Assessment Considerations for Young English Language Learners Across Different Levels of Accountability
Author(s): Linda M. Espinosa, Michael L. Lopez
Publication URL: http://www.first5la.org/files/AssessmentConsiderationsEnglishLearners.pdf
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: Early Childhood
Keywords: Assessment, Disability Screening, Dual Language Learners, Early Literacy, Language Development, Special Education
Summary:

This guide explains how changing demographics and the specific needs of EL children impact assessment strategies. It provides definitions of different types of young English learners and describes how their language skills and cultural experiences can affect assessment procedures and results. The handbook includes lists of goals and purposes for assessment, and suggests how current EL assessment strategies can be adapted to address these goals and purposes.

Guidelines for the Assessment of English Language Learners
Author(s): Mary J. Pitoniak, John W. Young, Maria Martiniello, Teresa C. King, Alyssa Buteux, Mitchell Ginsburgh
Publication URL: http://www.ets.org/Media/About_ETS/pdf/ELL_Guidelines.pdf
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Accommodations, Assessment, Standardized Testing
Summary:

This guide, produced by the Educational Testing Service, provides guidelines for the assessment of English learners. It is intended to be useful to designers of assessments as well as those who administer exams or interpret test data. It recommends ways to write assessments that are culturally responsive and use accessible language, and discusses how to choose and implement accommodations for students.

Teacher Use of Formative Assessment Data for English Language Learners
Author(s): Margaret Heritage, Sandy Chang
Publication URL: http://cresst.org/wp-content/uploads/ELL_Symposium_FINAL.pdf
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment, Professional Development
Grade Level: Middle School (6-8)
Keywords: Assessment
Summary:

This article reports on a series of focus groups with EL teachers, and shows that many teachers do not understand how to use formative assessment data to improve instruction and evaluate studentsÍ knowledge and achievement. It recommends that designers of assessments provide clearer information about the meaning of studentsÍ scores, and that teachers receive additional professional development in making the most of formative assessments.

New measures of English language proficiency and their relationship to performance on large-scale content assessments
Author(s): Caroline E. Parker, Josephine Louie, Laura OÍDwyer
Publication URL: https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/northeast/pdf/REL_2009066.pdf
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: Middle School (6-8)
Keywords: Academic Language, Accommodations, Assessment, Standardized Testing
Summary:

This report shows that, for English learners, proficiency in reading and writing is a strong predictor of performance on standardized assessments, whereas proficiency in speaking and listening predicts performance less strongly. It shows how assessment data can lead to greater understanding of how to prepare ELs for standardized testing.

A Race Against the Clock: The Value of Expanded Learning Time for English Language Learners
Author(s): Melissa Lazarin
Publication URL: https://cdn.americanprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/issues/2008/12/pdf/ell.pdf
Category: Comprehensive Planning, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Accommodations, After-School Programs
Summary:

This article explores the usefulness of expanded learning time, in the form of after-school programs, as a strategy for helping ELs achieve English proficiency more quickly and confidently. It emphasizes the necessity of implementing these programs as whole-school initiatives and provides examples of how expanded learning programs have been implemented.

Getting at the Content
Author(s): Yu Ren Dong
Publication URL: http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/dec04/vol62/num04/Getting-at-the-Content.aspx
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Keywords: Academic Language, Accommodations, Content Area Instruction, Mainstream Teachers, Reclassification
Summary:

This article addresses the difficulty of adapting content area instruction for ELs in mainstream high school classrooms, especially as standards for graduation become more stringent. It provides specific recommendations for working with these students, as well as several detailed examples of how to implement these recommendations.

The Pairing of a Science Communications and a Language Course to Enrich First-Year English Language LearnersÍ Writing and Argumentation Skills
Author(s): Ashley J. Welsh, Amber Shaw, Joanne A. Fox
Publication URL: Journal of College Science Teaching; May/Jun2017, Vol. 46 Issue 5, p64-72
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: College and Higher Education
Keywords: Academic Language, Content Area Instruction, STEM Instruction, Science Instruction, Writing
Summary:

This article examines the value of combining content-area learning _ in this case, science _ with the development of academic writing skills at the college level. StudentsÍ writing improved significantly, along with their content area mastery, showing that interdisciplinary instruction is an especially effective approach to building the communication and critical thinking skills that students need to succeed in higher education.

Advancing English LearnersÍ Disciplinary Knowledge and Academic Language Using Complex Expository Text
Author(s): Christine M. Leighton, Lisa M. O'Brien, Kierstin Giunco
Publication URL: New England Reading Association Journal; 2017, Vol. 52 Issue 1, p7-18
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: Early Elementary (Grades K-2), Upper Elementary (Grades 3-5)
Keywords: Content Area Instruction, Literacy, Reading Aloud
Summary:

This article explores how the incorporation of challenging expository texts into content area instruction can help ELs master both content area knowledge and academic literacy. The study also suggests that reading improves studentsÍ motivation and engagement in content areas. The authors provide samples of lesson plans, recommended texts, and student work, as well as a set of guiding principles that can be implemented.

Differentiated instruction for English language learners as “variations on a theme”: Teachers can differentiate instruction to support English language learners
Author(s): Laura Baecher, Marcus Artigliere, David K. Patterson, Adrian Spatzer
Publication URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/23074855
Category: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: Middle School (6-8)
Keywords: Cultural Responsiveness, Differentiated Instruction, Scaffolding
Summary:

This article proposes differentiated instruction as an alternative to sheltered instruction for middle school ELs, arguing that this helps young adolescent ELs integrate with English proficient peers and master content area knowledge in preparation for high school. It provides a set of guiding principles for differentiation in middle school, as well as several detailed examples of implementation and its effects on students.

Supporting Young English Learners in the United States
Author(s): Lisa Barrow, Lisa Markman-Pithers
Publication URL: : http://www.jstor.org/stable/43940586
Category: Comprehensive Planning, Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment
Grade Level: All Grade Levels
Keywords: Dual Language Instruction, Instructional Strategy, Sheltered Instruction
Summary:

This article compares the various predominant methods of teaching English learners. It divides the many approaches into two broad categories _ Bilingual and English Immersion_ and explores the pros and cons of each from a research-based perspective. It concludes that the structure and approach of classes are ultimately less important than other factors, such as the overall quality of a program and alignment with a school and districtÍs goals for its EL students.