic English: A Conceptual Framework, Robin Scarcella

2005 ELP Standards Committee Recruitment of Committee –12 stakeholders around state –9 of the 12 took part in the creation or review of the 2004 ELP Standards Objective of Committee –Review & revise ELP Standards before alignment study with IPT assessment L evel of appropriateness A ssessable for large scale C oherence across grade spans and domains D emonstrate through the GLEs; linked to science, math, language content standards.

Highlights of ELP Standards 2005

Four Guiding Standards One: (Listening) The learner will comprehend spoken English in a variety of personal, social, and academic contexts within the school setting. Two: (Speaking) The learner will communicate in appropriate spoken English in a variety of personal, social, and academic contexts within the school setting. Three: (Reading) The learner will comprehend written English in personal, social and academic contexts within the school setting. Four: (Writing) The learner will communicate in appropriate written English in a variety of personal, social, and academic contexts within the school setting.

Grade Spans Kindergarten – There is increasing accountability for learning at early school years. By describing the English language acquisition process for young students, Alaska provides an overall comprehensive program for assessment. Grades 1-2 – English language learners in primary grades are becoming acclimated to the demands of school and are acquiring a foundation in literacy. TESOL suggests 1-3 grades. Grades 3-5 – By middle elementary school years, students are focused on complexity and depth within the content areas through literacy. Grades 6-8 – This grade span was not changed; middle school brings on a unique set of challenges for English Language Learners. Grades 9-12 – This grade span was not changed; this span outlines the language of academic success necessary by the end of secondary schooling.

Levels of Language Proficiency The comprehension and use of the technical language of the content areas The linguistic complexity of oral interaction or writing The development of phonological syntactic, and semantic understanding or usage 5 – Proficient High 5- Proficient Low 4- Intermediate High 3- Intermediate Low 2- Beginner High 1- Beginner Low Proficient Intermediate Beginner

AMAO Option Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives Growth in proficient area for two consecutive years.

Level of Appropriateness All levels maintain consistency throughout the grade spans with some developmental growth.

Assessable Indicators Skill or knowledge oriented: ask, respond, express Restate, summarize, describe

Coherence (to be logically connected) Depth and complexity increases

Demonstrated through the Content The use of e.g. makes the content link. GLEs can be specified. Math Language Arts Science

Locally Assessed Standards Some standards are coded with (L) to indicate that teachers should assess those standards at the local classroom level –RBH Demonstrate one-to-one correspondence of spoken and printed words with modeling and prompting (follow along when text is read aloud). (L)

Relationship to 2004 Standards Same indicator on both ELP Standards

Connecting Standards & Assessment to Instruction Student level reports will indicate proficiency level in each domain of speaking, listening, reading, and writing Class & school reports will indicate # of students at each proficiency level and in each domain Teachers use standards at each proficiency level to determine where to focus instruction to maximize learning for each student

Sample Student Level Report

Questions and Discussion

Stakeholder Feedback Public Comment –Online access ml –Complete form; fax or give to an EED representative Deadline February 10, 2006