Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Assessment of English Language Learners
This free webcast is available online anytime.
It is made possible by AFT Teachers, a division of the American Federation of Teachers, as part of a Colorín Colorado partnership between AFT and Reading Rockets.
Featuring Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce, discussing effective classroom strategies for assessing English language learners.
To get started:
Or click below for the following:
For technical questions, please see the About Webcasts page.
Survey
We invite you to take a few minutes to tell us what you think of this webcast. The information you provide helps us plan and improve future programs.
Program description
This 45-minute webcast is a thorough introduction to assessment for teachers of English language learners. Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce will discuss performance-based standardized assessments; assessment as a tool for informing instruction; use of assessment to reinforce reading comprehension; and student self-assessment and self-monitoring.
Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce will also provide practical advice on how ESL and classroom teachers can collaborate when assessing English language learners and making decisions based on those assessments. Tips on record keeping and rubrics are also included.
Moderator
Delia Pompa is the moderator of this webcast. She is the Vice President of the Center for Community Educational Excellence at the National Council of La Raza.
Presenter
Lorraine Valdez Pierce is an Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. She focuses on designing curriculum and assessment procedures for English language learners at the Center for Language & Culture. She has also published articles in TESOL Journal, TESOL Matters, and Educational Assessment.
Recommended readings
The articles and books below were chosen by Reading Rockets to help you learn more about this issue. The links to Amazon.com are provided for your convenience, and a portion of your purchase helps support Reading Rockets. Thank you!
Articles about assessment of English language learners
- Performance-Based Assessment: Promoting Achievement for English Language Learners (68K PDF)*, by Lorraine Valdez Pierce (George Mason University)
- English Language Learners and High-Stakes Tests: An Overview of the Issues, by Bronwyn Coltrane (Center for Applied Linguistics)
- Assessment Portfolios: Including English Language Learners in Large-Scale Assessments, by Emily Gomez (Center for Applied Linguistics)
- Assessment and Accommodations for English Language Learners: Issues and Recommendations, by Jamal Abedi (Journal of School Improvement)
Books by our presenter
- Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers, by J. Michael O'Malley and Lorraine Valdez Pierce (Addison Wesley)
- Assessing English Language Learners, by Lorraine Valdez Pierce (National Education Association)
Additional books
- Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom, by Judith A. Taylor & Jay McTighe (Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.)
- A Teacher's Guide to Standardized Reading Tests, by Lucy Calkins, Kate Montgomery, Beverly Falk, and Donna Santman (Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann)
- Testing for Language Teachers, by Arthur Hughes & Michael Swan (Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.)
Discussion questions
- Discuss ways that assessment can promote learning.
- Generate your own definition of "performance-based classroom assessment."
- Share strategies you currently use that encourage students to monitor their own learning.
- How do a child's native language literacy skills help them acquire literacy skills in a second language?
- Is there a system in place at your school to assess native language literacy skills?
Sample assessment tools
- Teacher observation checklist (48K PDF)*
- Student self-assessment rating scale (52K PDF)*
- Analytic scoring rubric (44K PDF)*
Related links
- ColorinColorado.org
Reading Rockets' sister site features information for families and educators of English language learners.
* To view this file, you'll need a copy of Acrobat Reader. Most computers already have it installed. If yours does not, you can download it now.
Proceeds from the sale of books purchased at Amazon.com help support Colorín Colorado. Thank you!
I bumped into your website a couple of months ago and I just wanted to let you know that I love it! You have a vast amount of information on English Language Learners that has been very helpful to me. Thanks for the website!
~ Elizabeth V.
