Training on Linguistic Accommodations for the STAAR TM Program

1. Training on Linguistic Accommodations for the STAARTM Program TEA Student Assessment Division February 9, 2012 TETN Event #: 11747 English Language Arts

2. Linguistic Accommodations in Instruction • Support learning of both subject matter and English • Are expected to change and be needed less often as students learn more English • Are monitored and adjusted by teachers as students learn more English TEA Student Assessment Division

3. Guide the Beginner Listening: Struggles to understand basic conversations and identify individual words or phrases. Often remains silent, watching others for visual cues. Speak slowly, rephrase statements, and use visuals Speaking: Hesitant to speak. Lacks vocabulary to connect ideas and speak in sentences. Uses recently practiced or memorized words and phrases Provide visuals and provide assistance through a bilingual pair Reading: Reads very slowly, word by word. Highly dependent on visuals. Understands very limited, recently memorized vocabulary. Provide visuals and adapted text Writing: Usually labels, lists and copies. Uses memorized words and short, simple sentences. Lacks vocabulary to write Provide sentence stems and frames. Show me how to use a bilingual dictionary and give me access to a picture dictionary TEA Student Assessment Division

4. In your class, a BEGINNING listener understands this……….. • Good morning, class. Today, we are going to study something brand new. Its difficult, so I’m going to need everyone’s undivided attention. Open your books to page onehundred seventy two.At the top of the page is the word “net”. Today’s lessonis about net. As it says in the definition in your book, in math, net is a two-dimensional model. The net of a cylinderis shown in your textbook. Does everyone see the rectangle and two circles? That’s the net of the cylinder. TEA Student Assessment Division

5. Focus the Intermediate • Listening: Understands simple, routine instructions. Identifies key words and phrases. Has the ability to seek clarification. (Speak slowly, rephrase statements and use gestures. Develop background knowledge before a listening activity.) • Speaking: Can participate in short conversations. Speaks simply, using basic vocabulary that is usually in the present tense. (Be patient with the hesitant speaker. Support through sentence frames and stems) • Reading: Understands every day oral language and literal meanings of common words and routine academic words. Reads slowly and rereads to clarify. Struggles to understand grade appropriate language. (Encourage collaboration with a bilingual pair. Develop background knowledge before reading) • Writing: Lacks details. Often repeats ideas. Uses short, simple sentences with frequent errors in the present tense. (Provide a word bank. Encourage bilingual dictionary usage. Intentionally teach verbs in the past tense.) TEA Student Assessment Division

6. In your class, an INTERMEDIATE listener understands this……….. • Good morning, class. Today, we are going to study something brand new. Its difficult, so I’m going to need everyone’s undivided attention. Open your books to page one hundred seventy two.At the top of the page is the word “net”. Today’s lesson is about net. As it says in the definition in your book, in math, net is a two-dimensional model. The net of a cylinder is shown in your textbook. Does everyone see the rectangle and two circles? That’s the net of the cylinder. TEA Student Assessment Division

7. Engage the advanced student Listening: Usually understands longer directions, conversations and discussions. Occasionally asks the speaker to repeat, slow down or rephrase. (Give me time to process and ask for clarification) Speaking: Can comfortably participate in most conversations and academic discussions or familiar topics in past present and future tenses. (Challenge me to speak in class so that I can continue to build confidence.) Reading: Can usually understand grade appropriate concrete and abstract vocabulary. Can understand multiple meanings of commonly used words. (Encourage me to read on my own. Help me build good word attack and dictionary skills). Writing: Has more of an academic tone. Narrations, explanations and descriptions developed in some detail with emerging clarity. (Remind me to use a dictionary at all times. Increase my knowledge of academic vocabulary) TEA Student Assessment Division

8. In your class, an ADVANCED listener understands this……….. • Good morning, class. Today we are going to study something brand new. It is difficult, so I’m going to need your undivided attention. Open your books to page one hundred seventy-two. At the top of the page is the word “net”. Today’s lesson is about net. As it says in the definition in your book, in math, net is a two dimensional model. The net of a cylinder is shown in your textbook. Does everyone see the rectangle and the two circles? That’s the net of the cylinder. TEA Student Assessment Division

