Assessing English Learners:

Unique Assessment Purposes

Françoise Halliday

Concordia University

Assessing English Learners: Unique Assessment Purposes

I am a French teacher at Golden Valley High School (GVHS), Santa Clarita, California.
“California requires all parents to complete a home language survey when they register their students for school” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p. 1.). The survey asks parents the following questions: * “What language did this student learn when first beginning to talk?” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p. 1) * “What language do you use most frequently to speak to this student?” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p. 1) * “What language does this student most frequently use at home?” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p. 1) * “What language is most often spoken by the adults at home?” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p. 1) If the parent indicates that the student speaks a language other than English or if the parent indicates that the language spoken at home is not English, the student is labeled English Language Learner (ELL). Thereafter, at GVHS the student is given the California English language development test (CELDT) and a placement test in English and Math (Peterson Henry, 2014, p.1). The result of this test will determine if the student is an “English learner” or “fluent in English proficiency (FEP)” (Peterson Henry, 2014, p.1). The purpose of the CELDT is “to identify students who are limited English proficiency (LEP) (Torlakson, 2014, p.5). In addition, this test “determine the level of English language proficiency of LEP students” (Torlakson, 2014, p.5); finally, it “assess the progress of LEP students in acquiring the skills of listening, speaking reading, and writing in English” (Torlakson, 2014, p.5). This test corresponds to Tier I and II measures from Gottlieb (2006, p.7), who explained the screening needed to identify English learners, and it includes a variety of assessments that are not limited to “informal reading inventories and content-based writing samples” (Gottlieb, 2006, p.7).
Furthermore, GVHS uses formative and summative assessments to monitor student learning in the classroom; because the school is in the process of using new standards, they do not use benchmark any longer. However, the English learners are given the CELDT every year until they are reclassified. I included a released of the California English learners’ development test questions from the California Department of Education (2012) in the references page to show that this English learning assessment will give instructors a “baseline or starting point for both language proficiency and academic achievement in order to document” the students advancement in the English language (Gottlieb, 2006, p. 8).

References

California Departement of Education (2012). California English language development test (CELDT): Released test questions — Updated. Retrieve from: http://www.cde.ca.gov /ta/tg/el/documents/celdtrtqs9-2012.pdf

Gottlied, M. (2006). Assessing English language learners: Bridges from language proficiency to

academic achievement. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Peterson Henry, G. (2014). English language learners. Golden Valley High School, Santa Clarita,

CA. Retrieved from http://www.goldenvalleyhs.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID

=193374&type=d

Torlakson, T. (June 2014). California English language development test (CELDT): “CELDT 101” regulations and requirements. California Department of Education. Retrieve from:

http://www.celdt.org/documents/CELDT_101.pdf