The Assessment and Placement of E.L.L students in the U.S Virgin Islands

Assessment and Placement of ELL’s In the U.S Virgin Islands

     ‘I once was blind, but now I see’ a quote I've heard within the forms of theater and music, but one that hadn't applied to me until this course began. As I previously noted within my blog post reflection I was one of the people within our society that stigmatized those of different nationalities (particularly Santo Domingo’s) wondering how is it possible to be born in an English speaking country and attend native English institutions without ever understanding English. I am now ashamed of my ignorant thoughts; I can’t believe that I had let such things blind me from the real issues and truths; it was the fault of our own governments and educational institutions. The only reason they are unable to comprehend and understand English fluently was because they were never accurately taught how to do so. Because of standardized testing and the high demand for better results from schools, many things fall through the cracks and bilingual programs have been a constant variable in the equation. It is my intent to illustrate the purposes and challenges met by teachers when assessing and placing students within bilingual programs and offer some solutions that may help to make the identification and transition smoother.
     
       Assessments, formative and summative, are pertinent in the placement of English Language Learner’s to ensure progression. Formative assessments ensure the appropriate selection of instructional strategies, while summative assessments are basically used as a test to ‘rate’ or ‘scale’ a student’s progression. Teachers depend on this performance based assessments to be able to assess a student’s understanding of skills and to determine initial placement within classrooms. Through visual observation as well as portfolios that illustrate the student’s progress teachers monitor student’s language acquisition/ proficiency. Student’s progression rates will vary due to environmental factors and social interaction through language, formally known as BICS (basic interpersonal communication skills).

       The most complex part of assessing a student for placement is using the results of said testing to create instruction. The report teachers receive, report of students overall level of acquisition, is most useful in this aspect. The scores for each domain are listed which makes it easier for teachers to plan instruction to best fit the needs of their students. This sheet should be upgraded by all staff members involved with the students learning so that all teachers are aware of progressions and can make the appropriate changes to meet those students needs academically to help them further progress. Teachers are expected to create differentiated assessments for students, and it is more than understandable for none of us are the same or two of a kind, but it is also a tedious job for an educator with students from different levels and nationalities within their care. Working with others (colleagues, conferring with parents) can prove to be rewarding for both teachers and students.
All teachers working alongside one another, ESL and mainstream, to create the assessments needed for incoming or returning students annually would elevate a lot of the stress involved within making those assessments. Creating assessments annually even though testing is done quarterly saves a lot of time, as well as having a team of teachers all specializing in different aspects contributing to the creation; it all equals a recipe for success. Through this strategy teachers are afforded more time for instruction, individualized or otherwise. Teachers are also giving better rounded assessments so in return the information received on their students is vast and accurate, giving them the ammunition needed to fuel their progression onto a pathway of success. Through this solution teachers are afforded an opportunity to help each other help the students, as well as themselves.

        Other ideas that help in developing differentiated assessments include familiarizing yourself with the state’s English language proficiency standards for your grade level, and only plan tasks for the levels of the students in your class. Keep all assessment tasks as simple as possible, while noting that students at level five or nearing there should be conducting tasks similar to that of natives. I also personally think that it would be effective for all school to utilize a supplemental grading report which reflects the progress make in each of the four domains; listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This is not something that I am aware of in our school within the territory but I think that it would be quite effective for students and parents would be able to identify target areas and work on them outside of the classroom to help reinforce skills learned.  Engaging a student is the best way to ensure participation and progression, by involving the community and the families within a student’s academic endeavors students are given three times the amount of support than they can ever receive in the classroom, as well as instruction from those who identify with them the most and those who know who they learn the best.

 References

Baralis, C. L. (2009). The long-term effects of a K-5 dual language program on middle school student academic achievement and biculturalism. (3405271, Hofstra University). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, , 242-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/231001355?accountid=32521.

Holloway, L. (2000, Oct 04). A challenge to bilingual programs in teaching English. New York Times. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/431580464?accountid=32521
Brian, A. G., & Fabiano, L. (2007). Assessment and intervention for bilingual children with phonological disorders. ASHA Leader, 12(2), 6-7,26-27,31. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/218087462?accountid=32521

Syrja, Rachel Carrillo. How to Reach and Teach English Language Learners: Practical Strategies to Ensure Success. John Wiley & Sons P&T, 08/2011. <Vbk: 9781118397077#page (35)>.