Assessment for English Learners Flashcards

A teacher notices an EL student performs well on oral tasks but struggles with written tests. What does this suggest about assessment design?

Answer: Written tests alone may underrepresent the student's content knowledge

Using only written assessments may not capture what EL students know due to language proficiency barriers rather than content gaps.

Which assessment practice best supports ELs during a standardized content test?

Answer: Providing a bilingual glossary of academic terms

A bilingual glossary addresses language barriers while still assessing content knowledge independently.

What is the primary purpose of a home language survey administered when an EL enrolls in school?

Answer: To identify students who may need English language proficiency assessment

Home language surveys are the first step in identifying students who may require English language proficiency screening.

A CLAD teacher wants to gauge EL students' understanding of a science lesson. Which technique provides the most immediate formative feedback?

Answer: Exit tickets with sentence frames

Exit tickets with sentence frames give instant formative data while supporting ELs in expressing their understanding.

When assessing an EL's writing sample, which factor should a teacher separate from content evaluation?

Answer: Grammatical errors due to language acquisition stages

Grammar errors may reflect normal second language acquisition stages rather than poor content understanding or writing ability.

Which of the following is an example of a criterion-referenced assessment for ELs?

Answer: Measuring a student's vocabulary against grade-level standards

Criterion-referenced assessments measure student performance against defined standards, not against other students.

An EL student at the Emerging level takes a science test and scores low. What should the teacher consider before concluding the student lacks science knowledge?

Answer: Whether linguistic complexity of the test items may have obscured content knowledge

Complex academic language on a test may prevent Emerging ELs from demonstrating their actual science knowledge.