Comprehensive Assessment for Second Language Learners: the Basic Model

1. Comprehensive Assessment for Second Language Learners: the Basic Model Diep Nguyen, Ph.D. Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum & Instruction Evanston Township High School District 202 nguyend@eths.k12.il.us 847-424-7175

2. What if... • Tomorrow, we are told that NCLB no longer requires annual achievement tests but that each school still must show in other valid ways that students are making adequate yearly progress and meeting standards?

3. An Essential Question: • Do we assess what we value or • do we assess what is testable and required?

4. Critical Corollary Questions if we believe All Kids Can Learn • What is it we expect them to learn? • How will we know when they learn it? • How will we respond when they don’t learn? • How will we respond when they already know it? (DuFour & DuFour, 2004)

5. Establishing an Exceptional Assessment System • Provide a rationale for moving beyond test scores to create an exceptional, authentic assessment and accountability system for all learners, including Second Language Learners (SLLs) • Offer a model of assessment and accountability for districts and schools (BASIC Model) • Give examples of formative and summative assessment that can help build a viable pivotal portfolio of learning for every student • Provide strategies to make evidence-based decisions about instruction of second language learners

6. Evidence-based , not data driven

7. Characteristics of an authentic assessment and accountability system: • Internal to the functioning of schools and school districts while responsive to the external accountability mandates • Built on consensus from both teachers (team and school levels) and administrators • Rigorous, comprehensive, and standards-based • Systemic, reflective of shared educational goals, vision, and commitment • Directly related to teaching and learning

8. Why do we need an authentic, exceptional assessment system? • Document students’ development of language proficiency over time (L1 and L2) • Document students’ academic performance over time • Ensure data from multiple measures are used for decision-making • Inform and guide instruction on an ongoing basis • Offer valid ways of examining and reporting their progress, proficiency, and achievement

9. How can an authentic, exceptional assessment system help to establish accountability? • Provide multiple sources of evidence of student growth in language proficiency, academic achievement, and cross-cultural competence- “building success” • Measure and provide evidence of student achievement and instructional effectiveness- “tracking success” • Help to diagnose challenging areas and create a plan for improvement- “ensuring success”

10. Assessment and Accountability are Guided by Principles 1. Teaching and learning are influenced by the interaction among learning goals, learning standards, and learning benchmarks, and their alignment with assessment measures. 2. Decision making is based on multiple measures that include information from formative and summative assessment across levels of implementation to yield a rich array of quantitative, qualitative, and combined types of evidence. 3. Assessment at the state and district levels complement strongly and support assessment at the program, school and classroom levels. 4. Students’ language proficiency, as demonstrated by their growth in language development, is distinct from their academic achievement, their attainment of conceptual skills and knowledge. The assessment of language proficiency and academic achievement is unique, with each measure specifically crafted to fulfill a distinct purpose. 5. Well-articulated learning goals, that stem from a program’s vision and mission, are formulated, shared, and supported by all constituents, including students, parents, teachers, administrators, and boards of education.

11. English Language Proficiency Standards or L2 Language Goals & Objectives Academic Content Standards English Language or other L2 Proficiency Assessment Assessment of Academic Achievement in L1 or L2 Curriculum and Instruction Anchors for Assessment in Language Education Programs

12. A Balanced Assessment and Accountability System, Inclusive and Comprehensive • The BASIC Model 12

13. The BASIC Model State/District Assessment Curriculum and Instruction Contextual Information Contextual Information Learning Goals Learning Benchmarks Program Assessment School/Classroom Assessment Learning Standards Contextual Information Gottlieb & Nguyen (2007). 13

14. Components of the BASIC Model

15. Curriculum and instruction are in the triangle’s core. 15

16. A Brain Teaser How are data like bread?

17. The BASIC Model We collect relevant data simultaneously at each level of implementation and use them for various purposes. • State • District/Program • School • Classroom

18. Activity 1 What measures are used for students (including S.L.L.s) to promote their academic learning and language development at each level of implementation?

