Updating and Adding to Your Portfolio Assessment

In the past, I've discussed the rationale for portfolio assessment and how to start your own portfolio assessment system for your ESOL students. Hopefully by now, you've already begun your portfolios and included basic information, as well as some baseline assessments in reading, writing, speaking, and listening. So....now what?

What sorts of things should you be putting into your portfolios? Remember that you are including work from all four modalities, reading, writing, speaking and listening. Using work from all subject areas that you study (math, science, social studies, etc), as long as it includes language is fine.

• Anecdotal notes- Make notes daily (and date them) about the things the student is struggling with, as well as what he or she is doing well. Also include other information that may be relevant, such as if the student appears tired or hungry. Make notes of behavior issues also. All of these things contribute to the student's ability to do well in school.
• Classroom activities- The items that you include should be authentic. Don't have designated "portfolio activities", but rather choose items to go in the portfolio from authentic work that your students have completed in class. One of the ways that portfolio assessment differs from other formal assessments (tests) is that students are not aware of what will go in their portfolios when they are working on it and don't feel like they are being "tested". 
• Testing Accommodations- Keep a copy of the student's testing accommodations form in the portfolio with the other biographical information. Also, use this FREE Testing Accommodations Record form to record the testing accommodations you provide for classroom tests and keep a copy in the portfolio. Remember, you are required to provide testing accommodations on ALL classroom tests, not just district and state tests!
• Work that your student has struggled with or done poorly on- The tendency with a portfolio is to think that you should only put the student's BEST work in. However, this is not the case withan assessment portfolio. While you do want to include some of the student's best work to show how well he or she is doing, the idea of a portfolio is to demonstrate all aspects of the student's learning, not just where he or she excels. When you put in work or skills that the student has struggled with, then you can target those skills, and your portfolio will have room to show growth as well. 
• Rubrics- You should include a rubric assessing each activity according to your state or districts English Language development standards.If your state or district does not have their own, I recommend using these Speaking and Writing Rubrics from WIDA, or you can purchase the Reading Comprehension Rubric or the Baseline Writing Rubric that are available in my TpT store.

One thing that many teachers struggle with is how to assess student speaking or listening informally. One way to do this is during pair-share time. Students should spend at least a little time each day explaining a new concept or idea to a classmate. Circulate and listen as students chat. Use the WiDA speaking rubric linked above to assess what students say to one another. You can create another rubric to measure listening. Then ask the student to retell what their classmate said, and use the rubric to assess his or her listening skills. Group presentations are another time when you can assess a student's listening or speaking abilities. However, please remember when assessing speaking that accent is not important, as long as it does not impede understanding.

Please let me know how your portfolio assessment is going!

Choosing testing accommodations for ELLs

With the back to school paperwork, one thing that teachers are often asked to do is to make recommendations for the ESOL teachers on appropriate accommodations for English language learners. However, research shows that many teachers are not appropriately equipped to choose appropriate testing accommodations for their students, often assigning the same accommodations for students who vary widely in ability and skill.

In my own personal experience at my last school, where an ESOL teacher was not on staff at the time accommodations were assigned, many students were assigned inappropriate accommodations without any consideration to their ability level. For example, one student was assigned the accommodations of scribe (someone else bubbles in the answers) and test administrator reads-aloud the entire test verbatim. When the English language assessment results (on which the student does not receive accommodations) came in at the end of the year, the student tested out of ESOL. Were the accommodations this student was receiving appropriate? Absolutely not. Other students had the accommodation of native language dictionaries, despite the fact that they did not read or write in their native language.

First, here are a few things to know about testing accommodations:

• Testing accommodations must be given on ALL tests- classroom, district, and state
• Testing accommodations should be explained to the student and the student should be comfortable using the provided accommodations
• Students (and parents if possible) should have some input into the decision making process on which accommodations they will receive
• According to federal law, all students who are eligible for and assigned accommodations must receive them

 When choosing testing accommodations for your students:

• Become familiar with the testing accommodations available to your ESOL students. Available accommodations vary from state to state, but there is commonality. Know what each testing accommodation entails- for example, if a student has the accommodation of "student reads test aloud to self", this usually means that he or she will also receive "testing in a separate setting", so as not to disturb other students while reading aloud.
  
