STEP Initial Assessment
Winter 2011
Energizing Ontario Education
• High levels of student achievement
• Reducing the gaps in Student
Achievement
• Increased Public confidence in our
publicly funded schools
Session Learning Goals
Participants will:
• develop an awareness of the content of
both resources (STEP & Initial
Mathematics Assessment);
• discuss effective ways to use the
resources and guide teachers
assessment and instruction; and
• create implementation strategies to
support educators in different roles with
different responsibilities for meeting the
needs of ELLs.
Recap of Yesterday’s Learning
• On a post it note record three
things you learned yesterday
• One learning per note
• Share your learnings with your
table group
• Sort them into categories
• Be prepared to share with the
whole group
Table Talk Time
Reflection & Planning
Considering your board’s strengths
and needs what does your board
need to put in place to implement the
STEP resource to support ELLs.
Use the planning page provided.
STEP Initial Assessment
• Intended for all teachers and
administrators who welcome and
assess English language learners
• Supports the goal of the English
Language Learners ESL and ELD
Programs and Services: Policies and
procedures for Ontario Elementary and
Secondary Schools, Kindergarten to
Grade 12, 2007
Mandated Policy
Requirements
• 2.2 Reception and orientation of
English language learners and their
families
• 2.3 Initial Assessment of English
language learners
• 2.4 Placement of English language
learners
Purpose of initial assessment?
• First step in getting to know the student
and his/her family
• Opportunity to provide student and family
with information about our Ontario
education system
• Provide family with information about
community supports
• Begin to develop a student profile that
includes:
– Education
– Culture
– Personal
What does it identify?
• Students who would benefit from ESL
support
– Student progress should be tracked using the
STEP continua for ESL
• Students who would benefit from ELD
support
– Student progress should be tracked using the
STEP continua for ELD
• Students who do not need ESL/ELD
support
Welcoming New Families
Initial Assessment
Early Literacy Tasks
Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks
Recommendations for Support/Placement
Communicating and Planning
Welcoming New Families
Family interview integral part of the
reception and orientation process
Opportunity for dialogue between family, student
and school
• Effective way to gather key information about
the student
• Where possible the interview should be
conducted in the family’s home language
supported by an interpreter
• Settlement worker provides support for family
settlement issues if available
Things to consider during
family interview
At your table brainstorm and be
prepared to share 5 considerations
e.g. The school calendar year may be
different from that of Ontario schools
Initial Assessment
Purpose
To determine the student’s
– Language proficiency
• Oral
• Reading
• Writing
– Literacy development
– Mathematical skills
– Appropriate programming supports
(ESL/ELD)
– Appropriate course placement (secondary)
Assessment Procedures
The assessment will include
– A structured interview to assess oral
communication skills
– An assessment of reading
comprehension
– An assessment of student writing
– An assessment of mathematical
knowledge and skills
First Language Writing
Assessment
• Review the first language writing
sample
• What literacy skills can you see?
• Share your thoughts at your table
• Be prepared to share with the whole
group
Georgina Island ndibendaagwos
Aanii, Dawn Ndishnikaaz Nigig ndodem. Georgina Island Anishinaabe
Shkwonganing Ndibendaagwos. Niiwin-dibaaban piinash Niizhodibaaban kwaamgad maanda enjibaayaang minising Naanmidnadibaaban minik piichaamgad gchi-odenoo Toronto eshnikaadeg
ebendaagozijig shkwonganing megwaaj niizhwaak miinwaa aanand
daawag zaagji shkwonganing. Megwaaj ooshme Nshwaaswaak
debendaagozijig yaadigenag kina-maamowi. Pii-niibing eaazhidaabaazhiwemgag jiimaan zhinda minising zhinkaade “AAZHIWE”.
