ELL ASSESSMENT

C O M P I L E D B Y R E F E R R I N G T O F O L L O W I N G R E S O U R C E F R O M T E A :

O C T O B E R 8 , 2 0 1 3 - T E T N E V E N T # 2 0 7 8 4

S E P T E M B E R 2 0 , 2 0 1 3 - T E T N E V E N T # : 2 0 7 8 3

OVERVIEW OF ASSESSMENT TYPES

ALIGNMENT OF STAAR, STAAR SPANISH, AND STAAR L

Same:

• Assessed curriculum and item types

• STAAR blueprints for building tests

• Achievement standard alignment

• Focus on readiness for next grade level or course with goal of postsecondary readiness

Differences have to do with language accessibility:

• STAAR Spanish uses native language to help students understand test

• STAAR L provides English-language accommodations to help students understand test

STAAR SPANISH – GRADES 3 – 5 ONLY

STAAR Spanish, in addition to being appropriate for ELLs in bilingual programs who are receiving most of their academic instruction in Spanish, may sometimes be appropriate for a student in an ESL program.

Examples:

• a Spanish speaker who has recently moved to the U.S. (= this school year)

• an ELL who recently moved from a campus with a Spanish bilingual education program to a campus with only an ESL program (= within a month or so, transferring at the beginning of the year does not count if the student receives everything in English in the current class).

• a student in an ESL program who receives substantial academic support in Spanish (= teacher uses Spanish to explain every thing, not just translation).

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 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

• STAAR L is not for ELLs for whom a bilingual dictionary and/or extra time suffice. STAAR allows these linguistic accommodations.

• For EOC, eligibility for STAAR L can be carried over from spring to the July and December administrations

STAAR MODIFIED AND STAAR - ALT

• ELLs receiving special education services may be administered these assessments if they meet the specific participation requirements for these assessment programs

• Few students receiving special education are eligible for these assessments; the number of eligible ELLs will be very small

• ARD committee and LPAC determines whether students meet the participation requirements based on students disability, not second language acquisition.

LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS

LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS IN INSTRUCTION

• Are required by ELPS• Support learning of both subject

matter and English• Are to be made by all teachers of

ELLs• Are monitored and adjusted by

teachers as students learn more English

Important: Not all linguistic accommodations are allowed in state assessments

DECISION-MAKING BODY• LPAC is responsible for obtaining teacher input and making

assessment and linguistic accommodation decisions for ELLs

• For ELLs served by special education, the ARD committee and LPAC work in conjunction to make these decisions

Linguistic accommodation and assessment decisions are not “automatic;” they are made on an individual student basis considering

student’s particular needs for second language acquisition support

whether student is routinely provided the accommodation in instruction and testing as providing unfamiliar accommodations may hinder rather than help student

LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS ALLOWABLE ON REGULAR STAAR

LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATIONS STAAR L*

*There is a eligibility criteria for STAAR-L. So not all ELLs can take it. Provided in online interface.

DICTIONARIES AS A LINGUISTIC ACCOMMODATION

Four categories:Bilingual dictionary (word/phrase translation only)

English/ESL dictionaryNon-English monolingual dictionary

Picture dictionary

BILINGUAL DICTIONARYAllowable for STAAR Reading grade 6-8 Writing grade 7English I, II, and III reading and writing assessments (not a linguistic accommodation)

Allowable for STAAR L as Linguistic accommodation math, science, social studies (all grades)grades 3–5 readinggrade 4 writingUsed to translate words (and sometimes common phrases) from

one language to another. Bilingual dictionaries that include pictures are fine as long as

they do not illustrate content terminology or concepts

ENGLISH/ESL DICTIONARYAllowable for STAAR

- reading and writing only; not other STAAR subjects; not STAAR L

Linguistic accommodation for STAAR

- Reading and writing 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

NON-ENGLISH MONOLINGUAL DICTIONARYNon-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

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

ALLOWABLE AND NONALLOWABLE FORMATSWithin 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 that translate beyond the level of words and set phrases are not considered bilingual dictionaries and are not permitted

• Stand-alone thesauruses and any allowable dictionary that contains a thesaurus section are 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

ALLOWABLE AND NONALLOWABLE FORMATSSubject-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

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

• Not automatically allowed for all ELLs

• See eligibility criteria next slide

EXTRA TIME (SAME DAY) ELIGIBILITY CRITERIARoutine 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

CLARIFICATION IN ENGLISH OF WORDS MEANING IN WRITING PROMPTS• Allowable for STAAR writing (grades 4 and 7 , English I, and

English II)

• Enables students ask the test administrator to clarify word meaning on the writing prompts.

• Clarification may be provided on a per request basis only.

• Clarification may be in the form of simpler English, pictures, and/or gestures.

• Test administrator may provide clarification of words and phrases, with the exception of the English II analytical writing prompt.

• Before providing clarification, test administrator should ask whether the student has attempted to look up the words in the dictionary

CLARIFICATION IN ENGLISH OF WORD MEANING IN SHORT ANSWER READING QUESTIONS

• Allowed for STAAR English I, English II and English III reading

• Clarification is not permitted for :• language arts terms, • Words/phrases that are part of the selection title, • Words/phrases that are quoted from the selection.

• The test administrator may provide clarification on a per request basis only.

• To clarify meaning, the test administrator may use simpler English, pictures, and/or gestures. The test administrator must not reinforce or emphasize any part of the information or assist in any way with the planning, organizing, or writing of the response.

• Before providing clarification, the test administrator should ask whether the student has attempted to look up the words in the dictionary.

STAAR L – MATH, SCIENCE, SOCIAL STUDIES ACCOMMODATIONS

• Clarification in English of word meaning

• Enables students to receive computer-provided clarification assistance by clicking on eligible words and phrases in the test questions.

• Reading aloud of texts

• Enables students to click on the words to hear them read aloud by the computer. Students will need headphones for this.

SPECIAL ENGLISH I EOC PROVISIONS TAC §101.1007

For ELLs who ― • have been enrolled in U.S. schools 3 school years or less (5 or

less if qualifying unschooled asylee/refugee) and• have not yet attained TELPAS advanced high reading rating

Why these provisions? In English I /ESOL I courses, these students may require substantial instructional scaffolding and linguistic adaptation not feasible on standardized language arts assessments

When enrolled in English I /ESOL I course, eligible ELL shall not be required to — • retake assessment each time it is administered if student

passes course but does not achieve minimum score; or

Note:• Students are not exempt from test while in the course • Provisions do not apply to English II

ELLS WITH PARENTAL DENIALSTAC §101.1005 (F)• An ELL whose parent or guardian has

declined bilingual/ESL services required by state law is not eligible for special ELL assessment, accommodation, or accountability provisions

• No testing in Spanish

• No linguistic accommodations during testing

• No English I special provision

• No unschooled asylee/refugee provisions