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EDUC 805
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Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners
Dr. Valdez Pierce’s article on authentic assessment provided much insight into the
different kinds of assessment that could be used in the ESL (English as a Second
Language) classroom. Although she described the methods as practical approaches for
teachers, in fact her methods are not easily incorporated into a high school ESL
classroom.
Part of the problem is that many of the teachers currently teaching ESL have
gained their teaching skills and training prior to the introduction of alternative assessment
into teacher training programs. Without some training, it is quite difficult for individual
teachers to move away from traditional forms of assessment and to take the risk that this
change will be beneficial for both students and teachers. It is particularly difficult to
make this change in the current climate of SOLs and other testing milieu. In order to
facilitate the change, there will need to be professional development programs that teach
authentic assessment for most teachers. The school itself will need to make a
commitment to alternative assessment as well; otherwise teachers are unlikely to take the
risk.
Of all the methods Dr. Valdez Pierce proposed, the Book Talks (Integrated
Reading Assessment (1996, page 223-227) seems to be the most easy to incorporate into
a Beginner ESL High School classroom. The teacher will probably be hampered by the
lack of books available to teenagers that are both age appropriate and at the correct ESL
reading level. Both the lack of financial resources as well as actual published books most
likely account for most ESL high school having few books for students to read. Even the
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school library will in all probability have only a small selection of readers and again these
are almost certainly not at the correct reading level.
One possibility that the teacher might consider is talking books. The recordings
come with both a slow and a regular speed of speaking. The stories are also printed so
students can follow along. There is even a list of comprehension questions, although
these appear to be fairly advanced. The stories themselves can be classical literature or
content based. The students could read the stories at their own pace, with the teacher
utilizing the Book Talk to assess their reading.
The major drawbacks to talking books are that they are not cheap and the students
will also need cassette recorders, headphones and batteries. An ESL department could
possibly purchase a set that all the Beginner ESL classes could use, sharing the various
resources among the teachers.
Dr. Valdez Pierce includes a list of sample questions for Book Talks with her
article. This list could be expanded or simplified, depending on the ESL level of the
students. Students might also be asked to physically draw their understanding of some
aspect of the story, such as a favorite character, or an especially interesting event in the
plot. One dynamic approach would be to ask the students to draw four pictures of their
story, which tell in broad strokes what happens in the story. They wouldn’t be allowed to
use any words while doing this, as a beginning approach to the skill of summarizing.
In order to make Book Talks effective in the ESL classroom, it is imperative that
the teachers make sure all the students understand the key words, such as plot, character,
setting etc. that will be focused upon. Teachers must also model self-assessment and give
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the students ample opportunity to practice prior to introducing Book Talks. Students
must also develop the skill to ask searching questions that don’t require a simple “yes” or
“no”. This skill is not easy to develop in a Beginner ESL classroom because of the lack
of vocabulary and knowledge of English grammar.
In conclusion, Dr. Valdez Pierce makes a credible argument for the use of
alternative assessment in ESL classrooms. However, the use of such assessments must
be tempered by the current SOL climate, by the level of teacher knowledge and skill in
using such assessments and by the amount of possible resources that could be used in her
proposed methodologies.
References
O’Malley, J.M. & Valdez Pierce, L. (1999). Authentic assessment for English language
learners: practical approaches for teachers. New York, NY: Addison-Wesley
Publishing Company.
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