Abedi, J., (2004). The no child left behind act and english language learners: Assessment and accountability issues. Educational Researcher, 33(1), 4-14.
This is a tough article for me to respond to. As I read it last night and reread again just now, the only question that came to mind what how long do they store their data? This article has a lot of data and I am sure that data collected from other years are stored somewhere in files. I was just wondering how long documents are kept and do they ever dispose of any? I am wondering that because I read somewhere along the way that after 7 years it is safe to destroy personal documents. This assessment data is a lot and sensitive material collected since this act was first established. That was my question, how long is data kept and stored? I am trying to keep my data and materials locked and organized. Sometimes I'm not always organized, but I do lock material.
Anyway, back to the real issues in this article. First off it starts by explaining the 6 LEP assessment issues as they relate to AYP reporting: Inconsistencies, Sparse LEP populations, Lack of LEP subgroup stability, Measurement quality of AYP instruments, LEP baseline scores, and LEP cut off points. There has always been discrepancies in any form of standardized tests when testing students of a different culture and language. The assessment for the NCLB act is no different in that sense that it is culturally biased and not a valid way to test students of a diverse nation such as the US. Especially now , we are in need to change and culturally relevant material. But who's to say this is the only means to test our youth? I know educators are educated enough to know and understand critical pedagogy in multiple means and furthering that in assessments in different modes. This is just one assessment in one time of the year with the students who happened to be present. We all hope that the planets are aligned at this given time. I do like how this article suggests and provided effective ways to help LEP students. I do think that further studies and discussions are in order for this assessment. Some topic ideas are :other methods of assessment such as authentic assessment to show what each child is really capable of , revisiting this assessment to meet LEP needs, or staff development training on language sheltering. I saw that as one of the suggestions and I agree that we do need more qualified staff especially language specialists.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Friday, September 26, 2008
LING 612-Dr. Coles Ritchie
Cloze test!!! Just for fun.
Key Vocabulary:
fixed response format, test item, multiple choice format,
paper-and-pencil language, performance
In terms of method, we can broadly distinguish traditional___________ tests from ___________ tests. Paper-and-pencil tests take form on the familiar examination question paper. They are typically used for the assessment either of separate components of language understanding(listening and reading comprehension). _______in such tests, particulary if they are professionally made standardized tests, will often be in _________ in which a number of possible responses is presented from which the candidate is required to choose. There are several types of fixed response format, or which the most important is _______, as in the following example from a vocabulary test (pp. 5-to check your answers)
Key Vocabulary:
fixed response format, test item, multiple choice format,
paper-and-pencil language, performance
In terms of method, we can broadly distinguish traditional___________ tests from ___________ tests. Paper-and-pencil tests take form on the familiar examination question paper. They are typically used for the assessment either of separate components of language understanding(listening and reading comprehension). _______in such tests, particulary if they are professionally made standardized tests, will often be in _________ in which a number of possible responses is presented from which the candidate is required to choose. There are several types of fixed response format, or which the most important is _______, as in the following example from a vocabulary test (pp. 5-to check your answers)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
LING 612-Dr. Coles-Ritchie
McNamara, T. (2008). Language testing. (pp. 13-22). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-437222-7
This chapter introduces the history of language testing. First this talks about test construct in which the tests focus on specific skill and knowledge being measured. Language testing begins to take aim at speaking and communication skills. In reference to this change in test format comes discrete point testing, where specific areas (skills and knowledge) are targeted such as grammatical structure or vocabulary knowledge. Test constructs narrow in on speaking, listening, writing, and reading. To further the language testing, integrative tests were constructed for their practicality such as speaking for oral interviews. Some of the early language tests spoke to the cloze paragraph tests in which readers and learners selected a from a set of vocabulary words and completed a written piece by placing these words in blank lines. This was just a little twist to the classic multiple choice test in which answers were given and learners had to select the correct ones. Then came the communicative language tests in which gave light to the communicative competences. That meant language is more than knowing the grammar but the social roles under which language was used. Some testing constructs in this setting were of job analysis such as in a hospital setting. By the 80s models or communicative competences were identified as grammatical, sociolinguistic, strategic, and discourse. Identifying the models have helped in test constructs in language testing. An interesting point made here for me is that knowledge of the social dimension is important as the grammatical knowledge of the language. This is where the question what should be taught culture or/and language derives from. I believe they are both important. I know we have discussed communicative competences and culture and language, for me my language is my culture and visa versa. An 'aha' moment for me here is the part about the cloze tests. I have used this with my students and many do not really read the meanings and seem to just place any word there in the blanks. Can that be a valid test? It can be one form, but not the only. I have found that for lessons to be effective and any tests given should be followed up with feedback. So if that is one form, I will follow up on the cloze tests.
