practical idea on alternative assessment for
TRANSCRIPT
Practical Idea on Alternative Assessment for
ESL Students. Author: Tannenbaum, Jo-Ellen
Instructor: Liane HaslauerPresenter: Natasha LiaoDate: April 28th, 2008
Why is Alternative Assessment useful?* It's particularly useful with ESL students because it engages strategies that ask Ss to show what they can do. * Ss are evaluated on what they integrate and produce instead of on what they are able to recall and reproduce.
Alternative Assessment
* Focus: documenting individual S growth over time, rather than comparing students with one another. * Emphasis: on Ss' strengths, rather than weaknesses.
* Consideration is given to:• learning styles• language proficiencies• cultural & educational
background• grade levels of Ss
A Variety of Measures
* Nonverbal assessment strategies * K-W-L charts * Oral performances or presentations * Oral and written produces * Portfolios
Nonverbal Assessment Strategies
* Physical demonstration: students can point or use other gestures to express academic concepts without speech.
* Pictorial products: teachers can ask Ss to produce and manipulate drawings, models, graphs, and charts to elicit content knowledge without requiring Ss to speak or write.
K-W-L Charts
* this strategy enables teachers to gain an awarness of Ss' background knowledge and interests * it helps teachers assess the content material learned
Sample K-W-L Charts
* what I know:• Lincoln was important• His face is on a penny• He's dead now• I think Lincoln was a
President• He was a tall person.
* what I want to know:• Why is Lincoln famous?• Was he a good President?• Why is he on a penny?• Did he have a family?• How did he die?
* what I've learned:• Lincoln was President
of the U.S.• He was the 16th
President.• There was a war in
America when Lincoln was President.
• He let the slaves go free.
• Two of his sons died while he was still alive.
Oral Performances or PresentationsPerformonce-based assessments include: • interviews• oral reports• role plays• describing• explaining• summarizing • retelling• paraphrasing stories
Oral and Written Products
Useful oral & written products for assessing ESL Ss: • content area thinking & learning log• reading response logs• writing assignments• dialogue journals• audio or video cassettes
Portfolios
* Portfolios are used to collect samples of S work over time to track S development. Materials can be included in a portfolio:• Audio• Writing samples• Art work • Conference or interview notes• Checklists• Tests and quizzes
Conclusion
Alternative assessment holds great promise for ESL Ss. The ideas and models are intended to be adaptable, practical, and realistic for teachers who are dedicated to creating meaningful and effective assessment experiences for ESL Ss.