Assessing ELLs in Elementary

WatsonESOL

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Espinosa (r. 2023) suggests standardized assessment measures contain a tiny pool of test items to assess a given skill or ability of interest. Assessments are designed with a small number of different skills and abilities so as not to end up with an evaluation that will be too lengthy or frustrating.

With that said, I wonder if adding more questions about one skill better assesses an ELLs understanding of the content area being measured. In addition, measuring in multiple domains may give a broader picture of their knowledge. For example, when assessing a young student's ability in rhyming words, layers of activities such as matching rhyming cards, rhyming families, and visual rhyming objects are varied ways to assess mastery.

Espinosa (r. 2023) suggests including a more significant number of items would be one way to improve the precision of the content, rather than many different skills in small numbers to assess mastery measures.

How are your standardized assessment measures designed to assess ability in content areas when assessing young ELLs?

Reference

Espinosa, L. (r. 2023). Young English Language Learners: Current Research and Emerging Directions for Practice and Policy (Eds. García, E. and Frede, E.). Excerpts from Chapter 7, "Assessment for Young English Language Learners." Pps. 123-126.
 
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