This chapter introduces the history of language testing. First this talks about test construct in which the tests focus on specific skill and knowledge being measured. Language testing begins to take aim at speaking and communication skills. In reference to this change in test format comes discrete point testing, where specific areas (skills and knowledge) are targeted such as grammatical structure or vocabulary knowledge. Test constructs narrow in on speaking, listening, writing, and reading. To further the language testing, integrative tests were constructed for their practicality such as speaking for oral interviews. Some of the early language tests spoke to the cloze paragraph tests in which readers and learners selected a from a set of vocabulary words and completed a written piece by placing these words in blank lines. This was just a little twist to the classic multiple choice test in which answers were given and learners had to select the correct ones. Then came the communicative language tests in which gave light to the communicative competences. That meant language is more than knowing the grammar but the social roles under which language was used. Some testing constructs in this setting were of job analysis such as in a hospital setting. By the 80s models or communicative competences were identified as grammatical, sociolinguistic, strategic, and discourse. Identifying the models have helped in test constructs in language testing. An interesting point made here for me is that knowledge of the social dimension is important as the grammatical knowledge of the language. This is where the question what should be taught culture or/and language derives from. I believe they are both important. I know we have discussed communicative competences and culture and language, for me my language is my culture and visa versa. An 'aha' moment for me here is the part about the cloze tests. I have used this with my students and many do not really read the meanings and seem to just place any word there in the blanks. Can that be a valid test? It can be one form, but not the only. I have found that for lessons to be effective and any tests given should be followed up with feedback. So if that is one form, I will follow up on the cloze tests.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
LING 612-Dr. Coles-Ritchie
McNamara, T. (2008). Language Testing. (pp. 3-11). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-43222-7.
First of all I wasn't aware of the importance of language testing. McNamara describes this importance issues in language testing as gateways to transition from country to country, placements and to measure language proficiency. I can see how language testing fits into this process of not just data gathering but to aide us into deciding the future and fate of ELL. This seems to be a huge reason and I would hope that language teachers all are aware of these life changing tests.
The chapter describes two general types of tests. The first being fixed response formant assessments in which the learner takes pencil and paper tests and the most common example of this is the multiple choice test. The strengths of this is its easy to administer. The caveat is that this test does not show speaking and writing skills, further the teacher may want to test for speaking and writing, but this format is not conducive to those skills. Performance assessments can assess their communicative skills where a speaker is recorded and raters analyze their data. This would provide better language skills in speaking and writing.
Purposes of tests differ also. Some reasons to test languages include distinguishing between achievement and proficiency. Achievement tests include end of the course, portfolio and observation assessments. Achievements assessment coincide with their education progress and process. Some strengths in achievement test is that they see the progress from begin, middle and end of the sessions. A caveat to achievement testing is that it may not directly show evidence of language use. Proficiency tests are tests that measure what students are capable of and not as a result of what was taught as in the achievements. The strengths of criterion tests are that it tests the language and communicative abilities. A caveat of criterion testing is the data is not an actual representation of the real life event they may be applying for. An example may be a nurse applying and show casing her communicative abilities to a recorder, but not an ideal hospital situation where she would converse with real patients and staff
What I take from this chapter is that I am aware now of the impacts of language testing as it relates to learners' future. Obviously it is encouraged to test language in the most neutral situations where ELL are not under scrutiny and they feel a sense of comfort, but keep in mind that any test taking situations may not be ideal or practical in real life unless of course it is real life situations. So I am thinking of ways I can address this within my classroom where students are aware they are being assessed but show no indifference to learning and testing, they are completely comfortable and confident. I hope that makes sense!
