1. ASSESSMENT PROGRESS PORTFOLIOS
In the ESOL Literacy programme

2. Assessment in the ESOL Literacy programme
Is ongoing (Ts collect evidence of L performance in R W L S etc)
Is based on evidence of L performance (assessed as Profile level plus WA/UA)
Evidence is linked to the Outcomes/Tasks/Learning Descriptors for that Profile
Evidence is stored in the L portfolio and on the database
Evidence is summarised in a progress score at the end of each term

3. Assessment in 2017 Portfolio assessment trialled in 2016
Feedback gathered in research project 2016 : “ How do ELP teachers manage, apply and moderate the new focus on portfolio evidence as assessment in the ESOL Literacy classes? “
Recommendations actioned in (NB these include moderation of portfolio assessment & rationalisation of LOs)
Use of additional assessment tools e.g. Outcomes Reports, Starting Points results

4. PROGRESS - OUTCOMES REPORTS
Evidence of learner progress towards Programme Outcomes (general) and individual settlement goals (specific)
Recorded twice a year (end of Term 1, end of Term 3)
Includes progress in use of English inside and outside the classroom
Learners are involved in identifying & reporting outcomes
Outcomes Reports are completed in electronic form (Word doc)

5. Outcomes Reports: what does an outcome look like?
Same process as for ELGs, E4E, ESOL Intensive
Moderation of Outcomes Reports at the end of Term 1 
Name ID
Social Participation
Enrolment in further study
Employment (paid work)
Learner A
Told the class what clothing she was wearing including colours.
Learner B
Completed a role play to make an appointment with the GP

6. Recording progress: the magic number Using the Assessment Checklist
ESOL Literacy Programme assessment (5 subsections)
1 can’t do
2 beginning
3 developing
4 consolidating
5 can do
Database record
(10 subsections)
The NUMBER is the least important thing for the learner, the most important for external people like the funder.
Professional judgement for With Assistance /Unassisted

7. Starting Points Update
Starting Points Listening
1,600 Starting Points Listening assessments were sat by 867 ESOL Literacy and ESOL Intensive learners in 2016
Approximately 18% of learners had a ‘discontinued’ assessment at some stage in the assessment process
Nearly 40% of the learners made a statistically significant gain between their earliest and latest assessments (see final slide)
NZCER is analysing the data gathered from SP Listening assessments in 2016
Profoundly deaf learners are exempt from sitting either of the Starting Points assessments (Listening and Reading)
What can we do to help the assessment process go more smoothly?
Preview the assessments beforehand to ensure you are making the BEST ASSESSMENT CHOICE for your group (SP Listening/SP Reading)
Allow learners plenty of time to practise on the tablets BEFORE they sit assessments
Ask for assistance on assessment days – someone to take small groups of learners out of the room for assessment or provide support
Technical stuff:
Use broadband Wi-Fi (when you can) rather than the Wi-Fi access points
Make sure the automatic updates on the tablets are turned off
Make sure the tablets are charged

8. PORTFOLIO STATIONS (Teachers, CLAs)
Visit one or more portfolio stations
Ask questions about portfolio management and layout
View examples of portfolio assessment
Generate additional questions and recommendations for later discussion
THINK TANK (Non teaching staff)
Gather in the centre of the room and brainstorm one or more of the Think Tank Issues

9. THINK TANK ISSUES
How (or how well) does assessment of learner progress work in your centre?
What’s the biggest challenge in measuring learner progress in your centre?
Share one effective strategy your centre uses to manage assessment in the ESOL Literacy programme.

10. Starting Points – glossary Definitions from the National Centre of Literacy & Numeracy for Adults website
Scale score: A score on a scale of that provides an estimate of the learner’s ability in a particular Assessment Strand.
The Margin of Error (MoE) is an indication of how robust the learners result is. It relates to the level of difficulty the assessment questions take in relation to the learner’s ability. This indicates the precision of the score and gives a range within which to be reasonably sure that the student's true achievement level lies - i.e. if a learner has a Scale Score of 534 +/- 29 and they then sat a similar assessment, the learner would likely score between 505 and 563.
A statistically significant gain means that the Assessment Tool is confident the difference between two scale scores represents real learning progress and cannot be explained as resulting from the imprecision associated with the assessment scores. A statistically significant gain is not necessarily a large gain. It merely indicates that the Assessment Tool is confident that the gain is greater than zero. Making a learning gain takes time, explicit acts of teaching and Learner engagement.
721 (+/-35)
There is ‘air’ between the scale score & MoE in the first assessment, and the scale score and MoE in the second assessment!! That’s a statistically significant gain!!!!!
488 (+/-30)