Instructors need to “assess student by their [proficiency]
level” so that teachers can include grouping students by their assessed English
Level when considering instruction and assessments. (Dutro & Kinsella, pg. 170). Language learning should be paramount for EL students by “crafting
instruction that results in both accuracy and fluency.” (Dutro & Kinsella, pg. 178)
Assess students based on academic language use,
curriculum content knowledge, and higher-level thinking skills. Chamot & O'Mally (pp. 62-63) recommend balanced assessments based on the following:
·
Metacognitive planning
(organization, attention and self-management), monitoring (comprehension and
production), and evaluation (self-assessment, reflection)
·
Cognitive (resourcing,
grouping, note-taking, elaboration, summarizing, deduction, imagery, auditory, inferences)
·
Social/affective
(questioning, cooperation, and self-talk)
Discussing assessing English-language (EL)
learners helps me to consider all of my students. Once I start to distinguish
activities, instruction, and assessment for one student, I start to consider
equity for all students. English speakers have differentiation needs and
proficiency levels for assessments as well. I picture my student with cerebral
palsy, my AD/HD students, my English speakers—the advanced, the struggling, the
kinesthetic, the detached, the engaged, the overachiever, the ELs born in the
United States, the ELs born in Mexico and Vietnam, and more. References
Chamot, A. & O'Mally, J. (1994). The CALLA Approach. Implementing the Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach, Boston. Ma.
Dutro, S. & Kinsella, K. Improving Education for English Learners:
Research-based Approaches. (Chapter 3) English Language
Development: Issues and Implementation at Grades Six Through Twelve.
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