This Professional Development presentation of a two-year longitudinal study highlights the effectiveness of various non-evaluative assessment strategies that were used to monitor English language acquisition of middle school grade 6 beginner/foundational Level 1 and Level 2 English Language Learner (ELL/ESL/MLL) students. The study emphasized an iterative approach with frequent assessment cycles and continuous improvement in reading and literacy skills. The two-year study included the assessment of efficacy of Fry High Frequency Words in year 1 and Starfall reading curriculum in year 2. Improvements on non-evaluative assessments were then compared to student performance on the annual evaluative WIDA ACCESS test, which showed significant English level jumps for students from Level 1 to Level 3. The students also showed incredible jumps in their evaluative iReady scores, increasing their end-of-year (EoY) performance by 100%-1500%. The results from the study were presented at the professional development (PD) session for educators and administrators in 4 Massachusetts districts that were part of the 5dp District Partnership. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390932196_PD_Achieving_Performance_Gains_for_MLLs_ELLsESL_students_Through_Targeted_Assessments
Authors: Dr. Roza Eynula
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.11435.55840
Publish Year: 2023