9. Challenge the advanced high learner • Listening: Understands many points and implicit information nearly comparable to native English speakers. Rarely requires the speaker to slow down or rephrase. (Provide challenging, academic listening opportunities). • Speaking: Able to participate in extended discussions in social and academic settings. Communicates effectively, using abstract and content based vocabulary. (Require participation in grade appropriate academic conversation.) • Reading Can read and understand vocabulary at a level nearly comparable to native English speakers. (Encourage habitual reading at a challenging level.) • Writing: Uses vocabulary and language structures that are nearly comparable to a native speaker on academically complex and abstract ideas. (Encourage dictionary use at all times. Increase knowledge of academic vocabulary) TEA Student Assessment Division

10. About Linguistic Accommodations • Linguistic accommodations are language supports that decrease the language barrier ELLs experience when learning and demonstrating knowledge and skills in English • Texas English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) require that all teachers linguistically accommodate the instruction of ELLs according to students’ English language proficiency levels • STAAR linguistic accommodation policies support these ELPS requirements TEA Student Assessment Division

11. Linguistic Accommodations in Instruction • Support learning of both subject matter and English • Are expected to change and be needed less often as students learn more English • Are monitored and adjusted by teachers as students learn more English TEA Student Assessment Division

12. Linguistic Accommodations for Students Taking STAAR and STAAR L TEA Student Assessment Division

13. Differing Degrees ofLinguistic Accommodation for STAAR STAAR Spanish: Assessment is provided in student’s native language; other linguistic accommodations not applicable TEA Student Assessment Division

14. Linguistic Accommodations During State Assessment • Not all accommodations suitable for instruction are allowable during state assessments • Accommodations in instruction are designed to foster and support learning • STAAR measures degree to which students have met curriculum and performance standards • Accommodations during assessment must not alter what is fundamentally assessed • Issues of test standardization and test administration logistics must be considered during state assessments TEA Student Assessment Division

15. STAAR L • STAAR L is for students who require moderate to substantial linguistic accommodation to understand the English used on STAAR mathematics, science, and social studies assessments • STAAR L is not for ELLs for whom a bilingual dictionary and/or extra time suffice. STAAR allows these linguistic accommodations • STAAR L is for students for whom clarification of word meaning in English and/or reading words aloud (in addition to potentially using a bilingual dictionary and having extra time) is important to their ability to understand challenging material written in English TEA Student Assessment Division

16. STAAR L Online Tests • Beginning in Spring 2013, STAAR L will be administered as an online testing program in grades 3-8 and EOC. • Clarification in English and reading aloud will be provided in online interface. • Students will need headphones if testing in a group. TEA Student Assessment Division

17. Linguistic Accommodations STAAR *Dictionary access to be provided for all students in grade 6 and up as part of STAAR dictionary policy TEA Student Assessment Division

18. Linguistic Accommodations STAAR L TEA Student Assessment Division

19. STAAR and STAAR L Linguistic Accommodations― Dictionaries TEA Student Assessment Division

20. Dictionary Skills must be intentionally taught and practiced OFTEN All words in a dictionary are listed in alphabetical order. Look for a partner. The following words are not in alphabetical order. Put them in order as quickly as you can: • Ballot, poll, caucus, incumbent, vote, president, nominee, debate, elect, campaign, office, candidate (You have 30 seconds) TEA Student Assessment Division

21. Using the dictionary • Find the definition for “office” (with a political reference). • Now, look up the term “Veto Power”. What page is it on? TEA Student Assessment Division

22. Dictionaries Ok. I give up. This book isn’t helping me AT ALL! What’s a guide word? “Ate” isn’t here!! Where’s the definition for pumpkin pie?!?!? There are EIGHT definitions for “drive”?!? Which one! The teacher said “philosophy” was in here under “p”. I’m totally lost! TEA Student Assessment Division

23. Dictionaries as a Linguistic Accommodation • Bilingual dictionaries English/ESL dictionaries 4 types of allowable dictionaries Monolingual Dictionaries Picture Dictionaries TEA StudentAssessmentDivision