First of all I wasn't aware of the importance of language testing. McNamara describes this importance issues in language testing as gateways to transition from country to country, placements and to measure language proficiency. I can see how language testing fits into this process of not just data gathering but to aide us into deciding the future and fate of ELL. This seems to be a huge reason and I would hope that language teachers all are aware of these life changing tests.
The chapter describes two general types of tests. The first being fixed response formant assessments in which the learner takes pencil and paper tests and the most common example of this is the multiple choice test. The strengths of this is its easy to administer. The caveat is that this test does not show speaking and writing skills, further the teacher may want to test for speaking and writing, but this format is not conducive to those skills. Performance assessments can assess their communicative skills where a speaker is recorded and raters analyze their data. This would provide better language skills in speaking and writing.
Purposes of tests differ also. Some reasons to test languages include distinguishing between achievement and proficiency. Achievement tests include end of the course, portfolio and observation assessments. Achievements assessment coincide with their education progress and process. Some strengths in achievement test is that they see the progress from begin, middle and end of the sessions. A caveat to achievement testing is that it may not directly show evidence of language use. Proficiency tests are tests that measure what students are capable of and not as a result of what was taught as in the achievements. The strengths of criterion tests are that it tests the language and communicative abilities. A caveat of criterion testing is the data is not an actual representation of the real life event they may be applying for. An example may be a nurse applying and show casing her communicative abilities to a recorder, but not an ideal hospital situation where she would converse with real patients and staff
What I take from this chapter is that I am aware now of the impacts of language testing as it relates to learners' future. Obviously it is encouraged to test language in the most neutral situations where ELL are not under scrutiny and they feel a sense of comfort, but keep in mind that any test taking situations may not be ideal or practical in real life unless of course it is real life situations. So I am thinking of ways I can address this within my classroom where students are aware they are being assessed but show no indifference to learning and testing, they are completely comfortable and confident. I hope that makes sense!
Friday, September 19, 2008
LING 612-Dr. Coles-Ritchie
O'Malley, M.J. & Pierce, L.V. (1996). Authentic assessment for english language learners: Practical approaches for teacher.(pp. 1-8). Addison-Wesley Publishing Co.:ISB4: 0-201-59151-0.
Testing, testing, and more testing! That is my impression. In creating the effective tests and tests that test exactly what you are searching for, some get lost in the process of person to person interactions. BUT tests are here to stay and there are tests to assess validity of tests! So the world goes round! This chapter was easy reading and I skimmed at the contents of this book and many of the material looks practical enough for teachers. I like how this book is outlined and does not forget to include assessment ideas for other subject such as Math, Science, and Social Studies.
I have heard the term Authentic Assessment and whole language programs and schools. So the idea is not so new, but the book makes it seem effective and presents multiple forms of assessment instead of the generic multiple choice, true/false assessments that are limited and show no creativeness in each students. My own definition of Authentic assessment would be triangulation. A great teacher would be multimodal in her approach to teaching and assessing.
As far as assessing ELL students I like how this chapter identifies the following reasons for this; screening and identification, placement, reclassification or exit, monitoring student progress, program evaluation, and accountability. This presents a sense of focus for me now as I think about writing assessments and creating a better student repertoire when show casing their progress to their parents.
Under the umbrella of Authentic assessment are performance assessment and portfolio assessments. Performance assessments are written and created by the learners. Some strengths of Performance assessments are constructed response, higher order thinking, authenticity, integrative, process and product, and depth versus breadth. The other form of assessment is portfolio assessment in which students collect and display their progression from the beginning. They are free to add to or take out material as they see fit. This process speaks to the students evaluating their own efforts and they begin to show ownership in their education.
As far as assessment and ELL, my personal connections and thoughts about this is that I would like to be a more well rounded teacher where I teach multimodally and assess multimodally. Students should be able to express themselves in many methods and showcase themselves in authentic forms. Some of the things I would like to try is to engages students by having them create meaningful products so that we (teacher, students, and parents) are able to see what they are capable of.
