Introduction to the Alberta K-12 ESL Proficiency Benchmarks

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Introduction to the Alberta K-12 ESL Proficiency
Benchmarks

• Workshop 1

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Presentation 1 Overview of Benchmarks Document -
Outline

• Whos Who?
• Development of ESL Benchmarks
• Purpose of ESL Benchmarks
• Implementation of Benchmarks
• ESL Benchmarks Theoretical Underpinnings
• K 12
• Strands of Language
• BICS/CALP
• Communicative Competence
• Framework of the Benchmarks
• Productive Skills Speaking
• Writing
• Receptive Skills Listening
• Reading

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Whos Who?????

• Name
• School
• Area for Which Responsible/ Grades Taught
• Current Status of ESL at your school
• Your own level of theoretical knowledge of ESL/
  L2 acquisition
• Your current familiarity with AB. Ed. Benchmarks

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Alberta ESL Proficiency Benchmarks Development
Fall 2007 Fall 2008 Spring 2009
Review existing international proficiency standards Develop Alberta Framework Develop indicators Review Alberta Framework, indicators and process Revise CBE Benchmarks utilizing Alberta development work Edit Benchmarks with ESL Advisory Committee Refine Benchmarks Fall 2009 Publish draft Benchmarks for feedback and field testing.
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Implementation Plan Benchmarks Draft Feedback

• All people who used ESL Benchmarks were
  encouraged to provide feedback on the draft
  document
• Survey went out in February and March 2010
• Feedback is now being sorted through

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Implementation PlanSection 2 Digital Resource

• Section 2 released in October
• Tracking Sheet Templates
• Online Digital ESL Benchmarks Resource
• Available October 1, 2009 _at_ http//www.learnalbert
  a.ca

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Purpose of ESL Benchmarks

• What are some benefits for having this ESL
  Benchmark Document available for use across the
  province?

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Purpose of ESL Benchmarks

• Provide specific language outcomes for each
  proficiency level
• Support initial identification of language
  proficiency level
• Guide appropriate programming for ELLs
• Articulate language proficiency to align with ESL
  Sr. High Program of Studies and other programs of
  study

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Purpose of ESL Benchmarks

• Support teachers in
• Monitoring, tracking and reporting language
  progress
• Planning for explicit language instruction within
  everyday classroom learning
• Communicating with students and parents to
• Develop an understanding of language acquisition
• Set appropriate learning goals

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By Whom are the ESL Benchmarks used?

• All teachers of English Language Learners
• School Administrators
• ESL Designates at Schools
• ESL Consultants and Specialists
• Resource Teachers

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Implementation of ESL Benchmarks

• Implementation of the Alberta ESL Proficiency
  Benchmarks for school jurisdictions is voluntary
  in 2009/2010. The Alberta ESL Proficiency
  Benchmarks do not carry the authority of a
  Program of Studies. The ESL Benchmarks were
  developed as a tool for teachers to help assess
  student progress and needs and make appropriate
  and timely programming decisions.

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Implementation of ESL Benchmarks

• It is hoped that if it is found to be useful,
  everyone will eventually begin using the Alberta
  Education ESL Proficiency Benchmarks, thereby,
  establishing a common/consistent way of assessing
  student language proficiency. It is also hoped
  that the benchmarks will promote collaboration
  and communication about an ESL student progress
  and needs among all the student's teachers, and
  enhance communication between teachers and
  parents.

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When are the ESL Benchmarks used?

• Each jurisdiction or school will determine how
  the benchmarks will be implemented as per the
  Implementation of ESL Benchmarks on the previous
  slide.
• Ideally,
• Intake assessment to establish initial language
  proficiency, appropriate programming and
  instructional starting points.
• Language proficiency level documented at each
  reporting period. With comments about areas or
  growth and those requiring development.
• Monitoring of language through ongoing assessment
  using the tracking document.

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When are the ESL Benchmarks used?

• Realistically,
• Four times a year would be great however, twice
  a year seems more manageable as a starting point
  for our District.

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BACK TO SCHOOL
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Theoretical Underpinnings

• Organized by developmentally appropriate
  divisions
• 5 Levels of Language Proficiency Levels
• Strands of Language
• Cummins BICS and CALP
• Swains Communicative Competence

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Division

• Kindergarten
• Grades 1-3
• Grades 4-6
• Grades 7-9
• Grades 10-12

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Levels

• Level 1 Beginning
• Level 2 Developing
• Level 3 Expanding
• Level 4 Bridging
• Level 5 Extending

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Levels
Kindergarten 1 2 3 4 5
Gr.1-3 1 2 3 4 5
Gr. 4-6 1 2 3 4 5
Gr. 7-9 1 2 3 4 5
Gr. 10-12 1 2 3 4 5
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Strands of Language

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

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Cummins BICS and CALP
BICS Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills CALP Cognitive Academic Linguistic Proficiency
1-2 years 5-10 or more years
Social Language Academic Language
High Frequency Vocabulary Low Frequency Vocabulary
Simple Language Structures Complex Language Structures
Context Embedded Context Reduced
Concrete Abstract
Low Pressure High Pressure
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Cummins BICS and CALP
Language Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5
Social (BICS)
Academic (CALP)
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Cummins BICS and CALP

• Is the speaker demonstrating BICS or CALP?
• I go to store last day.
• That theory is debatable.
• The leaves have a stem and an apex.
• Photosynthesis is the process that uses energy
  from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into
  organic compounds.
• Dont put all your eggs in one basket.
• What does it feel like when you volunteer?