Pii biboong pii kina-ni-mshkooding nibi Jiimaan ji-ji-mkom bembideg
ndinkaasnaa. Pii kina mooshkin mshkoojid mkoom, daabaaning ndootkambismin monpii giji-mkomiing miikanang ezhinaagog. Pii
ngodwaaswi-kinoomaadiwin midinizid binoojiin mii-pii oonjikinoomaagozid zaagji-minis-shkwonganing. Chi-pkaan monpii
nendaagwod bimaadiziwin. Aabdeg wii-aanjtoowang bimaadiziwinaa
maanda pii mibdeg jiimaan. Aabji go gchi-piitendaagwod monpii daang.
Miigwech
Oral Interview
Purpose
– to determine the student’s oral
proficiency in English
- to gain important information about
the student’s academic background
and interests
Done one on one with the student
Initial Assessment
Oral Grades 1 - 12
• Review the questions on pages 8
and 9
• What additional questions might
you add to this list?
• Review the continuum
• Discuss your initial impressions with
your table mates
Picture Response
• Should reflect a global or
multicultural perspective
• Be age appropriate
• Be relevant to student’s
background experience
• Choice of pictures to prompt
conversation
• Ask student to draw a picture
Initial Placement on Oral
Continuum
• Using the oral continuum develop a
question or a task for each STEP
using the picture
– Example STEP 1 Show me the
bananas
Welcoming New Families
Initial Assessment
Early Literacy Tasks
Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks
Recommendations for Support/Placement
Communicating and Planning
Initial determination of
subsequent assessment
tasks
• Early Literacy Tasks
• Reading and Writing Assessment
Tasks
Early Literacy Tasks
• Print concepts
• Alphabet
• Vocabulary
• Reading the English Alphabet
• Writing the English Alphabet
• Basic Vocabulary
Pages 10 - 12
Reading and Writing
Assessment Tasks
• Advisable to begin with a reading
task and connect it to a writing task
• Package includes tasks based on a
variety of literary and information
texts for STEPS 1-4 (pages 24 – 46)
Sample Assessment Materials
• Intended to guide assessors in
planning and developing their own
assessment materials
• Sample assessment materials for
STEPS 5 and 6 are not provided as
they can be selected from grade
appropriate texts
Pages 17 - 22
Designing an Initial
Assessment Task - Reading
• Connect with prior knowledge
• Prompts and questions
– Meaning
– Form and style
– Fluency
• Text Selection
Text Selection
A range of texts at each level should be
available to allow for differentiated
assessment
Select texts that:
– Reflect the background knowledge and
experiences of the student
– Are sensitive to the student’s culture and
family situation
– Are based on content that is age appropriate
– Are written at a level of linguistic complexity
that corresponds to the possible STEP level
determined in the oral interview
Text selection continued
• Are flexible – can be used in an
adjacent STEP or grade
• Based on student’s language
proficiency –not necessarily their
grade level
• Provide a broad range of text forms
Aligning Texts with STEP
• In groups of two or three, using the
texts provided at your table,
determine an appropriate text for a
specific student based on the text
selection guidelines
• Determine the appropriate alignment
of the text with STEP using the
profile and the information provided
• Complete the graphic organizer
Initial Placement on Reading
Continuum
• Using your text, develop questions
or a task that would provide
evidence of student understanding
related to meaning, form and style
and fluency
• Record on chart paper to share
Initial Placement on Reading
Continuum
• Using your text, develop questions
or a task that would provide
evidence of student understanding
related to meaning, form and style
and fluency
• Record on chart paper to share
Designing Writing Tasks
• Can be connected to oral interview,
or reading
• Task should focus on enabling the
student to demonstrate
– Developing and organizing content
– Language conventions
Initial Assessment Writing
Continuum
• Using the text you selected create
a writing task for a student
Welcoming New Families
Initial Assessment
Early Literacy Tasks
Reading and Writing Assessment Tasks
Recommendations for Support/Placement
Communicating and Planning
Tracking Tool
Page 15
Secondary Alignment
Page 16
Table Talk Time
Reflection and Planning
Consider your board’s current practise for
initial assessment
How might the STEP initial language
assessment resource be used?
What do various board roles need to
successfully support initial assessment of
ELLs?
Use the planning page provided.