Classroom Assessment Alana Pieper Karla Garcia Jaime Motz

Topic Sentence: As prospective teachers, we would like to learn how to create a balance between assessing ESL students formally and informally.

Problem: To find a balance between formal and informal assessment that will encourage students to work as a group, but also allow for individual growth in the American culture.

Assessing Early Elementary ELL’s *Observing and monitoring processes is most important at this stage * writing skills are in the beginning stages, so most language is oral * processes may be assessed informally in class – see how/when they function in L2

Methods Anecdotal records Language-use checklists (L1 or L2?) Portfolios

Benefits of the Portfolio *Allows teachers, parents, and students to monitor progress over spans of time *Caters to individuals of varying abilities *Integrates assessment into daily work *Assesses a variety of skills

A final word on early assessments Reacting to assessment results is just as important as the actual assessment Keep parents informed and involved so they can help their students achieve

Assessing Older Elementary Students A Few Things To Keep In Mind: *Less consequences for Elementary/Middle School students The younger they are, the more creative their minds are! If reading, writing, and comprehension skills are not developed, it is impossible to formally assess them with a paper/pencil test

Different Approaches Your Teachers Have Used: *Repeat-After-Me Group Projects Flashcards Games No assessment Daily Oral Language Sheets

Five Keys to Quality Assessment 1.) What? 2.)Why? 3.) How? 4.)How much? 5.)How accurate?

Assessing High School Students Solutions for High school level: * Assessment that will provide an accurate reflection of a student’s knowledge. As well, their progression needs to have clear guidelines and grading options for ESL students.

Grading options and guidelines: *Process and product are both essential when grading ESL students Adapt tests if the content is too difficult Teach students how to learn Recognize student’s effort

High School Informal Assessment Six trait writing: ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions

Other Informal Assessments Projects Journals Portfolios Draft, published work Vocabulary log/record Log of books read Work sample Classroom test Running records during oral reading Anecdotal record Checklist Peer interaction Oral presentation Oral reading Retelling Conversations Questioning Dictation

Solution: The ultimate solution is being able to assess each student on a case by case by case basis. But because this will not always be possible for the teacher, it is absolutely vital that teachers create a wide variety of formal and informal assessments. As future teachers, we need to learn how to create assessment that will provide an accurate reflection of a student’s knowledge, as well as their progression. Using appropriate assessment methods for each grade level will help students succeed in the American school system and culture, as well as in both group and individual settings.

Resources: Tertell, Elizabeth A., Susan M. Klein, Janet L. Sewett.When Teachers Reflect: Journeys Toward Effective, Inclusive practice.LB W Valdez-Pierce, Lorraine.Assessing English Language Learners. National Education Association.,2003 Scenarios for Standards-Based Assessment. Alexandria,VA: TESOL,2001. “Why use portfolio assessment?” bb.unco.edu Jameson, Judith H. Enriching Content Classes for Secondary TESOL Students. NW, Washington.C Jancola, Linda