Learning Site for Teachers > Learning Resources for Teachers > Effective Assessment > ESL
Self-Directed Learning for
ESL Instruction
The resources and links below are
divided into 7 categories with a brief annotation for each one. However,
there is much overlap between many of the sites and each one may have
information on ESL instruction in more than one of the seven topic area.
I. General
Assessment Information
II. The National Reporting System
III. Formal
(Standardized) Assessments
IV. Informal
(Alternative) Assessments
V. Accommodations
for ELP/ESL Adults with Learning Disabilities
VI. Articles
and Publications on ELP/ESL Assessments
VII. Professional Organizations Focusing on ELP/ ESL
Assessment
Suggestions for use: (1) proceed through some of the sites that offer
general assessment information to get a basic understanding of the history
of assessment in ELP/ESL; (2) use the NRS section to become familiar with
the framework for national reporting. Remember that the Georgia Department
of Technical and Adult Education has prepared a Policy and Procedures
manual that is specific for the state of Georgia. (3) in the sections on
formal and informal testing, review the differences and consider the
advantages and disadvantages of each; (4) the journals and books listed
under Articles and Publications are offered as resources to gain more
in-depth information about ESL assessment; (5) use the section on
professional organizations as a resource for all aspects of assessment.
General Assessment Information
1.
National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL)
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
The
2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally
representative assessment of literacy among adults (age 16 and older)
residing in households and prisons in the United States. This survey does
not, however, give information on the number of households that are ELL's
(English Language Learners).
2.
Stitch,
T. G. (Adult Literacy in the United States: A compendium of Quantitative
Data and Interpretive Coments. William B. Armstrong San Diego Community
College District. San Diego, CA.
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/adlitus/adlitus.pdf
"Includes extensive quantitative data on the assessment of adult literacy
skills and programs ranging from World War I (1917) up to the present."
3. You can participate in an online discussion about assessment in adult
education by going here:
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
Articles about assessment in adult education can be found here as well. A
very good site to begin with.
4.
http://nces.ed.gov/pubsearch/pubsinfo.asp?pubid=2005117
Highlights from the 2003 International Literacy and LifeSkills Survey.
This report from the National Center for Education Statistics gives you a
chance to look at adult literacy from a world wide perspective.
5. http://www.ets.org/research/researcher/PIC-ADULTLIT.html
This study looks at
the literacy practices of adults and how those skills are used in the
labor market.
6.
http://www.ets.org/Media/Research/pdf/PICTWIN.pdf
The
Twin Challenges of Mediocrity and Inequality: Literacy in the U.S. from
an International Perspective, This study compared the results of the NALS
and the International adult literacy survey, and found that we are behind
in literacy when compared with the rest of the world, especially with
regard to equity towards minorities. Please note who put out the study
however.
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II.
The
National Reporting System and ELP/ESL Assessment
NRS
Implementation Guidelines
http://www.nrsonline.org/reference/index.html
This site
contains NRS Implementation Guidelines. Chapters include: History and
Overview of the NRS; NRS Measure Definitions and Data Collection Methods;
The NRS Data Collection Process; and Quality Control and Reporting.
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III. Formal/Standardized Assessments
Assessing
Adult Literacy and Numeracy: A review of Assessment Instruments.
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_697.pdf
This is a
report done in Great Britain that reviews several test instruments,
including some in the United States.
Performance on ESL Examinations:
http://www.multilingual-matters.net/le/012/0001/le0120001.pdf
Is There a Language Distance Effect? A report out of Australia that
suggests in part that student outcomes on examinations may be due to the
distance linguistically their language differs from English.
Stitch, T. G. (1999).
http://www.nald.ca/fulltext/sticht/testing/page60.htm
Testing
and Accountability in Adult Literacy Education. Focus on Workplace
Literacy Resources for Program Design, Assessment, Testing, & Evaluation.
CA.
Abstract:
Types of
Standardized Tests. Scores on standardized tests do not have much meaning
in and of themselves. If a learner correctly answers 60 percent of items
on some standardized test, it is not clear what that means in the absence
of other information that helps us interpret the score.
Test Bank
http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/MC_Test_Bank.htm
This
Test Bank lists many assessments that are suitable to use with adults. It
is organized alphabetically by test name and check marks are placed in the
appropriate box to show if a component is assessed by the test. The
CASAS is on this test bank, so is the TABE, but the BEST and BEST Plus are
not.
http://literacy.kent.edu/Midwest/assessment/
This website has a test bank that you can
compare BEST, but not CASAS.
