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CIL 510 – Data-Driven Instruction Key Assessment
for ESL and Bilingual Education Students
Overview and Context
The purpose of this assessment, completed by all students taking CIL 510, is to use knowledge and skills
obtained through reading assignments and class activities to:
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Develop knowledge of formative assessments as they are used with ELLs and their appropriateness for
measuring aspects of language development.
Become familiar with an assessment and the data it provides.
Analyze assessment data on one English language learner.
Evaluate the appropriateness of the assessment choice for the given purpose.
Make recommendations about data-driven instruction for the learner.
The assignment typically earns 10 clinical hours in the course.
Standards Addressed
Illinois Professional Teaching Standards for English as a New Language 3, 7
TESOL/NCATE Standards 3a, 4a, 4b
Course Learning Outcomes
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Demonstrate the ability to use assessment data to differentiate instruction for language proficiency
development and content learning.
Demonstrate ability to evaluate and effectively use various instruments and procedures for assessing
both language proficiency and academic performance.
Demonstrate ability to understand and interpret qualitative and quantitative data for assessing students.
Demonstrate the ability to apply assessment results for reflecting on, and modifying teaching.
Directions
Think of a student you are curious about. It may be a struggling learner, a learner with certain skill gaps, a
learner who has made amazing progress, or any student who you want to understand better than at present. The
student should be linguistically and culturally diverse and classified for ESL/bilingual services or recently
exited from them. You may also consider a child whose parent/guardian has refused services. Imagine that an
administrator has asked you to write a report about the learning needs of the student. Follow these steps.
Context/Setting
1. Choose a student and be able to give a rationale as to why you chose that particular student. Obtain
basic demographic information on the student and family (e.g. age, first and second language(s),
race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, etc.). Use a pseudonym to respect privacy rights.
2. View the Illinois State Board of Education Report Card (http://illinoisreportcard.com) and obtain
demographic information about the school and its students.
Assessment Procedure
3. Choose and administer an assessment or obtain ONE piece of assessment data about that learner. The
data may be from a standardized assessment or a structured, classroom-based assessment.
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Data Analysis
4. Analyze the data. What does the data about the student’s performance on the assessment tell you about
them? Factor in any demographic information about the student, family, and school/district that might
enrich your analysis.
5. Examine the assessment and evaluate the quality of the assessment and the data it provides (validity,
reliability, and practicality).
Recommendations
6. Consider the student’s performance on the assessment. How does the data help inform instruction in
order to meet the academic needs of this student?
Written Report
Use the information you gathered to write a 2-3 page (minimum) report you might share with a teacher at the
school, with instructional recommendations.
 Write a cogent, organized report (not a numbered list) in standard written English with an introduction,
body, and conclusion. You can use the headings under “Directions” to organize your report.
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Submitting the written report to anyone other than your professor is not part of the assignment.
Your professor may also ask you to share your report with the class as part of the assignment.
Assessment
Before submitting, review your project using the rubric below to ensure that all of the criteria have been
met.
Class Instructional Activity
After completion of the assessment, your instructor may use this as an in-class activity.
Online Course Consideration
For the online version of this course, candidates will follow the same instructions to complete this project.
Rubric
PERFORMANCE
LEVEL →
TESOL
Standar
ds
Performance
Description
Criteria
1 Rationale
regarding choice
of student
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4a
Unsatisfactory
(0-1)
Basic (2)
Proficient (3)
Distinguished
(4)
Refers to candidate
performance that
does not yield
sufficient evidence
to make a
determination or is
consistently below
standards.
Refers to candidate
performance
demonstrating
necessary knowledge
and skills but its
application is
inconsistent.
Refers to candidate
demonstrating mastery of
performance at a consistently
professional level.
Refers to
exemplary
candidate
performan
ce that
stands as
a model
for other
candidates
.
N/A
Rationale regarding Rationale regarding
choice of student
choice of student
was missing.
was incomplete.
Rationale regarding choice of
student was complete.
3
2 Basic
demographic data
3 Analysis of data
Demographic
information was
missing.
4b
Data analysis does
not include an
interpretation of
what the student
can do and/or
knows, and does
not factor in
appropriate
demographic
information about
the student, family,
and school/district.
4 Analysis of the
appropriateness
of the formative
assessment for
the target learner
4a
The formative
assessment for the
target learner was
not analyzed for
appropriateness,
validity, reliability,
or practicality
5 Recommendation
s
for instruction
3a
Recommendations
were missing, or
did not include
appropriate
instructional
options and data
analysis.
Writing is
disorganized and
contains numerous
mechanical and
other errors (e.g.
APA) that interfere
with
comprehension.
Unsatisfactory
0-11
6 Writing
Overall Score
Demographic
information (as
available) was
incomplete.
Data analysis
includes a cursory
interpretation of
what the student
can do and/or
knows, or does not
factor in enough
appropriate
demographic
information about
the student, family,
and school/district.
Demographic information (as
available) was complete.
Data analysis includes a
thoughtful interpretation of
what the student can do
and/or knows and factors in
appropriate demographic
information about the student,
family, and school/district.
The formative
assessment for the
target learner was
analyzed for its
appropriateness,
validity, reliability,
and practicality, but
not thoroughly, or
not in all areas.
Recommendations
include instructional
options that are not
appropriate or are
not based on data
analysis.
The formative assessment for
the target learner was
thoroughly analyzed.
Included in the analysis was
its appropriateness, validity,
reliability, and practicality.
Writing is organized
and contains several
mechanical and
other errors (e.g.
APA) that do not
interfere with
comprehension.
Writing is clearly organized
and occasional mechanical
and other errors (e.g. APA) do
not interfere with
comprehension.
Basic
12-15 points
Proficient
16-18 points
Recommendations include
appropriate instructional
options based on data
analysis.
To the teacher: You may add whatever other classroom expectations you wish to your classroom rubric; the
rubric above is the ONLY part of your classroom assessment that is used for the university Key Assessment.
You may also choose the percentage of the final grade you assign to the project.
Final draft 6-1-15