keegan sluis | LLED 360 307

LLED 360 307 Fall 2017 Dr. Lorna Ramsay
Reading Analysis Reflection
Date: Sept 28, 2017
Facilitator name: Keegan Sluis

Text Chapters: Coelho, E. (2012). Chapter 4: 4 Differentiated Instruction and Assessment for Newcomers Language Learners

Main Themes: Standardized Testing, Formative <—> Summative evaluation, Dynamic Testing and Integrating both cultural and personal content

Chapter is focused on how to assess the progress of language learners in learning the language of instruction, and how to use assessment information to plan language support and adapt the mainstream classroom program
Children are often fully integrated several years before they have developed academic proficiency in the language of instruction; due to the fact the process usually takes 5 years
Students who begin learning the new language when they arrive at school require extra attention, consideration and support; they carry a much heavier burden
All teachers should share responsibility for developing language proficiency in a child’s learning;
Language materials and curricula are often designed at three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and Which are further sub-divided into sublevels for each writing, speaking and understanding
Using Models such as the CEFR allow for teachers to track students over a multi-year period and allows for transferable knowledge when switching between schools
the student’s positions on a chart is not static and needs to be reviewed regularly
Several models exist such as the aforementioned CEFR that provides a baseline for learning, as well as Scaffolding in Quadrants (Quadrants A and B will not always be working towards the same curriculum objectives or outcomes as other students in the class, depending on the linguistic and cultural challenges of the subject area and the background knowledge or skills that the students bring to the subject), the Cummins model which will be explained shortly
It is important to remember that learning outcomes that depend on language proficiency are designed for students who have been learning the language of instruction since birth.
Continuum of Language Learning
Language materials and curricula are often designed at three levels: Beginner, Intermediate, and However, three levels are not sufficient to describe and track a process that takes five or more years. In practice, the three levels are often subdivided into two or more sublevels at each stage. These go by various names such as Low Beginner, High Beginner, and so on. It would be possible to subdivide further these stages, and institutions such as language schools for adults often do so in order to assign students to groups that are as homogeneous as possible in terms of language level.
The reason for this is the largest schools have hundreds of students enrolled at the same time
For smaller smaller schools it is often more appropriate to organise L2Ls who require specialised language instruction by age rather than by level of proficiency, so that teachers can connect the language programme to the needs of students of a similar age. This means that language teachers usually teach a multi-level instructional group.
Developmental continua for second language acquisition
There is great variation in the way different continua have been organised. They may be organised into three, four, five, six, or more stages. Or they may be organised according to the yearly progress made by the ‘average’ student. They may be categorised differently: for example, many describe four separate aspects of language proficiency (listening, speaking, reading, and writing), while others describe three (reading, writing, and oral communication, which encompasses both listening and speaking)
As a result its difficult to track progress between schools
To overcome this problem, the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR) was developed by the Council of Europe through a process of collaboration among language educators and researchers from various countries. The CEFR is familiar to all language teachers in Europe and is becoming increasingly well known in North America. The model consists of six levels between absolute beginner and a highly proficient user of the language whose performance is virtually indistinguishable from that of an extremely competent native speaker.
There is also a data bank of much more detailed descriptors or indictors that can be used or adapted to illustrate each level for different languages and contexts, which can be used to describe performance in any language
Overall the CEFR can be used as a starting point that begins by locating which of the 6 development stages their at.
Problem is that the CEFR was designed for educated adults, Therefore, the global descriptions of stages need considerable adaptation for students who are learning the language at school through engagement with the curriculum. The CEFR is by definition a framework, not a ready-to-use continuum suitable for students of all ages and in all contexts, but it does offer a very useful basis from which to start
The aforementioned issue is one of the underlying themes of this chapter because it suggests that even students who no longer receive direct support from a specialist language teacher continue to need support through differentiated instruction for several more years in their mainstream classes.
Common Reference Levels
the CEFR identifies three broad categories of language performance: understanding oral language and written text, speaking in both interactive and one-way communication, and writing.
This classification is different from that of many other scales or continua in that it emphasises the distinction between receptive and productive competence and between interactive and one-way communicative situations.
Using the CEFR as a model for L2 assessment among school-aged Children
Using the same six levels of the CEFR enables educators to track student progress over a multi-year period, in order to ensure that the student is receiving adequate instruction and support in all classes and that as a group L2Ls are making adequate yearly progress towards academic proficiency in the language of instruction.
Sample overview charts pf continuums of L2 development are often composed of six-levels, which include various sub-levels of writing, speaking, and understanding
One important point to note is that the student’s position on a chart is not static and needs to be reviewed regularly; students are immersed in an ideal learning environment (as long as the program is adapted appropriately) and in such an environment the L2L will demonstrate on a regular basis abilities that he or she did not have the week or month before.
It is also important to note that one set of descriptors will not work for students of all ages, because learners of different ages learn and use the language for very different purposes. For this reason, sub-categories and illustrative descriptors may require further adaptation for children in different age groups.
Another point to keep in mind is that students whose previous schooling has been interrupted or inconsistent will have different starting points in reading and writing from other L2Ls of the same age who have age-appropriate literacy skills in their own language.
How can developmental continua and checklists be used?
teachers can use developmental continua and descriptors of language performance for both formative and summative assessment: that is, to gather information about the student’s progress and learning needs, and to provide snapshot information about where the student is on the path towards academic language proficiency at a given point in time.
indicators to guide their observation of a student’s proficiency in using the language for regular day-to-day classroom activities and assignments.
Teachers can use the information to:
- guide their language assessment procedures and programming recommendations for new L2Ls when they first arrive;