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/langassessQA.html
Valid, reliable, and appropriate assessment for Adult English Language
Learners. Van Duzer and Kenyon. Discusses which instruments are
appropriate for ELP/ESL adult learners.
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IV. Informal Assessment in ELP/ESL
Authentic
Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for
Teachers
J. Michael O'Malley and Lorraine Valdez Pierce, Addison Wesley Publishing
Company (1996) This book shows teachers how to use assessment portfolios
with English language learners. Although this is geared mainly for K-12
learners, the portfolio development information is workable with adults,
but not beginners.
Non-Language Outcomes in the Adult Migrant English Program
E. Jackson,
National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research (NCELTR)
(1994) This group in Australia has done some interesting work in
beginning literacy and learner outcomes, using "non-measurable" goals like
"are you able to express emotions, and "are you able to get out in public
more?". An interesting book for teachers of beginning ESL.
Assessing
Oral Language Proficiency: Handbook for Teachers in the Adult Migrant
English Program
Marie Manidis and Patricia Prescott,
National Centre for English Language Teaching and Research (NCELTR)
(1994) Another book from the same group listed above, who are especially
good at assessing beginning literacy in ELL's. This book covers all
levels of literacy, however.
Authentic Accountability
http://wiki.literacytent.org/index.php/AleAccountability
A discussion of accountability and "authentic accountability" (Eckert and
Bell, 2004) in adult literacy education. From the Adult Literacy Education
Wiki (ALEWiki).
Authentic Assessment Toolbox
http://jonathan.mueller.faculty.noctrl.edu/toolbox/index.htm
A "how-to hypertext on creating authentic tasks, rubrics and standards for
measuring and improving student learning."
Coalition of Essential Schools - Authentic Assessment
http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/resources/query/q/1017?x-r=runnew
This website provides a collection of articles and resources focused on
the benefits and requirements of authentic assessment.
Making
Meaning, Making Change: Participatory Curriculum Development for Adult ESL
Literacy Elsa Auerbach. One of the most important books in ESL
education. If you are interested in developing a curriculum with your
students, you need this book.
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V.
Accommodations for ELP/ESL Adults with Learning Disabilities
http://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/onlinedefault.html#ELLs
This website has lots of information on ESL
students with disabilities and how to accommodate them in the classroom;
however, their focus is on k-12. There are suggestions here that could be
useful.
http://ldlink.coe.utk.edu/
This
site is for teachers of adults with learning disabilities. It contains
information on teaching ESL for people with disabilities, although this
information is somewhat limited. You may also join an online discussion.
http://www.nrdc.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_424.pdf
This
document contains a lengthy literature review of resources for ELP/ESL
adults with learning disabilities.
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VI. Other Articles and Publications on ELP/ESL assessments, and ESL learners
in general
Bridging the Gap Between Native Language and
Second language Literacy Instruction: A Naturalistic Study.
L. Watkins-Goffman & V. Cummings, 1997.
An interesting study using students
from a university in the Dominican Republic. Points out the need for more
writing in the ESL classroom-but may not be applicable to many of our
classrooms.
ESL policy and practice: A linguistic human
rights perspective.
G. A. Waters, 2001. (via The Clearing House) This is a controversial
article about bilingual education. Waters argues that Arizona's decision
to eliminate bilingual education in its K-12 system has deprived students
of their language, culture and dignity. I cite it here because bilingual
education in adult education is still a much debated issue.
Research on the Transfer of Literacy Skills from
Languages with Non-Roman Script to English: Feasibility and Pilot Study
A. M. Zehler, K. Koda, & S. Sapru (eds.) June
30, 2003.
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/bibliographies/readingbib.html
Annotated bibliography on reading research
with adult ESL learners.
Second language acquisition in adults, from research to practice.
http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/digests/SLA.html
Moss and Ross-Feldman trace the acquisition of
a second language in adults...much of this research has been done on kids,
so this is an important study.
Holt, G.M.
(1995). Teaching low-level adult ESL learners. ERIC Digest,
January,1995. EDRS #: ED379965 This is a good article for practitioners
seeking help with beginning ESL learners. I used it a lot when I was
first getting started in ESL. Holt gives several techniques for teachers
to use with low level ESL learners in the classroom. A must have article.
Jones,
M.L. (1996). Phonics in ESL Literacy Instruction: Functional or
Not? Paper Presented at the World Conference on Literacy, March
1996. ERDS # ED436104. Another must-have article, as far as I am
concerned for any beginning ESL teacher. Jones states that for teachers
of ESL learners who are not literate in the L 1, who have learning
disabilities, or whose L1 alphabet is non-Roman, phonics may be needed.
