ELL Assessment Accommodations Classroom Assessment Sample It
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Using the “ELL Assessment Accommodations” template, indicate a grade-level range (pre-K-2, 3-5, 6-8, or 9-12) on the “Assessment Accommodations Chart.” Copy and paste the classroom assessment sample items for math, science, English language arts, and social studies/history. Describe an accommodation that could be appropriate for ELL/bilingual learners in 25-50 words per sample item and provide a 50-75 word rationale justifying how each accommodation ensures that standards-based content knowledge is being assessed while scaffolding for the linguistic and cultural needs of ELL/bilingual learners. If necessary, refer to grade-level academic content standards to determine the type of essential learning that is being assessed by the sample items.
Paper For Above instruction
Assessment accommodations are essential tools that support English Language Learners (ELLs) in accessing and demonstrating their understanding of grade-level content while accounting for language development needs. Implementing appropriate accommodations allows ELL students to engage with assessments meaningfully, ensuring that their linguistic challenges do not hinder their ability to showcase content mastery. This paper focuses on developing an assessment accommodations chart for grade 3-5 students, illustrating sample items across core subject areas, and proposing suitable accommodations with justifications grounded in scholarly research.
Grade Level Range: 3-5
Math Sample Item:
Anna likes getting two ice cream sandwiches during her lunch each day. Each sandwich costs one dollar. When Anna does her chores, she gets seven dollars a week. How much money does she save after buying ice cream sandwiches every school day in the month of September?
Proposed Accommodation:
Provide visual representations of the problem, such as a picture of ice cream sandwiches, chore chart, and weekly earnings, complemented with simplified language or bilingual prompts to clarify the question.
Rationale:
This accommodation supports ELL students by supplementing text with visual cues and simplified language, which help clarify the problem's context. Visual aids reduce language demands, allowing students to focus on mathematical reasoning, thus aligning assessment with standards while scaffolding linguistic challenges (Gibbons, 2015). Bilingual prompts or visuals ensure conceptual understanding regardless of language proficiency levels, promoting equitable assessment.
Science Sample Item:
Draw the stages of the life cycle of a frog. Draw an ecosystem that has fresh and salty water, muddy soil, and many organisms. Explain and illustrate the steps of photosynthesis.
Proposed Accommodation:
Allow students to use diagrams, labels, and bilingual explanations, and provide a word bank with key terms related to life cycles and ecosystems.
Rationale:
Providing visual and bilingual supports helps ELLs express understanding of scientific concepts using their preferred language and visual representations. This supports linguistic development and content mastery concurrently (Steinberg & Gibbons, 2017). A word bank with key terms facilitates accurate terminology use, ensuring assessments measure science understanding, not language proficiency alone.
English Language Arts Sample Item:
Write three sentences about your favorite Christmas gift. Be sure to describe the gift without telling what the gift is. Write at least two paragraphs about your favorite vacation and the activities you did while on vacation. Create a narrative of your favorite childhood birthday, including all storytelling elements. Create an expository essay on the influence of social media on teenagers.
Proposed Accommodation:
Provide sentence frames, graphic organizers, and bilingual prompts to assist in organizing thoughts and supporting language production.
Rationale:
Sentence frames and graphic organizers scaffold ELL students’ language output, reducing linguistic barriers while allowing expression of content ideas. Bilingual prompts aid comprehension and ensure students understand the task, aligning with standards-focused assessment and language development goals (Crosson et al., 2019).
Social Studies/History Sample Item:
Describe the first Thanksgiving and how Americans celebrate Thanksgiving today. Interview both sets of grandparents to create a family tree with illustrations. Compare and contrast the growth of the Greek civilization with the growth of the United States. Describe five key events in the history of the United States that have had an effect on the 21st century.
Proposed Accommodation:
Offer bilingual glossaries, visual timelines, and simplified texts, along with opportunities for oral explanations and illustrations to aid understanding and expression.
Rationale:
Visual aids, bilingual glossaries, and oral options enable ELL students to access historical content more effectively by reducing language complexity and providing multiple modes of expression. These supports align assessment with social studies standards by emphasizing understanding of events and their significance while accommodating linguistic diversity (Klingner & Artiles, 2019).
Conclusion
Incorporating targeted assessment accommodations for ELL/bilingual learners ensures equitable access to rigorous content standards. Visual supports, bilingual resources, simplified language, and flexible response modes scaffold linguistic challenges without diluting curriculum expectations. These adaptations uphold the integrity of standards-based assessments while fostering inclusive learning environments that recognize linguistic diversity, aligning with best practices supported by scholarly research.
References
- Crosson, A. C., Lesaux, N. K., & Kieffer, M. J. (2019). Designing English Language Development assessments for bilingual students: Principles and practices. Journal of Educational Measurement, 56(1), 88-103.
- Gibbons, P. (2015). Scaffolding language, scaffolding learning: Teaching English language learners in the mainstream classroom. Heinemann.
- Klingner, J. K., & Artiles, A. J. (2019). Equity and assessment: Supporting linguistically diverse students. Review of Research in Education, 43(1), 249-278.
- Steinberg, M., & Gibbons, L. (2017). Supporting science learning of English language learners through visual literacy. Science Education Review, 16(2), 12-19.
- Thomas, W. P., & Collier, V. P. (2012). Education for intertwined communities: Improving educational outcomes among English Learners. TESOL Quarterly, 46(4), 723-747.