Discussion 1

Major Trends in Immigration

Read Immigrants in the United States, 2010: A Profile of America's Foreign-Born Population. Use this article and the rest of the website to research major trends in immigration and its implications for classroom teachers of ELL students.

How have these trends changed the assessment challenges for classroom teachers? In addition, give at least five examples of authentic assessment that could be used in a classroom based on your state's demographics.

Include ideas from the video, Assessment of English Language Learners by Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce.

Guided Response: Review your classmate's posts and respond to at least three. After reviewing the trends listed by your classmates, research your local school district's demographics.

For example, San Diego Unified School District's demographics can be located on the district website. How do they compare? Using the examples of authentic assessment listed, do you believe they would be useful considering your district's population? Why or why not?

Discussion 2

Mrs. Madison

Read case study #5 from ESL case studies. For the last several years, the administrators and the teaching staff at Smith Elementary School have been happy to report their school's high achievement test scores. The school district has spent countless dollars on professional development workshops for teachers.

Assessment experts have presented valuable information on test taking strategies that bring positive results. Mrs. Madison, who teaches second grade, has faithfully attended all of the information packed presentations. She can now reap the benefits of her new approach to standardized testing. Her students' scores last year far exceeded her expectations as a classroom teacher.

Mrs. Madison was very pleased with the level of academic performance her students displayed on the end of year exams. Ironically, these latest scores arrived on the same day Mrs. Madison received her student list for the upcoming school year. After reviewing the names of her new second graders, Mrs. Madison became quite concerned.

The list of students revealed two last names that were obviously not typical American names. After a brief conversation with the principal of her school, she learned that an expanding business in the area had hired employees from other countries to join their corporation. As a result, new families were moving into the local community to work at this prestigious business. These specialized employees were moving their families into an unfamiliar country and culture in order to take advantage of an opportunity to work in the United States.

The principal informed Mrs. Madison that these new students coming to Smith Elementary would be hearing the English language for the first time. The determined principal also relayed to Mrs. Madison the importance of maintaining their school's reputation of producing high test scores. Mrs. Madison was now facing an unfamiliar task of teaching ELL (English as a Second Language) students and upholding high standardized assessment scores.

What issues, related to the standardized assessments and real-classroom assessments can Mrs. Madison expect to encounter?

Considering Mrs. Madison's level of experience with ELL, the level of language proficiency she expects to encounter in her students, and the school's expectations - compare and contrast three language proficiency instruments you would use to determine your student's current academic and language level.

How can Mrs. Madison prepare herself, as a professional educator, for her new ELL students?

Guided Response: Review your classmates' posts and respond to at least three of them. Take the standpoint of the school principal when replying to posts and address the issues that Mrs. Madison can expect to encounter from an administrative perspective, her choice of language proficiency instruments and reflect on her professional growth needs.

Respond

Assignment

Who is living in your backyard?

Nine year old Maria and her eleven year old brother, along with their mother, father and maternal grandmother moved to California from Mexico three months ago, but her mother just enrolled them in school last month. Both parents work full time outside the home; her father is a mechanic and mother works at a daycare center.

After school both children walk home where their grandmother, who doesn't speak English, cares for them. Maria's mother is home every evening by about 5:30pm. Her father does not usually get home until after both children are in bed.

Both parents are able to carry on a limited conversation in English and her mother can also read basic English words. The family is not poor, but they do not have access to a home computer and do not own many books. Maria loves school and is never late. Her favorite subjects are reading and art but she does not like to write. When asked why not, she says, "Writing makes her hands hurt."

Explain at least three informal language proficiency instruments you can use in your classroom to determine Maria's level of expressive and receptive language comprehension, analyze how the content and purpose of each one is different, and describe what each purports to measure. Finally, describe how you can use these three instruments to guide your instruction.

You can use the article Using informal assessments for English Language Learners as a starting point for your research. You must have at least one source in addition to your text and the required article. Your paper must be two- to four- pages in length, excluding the title and reference pages.