1. Linguistic Accommodations and ELL Assessments September 2015
Ileana Gomez
LPAC/Intake Specialist
Bilingual ESL Department

2. •Identification, Placement, Assessment
Language Proficiency Assessment Committee LPAC: Roles and Responsibilities for ELLs
•Identification, Placement, Assessment
•Ensure proper placement and service
•Instructional methodologies and/or Interventions
•Annual Review
•Linguistic accommodation and assessment decisions
•Parental Notification/Progress
•Maintain updated and accurate ELL documentation

3. Who makes ELL assessment decisions for STAAR/EOC?
Per Chapter 101 of TAC:
The campus LPAC will meet to make the best assessment decisions on an individual student basis
Decisions are made in collaboration with the teacher of record and campus LPAC
Decisions made by the campus LPAC in keeping with State and District policy must not be altered or changed by any other campus entities
Whole grade and/or class decisions are not allowable

4. What assessment decisions are made by the campus LPAC?
The campus LPAC will make and document decisions regarding the following:
The type of assessment offered to the ELL (i.e. STAAR Spanish, STAAR-L, STAAR)
The use of specific linguistic accommodations during assessments
STAAR Exemption (Qualifying Unschooled Asylee/Refugee)
Special Provision for STAAR English I EOC
Calculating Years in U.S. Schools

5. Regulatory Procedural Guide
Based on 19 TAC Chapter 101, Subchapter AA
LPACs should be familiar with these commissioner of education rules
TEA is required to develop administrative procedures to implement ELL assessment statutory requirements
LPACs are required to follow these administrative procedures---outlined in the guide titled ’Linguistic Accommodations for ELLs Participating in the STAAR Program’

6. STAAR Assessments

7. ELL Participation in STAAR Spanish and STAAR L

8. Different Assessment Decisions for Different Subjects
•Decisions will often vary by necessity because of the design of the STAAR program
Example: Many ELLs will take —
–STAAR for reading and writing, but
–STAAR L for mathematics, science, social studies
•It may sometimes be appropriate to give STAAR Spanish in some subjects and STAAR or STAAR L in other subjects
•LPAC decisions to give a student one type of assessment for one subject and another type of assessment for another subject should be well-justified in the required documentation

9. Linguistic Accommodations

10. Linguistic Accommodations During State Assessments
•Not all accommodations suitable for instruction are allowable during state assessments
•Accommodations in instruction are designed to foster and support learning
•Accommodations during assessment allow test to more accurately measure degree students have met curriculum and performance standards
•Standardization and test administration logistics narrow accommodation possibilities during state assessments

11. Linguistic Accommodation Eligibility, Criteria, and Decisions
LPAC’s linguistic accommodation decisions must be made on individual student basis
Decisions must be based on —
–student’s particular needs for second language acquisition support
–whether student is routinely provided the accommodation in instruction and testing
Providing unfamiliar accommodations may hinder rather than help student
LPACs must coordinate with subject area teachers

12. STAAR Linguistic Accommodations

13. STAAR Spanish 3-5
There are no allowable linguistic accommodations for STAAR Spanish, including extra time
Extra time is not an allowable linguistic accommodation for STAAR Spanish

14. Extra Time (Same Day) as a Lingusitic Accommodation
LPACs must adhere to eligibility criteria for this accommodation (page 6 of linguistic accommodation guide)
Not an “automatic” decision
Extra time not permitted beyond regularly scheduled school day
Does not mean ELL must take all day; means student may have additional time needed within school day
As a linguistic accommodation, this applies only to STAAR assessments administered in English (STAAR and STAAR L) all subjects

15. Dictionary Policy

16. Dictionaries: Important Reminders
Bilingual dictionaries must be word/phrase translation dictionaries only. They must not be designed to define words or to illustrate or explain content terminology or concepts
Subject specific/topic specific dictionaries are not permitted
No downloadable word lists or dictionaries created by campuses are allowed
Dictionaries that contain occasional pictures are acceptable as long as the pictures do not illustrate content terminology or concepts

17. Accommodations During Testing
Accommodations that have been documented by the Campus LPAC must be made available to students on the day of testing regardless of whether or not the student requests to use the accommodation

18. Documenting STAAR Participation and Linguistic Accommodation Decisions
The campus LPAC will use the following procedures to document and verify STAAR Participation And Linguistic Accommodation decisions:
Verify that all STAAR Determination and Linguistic Accommodation forms have been received for your campus ELLs and disburse them to teachers on campus
Work with teachers to determine the most accurate STAAR test and linguistic accommodations to be given based on individual student needs
Ensure that the general education teacher has completed the front and back of the form and conduct an LPAC meeting to verify all testing decisions are correct
All LPAC members sign each student’s STAAR Determination and Linguistic Accommodation form
Copy the second page of each form and give it to the testing coordinator

19. STAAR Participation and Linguistic Accommodation Form

20. STAAR Participation and Linguistic Accommodation Form

21. Reporting Linguistic Accommodations
STAAR Accommodations and Assessment Decisions MUST be accurately coded and reported to TEA
Please ensure STAAR Participation and Linguistic Accommodation documentation is available during testing and supports what has been reported to TEA
A student who is coded as receiving linguistic accommodations is not eligible to exit the Bilingual/ESL program at the end of the school year

22. Individual Student Decisions and Final Decision-Making Close to Assessment Time
Previous slides illustrate some examples of the need for —
•individual student decisions, and
•the reviewing of student progress shortly before the assessment (in cases where an assessment decision may change because of progress made)
STAAR assessment decisions should not be made until the Spring semester

23. Special Circumstances

24. Unschooled Asylee/Refugee Grade 3-8 Only
•Amendment to 19 TAC § allows for the exemption of certain qualifying Unschooled ELL asylees and refugees from being administered a STAAR assessment in grades 3–8
•This exemption only applies to those unschooled asylees and refugees in their first year in U.S. schools
•Applies to assessments in grades 3–8 only
•Exemption limited to 1 year to comply with federal law

25. Unschooled Asylee/Refugee Grade 3-8 Only
Exemption applies only to asylee or refugees with limited or no prior schooling
To qualify students have to be enrolled in U.S. schools as an asylee or refugee as defined by Federal Regulations
Only applies to qualifying students in their first year of enrollment in U.S. schools

26. Unschooled Asylee/Refugee Grade 3-8 Only

27. TELPAS

28. TELPAS
Collaborate with the Campus LPAC chair to ensure all identified ELLs are assessed with the TELPAS
TELPAS data collection is a very important time of year, and information input into TAMS during this window can and will affect campus accountability
LPAC Chairs will share ELL student information with you regarding Years in U.S. Schools, and Unschooled Asylee/Refugee students for input into TAMS

29. Student History Worksheet
The Campus LPAC will collect and share information regarding the school history of every identified ELL
They may share the information using the Student History Worksheets or via an Excel spreadsheet

30. Thank You
Testing Coordinators and LPAC Chairs should maintain a strong partnership throughout the school year
We thank you for all of your hard work in supporting the academic success of students in our District

31. LPAC Specialists

32. LPAC/Intake Center Contacts
2617 N. Henderson Ave. Suite (Behind Bonham Elementary)
Amanda Clymer
Director of ELL Compliance/Student Intake Center
Mahiri Salcido
LPAC/Intake Supervisor
George I-Hernandez
Data Supervisor
Office of Language Proficiency Testing (OLPT)
Fax
Linda Wainscott
LPAC/Intake Specialist
Ileana Gomez Murillo
Antonio Sanchez
Susan Kim