Manton,
J. (1998). The relationship between knowing our students' real needs and
effective teaching. In Smoke, T. (1998). (ed). Adult ESL: Politics,
Pedagogy, and Participation in the Classroom. Manton discusses that
there are times within the adult ESL classroom that adult educators cannot
teach the prescribed curriculum, and must ask their students what it is
they really need.
Rivera,
K.M. (1990). Developing native language literacy in language minority
adults.National Clearinghouse on Literacy Education. ERIC document
number ED358707. This is a classic article in adult ESL.. Another must
have.
VanDuzer,
C. (1999). Reading and the adult English language learner. ERIC
Digest, August 1999. EDRS# 433729. Again, another good article from
a respected researcher in ESL..
Wrigley,
H.S., & Guth, G. J. A. (1992). Bringing Literacy to Life: Issues and
Options in
Adult ESL
Literacy.
San
Diego: Dominie Press. This is a wonderful book, a great resource to have
a practitioner. It contains ideas for curriculum, needs assessment,
learner focus, and other relevant topics.
Weinstein-Shr, G. (1993). Restoring the Intergenerational Cycle of
Family Teaching Family Literacy in Multilingual Communities.
Background paper prepared for Project on English as a Second Language
Service for Adults. Southport Institute for Policy Analysis. Retrieved
October 12, 2004 at
www.eric.ed.gov.
Grant,
R.A., & Wong, S.D. (2003) Barriers to literacy for language minority
learners: An argument for change in the literacy education profession.
Journal of
Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 46,
pp. 386-394. Some very important findings here by Grant and Wong, and
implications for literacy practitioners, especially in adult ESL.
Valdes,
G. (1986). Con Respeto: Bridging the distance between culturally
diverse
families
and schools, an ethnographic portrait.
New York, Columbia University: Teachers College Press. Although this
book is geared for K-12 teachers, this is a study of Mexican families, and
there are many things adult ESL teachers can learn from this book. One of
the most important findings for me was the "culture" of silence that
surrounds the families that are "sin papeles" -illegal.
Skilton-Sylvester,
E. (2002). Should I stay or should I go? Investigating Cambodian women's
participation and investment in adult ESL programs.
Adult Education
Quarterly, 53,
9-26. A good article about participation in the adult classroom, notice
the domestic violence role.
Immigrant
Mothers Redefine Access to ESL classes: Contradiction and Ambivalence.
Kouritizin
http://www.channelviewpublications.net/jmmd/021/0014/jmmd0210014.pdf
An
eye-opening article about why immigrant women don't attend ESL classes.
http://www.ed.psu.edu/goodlinginstitute/bibliography.htm
This is an annotated bibliography on Family Literacy. Although not
specifically on ESL alone, many of the articles cited here are important
and transferable.
Suave,
V. Voices and visions: Issues, challenges, and alternatives in
teaching Adult ESL. A good book that addresses both multicultural
issues and gender issues in the classroom as well as teaching techniques.
http://www.cal.org/CALWebDB/CAELATracker/CAELAList.aspx
This
index put out by the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition has
about 150 articles on adult ESL, many of which I've cited here.
Teacher Toolkits:
http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/publications/ESLKit/ESLKit_2002.pdf
This
is a starter kit for teachers of ESOL adults. Great starter kit, lots of
good information inside...wish I would have had this when I started!!!
Intended to assist teachers with small or large ESL classes. Includes
cultural considerations, assessment, accessing resources, understanding
the adult learner, lesson plans, multi-level classes and curriculum
resources.
http://www.csun.edu/~hcedu013/eslplans.html
This
link has a TON of places to go to find adult ESOL lesson plans and other
resources. How nice to find a place just for adults!!!
http://www.famlit.org/Publications/Practitioner-Toolkit-ELL.cfm
This is a joint adult ESOL toolkit for teachers put out by the National
Center for Family Literacy, and the Center for Applied English Language
Acquisition. Some good stuff here as well. You don't have to download
the entire toolkit, just the stuff you want, which is nice, but NCFL will
make you take a survey first.
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VII.
Professional Organizations in ELP/ESL, and ELP/ESL Assessment
TESOL
(Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages)
http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/index.asp
This is
the international teacher organization, that serves both K-12 and adult
education. It has been my experience that their focus is K-12, but it has
been changing of late. TESOL does have some articles available on this
site, but they are limited.
