CTEL CTEL Assessment and Instruction 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A teacher wants to assess an EL student's ability to use academic language in writing. Which assessment type best serves this purpose?
- Criterion-referenced writing rubric aligned to CCSS (Correct answer)
- Norm-referenced standardized spelling test
- Oral reading fluency probe
- Multiple-choice grammar quiz
Correct answer: Criterion-referenced writing rubric aligned to CCSS
A criterion-referenced rubric aligned to academic language standards directly measures the targeted skill in an authentic context.
Question 2: Which stage of the CELDT/ELPAC proficiency continuum requires instruction that emphasizes bridging everyday language to disciplinary discourse?
- Expanding
- Emerging
- Beginning
- Bridging (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Bridging
Bridging-level students are transitioning from conversational to fully academic register across all domains.
Question 3: A teacher uses exit tickets in English to check comprehension after each lesson. For Beginning ELs, the MOST appropriate modification is to:
- Allow drawing or single-word responses with labels (Correct answer)
- Eliminate exit tickets for these students
- Have students complete exit tickets in their home language only
- Give extra time with no other changes
Correct answer: Allow drawing or single-word responses with labels
Allowing drawing or labeled single-word responses lets Beginning ELs demonstrate content understanding without being blocked by limited English production.
Question 4: Dynamic assessment differs from traditional assessment in that it:
- Measures what a student can do with guided support to gauge learning potential (Correct answer)
- Ranks students against grade-level peers nationwide
- Tests students only at the end of an instructional unit
- Focuses exclusively on phonological awareness
Correct answer: Measures what a student can do with guided support to gauge learning potential
Dynamic assessment captures the zone of proximal development by evaluating student performance with and without scaffolded assistance.
Question 5: A school's ELPAC scores show that 40% of its ELs scored at the Emerging level in Speaking. The MOST data-driven next step is to:
- Design targeted oral language development routines integrated into content instruction (Correct answer)
- Hold all ELs back one grade level
- Increase silent reading time to build vocabulary
- Administer the ELPAC again immediately to confirm scores
Correct answer: Design targeted oral language development routines integrated into content instruction
Targeted oral language routines address the identified gap by giving students structured practice speaking in academic contexts.
Question 6: Which practice best aligns with a sheltered instruction model for intermediate ELs in a science class?
- Posting content and language objectives and building background before introducing new concepts (Correct answer)
- Teaching vocabulary through repeated dictionary copying
- Separating ELs from the class for all science instruction
- Delivering lectures entirely in the student's home language
Correct answer: Posting content and language objectives and building background before introducing new concepts
SIOP requires explicit content and language objectives and activation of background knowledge as foundational components.
Question 7: A teacher notices an EL student frequently self-corrects errors during oral responses. This behavior MOST likely indicates:
- The student is monitoring their own language output, a sign of metalinguistic awareness (Correct answer)
- The student has a speech disorder requiring referral
- The student is not yet ready for oral production tasks
- The student's home language is interfering negatively with English
Correct answer: The student is monitoring their own language output, a sign of metalinguistic awareness
Self-correction is a positive indicator of metalinguistic awareness and active monitoring of second language production.
CTEL CTEL Assessment and Instruction 2
A teacher wants to assess an EL student's ability to use academic language in writing.
Which assessment type best serves this purpose?