CLAD Assessment for English Learners 4

Question 1

A newly arrived EL student with no prior formal schooling is assessed. Which consideration is most critical when interpreting results?

Accepted Answer

Limited literacy in any language affecting performance across all assessments

Answer

Students with limited or interrupted formal education (SIFE) may show low performance due to lack of schooling rather than cognitive ability.

Question 2

Which type of validity evidence is most important when an EL assessment is used to make reclassification decisions?

Accepted Answer

Consequential validity

Answer

Consequential validity examines whether the intended and unintended consequences of an assessment decision are appropriate and equitable.

Question 3

An EL student's reading score drops significantly after reclassification. What does this most likely indicate about the reclassification decision?

Accepted Answer

The student was reclassified prematurely before achieving true academic proficiency

Answer

A drop in performance after reclassification often indicates the student had conversational fluency but lacked the academic language proficiency needed to succeed without EL support.

Question 4

Which assessment design feature ensures that an EL test is linguistically appropriate for the proficiency level being measured?

Accepted Answer

Calibrating language complexity to match the target proficiency level descriptor

Answer

Matching item language complexity to proficiency level descriptors ensures items measure language development rather than exceeding or undershooting the target level.

Question 5

What does 'triangulation' mean in the context of EL assessment?

Accepted Answer

Gathering data from multiple sources to confirm findings about student proficiency

Answer

Triangulation involves using multiple data sources (tests, observations, work samples) to build a more accurate and reliable picture of student proficiency.

CLAD Practice Test

CLAD Practice Test

CLAD Assessment for English Learners 4