Assessment for ELL Learners

Interim assessment

A form of assessment that educators use to (1) evaluate where students are in their learning progress and (2) determine whether they are on track to performing well on future assessments, such as standardized tests or end-of-course exams.

Diagnostic assessment

A form of pre-assessment that allows a teacher to determine students' individual strengths, weaknesses, knowledge, and skills prior to instruction.

Benchmark assessment

A measure generally used to predict performance on an annual high-stakes test.

Common assessment

A measure that is crafted based on mutually agreed-upon decisions by educators for uniform use across multiple classrooms.

Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM)

A rating scale that teachers can use to assess their students' command of oral language on the basis of what they observe on a continual basis in a variety of situations. The teacher matches a student's language performance in a five mains - listening comprehension, vocabulary, fluency, grammar, and pronunciation - to descriptions on a five-point scale for each.

Large Scale assessment

A test given to large numbers of students within and across districts and states.

Standardized assessment

A test with results given as standard or scale scores so that performance of individual or groups of students can be compared.

High-stakes assessment

A test with results that have consequences for students, teachers, schools, or districts.

Performance assessment

Also known as alternative or authentic assessment, it's a form of testing that requires students to perform a task rather than select an answer from a ready-made list.

Informal Reading Inventory (IRI)

An individually-administered diagnostic tool that assesses a student's reading comprehension and reading accuracy. The IRI measures three reading levels: independent, instructional and frustrational. The independent reading level is the level at which a student reads without help from the teacher. To be independent, the student should accurately decode at least 95% of the words and comprehend 90% of the material. The instructional reading level is reached when a student accurately decodes at least 90% of the words and comprehends at least 60% of the material. Below that, a text would be considered to be at a frustrational level: the student decodes 89% or less of the words and can comprehend only 50% of the material.

Assessment OF learning

Assists teachers in using evidence of student learning to assess achievement against outcomes and standards. Sometimes referred to as 'summative assessment', it usually occurs at defined key points during a teaching work or at the end of a unit, term or semester, and may be used to rank or grade students. Ex. To report on students' language proficiency and achievement in regards to specific learning expectations related to standards.

Classroom assessment

Collection of data as part of the instructional routine (may also be considered instructional assessment).

Formal assessment

Data collected with a set plan in mind. They are tests that systematically measure how well a student has mastered learning outcomes.

Informal assessment

Data collected without any specific planning. Not data driven but rather content and performance driven.

Language proficiency

Demonstration of a person's ability in processing (though listening and reading) and producing (through speaking and writing) language at a point of time.

Criterion-Referenced assessment

Designed to measure student performance against a fixed set of predetermined criteria or learning standards. Ex. Concise, written descriptions of what students are expected to know and be able to do at a specific stage of their education.

Summative assessment

Evaluates student progress. End assessment. Demonstrates learning.

Assessment FOR learning

Involves teachers using evidence about students' knowledge, understanding and skills to inform their teaching. Sometimes referred to as 'formative assessment', it usually occurs throughout the teaching and learning process to clarify student learning and understanding. Ex. To adjust instruction and to provide students with descriptive, criterion-referenced feedback on their learning.

Emergent bilinguals

Language learners who, through school and acquiring English, become bilingual and have the ability to function in both their home language and English.

English Language Learners (ELLs)

Linguistically and culturally diverse students who are in the process of developing English as an additional language as they access grade-level content.

Gifted and talented ELLs

May be overlooked because they may not speak fluently in English.

English Language Proficiency Testing (ELP)

Measures an EL's ability to use the English language for communication and academic work. Is measured by an English-language proficiency test chosen by each state. Covers four domains - reading, writing, listening, and speaking; districts generally can administer it online or with paper and pencil.

ACCESS test

Measures students' academic English language in four language domains: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing.

Long term English Language Learners (LTELLs)

Middle or high school students who haven't met linguistic standards even though they have been participating in language support programs for seven years.

Formative assessment

Monitors student progress. Can be used whenever. Co-occurs with learning.

Assessment AS learning

Occurs when students are their own assessors. Students monitor their own learning, ask questions and use a range of strategies to decide what they know and can do, and how to use assessment information for new learning. Ex. self-reflection, setting personal goals and criteria for success, interacting with others, etc.

Students With Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

Older ELLs who have recently arrived into the country who haven't been afforded consistent education. Ex. Migrant or constantly moving, immigrating, refugees.

Criterion-Referenced Feedback

Provides information by comparing student achievement with a learning target or standard.

Norm-Referenced assessment

Refers to standardized tests that are designed to compare and rank test takers in relation to one another. They report on whether test takers performed better or worse than a hypothetical average student, which is determined by comparing scores against the performance results of a statistically selected group of test takers, typically of the same age or grade level, who have already taken the exam.

Heritage language learners

Students generally born in the U.S. who have varying degrees of language proficiency in or a cultural connection to languages other than English.

Linguistically and culturally diverse learners

Students who are exposed to different cultures and languages at hone and then go to a single culture school. They can speak fluent English but can be mislabeled as ELL due to diversity in language.

Indigenous population

Students whose families are rooted deep into the soil of a specific area. Can have three or four languages. Ex. Indian, Mayan, etc.

Raw Score

The count of how many items the student had correct on the test, including items below the basal (starting item) and before the ceiling (ending item).

Assessment

The process of planning, gathering, analyzing, and interpreting data for decision making.

ELLs with learning disabilities

Underdiagnosed because their inabilities to understand language may be stemmed from actual problems. Overdiagnosed based on certain language issues.

Dual language learners

Young children participating in early childhood education programs who speak a language other than English at home and are in the process of developing English. Also applied to students who are systematically instructed content in two languages.