International Reading Association IRA
http://www.readingonline.org/
This
organization publishes the Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, which
I have found helpful, but their focus has not been ESL. They also have
research articles here, but limited, like the TESOL website above.
COABE
http://www.coabe.org
(Commission on Adult Basic Education) COABE publishes the journal Adult
Basic Education, geared for teachers in the field, and full of good ideas.
http://www.cal.org/caela/accountability/
A
nice little overview of ESL/ELP assessment, given by CAELA Center for
adult English language acquisition, at the University of California.
Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse
Supports adult educators' efforts to develop, align, and implement content
standards in English language acquisition (ELA), mathematics, and reading.
Includes how-to-guide and searchable database
American Council on Education
http://www.acenet.edu/
ACE, the major coordinating body for all the nation's higher education
institutions, seeks to provide leadership and a unifying voice on key
higher education issues and to influence public policy through advocacy,
research, and program initiatives.
American Evaluation Association
http://www.eval.org/
Devoted to the application and exploration of evaluation in all its forms.
Appropriate Use of High-Stakes Testing in Our Nation's Schools
http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/testing.html
Testing is an extremely valuable part of educational assessment, but it is
only a part of the formula for quality learning. When tests are used in
high-stakes circumstances, a number of safeguards must be in place.
Because the stakes are so high for so many students, additional research
should begin immediately to learn more about the intended and unintended
consequences of testing in educational decision making. If tests are going
to be used to determine which students will advance and what subjects
schools will teach, it is imperative that we understand how best to
measure student learning and how the use of high-stakes testing will
affect student drop-out rates, graduation rates, course content, levels of
student anxiety, and teaching practices. The bottom-line question, as yet
unanswered, is: What will be the long-term effect of high-stakes testing
on student achievement? Will it enhance or diminish broad-based learning?
Association of Test Publishers
http://www.testpublishers.org/
Established
in 1992, The Association of Test Publishers is a non-profit organization
representing providers of tests and assessment tools and/or services
related to assessment, selection, screening, certification, and licensing,
educational or clinical uses.
Assessment LINCS Special Collection
On-line resources for practitioners and administrators dealing with
learner assessment issues in adult literacy programs.
CAL Resource Guides On Line: Resources for ESL Assessment
http://www.cal.org/resources/faqs/rgos/eslassess.html
This site includes information on digests, books, websites, email
discussion groups, and ERIC documents.
Code of Fair Testing Practices
http://www.apa.org/science/fairtestcode.html
The Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education is a guide for
professionals in fulfilling their obligation to provide and use tests that
are fair to all test takers regardless of age, gender, disability, race,
ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, linguistic
background, or other personal characteristics.
Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement
http://www.natd.org/Code_of_Professional_Responsibilities.html
The Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement
serves as a guide to inform and remind those involved in educational
assessment of their obligations to uphold the integrity of the manner in
which assessments are developed, used, evaluated, and marketed. Moreover,
it is expected that the Code will stimulate thoughtful discussion of what
constitutes professionally responsible assessment practice at all levels
in education.
Educational Testing Service
http://www.ets.org/
Educational Testing Service is the world's largest private educational
testing and measurement organization and a leader in educational research.
The company serves the needs of individuals, educational institutions, and
government bodies in almost 200 countries. ETS develops and administers
more than 12 million tests worldwide.
Educational Testing Service: Disabilities and Testing
http://ets.org/disability/index.html
This site provides information to test applicants with disabilities who
seek approval of reasonable testing accommodations.
Educational Testing Service (ETS) / Research
Division
In
addition to information on its own tests, features a research section with
articles on testing, equity and new forms of assessment
EFF Assessment Resource Collection
http://eff.cls.utk.edu/assessment/
The
EFF Assessment Resource Collection (ARC) contains resources for the adult
literacy field to align curriculum, instruction, assessment and reporting
with the EFF Content Standards.
ERIC: Education Resources Information Center
http://www.eric.ed.gov/
The ERIC database is the world's largest education database. Begun in
1966, it is composed of more than one million bibliographic records. The
goal of the new ERIC is to provide more education materials quicker, and
more directly, to audiences through the Internet.
Fair Test: The National Center for Fair & Open Testing
http://www.fairtest.org
The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) works to end the
misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of
students, teachers and schools is fair, open, valid and educationally
beneficial.
Guidelines for Inclusive Test Administration
http://www.ctb.com/media/articles/pdfs/general/guidelines_inclusive.pdf
This document, by CTB/McGraw-Hill, provides guidelines on the use and
appropriate interpretation of the results of inclusive test
administrations. These guidelines are intended to facilitate the valid
interpretation of individual student results and valid comparisons of
year-to-year and group-to-group summary data. Does not address the range
of issues facing LEP students.
