World Languages Portfolio Model

A new path to measuring growth in traditionally non-tested grades and subjects

Benefits of the Model

Authentic, individual growth scores for an additional group of teachers

Content-focused professional learning and development

Meaningful opportunity for collaboration and professional learning

Chance to empower teacher leaders

High level of accountability from peers

Additional feedback that an observer may not be able to provide

Opportunity for purposeful reflection on instructional practice

Means to gather and disseminate best practices throughout the district and across the state

Increased student learning

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A Multiple Measures Example

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Achievement Measure

15%

Growth Measure

35%

Qualitative50%

Qualitative includes:

Observations in planning, environment, and instruction

Professionalism rubric

Quantitative includes:

Growth measure

World Languages Portfolio Model score

Achievement measure

Goal set by teacher and evaluator

How does the portfolio work?

The portfolio will look slightly different depending on the language taught.

• For Modern Languages, it will contain FIVE evidence collections, as follows: Interpersonal Listening and Speaking, Interpretive Listening and Reading, Presentational Speaking and Writing, Reflection, and Data*.

– Modern Languages: Spanish, French, Italian, German, Chinese, etc.

• For Classical Languages, it will contain FIVE evidence collections, as follows: Interpretive Reading, Presentational Writing, Interpretive Translation, Reflection, and Data*.

– Classical Languages: Latin and Greek

All evidence collections must show evidence of purposeful sampling.

Evidence collected must be representative of teacher’s course load.

All evidence is uploaded to the GLADiS evidence collection website.

All evidence is self-rated and then evaluated by a peer.

*Data is unscored, but included for reference. 4

Modern Languages

Perform:

Interpersonal Listening and Speaking

Perform:

Interpretive Listening and Reading

Perform:

Presentational Speaking and Writing

Reflect:

Both students and teachers reflecting

Data*:

Lesson plans, assessment scores, etc.

*Not scored, but is used as a reference point

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Classical Languages

Perform:

Interpretive Reading

Perform:

Interpretive Translation

Perform:

Presentational Writing

Reflect:

Both students and teachers reflecting

Data*:

Lesson plans, assessment scores, etc.

*Not scored, but is used as a reference point

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Purposeful Sampling

Your Students

Students in Your Representative Sample

Purposeful Sampling

Since we expect growth for all students, the portfolio should show how the teacher impacts the learning of children from varying populations.

As such, every evidence collection must include pre- and post-evidence from one emerging student, one proficient student, and one advanced student.

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Proficiency Targets

A level of student growth is defined by the following proficiency targets:

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The Scoring Guide

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Sample:

Interpretive Listening and Reading

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Interpretive Listening and Reading: PRE

Students read a text and answered multiple choice questions about the text. All gender markers and subject pronouns referring to gender were removed from the questions so as to eliminate the possibility of choosing answers based solely on those factors. This is a highly practiced topic and the assessment was given at the end of the unit. The text also has a high percentage of cognates to English. Students were assessed in late September using this text. One student’s results are shown below. She only missed one question.

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Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 Q9 Q10 SCORE

A B C B C B A C B C 90%

Interpretive Listening and Reading: PRE

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Interpretive Listening and Reading: POST

Students read two paragraphs about weekend activities in two different countries. Then they answered questions. Since this is an honors class, they were asked to answer the questions in Spanish. They had to explain their reasoning for a couple of the questions.

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Interpretive Listening and Reading: POST

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Interpretive Listening and Reading:

ANALYSIS OF GROWTH

In the pre-sample, the student was able to answer multiple choice questions on a very simple text with highly practiced and familiar vocabulary. She relied on her familiarity with the topic to answer the questions and was highly successful, which is why she scored in the NOVICE HIGH level.

In the post-sample, the student is clearly able to understand much of this more complicated text. The text is more complicated due to the lack of English cognates as well as some unfamiliar and untaught vocabulary. There are few visual cues to help. She has learned to use context clues to get the most out of a text. She is able to clearly explain what she has read and can compare her weekend to the one in the passage. She is able to paraphrase what she read and restate it in her own words, which indicates an understanding of supporting details. She was able to ask a variety of questions as well. For these reasons, she scored in the INTERMEDIATE MID level.

Based on these entry and exit proficiencies, this student EXCEEDED EXPECTED GROWTH.

Sample: Interpersonal Speaking

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Interpersonal Speaking: PRE

Description of Evidence: Videotaped initial interview at the beginning of the year.

Description of Task: Student was asked to talk about herself during an interview with the teacher. The interview was comprised of basic questions eliciting biographical and descriptive information about the student.

Goal of Task: The goal was for the student to listen and respond to questions about herself, using as much target language as possible.

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Interpersonal Speaking: PRE

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Interpersonal Speaking: POST

Description of Evidence: Audiotaped interview at the end of the first semester.

Description of Task: The student was asked to talk as much as possible about herself and her life. Questions were used as general prompts for students to begin producing the language. Topics included talking about self, school, friends, family, etc. At the end of the interview, students were able to ask questions of the teacher as well.

Goal of Task: The goal was for the student to not only respond to the actual questions, but to elaborate as much as they could on the topic and beyond (as appropriate).

