CLAD - Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development Assessment for English Learners Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A middle school science teacher is designing an end-of-unit assessment on ecosystems for a class that includes several English Learners at the 'Emerging' level of proficiency. Which of the following assessment options would provide the most accurate measure of the English Learners' content knowledge?
- A multiple-choice test with complex sentence structures and academic vocabulary.
- An essay requiring students to compare and contrast two different ecosystems.
- A task where students create a labeled diorama or a digital presentation of an ecosystem, followed by a brief oral explanation. (Correct answer)
- A timed, standardized test provided by the textbook publisher.
Correct answer: A task where students create a labeled diorama or a digital presentation of an ecosystem, followed by a brief oral explanation.
This option provides an authentic, performance-based assessment that allows English Learners to demonstrate their understanding of ecosystems (content knowledge) using multiple modalities (visual, written labels, oral). This reduces the linguistic load compared to a traditional test or essay, which might inadvertently assess language proficiency rather than science content knowledge. Offering alternatives to standard written responses allows students to leverage their strengths.
Question 2: Mr. Chen regularly collects 'exit tickets' where students write one thing they learned and one question they still have after a lesson. For his English Learners, he allows them to use drawings, key words, or phrases in their home language. This practice is a prime example of:
- Summative assessment
- Formative assessment (Correct answer)
- Diagnostic assessment
- Standardized assessment
Correct answer: Formative assessment
Formative assessment is the ongoing process of monitoring student learning to provide continuous feedback and adjust instruction. Exit tickets are a classic example of a low-pressure formative assessment used to gauge understanding on a daily basis. Allowing multiple modes of response makes the assessment more accessible for English Learners.
Question 3: A school district administers the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) at the beginning of the school year. One purpose of this assessment is to identify students who are English learners and determine their current level of English proficiency. This type of assessment is best categorized as:
- A portfolio assessment
- A performance-based assessment
- A summative assessment
- An initial identification assessment (Correct answer)
Correct answer: An initial identification assessment
The ELPAC system includes two main assessments. The Initial ELPAC is used for the initial identification of students as English learners. The Summative ELPAC is administered annually to measure progress. This question describes the first purpose, which is identification.
Question 4: Which of the following describes the primary challenge of using traditional, norm-referenced standardized tests to measure the content knowledge of English Learners?
- These tests are typically untimed, which gives English Learners an unfair advantage.
- The tests often separate language proficiency from content knowledge in their scoring.
- These tests often conflate language proficiency with content knowledge, potentially masking the student's true understanding of the subject matter. (Correct answer)
- The results are only useful for formative feedback and cannot be used for program placement.
Correct answer: These tests often conflate language proficiency with content knowledge, potentially masking the student's true understanding of the subject matter.
A major criticism of using standardized tests designed for native English speakers with English Learners is that the tests often assess language proficiency and subject knowledge simultaneously. A student may understand the content (e.g., math or science concepts) but struggle with the complex language, vocabulary, or cultural references in the questions, leading to an inaccurate measure of their content mastery.
Question 5: To get a holistic view of an English Learner's progress over time in writing, a teacher collects various work samples, including first drafts, final essays, journal entries, and self-reflections in a dedicated folder. This method of assessment is best described as:
- Diagnostic testing
- Summative testing
- Portfolio assessment (Correct answer)
- Criterion-referenced testing
Correct answer: Portfolio assessment
Portfolio assessment involves collecting student work over time to document and evaluate their learning progress and growth. This method provides a much richer and more comprehensive picture of a student's abilities than a single test, which is particularly valuable for tracking the development of English Learners.
Question 6: A history test includes a question with the idiom 'he was barking up the wrong tree.' This question may introduce which type of assessment bias for an English Learner unfamiliar with this phrase?
- Content bias
- Linguistic bias (Correct answer)
- Scoring bias
- Response bias
Correct answer: Linguistic bias
Linguistic bias occurs when assessment language is unnecessarily complex or contains idioms and cultural references that may be unfamiliar to English Learners, preventing them from demonstrating their actual content knowledge. The idiom 'barking up the wrong tree' is a culturally specific phrase that has nothing to do with historical knowledge, so its inclusion unfairly penalizes students who have not yet learned it.
CLAD - Cross-Cultural Language and Academic Development Assessment for English Learners Questions and Answers
A middle school science teacher is designing an end-of-unit assessment on ecosystems for a class that includes several English Learners at the 'Emerging' level of proficiency.
Which of the following assessment options would provide the most accurate measure of the English Learners' content knowledge?