Vandreia Montano

ESC 708
Spring 2015
Reflection 4.a.

The artifact I selected and that meets with the TESOL standard 4.a. Issues of Assessment
for ELLs, was developed as a complimentary reading assignment for the class ESC 708 during
the Spring semester of 2015. The task was to read and summarize an article regarding the issues
of high-stake proficiency tests.
Developing the artifact, I was able to understand the different issues regarding high-stake
ESL tests that are administered to international students in order to assess their language
proficiency. The article I read for the assignment was a critical review of the IELTS with
emphasis on the writing component of the test. It was really interesting and helpful for me to
learn more about the topic and to be aware of the flaws and concerns when it comes to the
reliability and validity of this kind of language assessment.
This artifact shows my ability to understand the issues regarding assessment meeting with
the TESOL standard 4.a. as it states Candidates demonstrate understanding of assessment
issues as they affect ELLs, such as accountability, bias, special education testing, language
proficiency, and accommodations in formal testing situations. Candidates understand the
different purposes of assessment and that assessment must be fair, valid, reliable, and easy
to administer. They understand the particular issues and biases regarding ELLs that
stem from high-stakes testing.

This artifact was helpful to improve my skills as a future ESL teacher making me aware
of the issues regarding high-stakes tests. I was able to see the importance of investigating the
validity and reliability of high-stake language tests to make sure that they are designed to assess
students from different parts of the world respecting and considering the rhetorical diversity
around the world. Before developing this artifact I was unaware of all the issues with high-stake
assessment and I did not think of all the important aspects to be considered before accepting tests
results as true language assessment.
What I would like to take to the classroom is the consciousness of the complexity of
language assessment and the awareness of the need of constant research on the topic to not missjudge students language abilities.
The area relative to standard 4.a. that I would like to improve is my experience working
with professionals who assess ELLs language development to identify the sources of the
students problems with language development.