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Cummins BICS and CALP

• Is the speaker demonstrating BICS or CALP?
• I go to store last day.
• That theory is debatable.
• The leaves have a stem and an apex.
• Photosynthesis is the process that uses energy
  from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into
  organic compounds.
• Dont put all your eggs in one basket.
• What does it feel like when you volunteer?

• Is the speaker demonstrating BICS or CALP?
• I go to store last day.
• That theory is debatable.
• The leaves have a stem and an apex.
• Photosynthesis is the process that uses energy
  from sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into
  organic compounds.
• Dont put all your eggs in one basket.
• What does it feel like when you volunteer?

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(No Transcript)
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SwainsCommunicative Competence

• Knowing a formal from informal situation
• Knowing how to close a conversation
• Knowing when to use and, or, but, however,
  ifthen, etc.
• Knowing when pitch means a tune or throw

• Match the statement to the correct
  communicative competency.
• Linguistic
• Socio-Linguistic
• Discourse
• Strategic

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Framework of Benchmarks
Listening Speaking Reading Writing
Discourse
Linguistic
Strategic
Socio-Linguistic
Strand Specific Auditory Discrimination Pronunciation Fluency Editing
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Pause for Questions.
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Tracking Documents
Tracking documents are to be used in conjunction
with the Benchmarks Prior to each reporting
period observe the student in various contexts
and date benchmarks achieved consistently.

• Please Note!
• It takes 7 or more years to become proficient a
  student may take 6 24 months to move levels in
  a particular competency.
• Students may regress after a lengthy absence or
  if the academic complexity increases.
• Students may show strength in different
  competencies and proficiency may vary by
  competency.

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Speaking

• What do you notice about these statements?
• Animal eat plant.
• Herbivores is animals that eat plants.
• Black bears are omnivores because they feed on
  plant or other animals.
• Carnivores hunt herbivores and omnivores in a
  variety of food chains.
• Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores are part of
  the energy cycle where producers, consumers and
  decomposers transfer the suns energy.

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Speaking

• What do you notice about these statements?
• Vocabulary
• Descriptive
• Determiners (a, an, the)
• Naming (BICS or CALP)
• Sentence length
• Grammar
• Cohesive devices (and, where, then)
• Errors

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Speaking

• Vocabulary, grammar, discourse
• Animal eat plant.
• Herbivores is animals that eat plants.
• Black bears are omnivores because they feed on
  plant or other animals.
• Carnivores hunt herbivores and omnivores in a
  variety of food chains.
• Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores are part of
  the energy cycle where producers, consumers and
  decomposers transfer the suns energy.

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Speaking

• Revised for K Black bears eat plants and animals
• Black bears are omnivores because they feed on
  plant or other animals.

• Look at the ESL Benchmarks in Speaking.
• Look at the competency Linguistic (Vocabulary)
• K, pg. 12
• Gr. 1-3, pg. 29
• Gr. 4-6, pg. 52
• Gr. 7-9, pg. 88
• Gr. 10-12, pg. 122
• Read the across levels 1-5 for the grade(s) you
  teach
• What level is the vocabulary for this sentence?

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Speaking

• K Level 5 (content high)
• Gr. 1 3 Level 4
• Gr. 4 6 Level 3
• Gr. 7 9 Level 2
• Gr. 10 12 Level 2

• Revised for K Black bears eat plants and animals
• Black bears are omnivores because they feed on
  plant or other animals.

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Speaking Sample Leveling Sort

• Sort the samples from Level 1 to 5
• What language features do you notice in these
  samples?
• What happens as the speaking moves from Level 1
  to 5?

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Speaking Sample Leveling Sort

• What was noticed
• Vocabulary
• Descriptive
• Determiners (a, an, the)
• Naming (BICS or CALP)
• Sentence length (syntax)
• Grammar
• Cohesive devices (and, where, then)
• Errors
• Pronunciation

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Speaking 1 Part CCompare Sample to the
Benchmarks

• Select one sample
• Compare it to the Benchmarks
• Identify the level for each of the competencies

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Speaking Reflection

• Think about all of the students that you teach
• - What level do most students speak at in
  general?
• Think of the ELLs you teach
• What level do they speak typically?

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Writing

• This catarpilr is fat. It eat all the lef. Then
  it make cokon. It grow to a buttrfli.
• The life cycle of a butterfly starts with the egg
  stage. When it comes out it is a caterpillar.
  Thats called the larva stage.

• Look at the samples of text.
• What language features do you notice?

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Writing

• Find Writing in the Benchmarks in the Division
  you teach.
• Look at the competency Discourse, then Linguistic
  (Grammar/Syntax), Linguistic (Vocabulary)
• What is the ESL proficiency level of these two
  samples in the grade(s) you are teaching?

