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In-Take Assessment of an English Language Learner

 

Just like with any student, it is important that teachers take the time to assess their ELL student's strengths and needs so that they can make important decisions about how they will differentiate learning for that child. In the first week, the teacher is going to want to conduct in-take assessment tests on their newly arrived ELL student. Teachers need to be concerned about the student's reading, writing, and comprehension abilities. It's vital that the student get assessed in various areas because, like with any second language, the individual may be able to read the L2 but not write in the L2, or vice versa. Below, I discuss frameworks available that help teachers to see what level their ELL student is at in different areas. Once the variety of assessments are completed, the teacher can decide which overall level their ELL student is at. One way to do this is by using the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) levels. See here for the descriptions of each of the 6 levels as well as appropriate strategies ("The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook", Law & Eckes, 2010, p. 60-62). 

Reading

 

To conduct an in-take assessment on your new ELL student, you want to observe and take notes on their reading ability. To do this, provide the student with a levelled story book that would be typical of what students their age can read. Ask them to read aloud to you and take notes on their accuracy as well as strategies  you notice them using (e.g. predicting, using picture clues, etc.). You may notice right away that your newly arrived student does not even know what books are or how to hold them. These students are likely 1 of the 4 types of people who cannot read English. See here for descriptions of the 4 types of people who cannot read English (preliterate, non-literate, semiliterate, non-alphabetic). Alternatively, you may notice that the student's reading is more automatic and are seemingly confident. After conducting your reading assessment, you will be able to decide which level the student is at. At the elementary level, the levels include: pre-awareness, emerging awareness, emerging readers, advanced beginners gaining fluency, and increasing fluency. See here for the characteristics, objectives, and strategies for each level ("The More-Than-Just-Surviving Handbook", Law & Eckes, 2010, p. 176-181). 

Writing

 

Right away, you want to conduct an in-take writing assessment on your newly arrived ELL student. You want to do this so you can look for trends in their English writing ability. When assessing, there are 4 areas you want to look closely at: meaning (e.g. ideas); style (e.g. clarity); form (e.g. sequencing); and convention (e.g. grammar). I have attached the scanned PDF (see here) that outlines the 4 different levels ELL students can be at in regards to the 4 writing areas. It is important to note that there are different descriptors for primary versus intermediate ELL students. Throughout the year, you want to track the student's progress in writing and provide individualized and targeted support to help them improve in their area(s) of need. (Note: the PDF was provided as a handout in our EDCI 457 course).

Comprehension

 

Assessing the comprehension level of ELL students should be done primarily through conversation directly with the student. This can be done by having a simple conversation with the student by asking things such as: 

  • what is your name? 

  • do you have any siblings? 

  • how old are you?

  • tell me 3 things you love about Canada

  • if you saw a bear in the window, what would you do? 

 

Judging by the student's responses, you will be able to gauge how much they comprehend the spoken English language. 

Created by  Brettney Howard 2015 ©  

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