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Interpersonal Speaking: POST

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Interpersonal Speaking: ANALYSIS OF GROWTH

In the first sample, the student showed basic comprehension of the limited number of topics. Her responses showed mostly single word and some formulaic responses (with errors). She reverted to English as a recourse when she understood the question, but did not have the target language needed for the response. (NOVICE MID)

In the second sample, the student uses pertinent vocabulary and recombines words and phrases to create original statements. The responses are often in sentences and she demonstrates emerging extended (paragraph-length) responses. She is able to answer the questions and continue elaborating without much prompting. On one occasion, she becomes flustered and reverts to English. However, she corrects and reverts back to the target language immediately. Occasionally she self-corrects and interjects, showing an inclination to participate actively in the conversation. (INTERMEDIATE LOW)

Based on these entry and exit proficiencies, this student EXCEEDED EXPECTED GROWTH.

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Sample: Presentational Speaking

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Presentational Speaking: PRE

Description of Evidence: Videotaped interview at the beginning of the year.

Description of Task: The student is asked to talk about herself. Due to a very low beginning level of proficiency, the teacher asks the student basic questions to elicit responses.

Goal of Task: The goal was for the student to share biographical and descriptive information about herself to asses the entry level of proficiency.

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Presentational Speaking: PRE

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Presentational Speaking: POST

Description of Evidence: Audiotaped presentation of student talking about herself and others.

Description of Task: The student was asked to use the target language to give a presentation about herself and others. She was asked to give biographical, descriptive, and other pertinent information.

Goal of Task: The goal was to determine the student’s proficiency level when delivering a rehearsed presentation.

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Presentational Speaking: POST

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Presentational Speaking:ANALYSIS OF GROWTH

In the first sample, the student has almost no functional proficiency in the target language, except for greeting and introducing herself. She does not even recognize basic questions. (NOVICE LOW)

In the second sample, the student makes some mistakes in accuracy, but demonstrates quite an extensive repertoire of lexical items. She uses different connecting vocabulary to make lengthy utterances. Even though she often lists topic-related vocabulary, she uses it to say what she intends to say. (NOVICE HIGH)

Based on these entry and exit proficiencies, this student EXCEEDED EXPECTED GROWTH.

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Sample:

Reflection

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Reflection: PRE

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This is a holistic reflection written at the end of the first quarter. This student is still focused on grades, although I considered her meeting expectations because she has some awareness of functions of language and proficiency. She mentions being able to describe things, as well as the idea that language can be a secret. She intends to focus on speaking better for the next quarter, because she can write the phrases, but not say them, which is an important realization to have made. She is aware of speaking proficiency and its importance, but cannot let go of needing to focus mainly on her grade.

Reflection: PRE

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Reflection: POST

This is a holistic reflection that was written at the end of the third quarter. This student has really improved her understanding of being a language learner. She now understands that language is not about memorizing. She understands the importance of creating novel sentences, an intermediate level skill. She comments on moving from being a novice learner (not being able to make up questions) to moving towards the intermediate level (putting together different words and trying new things). She sets a goal of being a better listener, which is an important skill as well.

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Reflection: POST

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Reflection: ANALYSIS OF GROWTH

This student has always been a good test taker, focused mainly on the grade that she gets. As with many honors students, it was difficult for her to move beyond that. In her first reflection, she was stuck on that grade, although she had an emerging awareness of proficiency. For this reason, she received a LEVEL 2.

By her second reflection, she understands language proficiency much better, mentioning several functions of language. She doesn’t mention grades at all in her second reflection, showing that she is now more focused on proficiency and using the language. She mentions getting more practice analyzing the listening sections they hear as a way to improve, which is a concrete suggestion for improvement. She also specifically mentions wanting to be able to understand Spanish speakers, which is that link to the real world and using the language beyond the classroom. For this reason, she received a LEVEL 4.

Based on these entry and exit proficiencies, this student EXCEEDED EXPECTED GROWTH.

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District Perspective: Benefits

Teachers feel that they are being treated fairly and equitably.

All teachers are evaluated on what they do to improve student performance within their specific content and context.

Increased instructional time in language courses which are aligned to common core and reinforce literacy skills.

Language instruction has improved greatly as the focus has shifted from knowledge (what they know) to skill (what they can do with what they know).

Positive impact on classroom environments as evidenced by increased student engagement.

Increased opportunities for leadership within the faculty across the district.

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District Perspective: Challenges

Gaps in background knowledge and pedagogy

• Ex. How to assess proficiency

Gaps in technology access and teacher comfort with technology

Teacher support in planning logistics

Curriculum pacing

Sustained support for teachers throughout the portfolio development process

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Low Cost Technology

Voice recorders (record to MP4 format)

• Charged by USB, so no batteries

• Cost about $40 each

– Can then be shared amongst teachers

Microphones and existing computers

• Plug into computer and record

• Cost about $40 each

Audacity

• Free online recording service

• Audio recordings are downloadable

iPads that schools currently own

Smart phones

Cameras built into laptops

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Knowledge, Skills, and Support

Access to technology

Time to collaborate and plan

Dedicated in-service days

Protected teaching time

Support from school leadership

Professional days or other compensation for the peer review process

• One day for training

• Several days for reviewing and scoring portfolios

Teachers may also need training on the following:

• How to define, capture, and assess proficiency

• How to download, edit, and upload videos

• How to effectively manage multiple stations during evidence collection

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Questions

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