The Joint Committee on Standards for Educational Evaluation
http://www.wmich.edu/evalctr/jc/
This
has program, personnel, and student standards, as well as a listing of
related publications.
The Joint Committee on Testing Practice
http://www.apa.org/science/jctpweb.html
The Joint Committee on Testing Practices (JCTP) was established in 1985 by
the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the American
Psychological Association (APA), and the National Council on Measurement
in Education (NCME). The American Counseling Association (ACA) and the
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) joined JCTP in 1987.
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and the National
Association of Test Directors (NATD) has since joined JCTP, which now
consists of ACA, AERA, APA, ASHA, NASP, NATD, and NCME. According to its
bylaws, JCTP provides "a means by which professional organizations and
test publishers can work together to improve the use of tests in
assessment and appraisal."
National Assessments of Adult Literacy
http://nces.ed.gov/naal/
The National Assessments of Adult Literacy (NAAL) is a nationally
representative and continuing assessment of English language literacy
skills of American adults. It seeks to: describe the status of adult
literacy in the U.S.; report on national trends; and identify
relationships between literacy and selected characteristics of adults.
National Center on Educational Outcomes
http://www.education.umn.edu/nceo
The National Center on Educational Outcomes provides national leadership
in the participation of students with disabilities in national and state
assessments, standards-setting efforts, and graduation requirements.
National Council on Measurement in Education
http://www.ncme.org/
The mission of NCME includes: Encouragement of scholarly efforts to
advance the science of measurement in the field of education; improve
measurement instruments and procedures for their administration, scoring,
interpretation, and use; and improve applications of measurement in
assessment of individuals and evaluations of educational programs.
Dissemination of knowledge about theory, techniques, and instrumentation
available for measurement of educationally relevant human, institutional,
and social characteristics; procedures appropriate to the interpretation
and use of such techniques and instruments; and applications of
educational measurement in individual and group evaluation studies. (Click
on publications, then: "ITEMS: The Instructional Topics in Educational
Measurement Series")
NIFL National Institute for Literacy
http://www.nifl.gov/readingprofiles/
Assessment Strategies and Reading Profiles: research-based assessment
practices for the adult education classroom - an interactive website for
adult education practitioners.
Practical Assessment, Research, and Evaluation
http://pareonline.net/
Practical Assessment, Research and Evaluation (PARE) is an on-line journal
supported, in part, by the Department of Measurement, Statistics, and
Evaluation at the University of Maryland, College Park. Its purpose is to
provide education professionals access to refereed articles that can have
a positive impact on assessment, research, evaluation, and teaching
practice, especially at the local education agency (LEA) level.
Reading Assessment Database for Grades K-2
http://www.sedl.org/reading/rad/chart.html
Every published reading assessment appropriate for use in Grades K-2 has
been summarized in SEDL's Reading Assessment Database.
Rights and Responsibilities of Test Takers: Guidelines and Expectations
http://www.apa.org/science/ttrr.html
The purpose of the Guidelines and Expectations is to inform and to help
educate not only test takers, but also others involved in the testing
enterprise so that measurements may be most validly and appropriately
used. This document is intended to encourage positive and high quality
interactions between testing professionals and test takers.
SABES Assessment Support Website
http://www.sabes.org/assessment/
This Web site has been designed to help program managers, teachers, and
other practitioners deal effectively with the learning gain assessment and
reporting requirements in DOE-funded ABE programs in Massachusetts.
From the Assessment Support Website:
http://www.sabes.org/assessment/assessmentbib.htm
SRI International (Stanford Research Institute)
http://www.sri.com/
SRI International is an independent, nonprofit research institute that
conducts client-supported research and development for government
agencies, commercial businesses and nonprofit foundations. SRI is well
known, in part, for studying the public policy areas of education, health,
and economic development.
The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing
http://www.apa.org/science/standards.html
This provides information on the content of this textbook, as well as
information for purchase.
West
http://www.wested.org/cs/we/print/docs/we/home.htm
WestEd is a nonprofit research, development, and service agency that works
with education and other communities to promote excellence, achieve
equity, and improve learning for children, youth, and adults.
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Compiled for the Office of Adult Literacy,
Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education by Lori Garrett,
Education Consultant, under the direction of Dr. Tom Valentine, Project
Director of the University of Georgia Adult Literacy Technical Assistance
Project.