24. Bilingual Dictionary • Allowable for STAAR and STAAR L (any subject) • Linguistic accommodation for • math, science, social studies (all grades) • grades 3–5 reading and grade 4 writing • Reminder: Allowed for grade 6 and up reading and writing as part of STAAR dictionary policy (and not considered a linguistic accommodation) • Used to translate words (and sometimes common phrases) from one language to another • Bilingual dictionaries that includepictures are fine as long as they do not illustrate content terminology or concepts TEA Student Assessment Division

25. Bilingual Dictionary Examples of translated words — English to Spanish (useful when reading in English) evenly uniformemente; imparcialmente, equitativamente live broadcast emisión en directo photosynthesis fotosíntesis Examples of translated words — Spanish to English (useful when writing in English) cita appointment, meeting; date; quotation decepcionar disappoint débil weak TEA Student Assessment Division

26. Bilingual Dictionary Example entry — English to Spanish age [eIdƷ] noun (general) edad; old age vejez; (period) época; (fam: long time) we waited for agesesperamosunaeternidad; verb envejecer The Spanish translation for the word “age,” which seems like a simple word in English, has multiple meanings and is a different word in each case. TEA Student Assessment Division

27. English/ESL Dictionary • Allowable for STAAR reading and writing only; not other STAAR subjects; not STAAR L • Linguistic accommodation below grade 6 • Reminder: Allowed for grade 6 and up reading and writing as part of STAAR dictionary policy (and not considered a linguistic accommodation) • Unlike bilingual dictionaries, English dictionaries contain definitions of English words • ESL dictionaries define words using simpler English • Some dictionaries (e.g., children’s dictionaries, ESL dictionaries) include some pictures TEA Student Assessment Division

28. Other Allowable Dictionaries – Non-English Monolingual Dictionary and Picture Dictionary Non-English Monolingual Dictionary • Allowable for STAAR reading and writing only • Linguistic accommodation in grade 3 and up • Single-language standard (definition) dictionary in a language other than English (e.g., dictionary of Spanish language; dictionary of Vietnamese language) • Would likely need to be used in combination with other dictionaries; this requires skill and experience TEA Student Assessment Division

29. Other Allowable Dictionaries – Non-English Monolingual Dictionary and Picture Dictionary Picture Dictionary • Allowable for STAAR reading and writing only • Linguistic accommodation in grade 3 and up • Conveys word meaning through drawings or photos; includes only words that can be pictured • May be monolingual, bilingual, or multilingual (may show picture plus word in one language or more than one language) • Contains small body of words; has limited usefulness as stand-alone linguistic accommodation TEA Student Assessment Division

30. Allowable and Nonallowable Formats Within four categories of allowable dictionaries, keep in mind the following guidelines: • Paper and electronic dictionary formats (including hand-held electronic devices) are permitted • Electronic devices: • must not be Internet-based (it is not sufficient to disable Internet) • any features that allow entering and saving text or uploading files must be cleared before and after test administration • if device has additional capabilities (e.g. calculator) that cannot be disabled, the test administrator must actively monitor to ensure that these features are not accessed TEA Student Assessment Division

31. Allowable and Nonallowable Formats • Subject-specific/topic-specific dictionaries (e.g., science dictionaries, academic language dictionaries, etc.) are not permitted • Bilingual dictionaries must be word/phrase translation dictionaries only; must not define words or illustrate or explain content terminology or concepts • Bilingual, ESL, and standard monolingual dictionaries that contain occasional pictures are acceptable as long as the pictures do not illustrate content terminology or concepts TEA Student Assessment Division

32. Allowable and Nonallowable Formats • Electronic devices that translate beyond the level of words and set phrases are not considered bilingual dictionaries and are not permitted • Only dictionaries by reputable dictionary publishing companies should be used (no dictionaries produced by school districts, service centers, etc.) • A state list of approved dictionaries will not be issued TEA Student Assessment Division

33. STAAR Reading and Writing Dictionary Policy Grade 6 and Up • For reading and writing only • For all Texas students in grade 6 and up, including ELLs (new immigrants too) and students with disabilities • Standard English dictionaries allowed, as well as bilingual and ESL dictionaries • Policy specifies minimums and recommended numbers of dictionaries per number of students TEA Student Assessment Division

