Assessing LEP Students for English Language Proficiency

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Assessing LEP Students for English Language
Proficiency

• Annual Texas Assessment Conference
• February 9, 2004

Laura Ayala Texas Education Agency Student
Assessment Division
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Session Outline

• RPTE
• New Spring 2004 Requirements for Assessing
  English Language Proficiency

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Texas Reading Proficiency Tests in English
(RPTE)
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Reading Levels of the Texas Assessment Program

English TAKS
The 4 Stair Steps






Reading






Advanced




RPTE






Intermediate








RPTE











Beginning



RPTE


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Meaning of RPTE Levels

• Beginning Student Has no real functional
  ability to derive meaning from grade-level texts
  in English.
• Intermediate Student Can understand simplified
  texts on highly familiar topics but interprets
  English very literally.
• Advanced Student Can move beyond literal
  interpretation of English and begin to apply
  abstract thinking but still has some difficulties
  understanding English.

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Example Text
Roller-coaster cars are pulled to the top of the
first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the car
for the rest of the ride. The plunge down the
first hill builds up enough speed for the cars to
get up the next hill and so on until the end of
the ride.
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What might a beginning student understand in
English?
Roller-coaster cars are pulled to the top of the
first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the car
for the rest of the ride. The plunge down the
first hill builds up enough speed for the carsto
get up the next hill and so on until the end of
the ride.
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In other words
___________ cars are _____ __ ___ top __ ___
first ____ __ _ _____. ____ ______ _____ ___ car
___ ___ ____ __ ___ ____. ___ _____ down __ first
____ _____ __ ______ _____ ___ ___ cars __ ___ __
___ ____ ____ ___ __ _____ ___ end __ ___ ____.
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What might an intermediate student understand in
English?
Roller-coaster cars are pulled to the top of the
first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the car
for the rest of the ride. The plunge down the
first hill builds up enough speed for the cars to
get up the next hill and so on until the end of
the ride.
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In other words
Roller-coaster cars ___ _____ __ ___ top of the
first hill ___ _ _____. Then _______ moves the
car for the rest of the ___. The _____ down the
first hill ______ __ enough speed for the cars __
___ __ the next hill ___ ___ __ ____ the end of
the ____.
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What might an advancedstudent understand in
English?
Roller-coaster cars are pulled to the top of the
first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the car
for the rest of the ride. The plunge down the
first hill builds up enough speed for the cars
to get up the next hill and so on until the end
of the ride.
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In other words
Roller-coaster cars are pulled to the top of the
first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the car
for the rest of the ride. The _____ down the
first hill _____ __ enough speed for the cars to
___ __ the next hill and __ __ until the end of
the ride.
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Determining Appropriate Progress on RPTE

• For each student, look for an annual growth rate
  of at least 1 proficiency level a year

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RPTE and TAKS Participation
A LEP student in Grades 3-10 who does not reach
the advanced level on RPTE by the time TAKS is
required takes both RPTE and English TAKS until
the LEP student scores advanced.
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Carmen entered U.S. in Grade 3 and knew no
English.
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Min entered U.S. in August of Grade 5 with
BEGINNING HIGH proficiency.
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Jorge entered U.S. schools in Grade 1, spoke
little English, and is in a bilingual program.
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• New Spring 2004 Requirements for Assessing
  English Language Proficiency

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NCLB Requirements for Assessing English Language
Proficiency

• The federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
  (NCLB) requires annual statewide English language
  proficiency (ELP) tests in K-12 in the domains of
  listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

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NCLB Requirements

• Comprehension scores must also be derived, but
  no separate comprehension tests are required.

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Which LEP Students?

• All K-12 students reported as LEP to PEIMS,
  including those LEP students with parental
  denials.
• (As with RPTE, there will only be exceptions for
  certain LEP students served by special education.)

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What Tests Will We Use to Meet the ELP
requirements?

• RPTE
• TAKS
• Observation Protocols

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What Performance Will We Report?

• 4 English language
  proficiency levels
• Beginning
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Advanced high

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TEA trains ESCs in Feb./Mar. ESCs train
districts in Mar./Apr. Teachers assess students
using observation protocols in Apr./May
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Districts send protocol ratings to the state
contractor Districts receive student and group
reports in September Schools can use results to
meet Title III Sept. 30 parental notification
requirements
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What Is an Observation Protocol?

