Welcome back educators and all...
Before even starting to be able to talk about how to get English Learners what they need, we need to identify the needs of these English learners in relation to some goal or benchmark they need to attain in order to fully access the core curriculum taught in a typical, mainstream classroom. Enter that vile word for some teachers, a misunderstood word for most others: assessment
The CELDT (California English Language Development Test)
In California, we have developed a holy grail of assessments- okay it's not really- but it has been improved recently and the newer edition will roll out this coming school year. But I digress...
Without boring anyone, the CELDT is an assessment that serves to identify which of our incoming students are English Learners. It is given once a year to students new to CA schools.
For a quick and easy primer on the CELDT here's a good place to visit:
http://www.sandi.net/testingunit/pdf/celdtptbroch07.pdf
That is a good starting point, and unfortunately, where we stop as well. After all, from an instructional point of view, it is even more useful to measure and continually monitor the English proficiency of an English learner. CELDT is a summative snapshot, a one time deal.
So how do we REALLY make CELDT work for us?
Well, since most districts do not have formative assessments to continually monitor the growth and development of an ELL's level of English proficiency, we also use the CELDT results as an attempt to take that "snapshot" of an ELL's proficiency in all four language domains: listening, speaking, reading and writing as a starting point. And that is how we start to identify different types of English learners- along a continuum of developing English proficiency.
We'll move along the continuum next time...
But a quick note on who takes the CELDT before we go...
Well the short answer of course is English Learners. But these are determined through completion of a "Home Language Survey," which ideally is done at the time of registration. Different districts handle these in different ways but generally, families are asked to identify the language(s) spoken at home. If a non-English language is spoken, that student is required to have his/her language proficiency assessed- via the CELDT of course.
For an example of how one district goes through this process (and then some) watch this video:
Till next time!
About Me
- Weezy
- I am an extrovert by nature and an introspect when necessary. I enjoy life and do not take it for granted. My passion is to help educators become more effective at what they do, not only through changing practices, but changing assumptions about the students they teach- particularly, students of color, Standard English Leaners, English Language learners and all others who have been systematically denied access to core curriculum and subjugated to low expectations.
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
Showing posts with label language. Show all posts
08 July 2008
07 July 2008
Who are our English Language Learners?
Where are ELLs from?
Our English Language Learners come from so many places around the world! They represent dozens of countries, some more well known than others, but for the most part, most have made their way to the United States with their families seeking a better life- and the right to good public education that goes with it.
Ahem, at least that is still the case here in California.
Without a doubt, the vast majority of English Learners in California are Latino- most from Mexico, but a Central American population has made its presence known in more recent decades. Obviously, their primary language is Spanish, and represents the major language that English learners must negotiate as they learn English. This is why there are so many "bilingual" programs that are in Spanish and English.
Hmm, another good topic for another day...
Next in line, depending on where in the state you are, whether you are in an urban locale or a rural one, the specific city (or even within the same city), you will find a variety of other English Language Learners. Vietnamese, Tagalog, Cantonese, Hmong and Korean speakers are among the next most numerous groups.
Trust me, we have many others.
My second year of teaching I had 12 countries represented and 11 languages spoken! If I remember correctly- hey, bear with me, it was 8 years ago- they were Portuguese (hailing from Brazil), Japanese, Mandarin, Hebrew, Spanish (from Guatemala, and Mexico), German, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Korean, Thai, and Somali (from Eritrea). Yeah! Needless to say, we all learned a few phrases from each other that year.
I wish I had digital pictures from that year to post!
Here's the stats on CA: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/LEPbyLang1.asp?cChoice=LepbyLang1&cYear=2006-07&cLevel=State&cTopic=LC&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit
Why should we care?
These children bring a vast wealth of cultural knowledge and traditions that may or may not dovetail with the "cultural responsiveness" of the U.S. educational system and so need even more time to adjust on that front. The fact that these students are expected to operate at a level of a native speaker, in the same timeline, AND be expected to be proficient in all content areas should be a cause to pause.
Don't forget...they are also learning English! And whose charge is it to teach it to them...? Ours! We'll get to the HOW of that, soon enough!
Our English Language Learners come from so many places around the world! They represent dozens of countries, some more well known than others, but for the most part, most have made their way to the United States with their families seeking a better life- and the right to good public education that goes with it.
Ahem, at least that is still the case here in California.
Without a doubt, the vast majority of English Learners in California are Latino- most from Mexico, but a Central American population has made its presence known in more recent decades. Obviously, their primary language is Spanish, and represents the major language that English learners must negotiate as they learn English. This is why there are so many "bilingual" programs that are in Spanish and English.
Hmm, another good topic for another day...
Next in line, depending on where in the state you are, whether you are in an urban locale or a rural one, the specific city (or even within the same city), you will find a variety of other English Language Learners. Vietnamese, Tagalog, Cantonese, Hmong and Korean speakers are among the next most numerous groups.
Trust me, we have many others.
My second year of teaching I had 12 countries represented and 11 languages spoken! If I remember correctly- hey, bear with me, it was 8 years ago- they were Portuguese (hailing from Brazil), Japanese, Mandarin, Hebrew, Spanish (from Guatemala, and Mexico), German, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Korean, Thai, and Somali (from Eritrea). Yeah! Needless to say, we all learned a few phrases from each other that year.
I wish I had digital pictures from that year to post!
Here's the stats on CA: http://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/LEPbyLang1.asp?cChoice=LepbyLang1&cYear=2006-07&cLevel=State&cTopic=LC&myTimeFrame=S&submit1=Submit
Why should we care?
These children bring a vast wealth of cultural knowledge and traditions that may or may not dovetail with the "cultural responsiveness" of the U.S. educational system and so need even more time to adjust on that front. The fact that these students are expected to operate at a level of a native speaker, in the same timeline, AND be expected to be proficient in all content areas should be a cause to pause.
Don't forget...they are also learning English! And whose charge is it to teach it to them...? Ours! We'll get to the HOW of that, soon enough!
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