Success Story
OV
ERVIEW
CHA
LLENG
E
IPT
Overview
Port Arthur Independent School District (ISD) in Texas uses the
IPT Assessment
System from Ballard & Tighe, Publishers to accurately assess
their students’ English
proficiency. Limited English Proficient (LEP) students take the
IPT in order for the
Language Assessment Team to determine the level of English
language support each
student needs. Students who show a sufficient grasp of English
may be ready for an
English-only curriculum with no additional support. However, the
district provides
varying degrees of English support for students who do not show
a sufficient grasp
of English.
Challenge
Port Arthur ISD has a clearly defined curriculum with specific
objectives spelled out
across grades and subjects including goals for TAKS (Texas
Assessment of
Knowledge and Skills) improvement each year. Teachers follow a
scope and sequence
mapped out in six-week periods. With such a clear-cut plan for
the district’s 11,000
students, it is vital that LEP students receive the support they
need so they too can
succeed and reach the district’s goal for their success on the
TAKS.
It can be a challenge to know if a student is really as fluent
in writing and reading
English as they seem to be conversationally. “If you walk down
the hall, our LEP
students seem just as comfortable with the language as everyone
else,” said Dr.
Bertha Garza, the director for multilingual and migrant programs
for Port Arthur
ISD. “They can even fool you in some of the school work like
mathematics, but
sometimes that assumption is inaccurate.”
The only way to really understand a student’s grasp of academic
English is with a
formal assessment program that is well-regarded in itsability to
measure writing and reading proficiency.– Dr. Bertha Garza
www.ballard-tighe.com | phone 1.800.321.4332 | fax
714.255.9828
Port Arthur Independent School District
Port Arthur ISD
SOLU
TION
RESU
LTS
Success StorySolution
Dr. Garza had years of classroom experience when she started
running the district’s multilingual
programs. Her department had to accurately assess academic
English proficiency for each child to
make sure they were not overwhelmed by the district’s
curriculum. She also knew that an English
Language Arts test did not measure proficiency in the way that
the IPT did.
“The IPT is an excellent measure of actual language proficiency
including fluency. We use the IPT
to assess every LEP student initially and at least every other
year to assess student progress,” said Dr.
Garza. The district wants to have multiple measures so that
their placement is as accurate as possible.
“We rely on the IPT so that our students are placed
appropriately.”
Results
Dr. Garza feels that they are on the right track. “Our
assessments are accurate and with our Two-way
Immersion and Bilingual Instructional programs, our LEP students
are making great strides,” she
says. In three of the district’s elementary schools, over 75
percent of the third grade LEP students
passed the reading portion of the TAKS on the first try. “We
would like to think that accurately
placing our LEP students helps us make better choices about what
each student needs in their
instructional plan,” says Dr. Garza. “The IPT is an important
element in our coordinated
instructional approach.”
IPT
www.ballard-tighe.com | phone 1.800.321.4332 | fax
714.255.9828
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