• A way for teachers to holistically rate a
  students English language proficiency level
  based on observing the student in classroom
  instruction and on daily interactions with the
  student.

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How Will Teachers Know How to Rate the Students?

• For each domain, trained teachers will use a set
  of proficiency level descriptors to determine the
  proficiency level that best describes the
  students overall English acquisition level.

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Some Key DescriptorsBeginning Level Students

• Have little or no real world ability to use
  English to learn in academic settings
• Can communicate very little in English rely on
  memorized English
• Have a small English vocabulary characterized by
  high-frequency, high-need, concrete language

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Some Key DescriptorsIntermediate Level Students

• Have a limited ability to use English to learn in
  academic settings
• Can communicate simply in everyday, routine
  contexts when topics are familiar
• Require a high degree of linguistic
  simplification/accommodation
• Interpret English very literally

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Some Key DescriptorsAdvanced Level Students

• Can usually handle, with support, grade-level
  English in academic settings
• Use most concrete English with ease have more
  difficulty with abstract English
• Can go beyond literal English meanings have an
  emerging ability to use higher order thinking
  skills in English
• Make occasional errors but can usually make
  themselves understood

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Some Key DescriptorsAdvanced High Students

• Can handle, with minimal support,
  grade-appropriate English in academic settings.
• Make infrequent errors with English vocabulary
  and structures
• Are comparable to native English-speaking peers
  in ability to handle familiar and unfamiliar
  topics, both concrete and abstract

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Rationales for Observation Protocols

• 1.Using TAKS, RPTE, and observation protocols
  allows for a snapshot of English language
  proficiency based on both traditional
  multiple-choice testing and direct measures of
  student performance.

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Rationales for Observation Protocols

• 2.They are based on daily classroom interactions
  with students, so they will not take up
  instructional time.
• 3.They are logistically feasible and cost
  effective, given our large numbers of LEP
  students.

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Rationales for Observation Protocols

• 4.Teachers will interact more with LEP students
  and observe their learning more closely.
• 5.The protocols will help teachers better
  understand the relationship between English
  acquisition and academic learning.

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K-2 ELP Testing
OP Observation Protocol
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Grades 3-5 ELP Testing
R RPTE T TAKS
OP Observation Protocol
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Grades 6-8 ELP Testing
R RPTE T TAKS
OP Observation Protocol
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Grades 9-12 ELP Testing
R RPTE T TAKS (or Exit TAAS)
OP Observation Protocol
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LEP Students Taking TAKS Writing/ELA

• Teachers will rate these students using the
  observation protocols.
• Students will receive an ELP rating of advanced
  high if they pass their TAKS writing/ELA test.
• If they fail TAKS, their rating (beginning,
  intermediate, or advanced) will come from their
  observation protocol.

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Reporting Ratings

• Each student will have a scannable rating
  document with demographic fields much like a TAKS
  answer document.
• Teachers will fill in students ELP rating for
  each domain
• K-2 listening, speaking, reading, writing
• 3-12 listening, speaking, writing

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What Will Be Reported Back to Schools?

• Individual student results
• - English language proficiency rating for
  each domain, including comprehension
• - A composite overall English language
  proficiency rating
• Campus and district results

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How Will the Composite Rating Be Determined?

• By weighting performance in each domain

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What About the Comprehension Score?

• The comprehension score will be derived from the
  reading and listening scores.

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How Will the ELP Test Results Be Used?

• The results will be used to determine whether
  Texas schools meet annual federal targets for
  increasing the percent of LEP students who (1)
  make progress in learning English and (2) attain
  English proficiency.

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• States establish these targets, which are called
• Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives
  (AMAOs).

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• The AMAO data
• we report to the USDE and hold schools
  accountable for will be in terms of composite
  overall English language proficiency.

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Summary of ELP Testing Plan

• The observation protocols and administration
  materials will be considered preliminary this
  spring.
• They will be refined as needed for future years.
• Plans for developing RPTE II are underway.