Recommendations to Improve Accessibility of Text Material on Assessments for English Language Learners (ELL) Presented by Christopher Renner at Mid TESOL 2001 Education Program Consultant, State & Federal Programs Kansas State Department of Education Source: Kopriva, Rebecca (2000). Ensuring Accuracy in Testing For English Language Learners. Washington, D C : Council of Chief State School Officers. State Collaborative on Assessments and Student Standards. LEP Consortium.

Nine Elements in Writing Accessible Items: Defining what items measure Clear expectations Use of plain language Use of plain format Use simple visuals Access and contextual information Access to tools and resources Access and performance activities Additional issues of the native language

Defining What Items Measure Item construction statements explain what specific knowledge and/or skills the items intend to measure. Statements about what is measured are critical for those championing accessibility because these statements explicitly define the validity intent, or exactly what content is supposed to be measured, for each item.

Clear Expectations It is easy for educated adults to make assumptions about what is expected, which often produces misleading results about student mastery when students have to “guess.” Student response options must be clearly stated. If the quality of the students’ writing and/or the presentation of information in the charts, pictures, and other visuals will be evaluated, then it must be explicit that these will be evaluated. Any additional requirements or constraints should be spelled out.

Using Plain Language: 1. Item sentences or stems must be kept brief and straightforward, with a simple sentence or phase structure. Don’t add clauses or phrases Use S-V-O structure throughout 2. Consistency in paragraph structures should be employed. topic sentence explanatory sentences conclusion

Using Plain Language: (continued) 3. The present tense and active voice should be used as much as possible. present tense and active voice are learnt first 4. Rephrasing or rewording ideas and sentences should be kept to a minimum. Use the same words to refer to the same phenomenon, concept, person, place, thing, action, or modifier rather than using a variety of words.

Using Plain Language: (continued) 5. Pronouns should be used in a very judicious manner. The same word should be used repeatedly, rather than using pronouns to refer to people, things, or ideas. 6. High-frequency words are the best choice. Pepperoni vs. anchovies. 7. Words with double meanings or colloquialisms should be omitted or defined in the text. earth vs. soil fault (geologic feature) vs. fault (error)

Using Plain Format: “Plain formatting” assessments is to minimize or offset sensory overload. ELL sometimes struggle with overload because they must translate back and forth in their heads between their native language and English. ELL also benefit because formatting breaks up text or presents other sources of stimulation beyond the text.

Using Plain Format: (continued) Visuals are often important, but they should be kept simple and to the point. Large print forms should be available for LEP students. At least some forms should omit the use of item columns, limit the number of items per page, and/or provide students with a template to use. Templates are only helpful if students are accustomed to working with them.

Using Plain Format: (continued) Sample templates should be part of advance sample materials which teachers should encourage to use in class, but as few as possible should be used on tests. Lines of “boxes” which frame text or answer space should be used in a judicious way. Forms that include these recommendations should be used widely.

Use of Simple Visuals: The use of simple visuals helps facilitate understanding of what is being asked/presented in a specific item or related items. Visuals should be used to facilitate the understanding of what is being asked or presented in an item or group of items. Visuals mirror, or paralleled, the item statements and expectations.

Use of Simple Visuals: (continued) No “supplementary” or unnecessary information should be placed in the visual to distract students from the requirements of the item. Each major part of the item should be represented in the visual. Simple text can and should be used in the visuals that correspond to important words in the item.

Contextual Information: Contextual information consists of introductory or explanatory text, which is part of items or blocks of items.

Contextual Information: (continued) Advantages and disadvantages exist to including contextual information for ELL. To some extent effects are mitigated by how the contextual information is conveyed to the student. A solution is to maximize the advantages and minimize the disadvantages to using contextual information. In general, contextual information should be included in assessments for limited English proficient (LEP) students.

Contextual Information: (continued) Disadvantages related to including contextual information for LEP students should be minimized. use same directions throughout assessment break down directions into workable units keep contextual information to the point include performance activities, which give substantial access to those students with kinesthetic, tactile, spatial, and related strengths all text should be in plain format directions and explanations should be read aloud, as students follow in their test booklets spread directions evenly throughout the exercise visuals should be incorporated pretest discussions before a set of items and/or performance activity should enhance access

Access to Tool & Resources: Tools and resources are physical aids like mathematics manipulatives; they should be age appropriate and should not compromise the integrity of the test items. Tools and resources should not give some students an advantage in understanding what items are requiring or how students demonstrate what they know.

Access to Tool & Resources: (continued) test-givers should allow reasonable access to a set of tools and resources throughout the test, and remove the specific tool or resource when items explicitly measure that specific skill. local content standards should define what tools and resources are useful and allowable. reasonable access mean that most items (not just one or two per test) will be accessible to students with a range of diverse strengths.

Additional Issues of Native Language and Culture: Test writers need to be aware of some of the cultural differences that exist between ELL and other populations. “False friends” exist in vocabulary words, periods are sometimes used instead of commas in mathematics, a billion in English can mean a trillion in Spanish, etc.

Additional Issues of Native Language and Culture: (continued) Two sets of cultural expectations seem to have a primary impact on how a student understands the requirements of an item: 1) expectations in items that assume prior experiences that are common is a student grows up in the US; 2) expectations in items that assume a value system common to the value system typically endorsed in the US.

Additional Issues of Native Language and Culture: (continued) These expectations become especially problematic when a student’s experiences or values are distinctly diverse from those typically experienced by the mainstream population in the US.