A Word on Proficiency Levels of English

So as has become evident by now, ELD is also different from other content areas in that students should be placed in instruction appropriate to their level of English proficiency.

But how do we know what that is?

Assessments

CELDT
- Here in California, the most common source of that information is the CELDT. California English Language Development Test. It is a summative test and non-diagnostic, given at the beginning of every school year. The testing window closes on October 31st.

- It tests students in each of the four domains: reading, writing, listening and speaking. As of this school year, this also includes K and 1st grade students who take the reading and writing as well!

- Each subtest is given a rating from 1 to 5, a 1 being a "Beginner" and a 5, an "Advanced" English Language Learner (in essence, in CA, being a "4" or a "5" on all subtests is part of the criteria for no longer being an English Language Learner- being "reclassified." I've written a little more in depth about each of the proficiency levels, so feel free to dig in the archives and pull up that topic.

- The problem with CELDT is that the scores are pretty stale by the time they are used to place English Learners in appropriate ELD instruction. Remember, they take the test in August (new students to California schools), while everyone else does so in September or October of the previous calendar year. Scores are not received by school districts until late January/ early February. These same scores are used to place students at the beginning of the following school year! Crazy huh

Enter the ADEPT test



- The "A Developmental English Proficiency Test" is being used by some districts now to supplement the CELDT. It is a diagnostic test that is more rigorous than the CELDT. It tests specific grammatical forms and functions of English and expects specific constructions to be used. Having tested students on ADEPT, I can attest to the level of difficulty they encounter. On the other hand, this gives the ELD teacher a wealth of information allowing him/her to see not only the child's overall English proficiency level (that is more immediate and accurate than CELDT) but also the specific grammatical forms and functions the student has yet to master.

We'll have to take on grammatical forms next!

- W