• Get to know the student's strengths and weaknesses. Testing accommodations are not usually due until the first formative assessments, thus giving teachers some time to get to know their students before making recommendations on testing accommodations. Observe your ESOL students carefully and make notes about what they struggle with. Informal assessments and anecdotal notes, as well as past standardized test data and English language proficiency scores can come in handy when making decisions about testing accommodations. 
• Know your student's educational background and abilities. Does the student read or write in the native language? If so, a native language dictionary is probably a reasonable accommodation. If the student does not read or write in the native language or does not know how to use a dictionary, then it is not an appropriate accommodation. If a student needs to be explicitly instructed on how to use an accommodation, you should do that before implementing the accommodation. If the student has never taken standardized tests before, then a scribe accommodation may be appropriate until he or she learns how to bubble answers or use appropriate writing conventions.
• Don't be afraid to make adjustments to accommodations throughout the year. Accommodations are not set in stone, and should be reevaluated at least once during the year (preferably halfway through). As students learn, grow and change, you may find that accommodations that were once necessary are no longer used, and thus no longer needed, or you may find that a student is more successful with an accommodation that you initially did not think was necessary. Do not be afraid to communicate and work with your ESOL teacher and testing coordinator to make adjustments to testing accommodations. However, if you make a change to the student's testing accommodations, the parents must be notified, and if possible, the student and parent should be consulted before the change is made.

The idea behind testing accommodations is not to give students a "leg-up" but rather to level the playing field. The accommodations in place for a particular students should make it easier for that student to express the knowledge that he or she possesses about the content with as little linguistic interference as possible. 

Guidelines for grading ESL Students

One thing that many teachers struggle with is how to assign grades to the work that their ESL and LEP (Limited English Proficient) students do. They feel that because the student is completing modified work or working under testing accommodations, that it is unfair to give these students the same high grades that other students receive.

This is not the case. At the start, the playing field is not level for all students; as educators, we are aware of this. The modifications and accommodations are designed to level the playing field so that all students can be equally successful. If your student does stellar work on modified assignments, this means he or she should earn an A. Just because a student is getting A's on modified assignments, doesn't mean he or she doesn't need the modifications anymore.

Here are some guidelines, based on the federal laws, for grading your ESL and LEP students:

• Students should not receive grades of “D” or “F” based on lack of English proficiency.  LEP students should not receive grades of D or F unless their lack of performance on modified instruction warrants such grades, for example…not completing modified assignments/homework, not turning in modified assignments/homework, not making satisfactory progress on modified work.
•  LEP students will receive report card grades based on their work, modified as necessary in the regular classroom. 
•  Classroom teachers should modify instruction, assignments, and tests based on students’ English language proficiencies. The use of instructional accommodations and modifications does not indicate that a student cannot receive the highest grade in the content area.
• Testing accommodations should be given to all LEP students for every classroom test given. For a list of testing accommodations, see the ESL teachers or the LEP committee at your school.
•  LEP students may receive language accommodations in the classroom while being instructed with the Standard Course of Study (state standards) on grade level.  These students have the ability to receive the highest grade attainable in the content area with use of language accommodations based on the student’s proficiency level.
• Classroom teachers are required to maintain open communication with ESL teachers regarding appropriate expectations and assessment of ESL students.

Lau vs Nichols:

Equity of Educational Opportunity is not achieved by merely providing all students with “the same facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum; (because) students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education”.  All English Language Learners (ELLs) are entitled to equal access to the core curriculum and the curriculum must be made comprehensible to ELLs.

1983 Office of Civil Rights

“It is our policy to find a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 if Limited English Proficient (LEP) students are retained in grade for failure to demonstrate basic skills in English.”

High Standards and Equitable Assessment for LEP students

Unfortunately for English language learners, educational policymakers seem to believe that whatever is good for one group, is good for all groups. In their article, La Celle-Peterson and Rivera (1994) outline the challenges facing ELLs as a learning (and testing) population and some of the systematic changes that need to take place in order to ensure that these students are being equitably taught and assessed.

             

The authors first point out that though ESL students can and do learn in accordance with high standards, their accomplishments are often overlooked or underestimated when they are assessed in the same way as the native peers. The first step to correcting this problem is to ensure that students are assessed with the whole learning experience of the English language learner in mind (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, p.2). Many policymakers also mistakenly assume that what is right for one English language learner (ELL)  is right for all ELLs. This is simply not the case because the population of ELLs in the United States is linguistically and culturally diverse, and these differences must also be recognized when creating equitable, authentic assessments (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, pp.4-5).

            

 Furthermore, because their achievements are consistently underestimated, ELLs are often tracked into technical or non-college preparatory tracks, thus not receiving the same opportunity for learning as their native peers. In order for education and assessment to be equitable for ELLs, they need to be provided with access to classes that teach challenging content in a comprehensible manner (La Celle-Peterson and Rivera, 1994, p. 5).

             

It is clear that in order for our ESL students to be academically successful, the need to be given the same access to high standards of learning and teaching that their native peers are given. For this to happen, a systematic change needs to take place. But, as advocates for our students, it is our job to speak up for them and begin a movement for equitable education at the classroom level. System-wide implementation is only successful when classroom-level implementation begins. Furthermore, we as ESL teachers need to be aware of the educational policies in place, and the effects they have on our students.