One thing I am struggling is I am responsible for 8 subject areas and standards for each subject and each level that the students are at, these numbers add up and like I stated before I am striving to be Superwoman. I would like to find a win win method for all so that I am not recreating the wheel. This year is the first year I am alone without a teacher aide, so I am forced to rethink my schedule and my methodology and therefore my assessment techniques.
Testing, testing, and more testing! That is my impression. In creating the effective tests and tests that test exactly what you are searching for, some get lost in the process of person to person interactions. BUT tests are here to stay and there are tests to assess validity of tests! So the world goes round! This chapter was easy reading and I skimmed at the contents of this book and many of the material looks practical enough for teachers. I like how this book is outlined and does not forget to include assessment ideas for other subject such as Math, Science, and Social Studies.
I have heard the term Authentic Assessment and whole language programs and schools. So the idea is not so new, but the book makes it seem effective and presents multiple forms of assessment instead of the generic multiple choice, true/false assessments that are limited and show no creativeness in each students. My own definition of Authentic assessment would be triangulation. A great teacher would be multimodal in her approach to teaching and assessing.
As far as assessing ELL students I like how this chapter identifies the following reasons for this; screening and identification, placement, reclassification or exit, monitoring student progress, program evaluation, and accountability. This presents a sense of focus for me now as I think about writing assessments and creating a better student repertoire when show casing their progress to their parents.
Under the umbrella of Authentic assessment are performance assessment and portfolio assessments. Performance assessments are written and created by the learners. Some strengths of Performance assessments are constructed response, higher order thinking, authenticity, integrative, process and product, and depth versus breadth. The other form of assessment is portfolio assessment in which students collect and display their progression from the beginning. They are free to add to or take out material as they see fit. This process speaks to the students evaluating their own efforts and they begin to show ownership in their education.
As far as assessment and ELL, my personal connections and thoughts about this is that I would like to be a more well rounded teacher where I teach multimodally and assess multimodally. Students should be able to express themselves in many methods and showcase themselves in authentic forms. Some of the things I would like to try is to engages students by having them create meaningful products so that we (teacher, students, and parents) are able to see what they are capable of.
One thing I am struggling is I am responsible for 8 subject areas and standards for each subject and each level that the students are at, these numbers add up and like I stated before I am striving to be Superwoman. I would like to find a win win method for all so that I am not recreating the wheel. This year is the first year I am alone without a teacher aide, so I am forced to rethink my schedule and my methodology and therefore my assessment techniques.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
LING 612-Dr. Coles-Ritchie
Newspaper article: Teacher Refuses to Give Test
My overall impression of this is if you are passionate about something you believe in , don't ever hesitate to do what is in your heart. I am not brave enough in most cases to do what I feel in my heart, therefore if I felt so strongly about High stakes tests as he did, I would not have the strength to do what he did. I'm sure he weighed his options and thought about the long term effects of such decisions. For me I would decide that I would be more helpful in the classroom and with my students to decide to do that even if it meant I had to administer a test I did not believe in. I've come to believe in the things I have control over within my life and the things that I can't control, I try to focus on what's here in front of me. I would find alternatives to show parents progress that the students have gained even if the student may not have met the requirements to graduate. It's not the end of the world if the student does not graduate with his classmates that year. I have seen several of my nieces and nephews here in this town come back the next year and passed the test a year later.
The quote he said, "All we have to do is have faith in these kids and work as hard as we can with these kids and their families and they're going to do fine." suggests that he does feel for the kids, but his choice was poor because now he is not working for the school and the kids he talked about. Looking at the long term effects of his choice, he talked about good weather for gardening, what about the students he said he said he has faith in? This statement is rather contradictory of what he is doing now.
My overall impression of this is if you are passionate about something you believe in , don't ever hesitate to do what is in your heart. I am not brave enough in most cases to do what I feel in my heart, therefore if I felt so strongly about High stakes tests as he did, I would not have the strength to do what he did. I'm sure he weighed his options and thought about the long term effects of such decisions. For me I would decide that I would be more helpful in the classroom and with my students to decide to do that even if it meant I had to administer a test I did not believe in. I've come to believe in the things I have control over within my life and the things that I can't control, I try to focus on what's here in front of me. I would find alternatives to show parents progress that the students have gained even if the student may not have met the requirements to graduate. It's not the end of the world if the student does not graduate with his classmates that year. I have seen several of my nieces and nephews here in this town come back the next year and passed the test a year later.
