Ko te reo te tuariki. Ko te reo tōku ahurei. Language is my identity. Ko te reo tōku ahurei. Language is my uniqueness. Ko te reo te ora. Language is my life.

National Standards and Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners National Standards workshop phase 2, 2010 Effectively assessing the achievements of ELLs in your school

All material presented at this workshop are available to access online at: www.teamsolutions.ac.nz Click here

Key Messages School leaders, BOT and teachers all share the responsibility for the literacy and language learning of students. Early and accurate identification of all English language learners (ELLs) is important. Schools have a choice for early-phase ELLs (in accordance with the MOE guidelines) to have their progress and achievement in reading and writing tracked, monitored, and reported on to parents, family, and whānau in reference to the ELLP rather than the National Standards. There are advantages in using the Progressions (ELLP). ELLs need to access age-appropriate curriculum content as soon as possible. School leaders need to think about how they will report progress and achievement to the parents, family, whānau of ELLs, in plain language.

Which students are ELLs? ESOL-funded students from migrant, refugee or NZ-born backgrounds Previously funded students Students from homes where a language other than English is spoken Students from bilingual education settings Students transitioning from Māori-medium to English-medium settings International fee-paying students

Useful link ‘Meeting the needs of English language learners’ http://nzcurriculum.tki.org.nz/National-Standards/Professional-development/Professional-learning-modules/English-language-learners 6

Key outcome Schools recognise the diversity of ELLs and provide them with the support needed to access the age-appropriate levels of The New Zealand Curriculum as soon as possible.

How can schools achieve this? Indicators are: Use of suitable processes for identifying ELLs Use of MOE guidelines when reporting progress and achievement for ELLs in relation to NS Use of appropriate assessment tools and processes to gather data that will inform teaching and learning, OTJs and reporting practices Well informed BOT, families, whānau and students in relation to the use and advantages of using ELLP for some ELLs Teachers’ professional learning needs, in relation to ELLs, are identified and addressed

This module focuses on… Whether to use the Reading and Writing Standards or the ELLP to track, monitor and report on ELLs’ progress and achievement in reading and writing Which tools, processes and information are appropriate to use to make overall teacher judgments in relation to ELLP and National Standards How best to engage with and report to the parents, families and whānau of the school’s ELLs.

Reflective question 1 Are the ELLs in our school able to meet the demands of the curriculum at age-appropriate expectations?

Reflective question 2 What enrolment and identification policies do we have?

Cultural influences: What we see Art Music Literature Dance Food Clothes Religion Festivals Education Buildings/houses Political structure

Unconscious influences: for example eye contact | behaviour | notions of self-worth and belonging patterns of superior/subordinate relationships tempo of work | patterns of group decision making approaches to problem-solving | theories of learning importance of education | definition of knowledge nature of friendship | ordering of time | concepts of ‘self’ preference for competition or cooperation | body language notions about logic and validity | patterns of handling emotion facial expressions | gestures | arrangement of physical space The movie file will need to be on your desktop for it to play. One single click only on the black area will play the movie. (Don’t double click!) Movie clip illustrates the need for self review, strategic planning, forward thinking Facilitator question to the group “How does this relate to self review?” 13

Reflective question 3 Are we confident that we as teachers know and can use the assessment tools and processes that are most appropriate for ELLs?

Overall Teacher Judgement Sources of evidence to support decision-making Observation of Process Evidence gained from informal assessment opportunities: Learning Conversations Evidence arising from Learning Conversations: Overall Teacher Judgement Test Outcomes Evidence gained from assessment tools, including standardised tools:

Sources of evidence to support decision-making Model a process for making OTJ, referring to the list. E.g., Start with a more formal/standardised assessment result. Why? Because standardised assessments are more likely to remove teacher bias from assessment results. It will improve the consistency of assessment decisions across the school if we all use this as a starting point As the teacher, I will have a ‘gut’ feeling about the standardised assessment in terms of it’s accuracy for that child. If my gut says it’s wrong, I need to carefully consider why, and what evidence I have to suggest this (from the same balloon and from the others). In this case, I will need to spend some extra time delving into the strength of that evidence. Having made a defensible decision about the level of the student, I also need to consider how the student is applying these reading/writing/maths skills in other curriculum contexts. If my gut says it’s about right, that’s great. But I still need to consider the other boxes, and also how the student is applying these reading/writing/maths skills in other curriculum contexts. Preferably, I would like to check with students about where I think their learning is at and whether they agree or have other evidence. This might be possible in schools where assessment for learning pedagogy is strong, but it may be unproductive if the students don’t have the language to have this discussion meaningfully. As a senior manager, I want to reserve the right to talk through with any teacher if overall teacher judgements are significantly or consistently different from standardised assessment results. This is in the interests of developing consistency in assessment across the school. Get feedback from staff about the process. Bev and I thought that this modelling of a process might be useful for the participants. What do we need to add here for our ELLs? - bilingual assessment , use expertise - staff, increasing wait time eg.in Maths Posssible sources of evidence for making OTJs - handout laminated samples of ‘Making judgements against NS’ and “Assessment resource map” to groups to discuss Dated anecdotal notes good for reporting - keeping a record using as evidence for OTJ Sources of evidence to support decision-making Observation of Process Evidence gained from informal assessment opportunities: Focussed Classroom Observation Student books and tasks Running Records GLoSS NumPA Student peer assessment Learning Conversations Evidence arising from Learning Conversations: Overall Teacher Judgement Conferencing Interviewing Questioning Explaining Discussing Test Outcomes Evidence gained from assessment tools, including standardised tools: An Observation Survey of Early Literacy Achievement PAT STAR e-asTTle/AsTTle V4 IKAN GLoSS NumPA 16

Overall Teacher Judgements As a teacher use: Student perspective (voice) Children’s work Everyday classroom observations and interactions Assessment tool information Illustrations of standards

Reflective question 4 Do we have the knowledge and skills to support students who are acquiring English as an additional language?

Moderation What stage is the sample at? What evidence is there within this writing that reflects this stage?

Transitioning Transitioning from tracking with the ELLP to National Standards.

Reflective question 5 Are our ELLs well supported by strong, active partnerships between parents, schools, teachers and the wider community and by reporting in a way that their parents can understand?

Principles for reporting Ensure student is at the heart of decision making Supports learner and next steps Language clear and easily understood Honest and transparent No surprises Strengthens educational partnerships with students and whānau

ELLP or National Standards ELLP or National Standards? Which pathway best addresses the language learning needs of your ELLs?

All material presented at this workshop are available to access online at: www.teamsolutions.ac.nz Click here