2016 AEI Summer InstituteEnglish as a Second Language

Assessment/ReassessmentESLA/R

Presenter: Cheryl Miles, Learning Specialist, Literacy Assessments

Assessment and Evaluation BranchNB Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

Learning Targets/Goals

At the end of this presentation, participants will …•understand the purpose of ESLA.•be familiar with the ESLA Test Specifications document and the 4 components of ESLA.•be familiar with the ESLA standards.•have an awareness of Balanced Assessment.

What does ESLA assess?

• The level of English proficiency demonstrated by the learner

• What the students can do as English language learners and how well they can do it at a given point in time

• Indicator of how well a learner uses the English language in real-life situations/contexts and applies those competencies to a task

What is ESLA/R? English Second Language Assessment (Grade 11)

English Second Language Reassessment (Grade 12)• an assessment of students’ English literacy abilities

in all four language skills • a requirement for students attending the Concord

Colleges of Sino-Canada who wish to obtain a New Brunswick High School Diploma

• a criteria - standards based assessment where students are required to meet targets appropriate to two years of non-immersion English language instruction

• Students in the Concord Colleges apply for acceptance to post-secondary English institutions.

What are the components of ESLA/R?

4 Components:•Listening•Reading•Writing•Speaking – Oral Proficiency Interviews

ESLA Listening Component Test Specifications

Book B --- Listening --- 30 - 40 minutesPurpose: Assess the students’ ability to follow and understand a range of spoken materials (e.g., announcements, news programs, presentations, conversations, etc.)Six passages: 4 monologues and 2 dialoguesTask: answer 50 multiple choice questionsAudio provided on USB memory stick

Listening Standards – page 2 Test Specifications

Helpful hints for listening…

• Practice the “who, what, when, where, why” line of questions with the appropriate response.

• Warm-up activity to begin each class

• Additional ideas?

ESLA Reading Component Test Specifications

• Book A --- Reading --- 90 minutes• Assesses Reading Comprehension

• Reading Achievement Standards – pages 5-6 Test Specifications

Reading Comprehension Text and Question Types

Text Type Number of Passages Question Types and Percentage on Reading Component

Number of Questions

Literary Text Continuous Prose

2 - 3 Literal – 50% 22-28

Information TextContinuous Information TextNon-Continuous Information Text

 2 - 3  2 - 3 

Inferential/Interpretive – 25% 11-14

    Personal/Critical/Evaluative 25% 11-14

Total Number of Passages

6 - 9 passages Total Number of Questions 45-55

Responding to Reading

Writing Component Test Specifications

• Assesses Writing skills according to the ESLA Writing Achievement Standards

Booklet C – Writing prompts provided on separate sheets• Exercise I 60 minutes• Exercise II 60 minutes

• Writing is marked during the last week of July by the ESLA Team and Concord College teachers

WR

ITIN

G S

TAN

DA

RD

S

Writing Standards Exemplar and Rationale

• Writing standards are based on the traits of writing

• Strengths-based – What the writer can do with evidence of control (Appropriate Achievement) or command (Strong Achievement)

• In order for a piece of writing to be deemed Appropriate Achievement or Strong Achievement it must possess all of the writing traits listed for that category.

Speaking Component Oral Proficiency Interviews

• Administered by ESLA Team at each Concord College

• 30 minutes per interview• Completed 1 on 1 • Approximately 20 minutes of interview time with

remaining time for interviewer to score and prepare for next interview

OR

AL

INTE

RVI

EW

STA

ND

AR

DS

LEVEL CRITERIA UNRATEABLE Can provide no intelligible answers including name

*Talks in own native language

NOVICE * Repeat/rephrase questions often Speaks in isolated words and phrases Not able to participate in conversations Some memorized material and ability to use it * Very limited vocabulary

BASIC

Survival Interviewer works hard to keep a conversation going

Can survive in a second language Can say a lot of simple things; buy basic food items, provide personal information, standard social exchange, school directions * Can get into, through and out of a situation Reactive, answering but not asking many questions – will ask if prompted Fluency slow, strained, except for routine expressions Pronunciation errors frequent / intelligible to someone who is used to ESL

BASIC PLUS

Some give and take in conversations

Can participate in short conversations, descriptions, narrations Shows more independence, spontaneity, asks questions but may require prompts to do so

INTERMEDIATE

More reciprocity - The interview begins to have a more conversational feel.

Can provide information Provide autobiographical information in some detail Give directions, accurate instructions, in area of personal experience or interest Describe / tell using past, present and future tenses Speak confidently, hesitates, uses paraphrases and fillers Pronunciation intelligible, often faulty Vocabulary sufficient to speak confidently

OPI Exemplar and Rationale

Rainy B+ JM.MP3

OPI RationaleESLA OPI Exemplar - B+ , Rainy

A basic plus must include all characteristics from both basic and basic plus descriptors.

Can participate in short conversations, descriptions, narrations

I like Rainy days … Because the rainy day make me relax and feel perfect. … The air is very fresh.

I like to go skating and c-a-m-p-i-n-g, go hiking. It very interesting and healthy. I think Shanghai is like my hometown. Shanghai has many delicious food. My aunt … I go

with my parents to Shanghai to visit her.

Shows more independence, spontaneity, asks questions but may require prompts to do so.

I like to go skating and c-a-m-p-i-n-g, go hiking. It very interesting and healthy. I think Shanghai is like my hometown. Shanghai has many delicious food. My aunt … I go

with my parents to Shanghai to visit her. I like go shopping with my friends. I like many clothes. Do you know Talbot? It is a shop

internet. I buy my clothes.

Calculation of Results English Second Language Assessment / Reassessment• 4 Components

ORALREADING Weighted EquallyWRITING LISTENING

ESLA/R ScoringOral = H2*10(Numeric oral value multiplied by 10)Oral Ratings: ('U'=0) ('N'=3) ('B'=4) ('B+'=5) ('I'=6) ('I+'=7) ('A'=8) ('A+'=9) ('S'=10)

Listening = score of 50 *2 (Listening score multiplied by 2)

Reading = score of 50*2 (score out of 50 X 2)

WritingWriting Ratings: (DNW=*), ( BAA=1), (AA=2), and (SA=3)

Overall score = SUM(I2,K2,M2,P2)/4 .(overall score adding the four weighted scores, then dividing by 4.

cut point 430 - 43 Unsuccessful 44-100 Successful

Balanced Assessment

QUESTIONS?