The quote he said, "All we have to do is have faith in these kids and work as hard as we can with these kids and their families and they're going to do fine." suggests that he does feel for the kids, but his choice was poor because now he is not working for the school and the kids he talked about. Looking at the long term effects of his choice, he talked about good weather for gardening, what about the students he said he said he has faith in? This statement is rather contradictory of what he is doing now.
LING 612-Dr. Coles-Ritchie
Pierce, V. (2006). Assessment and evaluation. In Ovando, C.J., Combs, M.C. & Collier, V. (Eds) Bilingual and ESL Classrooms, (pp.305-357). Boston: McGraw Hill.
My overall impression of this article is that it is a little summary of President Bush's NCLB act of 2001. This article begins with school and assessments at the National level then begins to break down the effects to the state and local levels. How this article influences me and my students is by providing useful guidelines such as the Guidelines For Teachers found on page 315. The one item in this chart I found helpful is #2 in the appropriate test uses states that tests are not perfect, nor are they exact measure of student learning. Therefore, no single test score can be considered a clear measure of a student's knowledge. This is where I as a teacher and researcher would triangulate knowledge using different modes of data gathering techniques. Another useful chart is found on page 348 where a list of common standardized key words are outlined. I would like to share this information with my co-workers so they can focus on how to ask and familiarize their learners using this methodology. The last item I found especially useful is found on page 353 the Guidelines For Teachers and Getting Started. This makes me rethink how I have set up my room. I am now rethinking how I can tweak my own classroom to make it assessment friendly scheduling activities where I would be able to assess and gather data within the daily schedule and make it routine. Assessment should not be something isolated otherwise students results may be invalid , but part of the learning process so that data can show a better and valid representation of their true abilities.
There is one thing I would like to address with my school here and that is to form cohesive staff development training so that we can hear what works and what doesn't. So far this is a need in our site. It would be nice for the staff to work more together and synthesize so that students can be placed in efficient and effective programs based on their needs.
One surprising information from this article is that withing the U.S. there are only 2 states that require project portfolios and writing samples as part of their assessment process. I have developed generic idea of what assessment is and that it is usually multiple and true/false paper and pencil assessment. This is a deficient idea and I am thinking of having my students create portfolios complete with writing samples.
In closing what I take away from this article is to rethink and restructure my own classroom so that I can create instances throughout the week for assessment so that students are not surprised but more comfortable about the process. The other idea I want to implement is using portfolios so that parents can see the process and progress of their child.
My overall impression of this article is that it is a little summary of President Bush's NCLB act of 2001. This article begins with school and assessments at the National level then begins to break down the effects to the state and local levels. How this article influences me and my students is by providing useful guidelines such as the Guidelines For Teachers found on page 315. The one item in this chart I found helpful is #2 in the appropriate test uses states that tests are not perfect, nor are they exact measure of student learning. Therefore, no single test score can be considered a clear measure of a student's knowledge. This is where I as a teacher and researcher would triangulate knowledge using different modes of data gathering techniques. Another useful chart is found on page 348 where a list of common standardized key words are outlined. I would like to share this information with my co-workers so they can focus on how to ask and familiarize their learners using this methodology. The last item I found especially useful is found on page 353 the Guidelines For Teachers and Getting Started. This makes me rethink how I have set up my room. I am now rethinking how I can tweak my own classroom to make it assessment friendly scheduling activities where I would be able to assess and gather data within the daily schedule and make it routine. Assessment should not be something isolated otherwise students results may be invalid , but part of the learning process so that data can show a better and valid representation of their true abilities.
There is one thing I would like to address with my school here and that is to form cohesive staff development training so that we can hear what works and what doesn't. So far this is a need in our site. It would be nice for the staff to work more together and synthesize so that students can be placed in efficient and effective programs based on their needs.