Refrences:

La Celle-Peterson, M. and Rivera, C. (1994).  Is it real for all Kids? A Framework for Equitable

             Assessment Policies for English Language Learners. Harvard Educational Review, 64,    

             55-75.

More on Portfolio Assessment

According to Moya and O'Malley (1994), the idea of educational portfolios was adapted from the portfolios used by artists to showcase the depth and variety of their work, while also reflecting the artist's interests and abilities. Although the idea of an educational portfolio is similar, the authors point out that educational portfolios must be expanded to meet the instructor's educational and assessment needs. A portfolio is not just a showcase, but it is the product of the instructor's carefully planned and implemented plan for assessment (Moya and O'Malley, 1994). Because no single method or measure of assessment can provide educators and administrators with a full picture of the student's abilities, it is wise to include multiple forms of assessment in one's instructional plan. 

 

A portfolio allows for the collection of multiple authentic measures of ability in all four language modalities. Moya and O'Malley (1994), set forth several components of successful portfolio implementation. A portfolio system should be: comprehensive, authentic, informative, and most of all, well planned. A comprehensive portfolio should contain samples of work and rubric assessments that cover all four language modalities. A comprehensive portfolio should not contain everything that a student has done. The assessments contained in the portfolio should be authentic, and they should also be meaningful to anyone who looks at the portfolio. Additionally, the portfolio system needs to be well planned by the teacher before implementation takes place. The teacher needs to have an idea of what types of assessments will go into the portfolio and how often the formal assessments will take place. This doesn't mean the teacher has to have everything planned down to the minutest detail- a portfolio system should also be flexible (Moya and O'Malley, 1994).

While much goes into the implementation of a successful portfolio assessment system, because it is an authentic, ongoing, and versatile form of assessment, much can be learned about the strengths and weaknesses of our students. Portfolio assessment, in conjunction with traditional methods of assessment, can provide a more full picture of an English language learner's abilities and provide teachers, administrators, parents, and students with important information to make academic decisions.

 Refrences:

Moya, S. and O'Malley, M. (1994). A Portfolio Assessment Model for ESL. The Journal of

Educational Issues of Minority Students, 13, 13-36.

 Below are some examples of materials that I have used for portfolio assessment:

Portfolio Assessment for ESL students

As educators, we are all aware that no two students learn the same way. As a result, state tests do not always allow ALL students to demonstrate the knowledge that they do possess. State tests present a special challenge for ESL students, who are often hampered more by the language on the tests, than the content.

How can we help our ESL students to show us what they have learned? 
One of the best ways is through portfolio assessment. Portfolio assessment is a form of continual assessment which allows you to see where they started, where they ended up, and how far they went in between. Furthermore, the materials used for portfolio assessment are at the student's language level, so they are able to fully demonstrate their knowledge even if they are not English proficient.

How can you start portfolio assessment?
I won't lie to you; starting a portfolio assessment system can be time consuming at first. The good news? Once your system is set up, it is easy to keep up. Begin your student portfolio with background information. Find out your student's basic demographics, home country, home language, and how long they've been in the US. You also might want to find out other pertinent information, like who else lives in the home and who else in the home speaks English. Another good idea is to have your students identify the things they're good at, the things they need help with, and to set some specific goals in reading, writing, and speaking English.

What else goes into the portfolio?
Throughout the year, add items to the portfolio that demonstrate both the student's strengths and weaknesses. Create general rubrics for reading, writing, speaking and listening that can be used with a variety of activities. At the beginning of the year, give students a baseline activity in each area, and score those according to the rubric. Throughout the year, make a point to chose activities and products to put in the portfolio and score those according to the rubrics you've created; try to have at least one activity from each area every quarter. You may also wish to allow students to add activities every once in awhile.

How does portfolio documentation help me and my students?
As I mentioned before, a portfolio can show not only where your student ended the year, but where he or she started out. Often state tests do not take into account where the student started, only the fact that he or she did not master the material for their grade level. A portfolio can help you to demonstrate the amount of growth that your student made in specific areas throughout the year. It can be useful in making scheduling decisions, parent/administrator meetings, choosing accommodations for testing, and if necessary, referring the student for IEP services.

If you have more questions about the mechanics or reasons for portfolio assessment, do not hesitate to comment or e-mail!

With all of that said, you can be one step closer to your own portfolio assessment system by visiting my TpT Store. I have a variety of products that can assist you with portfolio assessment for your ESL students:
ESOL Portfolio Starter
Basic Writing Rubric
Reading Comprehension Rubric