19. Assessment provides us with formative and summative information. • “Building Success”: • Formative (Assessment for Learning) …the collection, analysis, and reporting of information on a regular basis that informs students about their progress and learning. • “Tracking Success”: • Summative (Assessment of Learning) …the use of standard or standardized measures during a specific time frame that offers summary information on student performance or program effectiveness

20. Key questions to differentiate between formative & summative assessment • What is the purpose of the assessment? (measure progress toward learning goals vs. evaluate achievement of standards) • How is the data used and by whom? (to inform instruction (teacher) and guide learning (student) vs. to evaluate success and set new achievement goals. • How often do you assess? (frequently vs. once in a while) 20

21. Formative • Historical Data • Students’ Portfolio: • Informal Reading Inventories, rated oral language and writing samples, report cards, student work samples. • MAP Test • Surveys and Interviews: • teachers, students and parents. • Summative • Second Language Proficiency Tests: • IPT, ACCESS for ELLs® • District Achievement Test in L1 and L2: • Terra Nova,SUPERA • State Assessments: • ISAT in IL, … Assessment Tools Used in SD #54, Schaumburg Formative

22. A Balanced Assessment System Program Assessment State/District Assessment School and Classroom Assessment

23. A Question: • How do we use assessment to collect just the data that we need and use all the data that we got to best guide teaching and learning?

24. Using three types of assessment to collect formative or summative information: • Idiosyncratic… measures designed by individual teachers used to make student, group, or classroom level decisions • Standard/common… common measures used across classrooms to make instructional decisions at the grade level, school or program level • Standardized… generally, norm-referenced or criterion-referenced tests used to make high-stakes decisions at the district or state levels

25. Activity 2 • For each level of implementation (state, district/program, school, classroom), identify formative and summative assessments used in your school community (from Activity 1). • Then categorize each measure according to its type: idiosyncratic, standard/common, or standardized. • Is there a balance between forms and types of assessment? • Are you being “savvy” in your assessment practices?

26. Why use common/standard assessments? (DuFour & DuFour, 2006) • Efficiency: by sharing the load, teachers save time. • Fairness: promotes common goals, similar pacing, and consistent standards for assessing students • Rich Information: provides teachers a basis for comparison regarding their students learning • Team capacity and collective response: teams can identify and address common concerns about student learning 26

27. Language Proficiency Standards Academic Content Standards Core values of Education Programs A Pivotal Student Portfolio Illustrative of the BASIC Model ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN L1 & L2 LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY CULTURAL PROFICIENCY IN C1 & C2

28. Identifying Measures for Pivotal Portfolios…Think about Which of the assessments that you have identified would you include in a student’s pivotal portfolio? [Remember that the portfolio needs to be a balanced representation of student growth and achievement in all core learning areas.]

29. Potential Uses of Assessment Information for Decision Making…… • Individual Student Learning Plans • Classroom Instructional Decisions • Focus for Staff Development • School Improvement Plans (SIP) • Program Improvement Plan • Public Reporting and Program Advocacy

30. What if… • The newly reauthorized ESEA no longer relies only on the state administered annual achievement tests for AYP but requires schools to show that students are making AYP and meeting core standards, using a system of reliable and valid assessments?

31. What if...? Beginning next year, all NCLB testing requirements are removed ... • Do you in place have an internal system of assessment that is comprehensive enough to give you valid and reliable information about our students’ learning and yet allow you to dedicate more time in the classroom for instruction?

32. Remember... • Assessment does not drive instruction. • It informs instruction and learning. • Learning needs should drive instruction. (Excellent teachers know this principle intuitively!) • Assessment must be useful for students and teachers!!! • Design your assessment system with students and teachers as primary users and beneficiaries...

33. Gottlieb, M. and Nguyen, D. Assessment and Accountability in Language Education Programs: A Guide for Teachers and Administrators. (2007)Philadelphia, PA: Caslon. 33