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Introduction
Educators examine the process from initial identification to reclassification of fluent English proficient Educators participate in an activity to understand the five levels of English language proficiency. Participants actively engage in learning to spot culture bias in tests and discuss the implications of test instruments that are valid and reliable for English learners.
Terminology to Know
Home Language Survey (HLS) Reclassification Proficiency Test Achievement Test Formative Assessment Summative Assessment Validity Reliability Norm
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Directions to Parents and Guardians: Please respond to each of the four questions listed below as accurately as possible. For each question, write the name(s) of the language(s) that apply in the space provided. Please do not leave any question unanswered. Which language did your child learn when he/she first began to talk? Which language does your child most frequently speak at home? Which language do you (the parents or guardians) most frequently use when speaking with your child? Which language is most often spoken by adults in the home? (parents, guardians, grandparents, or any other adults) Please sign and date this form in the spaces provided below, then return this form to your childs teacher. Thank you for your cooperation. Signature of Parent or Guardian Date
Initial Identification in CA
All students whose primary language is not English, based on the Home Language Survey (HLS), must take the CELDT within 30 calendar days after they are enrolled in a California public school for the first time to determine if they are English learners.
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Speaking
Oral vocabulary Choose and give reasons Speech functions 4-picture narrative
Writing
Multiple choice answers Sentences Short composition
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Annual Assessment
Under No Child Left Behind, English learners must be tested annually for progress in English language proficiency The CELDT is given annually in the fall between July 1-Oct. 31 All English learners must take the test, and results are reported to their parents
Reclassification
School districts must establish their own reclassification criteria. Multi-criteria processes must include as a minimum: Score proficient overall on CELDT with no subtest lower than intermediate Score on state achievement test Teacher input (grades, write ups, conference, etc.) Parent consultation
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Types of Assessments
Proficiency Test CELDT tests along a continuum of skills the students level of proficiency in English as compared to native speakers of the language Achievement Test CST tests the students attainment of knowledge of skills that are expected at a particular grade level. Such norm-referenced tests must be valid and reliable. Observation tools uses a rubric of descriptors that help calibrate the observer to others who might observe the same students skill Portfolios a collection of authentic evidence of work over time
Types of Assessments
Criterion-referenced tests compare a child to objective standards rather than to other students, while norm-referenced tests compare a student to a large sample group of students who have taken the test in the past A norm group is a carefully selected racially and geographically diverse set of students chosen by test creators to serve as a basis of comparison for most children in a certain population (such as third grade). Stanine scores compare a child against a norm group, often within just one school or community. Ratings are as follows: 9-7 is above average, 6-4 is average, and 3-1 is below average. Formative test - Measures the students grasp of material that is currently being taught. May also measure readiness. Formative tests help guide and inform instruction and learning. EXAMPLES: quizzes, homework, or portfolios Summative test - Measures what the student has learned. EXAMPLES: end-of chapter tests, final examinations, standardized state tests
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Reliability
Reliability is the consistency of measurement, or the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it is used under the same condition with the same subjects. Reliability is the repeatability of the measurement. A measure is considered reliable if a person's score on the same test given twice is similar. Reliability is not measured, it is estimated.
Validity
Validity is the strength of conclusions, inferences or propositions. Cook and Campbell (1979) define it as the "best available approximation to the truth or falsity of a given inference, proposition or conclusion." In short, were we right? Let's look at a simple example of the effect of strict attendance policies on class participation. Class participation did increase after the policy was established. Each type of validity would highlight a different aspect of the relationship between our treatment (strict attendance policy) and our observed outcome (increased class participation).
Test Bias
In psychometric terms, test bias is fundamentally a validity issue. If a test cannot be trusted with identifiable subpopulations, it is not valid in that context. Four aspects of validity seem to have attracted the most attention:
1. 2. 3. 4. content validity construct validity predictive validity consequential validity
Within any of these aspects of validity, we must remember that validity exists only within a specific purpose for the test. Thus, a test may stand up well to validity challenges in one context and not in another.
Source: Stephen J. Schellenberg
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A Spanish proficiency test for English learners shows a picture of three children standing at a doorstep ringing the doorbell. One is dressed as a ghost, the other a pirate, and another a skeleton. The test asks, Qu hacen? [What are they doing?] A math test is filled with complex word problems. The English learners score much lower than their classmates. The vocabulary section of an English proficiency test shows a picture of dolphins leaping in the ocean. The test company is located in Monterey, CA, where they field tested this item. English learners in the field test all identified these as dolphins, so it is included as valid.
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References
California Department of Education www.cde.ca.gov Reliability and Validity: What's the Difference? http://socialresearchmethods.net/tutorial/Colosi/ lcolosi2.htm Shellenberg, S.J. 2004, Test Bias or Cultural Bias: Have We Really Learned Anything?
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