ESOL common planning notes 8-13-08 including Levels, Assessment, and Placement

ESOL Planning Meeting, August 13, 2008

Present: Kim, Sophia, Roberta, Ruth, Richard, Abbi, Nancy, Dulany

Absent: MaryEllen (vacation)

Miscellaneous:

Lesson Plans: Be sure to archive an August plan.

Books: Heinle Picture Dictionaries are in Dulany’s room, Azars in Marcia’s office, a class set of The Chicken Smells Good and one workbook on top shelf in the resource room. Easy English News will be order the first week in September.

Teacher Observations: Be sure to observe another Bootstrap teachers this fall.

Supplemental Classes: see weekly calendar.

Unit Planning: We came up with this tentative schedule for FY2009

July-August Community city hall visit, Third Thursdays, MCAD speakers

September-Oct. 9? Back to School/Goals Bootstrap orientation?, voluntary Children’s

Law Center on School Issues Voter registration

before Oct.

October 14^th-Nov. 7^th Election and Citizenship Citizenship workshop, mock election,

real election.

November 10-Christmas Financial Literacy: shopping, consumerism, credit +holiday

celebrations

Richard’s speaker from the credit union.

(Mini? Holiday fire safety?)

January-February 22 Health and Nutrition Health team run a health fair?

Jeannie from U. Mass extension.

February 25- March ? Sharing our Cultures International Day

March ?-April Strategies for Learning HAWC in prep for walk for HAWC

May Employment Career Center Visits

June suggestions were transportation or housing. –not decided.

Next Meetings:

Given everyone’s schedules, it looks like Tuesdays may be the best day for our meetings since I do not generally work on Thursdays. (Is can make exceptions, but am booked on Thursdays in September.) Sophia works until 1:45.

How does Tuesday, September 9^th at 2:00 work for our next common planning meeting. I recognize that Sophia may be a little late. We would end by 3.

We need to schedule a meeting to calibrate REEP scoring within the center and to simplify the process. I am open to organizing this meeting and could be available on any other Tuesday in September. Let me know what suits you.

Filling Class Seats:

Teachers had some questions about the filling of class seats in September. Kim commented that MaryEllen’s class has empty seats right now. Roberta and Dulany noted that there are students who were told to take the summer off and return in September. They should be the first people to be given seats. Nancy will convey this concern to counselors.

ESOL Assessment and Movement

What do our class levels mean?

What are the criteria for movement and initial placement?

The DOE funds classes for SPL 0-6. When a student reaches SPL 7 ( 4.7 scale score on the REEP), we can no longer serve them.

Nancy distributed NRS profiles from the ESOL frameworks appendix, Best + and REEP scores matched with SPLs and NRS levels, and skills and topics lists by level from the Alianza curriculum ( the skills lists are a simplified form of benchmarks.)

Dulany pointed out that the frameworks outline what is to be taught at each level. Total mastery is not a requirement for moving on to the next level.

Movement from level 1 to level 2

Movement from level to level is based on both listening + speaking and literacy skill levels. Final decisions for movement are made by the counselor and the student’s current class teacher. BEST + alone is never the sole criterion for movement from level 1 into level 2. Receiving teachers are reminded that students entering class need to be compared to the NRS profiles of the lower SPL level students in their classes.

Level 1 teachers must regularly include paragraph writing without a model (faux REEPS) for ongoing assessment. (Ask Richard to show you the chart he uses to track his students’ progress in a variety of areas including the faux REEPS) (Obviously, teachers will also be including scaffolded paragraph writing for instruction.) Nancy also included unassisted completion of a personal information form as a criteria for movement.

Even at the BASIC level, regular writing needs to be part of the curriculum from the beginning.

Note: We did not establish a similar procedure for literacy testing at placement. I propose the following: When an applicant has a high enough BEST+ for level 2 and completes the initial literacy test with some competency, they will be given a set paragraph to write. One of the REEP trained level one teachers will score the paragraph using the same criteria—2.3 – to place a student in level 2. (Don’t worry folks—there aren’t many of these.)

Movement from level 2 to level 3

Movement from Level 2 to Level 3 is a little murkier. Now that we no longer serve students above SPL 6, our level 2 is really low to mid intermediate and our level 3 is high intermediate to low advanced. Students with good oral skills and a REEP score of 3 or above are therefore placed in the level 3 class. At this level, more discussion between the level 2 and level 3 teachers is often needed to determine movement.

Please use the comment feature of this blog to continue this discussion.

ESOL assessment

ESOL placement and movement guidelines

While I was on vacation, ESOl teachers suggested at an attendance meeting that we needed a meeting to establish the criteria for being placed or moved into level 2. Looking back through my notes, these are the criteria that we established in February of this year. Teachers at level 1 (not basic) were asked to begin using the REEP rubric inofrmally in scoring student writing and to keep the writing pieces and their score sheets in student folders.

Please read this and comment. Do we really need a meeting or do we just need to put these procedures into practice?

Movement Issues and Assessment: Notes from our February 2008 Common planning Meeting followed by more specific guidelines.

Given the comprehensive nature of the frameworks in giving equal weight to all four aspects of language: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, the BEST + has never been the sole criterion for movement. A couple of years ago, Sandra did considerable work on assessment. Based on her work, we added regular, rubric graded dictations to documentation to be included in student folders.

Based on the fact that we are now using the REEP as the assessment for level three and for movement from level 2 to level 3, we are adding another component to level 1 assessment that must be included in student folders.

Given the labor intensive nature of a true REEP, we will institute a modified REEP-type writing assessment and scoring rubric, based on the level one framework, to be used in level 1. A score of 2.3 on the rubric will be necessary for a student to move from level 1 to level 2. Nancy will work with any interested teachers to develop writing topics and a simplified rubric. Teachers will begin to use the assessment as part of the March unit. (see attached information that was distributed at the meeting.)

Maryellen tried using the REEP rubric as is and found it helpful and easy to use.

Writing Skills to go from Basic to Level 1(start in Basic at spl. 0)

(w.1.1a) Generate and write a simple statement such as My name is Maria Garcia. I come from the Dominican Republic.

(w 1.1.b) Write basic personal information in simplified forms. Name, address, date of birth.

w.2.1a and c. Print (or write) all upper and lower case letters legibly, and stay on lines or within the blocks of a form.

w.2..1e Write simple sentences in the present tense. Maybe have end punctuation

w.2.1h Spell words phonetically and spell at least some sight words correctly.

w.2.1g Use correct capitalization for beginning sentences in names.

Assessment:

Give a simple form to fill out.

Write 3-5 simple sentences about yourself.

________________________________________________________________________

Writing Skills to go from Level 1-Level 2

w1.3a Write several related statements on a familiar topic. (see benchmark examples.)

w.1.3b Fill out simple authentic forms using models.

w. 1.3.c. Write short messages or notes using models.

w. 2.3a Write simple affirmative and negative sentences and questions using correct word order using vocabulary from targeted topics.

w. 2.3c connect related sentences using transitions words.

w. 2.3d Use basic grammatical structures with support: present, present continuous, simple future, and some common irregular past tense verbs, articles, subject and object pronouns, prepositional phrases, frequency adverbs.

Assessment:

1. Write a paragraph about a familiar, personal topic such as

yourself

your family

your home in your country

a holiday

what you like to do on a day off

The paragraph needs a 2.3 or above when scored on the REEP rubric to qualify for movement

2. Fill out an authentic form—library card, post office change of address, etc.

(using a model)

3. Write a short note or message using a model—thank you note, telephone message