CELDT- Time for a Close-up...!

Ok, so self-identified non-English speaking children are given the CELDT...now what...

The 4 domains of Literacy

Quick note on these. Everyone knows them already- they just sound more "academic" when described this way. They are Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing. Coincidentally, each of these is assessed by the CELDT (although listening and speaking are combined).

The 4 Domains on the CELDT

So we have an exam broken up into sections by domain. Students are given a certain number of points when answers are correct. Raw scores are then tabulated, and then scaled. So they turn from a number that has less meaning to one that has more- one that compares the student to others based on a scale. While only the test publisher's score is official, many districts calculate the scale score because after all, we want to ensure this information will help teachers make informed decisions.

That's where the different levels come in.

The 5 Levels of English Proficiency

We start with the Beginner continue with Early Intermediate, then Intermediate. These three levels represent the "true" ELL. In California, it is expected that each student move one proficiency level per school year. So ideally, the kindergartner who starts as a beginner will be ready to leave ELL status behind by 3rd grade. Ideally. Beyond these three, we have Early Advanced, and Advanced.

And just to complicate things a bit, remember those scores? Well, these translate into a proficiency level in each domain. There is also an overall score that is calculated.

Next time: what does each proficiency level "look like?"