One surprising information from this article is that withing the U.S. there are only 2 states that require project portfolios and writing samples as part of their assessment process. I have developed generic idea of what assessment is and that it is usually multiple and true/false paper and pencil assessment. This is a deficient idea and I am thinking of having my students create portfolios complete with writing samples.
In closing what I take away from this article is to rethink and restructure my own classroom so that I can create instances throughout the week for assessment so that students are not surprised but more comfortable about the process. The other idea I want to implement is using portfolios so that parents can see the process and progress of their child.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
LING 612-Coles-Ritchie
Rameka, L. (2007). Maori approaches to assessment. Canadian Journal of Native American Education, 30, (1), 126-144.
My overall impression of this article is that it is fully loaded of practical and meaningful ideas for assessing native students. I like the fact that the whole process from traditional to modern assessment form were reforms by the Maori. Who better than to educate and assess the Maori children but the Maori educationists and their own language experts. It makes sense that the empowerment of their people begins with their own leaders taking charge of their curricula and assessment. Another strength in their process to education and language reform was the fact that they begin in the early childhood at the zone of proximal development of the children.
There is much that I would like to share from this article with my coworkers. One idea is to form committees to evaluate what is working and to create little programs to address needs and areas needing strengthening. I see the need in my site however, I am not in the position to suggest the need and if it doesn't come from this particular Instructional Leader and his own creative ideas, other ideas coming from me or another native teacher tends to be dismissed, disregarded, and in most cases ignored.
One quote that I really connected with in this article is, "I come not with my own strength, but bring with me the gifts, talents, and strengths of my family, tribe, and ancestors."(p. 9). This speaks to the funds of knowledge that student come in with. A great point in chapter one of McNamara's book Language Testing stated that assessment has evolved more into a humanistic approach and less impositional. This article confirms that notion that students here are assessed to show what they know and not focused on the "deficiencies" that assessments have emphasized.
I did not struggle with any concepts here, but it was a little hard to keep up with the Maori words and their meanings as they related to certain aspects of the assessment process. I do understand that each component was related to the Maori as a person and not just a student in school. That was more of the funds of knowledge being addressed.
In closing this was a great beginning article to read as we begin this Assessment class. I like how this article sets the purpose of me as a reader, linguist, educator, and researcher. I take from this article a more centered approach to assessment in terms of meeting the needs of the human and not to view results as "deficiencies" but to highlight their strengths and their funds of knowledge.
My overall impression of this article is that it is fully loaded of practical and meaningful ideas for assessing native students. I like the fact that the whole process from traditional to modern assessment form were reforms by the Maori. Who better than to educate and assess the Maori children but the Maori educationists and their own language experts. It makes sense that the empowerment of their people begins with their own leaders taking charge of their curricula and assessment. Another strength in their process to education and language reform was the fact that they begin in the early childhood at the zone of proximal development of the children.
There is much that I would like to share from this article with my coworkers. One idea is to form committees to evaluate what is working and to create little programs to address needs and areas needing strengthening. I see the need in my site however, I am not in the position to suggest the need and if it doesn't come from this particular Instructional Leader and his own creative ideas, other ideas coming from me or another native teacher tends to be dismissed, disregarded, and in most cases ignored.
One quote that I really connected with in this article is, "I come not with my own strength, but bring with me the gifts, talents, and strengths of my family, tribe, and ancestors."(p. 9). This speaks to the funds of knowledge that student come in with. A great point in chapter one of McNamara's book Language Testing stated that assessment has evolved more into a humanistic approach and less impositional. This article confirms that notion that students here are assessed to show what they know and not focused on the "deficiencies" that assessments have emphasized.
I did not struggle with any concepts here, but it was a little hard to keep up with the Maori words and their meanings as they related to certain aspects of the assessment process. I do understand that each component was related to the Maori as a person and not just a student in school. That was more of the funds of knowledge being addressed.
In closing this was a great beginning article to read as we begin this Assessment class. I like how this article sets the purpose of me as a reader, linguist, educator, and researcher. I take from this article a more centered approach to assessment in terms of meeting the needs of the human and not to view results as "deficiencies" but to highlight their strengths and their funds of knowledge.
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