1. This catarpilr is fat. It eat all the lef. Then
   it make cokon. It grow to a buttrfli.
2. The life cycle of a butterfly starts with the egg
   stage. When it comes out it is a caterpillar.
   Thats called the larva stage.

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Writing

• Look at the ESL Benchmarks in in writing for the
  grade(s) you are teaching
• Read the Benchmarks for the competency Editing

• What editing skills are a challenge for ELLs?
• Knowing conventions spelling, punctuation etc.
• Knowing grammar and syntax adjustments
• Knowing word choice options to be more succinct,
  clear or to demonstrate voice or tone.

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Writing Language Identification

• Look at the leveled writing samples.
• Discuss what is different about each level as it
  progresses from 1 to 5.

Using the markers Circle vocabulary in
red. Circle discourse in blue. Underline grammar
in green. Pick one level. Match it to the
Benchmarks for Discourse, Vocabulary and Grammar
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Writing 2 Assessing Writing using the Benchmarks

• The salmon dies when they layed their eggs and
  they are a kind of fish you could eat. They will
  go back to where they were born. There are
  endangered of the trees damming the rivers at the
  way home. They cant see when they were in the
  egg. Over 100 salmon population are extinct.
  The Coho salmons first starts with eggs they they
  were borned and they have a yolk sacs for eat and
  they tured in the fry, then they were a teen
  salmon called a smolts. Then they turned in to
  adults. When the salmon went in to the sea they
  start to chang and they eat as many as they could
  then they gos back to the creek they were borned.
  And they start to chang again. They get bacdk
  by smell of the creek. Then they layed their
  eggs and dies. Then a new cycle of salmon
  begins. Salmons population can be changd man
  fishes too many.

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Writing 2 Assessing Writing using the Benchmarks

• Look at the benchmarks for
• Strategic
• Socio-Linguistic
• Editing

• Discuss at your tables how you would identify if
  an ELL was able to meet a particular indicator?

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Listening

• Listening involves clarifying what you hear.
• Sequence the clarification statements from lowest
  to highest proficiency.

• A. So we mix these two together?
• B. I dont get it
• C. What would happen if we mixed the acid and
  base together?
• D. So A is an acid and B is a base?
• E. No response

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Listening

• No response
• I dont get it
• So we mix these two together?
• So A is an acid and B is a base?
• What would happen if we mixed the acid and the
  base together?
• What would happen if we mixed the vinegar, which
  is the acid with the baking soda which is the
  base?

• Look at the ESL Benchmarks in Listening
  (Competency Strategic)
• Look at the grade(s) you are working with
• K , pg. 10
• Gr. 1-3, pg. 20
• Gr. 4-6, pg. 48
• Gr. 7-9, pg. 82
• Gr. 10-12, pg. 118
• Read through the indicators from Level 1 to 5
• Look at the students statements again and match
  them to the indicator that best describes the
  student.

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Reading

• Look at the sample of text.
• What language features do you notice?

In the spring, the adult lays eggs on a leaf.
When the eggs hatch, tiny little caterpillars
emerge and begin to eat. This is the larva stage.
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Reading
Vocabulary, grammar, discourse In the spring,
the adult lays eggs on a leaf. When the eggs
hatch, tiny little caterpillars emerge and begin
to eat. This is the larva stage.

• Look at the sample of text.
• What is the ESL proficiency level required to
  read this for the grade(s) you are teaching?

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Reading

• K Level 5 (Read aloud)
• Gr. 1-3 Level 4/5
• Gr. 4 -6 Level 3
• Gr. 7-9 Level 2
• Gr. 10-12 Level 2
• Teachers can scan the text to understand the
  approximate ELP level needed to comprehend the
  passage.
• Teachers can provide a range of texts to match
  the ELP of the ELLs in their class.
• Why? For comprehensible input.

In the spring, the adult lays eggs on a leaf.
When the eggs hatch, tiny little caterpillars
emerge and begin to eat. This is the larva stage.
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Reading

• The Benchmarks make a distinction between
  decoding and comprehension.

Division Strategic Strategic (Context Cues) Phonological Awareness
Kindergarten NA NA NA
Gr. 1-3 X X
Gr. 4-6 X
Gr. 7-9 X
Gr. 10-12 X
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Reading

• Learning to Read Learning how to decode and
  comprehend
• Reading to Learn Mastery of decoding and a
  repertoire of reading strategies

Decoding Average rate 300 WPM (words per minute)
for English at high school and 100 WPM for
ELLs ELLs - Need more time - Require explicit
instruction on phonological awareness, word
families, blends, affixes, syllabification,
fluency etc.
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Reading

• Comprehension
• Approximate Correlation between ELP and
  comprehension level for Div 2, 3, 4
• Level 5 grade level -1
• Level 4 grade level -2
• Level 3 grade level 3
• Level 2 - grade level 4 (pending grade)
• Level 1 grades level -5
• ELLs
• Explicit strategy instruction (visual cues,
  re-reading, read ahead, connecting to prior
  knowledge, self-correcting, word analysis,
  syntactical analysis, predicting, inferencing,
  summarizing, synthesizing etc.)
• Increased exposure to a variety of texts