Peer Response 1

· Review your classmates’ posts and respond. Compare the answers of your classmates to yours. Notice any complications of assessment based on the age of the learners. For distinguished peer responses, respond with a minimum of five sentences that add to the conversation, and refrain from evaluative posts (i.e., You did a good job.).

PEERS POST:

Children or Students in K-12 

Explain the purposes of assessment for ELLs.

                     The purpose of assessments for ELLs are to see where the child is when it comes to reading, writing, and language.  the assessments should benefit the children by providing data that can help the child and give them the tools they need in areas of improvement.  The assessments should be age appropriate and effective for the child to put them on the right track to success. 

Summarize some of the challenges with assessing ELLs.

                       Some of the challenges with assessing an ELL child is that the student may have a lack in understanding things such as they vocabulary. Alos some of the test may not be valid or reliable. The test may not measure what is intended to be measured.  Some of the testing might not be on the level that the child is on, which would make it hard for them to comprehend.  The test is supposed to trust to represent the child and to have them understand. 

Clarify what information is new to you and how your thinking might have changed based on this information.

                      The information that is new to me is how some of the ELL students are put into special education classes as if they have special needs instead of a problem with learning English. My thinking now is that some ELL are mis-assessed and are put in special needs classes when they don't need to be.

Generate one or two questions you still have about assessing ELLs.

                     One questions I still have about assessing ELLs is, are all ELL assessments relatively the same and how will they relate to the people taking the test. Another question is, how often are the assessments updated or have they been using the same assessments year after year. 

-Kathy Coble

Piper, T. (2015).  Language, learning, and culture: English language learning in today’s schools . Bridgepoint Education.

MY POST:

Assessment Purposes

Assessment is an essential tool for English Language Learners. The critical purposes of assessment for English Language Learners are monitoring progress and placement. Determining the academic and language needs of ELLs is crucial since it is the foundation for developing a suitable instruction program. When the learner's needs are not determined, the program may have a shortage of the instructional components needed for their success in academic achievement and language proficiency (Colorin Colorado. 2015). Also, careful and successful monitoring allows educators to adjust the instructional plan based on the learners' needs. Furthermore, the monitoring reports are essential to states, districts, federal programs, and parents.

Challenges

There are also some challenges with assessing ELLs. The linguistic background is an issue since, although most ELLs in the U.S. are Spanish speaking, there are still various native languages spoken by ELLs. Another challenge is distinct proficiency levels in English due to the difficulty in correctly identifying different stages (Lecture Notes. 2022). Another is validity and reliability since inappropriate and inadequate assessment could result in unwarranted decisions. Also, the materials available should reflect the learner's learning and teaching methods. Others include teacher bias that influences assessment fairness, time preparations, and the choice of program for ELLs influenced by various factors.

New Information and Generated Questions

The new information is that “ELLs are over-identified as having learning disorders and at the same time under-identified as being gifted.” Most sources identify ELLs as having reading and language Impairments, while others identify ELLs as native English-speaking populations. However, the fact that ELLs can be gifted is insightful information. A reason for under-identification is the difficulty in assessing ELLs as gifted (Lecture Notes. 2022). Another reason is that the formal assessment process itself can limit ELLs. Hence, based on the above information, ELLs can be gifted. The questions include what real-life examples could show the effectiveness of monitoring reports in state applications? How do wrongly diagnosing ELLs impact academic achievement and lead to negative social consequences?

 

References

Colorin Colorado. (2015, June 5). Assessment for ELLs [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6fG4FmibEQ (Links to an external site.)

Lecture Notes. (2022). Chapter 4: Assessment and Program Options [pdf]. 04CH_Piper_Language.pdf (Links to an external site.)

Lecture Notes. (2022). Chapter 9: Learners with Special Needs [pdf]. 09CH_Piper_Language.pdf