A digital newsletter for families of ELLs

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        Welcome to the ELL Family Newsletter! This month, we'd like to explain how we assess student progress in our English Language Learner (ELL) program. Understanding these assessments will help you stay informed about your child's learning journey. What are the Different Types of Assessments? There are three main types of assessments used in our program: Diagnostic Assessments: These are given at the beginning of the year or when a student enters the program. They help us understand your child's current level of English language proficiency. This might involve picture-based tasks, simple conversations, or short writing samples. Formative Assessments: These are ongoing checks for understanding that happen throughout the school year. These could be quizzes, classroom discussions, or observations during activities. They help us see what your child has learned and what areas they need more support in. Summative Assessments: These are more formal assessments given at the end of a unit or semester. They show how much your child has learned overall. These may include standardized tests, presentations, or essays.

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How Do Assessments Help ELL Students?

All assessments are used to help your child succeed! Each type plays a specific role:

• Diagnostic: This helps us design personalized learning plans for your child, focusing on their strengths and weaknesses.
• Formative: This allows us to adjust our teaching strategies in real-time to ensure your child understands the material before moving on.
• Summative: This helps us measure your child's progress toward meeting state and national English language learning standards (ELP Standards) and content area standards (like math or science).

What are Testing Accommodations?

We understand that tests can be challenging for students who are still learning English. To ensure a fair assessment, we may provide accommodations such as:

• Extended time: More time to complete the assessment.
• Bilingual dictionaries and glossaries: Tools to help your child understand the questions.
• Oral instructions: Giving instructions both verbally and in writing.
• Translated versions of tests (when available): Some tests can be provided in your home language.

How is Assessment Data Used?

Assessment data is like a roadmap for your child's learning. We use it to:

• Identify areas for growth: Based on the results, we can provide targeted support and enrichment activities.
• Plan instruction: We can adjust our teaching approach based on what the whole class and individual students need.
• Track progress: We can measure your child's progress over time and celebrate their achievements.

Communicating with You: Feedback and Collaboration

We highly value your partnership in your child's education. Here's how we'll keep you informed about assessments:

• Parent-teacher conferences: We will discuss your child's progress in detail and answer any questions you may have.
• Progress reports: These reports will include information on your child's performance on assessments and their overall learning goals.
• Student self-reflection: We encourage students to reflect on their learning and set goals for improvement. We can share these reflections with you at home.

Additional Resources:

• WIDA https://gwaar.org/aging-advocacy-day-2024: This website provides resources and information on supporting English Language Learners.
• Colorín Colorado https://www.colorincolorado.org/: This website offers resources for ELL families in multiple languages.
• National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition https://ncela.ed.gov/: This website provides research and information on effective practices for ELL instruction.

We hope this newsletter has been helpful! Please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher or our school's ELL specialist if you have any questions.