34. STAAR Reading and Writing Dictionary Policy Grades 6 and Up Policy document notes regarding ELLs: • Provide in accordance with ELL’s needs and how much used in instruction and classroom testing • For ELLs who depend heavily on them, recommendation is one dictionary per student • More than one type of allowable dictionary may be provided to an ELL (or to any student) • See dictionary policy under STAAR Specific Resources at http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/staar/ TEA Student Assessment Division

35. STAAR and STAAR L – Other Linguistic Accommodations TEA Student Assessment Division

36. Extra Time (Same Day) as a Linguistic Accommodation • Allowable for STAAR (any subject or course) and STAAR L • Enables ELL to have extra time within regularly scheduled school day to complete assessment • Does not mean ELL must take all day; means student may have additional time needed within school day • LPAC does not need to predetermine and document a specific amount of extra time a student could need; LPAC needs only document that student needs extra time • Not automatically allowed for all ELLs • See eligibility criteria next slide TEA Student Assessment Division

37. Extra Time (Same Day) Specific Eligibility Criteria • Routine use in specified contexts: ELL must need and routinely be provided extra time when completing assignments and assessments that require substantial comprehension or use a substantial amount of English • Second language acquisition needs: Needs must relate to second language acquisition factors, that is, the time the ELL needs to read meaningfully in English (or write a response, as applicable to subject assessed) as a function of learning the English language • Nonfactors: Factors that are not ELL-specific must not be considered, such as test anxiety, use of test strategies, or other reasons not related to second language acquisition TEA Student Assessment Division

38. Clarification in English of Word Meaning – Writing Prompts • Allowable for STAAR writing: grades 4, 7, English I-III • On per student request basis only, test administrator may clarify meaning of words and phrases on writing prompt page (NOTE: For reading excerpt in English III analytical writing prompt, only occasional single words in may be clarified) • Before providing clarification, test administrator should ask whether student has looked up word in dictionary; clarification can be provided to students who still need assistance after using dictionary • Grade 4 writing: This requirement does not apply if student is not using dictionary as linguistic accommodation TEA Student Assessment Division

39. Clarification in English of Word Meaning – Writing Prompts • Test administrator may use simpler English, pictures, and/or gestures • Test administrator is not permitted to reinforce or emphasize any information on prompt page or assist with planning, organizing, or writing of composition • Note: When clarifying the meaning of words, test administrators may reference a dictionary and are not required to give definitions or explanations from memory TEA Student Assessment Division

40. Clarification in English of Word Meaning – Short-Answer Reading Questions • Allowable for STAAR English I-III reading • On per student request basis only, test administrator may clarify meaning of words/phrases in short-answer questions • Before providing clarification, test administrator should ask whether student has looked up word in dictionary; clarification can be provided to students who still need assistance after using dictionary • Clarification is not permitted for • language arts terms • words/phrases that are part of selection title • words/phrases that are quoted from selection TEA Student Assessment Division

41. Clarification in English of Word Meaning – Short-Answer Reading Questions • Test administrator may use simpler English, pictures, and/or gestures • Test administrator is not permitted to reinforce or emphasize any part of information or assist with planning, organizing, or writing of response • Note: When clarifying the meaning of words, test administrators may reference a dictionary and are not required to give definitions or explanations from memory TEA Student Assessment Division

42. STAAR Item Examples – Reading and Writing (Including English I–III) TEA Student Assessment Division

43. STAAR Example 1: Grade 7 Writing (Expository) Clarification of Word Meaning in Writing Prompt TEA Student Assessment Division

44. STAAR Example 2: English III Writing (Analytical) Clarification of Word Meaning in Writing Prompt TEA Student Assessment Division

45. STAAR Example 3: English I Reading Clarification of Word Meaning in Short-Answer Reading Questions TEA Student Assessment Division

46. For More Information • This PowerPoint is posted on the Accommodation Resources page of the Student Assessment Division website at www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessment/accommodations • For additional ELL assessment information — • go to http://www.tea.state.tx.us/student.assessmentand click on English Language Learner Assessments or • consult with a coordinator from your district or education service center • If further assistance is needed, contact the Dual Language Department (956) 354-2042 TEA Student Assessment Division