- guide them in adapting curriculum, planning instruction, and selecting resources for L2Ls; • monitor the ongoing progress of individual L2Ls;
- determine when students no longer need direct support from a specialist language teacher;
- understand that language learning continues, and must be supported, even after students no longer receive direct support from a specialist language teacher;
- identify as early as possible those students whose learning trajectory differs significantly from that of other L2Ls and who may require other kinds of assessment in addition to language assessment: for example, talented language learners who may be intellectually gifted, or students who may have a learning disability;
- report to parents on their children’s development proficiency in L2 at the end of each term and school year
Scaffolding in the Quadrants: A Framework for Instruction and Assessment
In the scaffold model of teaching and learning, the teacher’s job is to make success attainable for all students. The teacher is an expert and guide, providing the support that enables students to achieve levels of performance beyond their independent level and gradually moving them towards independence at that level so that they can begin working at the next, with continued scaffolding.
The Cummins Model
Broken up into two continuum’s that contains Contect Embedded and Context reduced on one spectrum and Cognitively Demanding and Cognitively undemanding on the other. The chapter showed several variations to the model but the premise remained the same
The context embedded/context reduced continuum indicates the degree of contextual support (or scaffolding) that is provided. The context embedded/context reduced continuum indicates the degree of contextual support (or scaffolding) that is provided.
The cognitively undemanding/cognitively demanding continuum indicates the demands that are placed on the learner’s thinking processes. At the cognitively undemanding end of the continuum, the language is simple and the task is cognitively undemanding: At the other end of this continuum, the language is complex and the learning tasks require the student to learn new and challenging content and to use a variety of thinking processes to handle a larger volume of information:
Assessment and Evaluation with Second Language Learners
Curriculum-based assessment
performance needs to be assessed on the basis of attainable learning outcomes that reflect appropriate linguistic and academic development, until L2Ls have reached the stage where the grade-level curriculum objectives are appropriate for them. Identifying attainable learning outcomes for L2Ls may involve revising some of the existing learning outcomes, reducing the number of outcomes, or substituting them with completely different outcomes. In this way L2Ls at different stages of development can work towards learning outcomes that are attainable and useful, and can benefit from participating in activities related to the curriculum.
Alternative strategies to classroom based assessment
Provide models of performance and opportunities for practice and feedback
- Show students models of performance, such as completed written assignments or projects, or videos of student presentations, representing a range of performance.
- Show students the criteria that you plan to use. This will give students a much better idea of what is required of them
- Each time you give a new assignment, give a practice assignment first. Give students extensive feedback, but no marks or grades, before they attempt the ‘real’ assignment that will receive a mark or grade. L2Ls may need more opportunities for practice than other students in the class.
- Before a test, give students an opportunity to work in groups or with a partner to complete a practice test, using their own languages to clarify problems if necessary.
- Invite students to assess their own work, and submit their best performance for evaluation.
Lower the Language Barrier
- Use Concrete or visual aids
- Create a cloze passage for students to complete with words or phrases selected from a list
- Use charts or other visual organizers that reduce the amount of language required
- Phrase questions as simply as possible
- Provide dictionaries, or allow students to use their own bilingual dictionaries, in order to understand questions and instructions in tests and examinations.
- Assess performance on tasks that involve several different aptitudes or talents,
Use Assessment Portfolios
- An assessment portfolio is a collection of evidence of a student’s progress. Teachers and students collect and assess examples of performance and growth over time. Portfolios may include photos, videos, and web pages as well as samples of written work, response journal or learning log entries, records of student– teacher conferences or teacher observations, selfand peer-assessment forms and checklists, as well as more traditional written tests. Portfolios may also include material in the first language, which students could assess with the help of a community language teacher or an adult in their own family.
Provide Sufficient Time
- Second language learners often need to process ideas in two languages, especially when the task is complex or involves higher-level thinking.
- When you use written tests and examinations, give more time, or ask the students to answer fewer questions within the time allotted. Avoid multiple-choice and true/false questions that involve a lot of reading, or ‘trick questions’ that depend on comprehension of fine differences in vocabulary. Instead, use a variety of matching tasks, such as matching captions to visual representations of information, filling in a partly completed organiser, or completing cloze passages with lists of words to choose from. Scaffold students’ longer written responses through sentence completion tasks, or by providing a framework or model answer.
Adapt procedures for literacy assessment
- Reading aloud is not appropriate
- L2Ls may not recognise names of people or places or be able to distinguish between them. Pre-teach proper nouns or acronyms that may occur in a reading passage.
- Gather information about first language of L2L’s
- Assessment tools based on ‘concepts about print’ for young children may give misleading results for children who arrive in school with concepts about print in their own language:
Evaluation and Reporting
- In gathering assessment information for reporting, teachers need to use tasks or procedures that enable L2Ls to overcome some of the barriers imposed by their incomplete knowledge of the language.
- Transparency is Key because students, teachers and parents need to understand the learning outcomes that have been adapted for his or her present stage of development in the language. This student can be expected to achieve similar marks within a couple of years (or more, depending on the linguistic and cultural demands of the subject), once he or she begins working towards the mainstream curriculum outcomes.
- Use progress over time as the major criterion for evaluating the performance of L2Ls:
- Give special consideration to more recent evidence of achievement. The performance of L2Ls often improves significantly as the students develop greater proficiency in the language, and their more recent work gives a better indication of how the students are performing now.
- Eliminate or reduce assessment criteria that would penalize L2Ls for not using the language in the same way as you might expect of their peers who have been learning the language all their lives.
- Remember that L2Ls will need fewer adaptations and adjustments as time goes by; a student who is working towards alternative outcomes this year may be able to achieve grade level outcomes next year, given appropriate instruction and scaffolding.
- If your school district uses a checklist or observation form based on a continuum of L2 development, use it regularly. Keep the form on file until the end of the course or assessment period.

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