Instructional Assessment of ELLs in the K-8 Classroom

This classroom-ready resource provides teachers in grades K-8 with specific assessments that can be administered to English language learners within the regular classroom.   Long overdue and with a focus on the needs of English language learners (ELLs) within the classroom, Instructional Assessment of English Language Learners is a unique book designed to teach readers the basic concepts of assessing English. Today's education courses place an increasing emphasis on the regular classroom teacher to instruct and assess English language learners. Yet, classroom teachers have few resources available to them in regard to assessing ELLs within their classrooms. This book helps readers master the assessments to be administered to English learners and cover a range of literacy skills deemed necessary for English language acquisition and reproduction, while also assessing the student’s literacy skills in their primary language. The overarching goal of this book is to enable teachers to acquire a deep understanding of the value of instructional assessment for ELLs and the importance of evaluating the results to provide the students with immediate, appropriate and meaningful instruction. The book addresses the specific areas of language arts related to the development, acquisition, and reproduction of the English language: oral language development and vocabulary; concepts of print and the alphabetic strategies; word recognition and word identification strategies; reading fluency; reading comprehension; written language development and spelling; content area literacy; procedural knowledge; and problem-solving strategies. The strategies presented in this text are research-based and are known to increase reading comprehension for ELLs.

Table of Contents:
Preface Acknowledgements      Chapter 1                          English Language Learners in Today’s Classrooms   Who are Today’s English Language Learners? Understanding Culture and Home Literacy Creating a Welcoming Classroom Culture Developing an Intercultural Orientation Teachers as Cultural Mediators Foundations of Assessing English Language Learners Chapter 2                          Understanding the Principles of Second Language Acquisition Theories of Primary Language Acquisition Theories of Secondary Language Acquisition (SLA) English Language Development Assessments (ELD) Terminology Used to Classify Levels of Language Acquisition Programs Developed to Enhance English Language Acquisition in Schools Chapter 3                          Instructional and Theoretical Foundations of Assessment The Culture of Testing in America’s Schools  Differentiating Between Assessment, Evaluation and Testing Formal Assessments Alternative/Informal Assessments Assessment Domains The Role of Standards in Instructional Assessment Culture-Fair Instructional Assessment Practices Chapter 4                          Oral Language/Vocabulary Assessment and Development Functions of Language  Vocabulary Development  Stages of Language Development  Instructional Assessment of Listening Vocabulary  Instructional Assessment of Oral Language Development Evaluating Assessment Results Strategies Promoting English Language Development within the Regular Classroom Assessment Tool Kit Chapter 5                          Reading Acquisition in the Primary and Secondary Language                     Theories of Reading Acquisition Processes Involved in Reading Fluently Aspects of the Reading Process Second Language Reading Acquisition: Reading in English Characteristics of Good Readers Transference of Primary Language Reading Strategies to a Second Language Chapter 6                          Assessment and Development of Concepts of Print, Phonemic Awareness and the Alphabetic Principle Defining the Concepts of Print, Phonemic Awareness and the English Language Alphabetic Principle Instructional Assessment of the Concepts of Print Instructional Assessment of Phonemic Awareness Instructional Assessment of the Alphabetic Principle Strategies for Developing Concepts of Print, Phonemic Awareness and the Alphabetic Principle within the Regular Classroom Assessment Tool Kits Chapter 7                                      Assessment and Development of Word Identification, Comprehension and Reading Fluency An Expanded Definition of Reading Fluency Running Records, Retellings and Informal Reading Inventories (IRI’s) Evaluation of Instructional Assessments for Fluency, Comprehension and Word Identification Strategies for Expanding Sight Word Vocabulary and Word Identification Assessment Tool Kit Chapter 8                          Assessment and Development of Written Language/Spelling Spelling and Orthographic Knowledge Stages of Spelling Development Developmental Assessment of Spelling Instructional Assessment of Written Language Strategies to Build Written Language Development Assessment Tool Kit Chapter 9                          Assessment in the Content Areas Content Area Instruction and Assessment Instructional Assessment in the Social Studies Instructional Assessment in Mathematics Instructional Assessment in Science Instructional Assessment of Procedural Knowledge Assessment Tool Kit Chapter 10                         Putting the Pieces Together Developing a Picture of the Whole Student Identification of a Student’s Strengths and Needs Creation of Learning Goals Literacy Portfolios  Communication with Parents Continued Support for English Language Learners     Chapter 11                         Applying Instructional Assessment: A Case Study A Case Study:  Abraham Morales Evaluating Assessment Results and Background Information Completing the Strengths & Needs Analysis Chart Creation of Learning Goals Matching Instruction to Assessment Revisiting the Chapter Anticipation Guide Appendices                     Running Record Form Narrative Story Retelling Assessment Writing Self-Assessment Form Writing Peer Evaluation Form Editor’s Checklist for Expository Texts References