STEP Initial Assessment

Winter 2011

Energizing Ontario Education

• High levels of student achievement

• Reducing the gaps in Student Achievement

• Increased Public confidence in our publicly funded schools

Session Learning Goals

Participants will:• develop an awareness of the content of

both resources (STEP & Initial Mathematics Assessment);

• discuss effective ways to use the resources and guide teachers assessment and instruction; and

• create implementation strategies to support educators in different roles with different responsibilities for meeting the needs of ELLs.

Recap of Yesterday’s Learning

• On a post it note record three things you learned yesterday

• One learning per note

• Share your learnings with your table group

• Sort them into categories

• Be prepared to share with the whole group

Table Talk Time

Reflection & PlanningConsidering your board’s strengths and needs what does your board need to put in place to implement the STEP resource to support ELLs.Use the planning page provided.

STEP Initial Assessment

• Intended for all teachers and administrators who welcome and assess English language learners

• Supports the goal of the English Language Learners ESL and ELD Programs and Services: Policies and procedures for Ontario Elementary and Secondary Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2007

Mandated Policy Requirements

• 2.2 Reception and orientation of English language learners and their families

• 2.3 Initial Assessment of English language learners

• 2.4 Placement of English language learners

Purpose of initial assessment?

• First step in getting to know the student and his/her family

• Opportunity to provide student and family with information about our Ontario education system

• Provide family with information about community supports

• Begin to develop a student profile that includes: – Education– Culture– Personal

What does it identify?

• Students who would benefit from ESL support– Student progress should be tracked using the

STEP continua for ESL

• Students who would benefit from ELD support– Student progress should be tracked using the

STEP continua for ELD

• Students who do not need ESL/ELD support

Welcoming New Families

Initial Assessment

Early Literacy Tasks Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks

Recommendations for Support/Placement

Communicating and Planning

Welcoming New Families

Family interview integral part of the reception and orientation processOpportunity for dialogue between family,

student and school• Effective way to gather key information about

the student• Where possible the interview should be

conducted in the family’s home language supported by an interpreter

• Settlement worker provides support for family settlement issues if available

Things to consider during family interview

At your table brainstorm and be prepared to share 5 considerations

e.g. The school calendar year may be different from that of Ontario schools

Initial Assessment

PurposeTo determine the student’s

– Language proficiency • Oral• Reading • Writing

– Literacy development– Mathematical skills– Appropriate programming supports

(ESL/ELD)– Appropriate course placement (secondary)

Assessment Procedures

The assessment will include– A structured interview to assess oral

communication skills – An assessment of reading

comprehension– An assessment of student writing– An assessment of mathematical

knowledge and skills

First Language Writing Assessment

• Review the first language writing sample

• What literacy skills can you see?

• Share your thoughts at your table

• Be prepared to share with the whole group

Georgina Island ndibendaagwosAanii, Dawn Ndishnikaaz Nigig ndodem. Georgina Island Anishinaabe

Shkwonganing Ndibendaagwos. Niiwin-dibaaban piinash Niizho-dibaaban kwaamgad maanda enjibaayaang minising Naanmidna-dibaaban minik piichaamgad gchi-odenoo Toronto eshnikaadeg

ebendaagozijig shkwonganing megwaaj niizhwaak miinwaa aanand daawag zaagji shkwonganing. Megwaaj ooshme Nshwaaswaak

debendaagozijig yaadigenag kina-maamowi. Pii-niibing e-aazhidaabaazhiwemgag jiimaan zhinda minising zhinkaade “AAZHIWE”.

Pii biboong pii kina-ni-mshkooding nibi Jiimaan ji-ji-mkom bembideg ndinkaasnaa. Pii kina mooshkin mshkoojid mkoom, daabaaning ndoo-

tkambismin monpii giji-mkomiing miikanang ezhinaagog. Pii ngodwaaswi-kinoomaadiwin midinizid binoojiin mii-pii oonji-

kinoomaagozid zaagji-minis-shkwonganing. Chi-pkaan monpii nendaagwod bimaadiziwin. Aabdeg wii-aanjtoowang bimaadiziwinaa

maanda pii mibdeg jiimaan. Aabji go gchi-piitendaagwod monpii daang.Miigwech

Oral Interview

Purpose

– to determine the student’s oral proficiency in English

- to gain important information about the student’s academic background and interests

Done one on one with the student

Initial Assessment Oral Grades 1 - 12

• Review the questions on pages 8 and 9

• What additional questions might you add to this list?

• Review the continuum

• Discuss your initial impressions with your table mates

Picture Response

• Should reflect a global or multicultural perspective

• Be age appropriate

• Be relevant to student’s background experience

• Choice of pictures to prompt conversation

• Ask student to draw a picture

Initial Placement on Oral Continuum

• Using the oral continuum develop a question or a task for each STEP using the picture– Example STEP 1 Show me the

bananas

Welcoming New Families

Initial Assessment

Early Literacy Tasks Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks

Recommendations for Support/Placement

Communicating and Planning

Initial determination of subsequent assessment

tasks

• Early Literacy Tasks

• Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks

Early Literacy Tasks

• Print concepts

• Alphabet

• Vocabulary

• Reading the English Alphabet

• Writing the English Alphabet

• Basic Vocabulary

Pages 10 - 12

Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks

• Advisable to begin with a reading task and connect it to a writing task

• Package includes tasks based on a variety of literary and information texts for STEPS 1-4 (pages 24 – 46)

Sample Assessment Materials

• Intended to guide assessors in planning and developing their own assessment materials

• Sample assessment materials for STEPS 5 and 6 are not provided as they can be selected from grade appropriate texts

Pages 17 - 22

Designing an Initial Assessment Task - Reading

• Connect with prior knowledge

• Prompts and questions– Meaning– Form and style– Fluency

• Text Selection

Text Selection

A range of texts at each level should be available to allow for differentiated assessment

Select texts that:– Reflect the background knowledge and

experiences of the student– Are sensitive to the student’s culture and

family situation– Are based on content that is age appropriate– Are written at a level of linguistic complexity

that corresponds to the possible STEP level determined in the oral interview

Text selection continued

• Are flexible – can be used in an adjacent STEP or grade

• Based on student’s language proficiency –not necessarily their grade level

• Provide a broad range of text forms

Aligning Texts with STEP

• In groups of two or three, using the texts provided at your table, determine an appropriate text for a specific student based on the text selection guidelines

• Determine the appropriate alignment of the text with STEP using the profile and the information provided

• Complete the graphic organizer

Initial Placement on Reading Continuum

• Using your text, develop questions or a task that would provide evidence of student understanding related to meaning, form and style and fluency

• Record on chart paper to share

Initial Placement on Reading Continuum

• Using your text, develop questions or a task that would provide evidence of student understanding related to meaning, form and style and fluency

• Record on chart paper to share

Designing Writing Tasks

• Can be connected to oral interview, or reading

• Task should focus on enabling the student to demonstrate – Developing and organizing content– Language conventions

Initial Assessment Writing Continuum

• Using the text you selected create a writing task for a student

Welcoming New Families

Initial Assessment

Early Literacy Tasks Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks

Recommendations for Support/Placement

Communicating and Planning

Tracking Tool

Page 15

Secondary Alignment

Page 16

Table Talk Time

Reflection and PlanningConsider your board’s current practise for

initial assessmentHow might the STEP initial language

assessment resource be used?What do various board roles need to

successfully support initial assessment of ELLs?

Use the planning page provided.