Name: Melanie Formaneck Self-Assessment Universal Access: Equity for All Students a) English Learners (2.6a) Directions: With your support provider review and discuss the standards below referencing any information gained through Conversation Guides. To ensure academic achievement and language proficiency for English Learners, participating teachers adhere to legal and ethical obligations for teaching English Learners including the identification, referral and re-designation processes. Participating teachers implement district policies regarding primary language support services for students. Participating teachers plan instruction for English Learners based on the students’ levels of proficiency and literacy in English and primary language as assessed by multiple measures such as the California English Language Development Test (CELDT), the California Standards Test (CST), and local assessments. Based on teaching assignment and the adopted language program instructional model(s), participating teachers implement one or more of the components of English Language Development (ELD): grade-level academic language instruction, ELD by proficiency level, and/or content-based ELD. Participating teachers instruct English learners using adopted standards-aligned instructional materials. Participating teachers differentiate instruction based upon their students’ primary language and proficiency levels in English considering the students’ culture, level of acculturation, and Reflection Planning Prompts: Language Supports: How I use measures of English language proficiency to make instructional decisions Evidence: Use CELDT and CST data, have awareness of who EL students are, work with other teachers on campus who work with EL students to use various reading and language strategies, during NEST use tiered workbooks for remediation ELD Instruction: How I support my students’ development of academic language and English language development Evidence: Think-pair-share, having students use the language, creating a vocabulary focus as a part of the science notebooks, strategic seating arrangements (support from more proficient peers) Differentiated Instruction: How I differentiate instruction based on my students’ culture, levels of acculturation, proficiency in English and/or prior schooling Describe your strengths and challenges related to assessment. Initial Self-Assessment Date/Comments: One of my strengths is using CELDT data and their levels to identify students to provide targeted interventions. Another strength, I collaborate with various teachers in other subject areas to identify and provide support to students across content areas. A challenge is finding EL curriculum that correlates to district adopted textbooks in structure and pacing to support the learning of all students. 11/1/12 Final Self Assessment Date/Comments: 4/10/13- Data driven instruction has become a hallmark of my instruction this year, particularly in regards to instruction and intervention for English Language Learners. At the beginning of the year I used CELDT and CST data to help with student placement in the classroom and in small groups. As the year has progressed, I continue to use testing data, but also evaluate students informally on an individual basis for proficiency in academic/scientific language. One strategy that has proven successful for my ELL students (whose primary language is Spanish) is the use of cognates to emphasize and reinforce vocabulary. The adopted textbook has an English/Spanish glossary that includes cognates, as well as definitions in Spanish. In addition, becoming more familiar with student language proficiency has enabled me to target ELL student that need additional support through intervention. The use of leveled workbooks (A and B levels) has been a useful differentiation strategy because both workbooks address the same standards, but the B level workbook is written in a more student-friendly language, which is helpful for students who are not proficient or fluent in English. I work closely with the teachers of the “Gateways” program, which is the ELA/reading core for students at the lowest levels of English language proficiency and we collaborate to identify strategies to help this subgroup of students be more successful with academic language. Describe your strengths and challenges related to ELD instruction. Initial Self-Assessment Date/Comments: Strengths include use of manipulatives and gestures to help make learning more visual and experiential, using partner and group learning instead of having students work/struggle on their own, and using visuals throughout instruction (diagrams, graphs, maps, etc.) and in their own notebooks. A challenge is feeling that my current strategies are not sufficient for reaching all students. 11/1/12 Final Self Assessment Date/Comments: 4/10/13- Through collaboration with ELD instructors on campus, I have identified several SDAIE strategies that have been successful in bridging the academic language gap for many of my students. One strategy that has been particularly helpful is Visual Vocabulary, where students either draw pictures or find pictures to represent vocabulary words. Another strategy that has been helpful is using gestures and body motions to represent processes (convection, states of matter, transfer of energy). By giving students a kinesthetic motion to accompany a concept, they are better able to conceptualize concepts and can revisit the gestures during class and exams to help them recall and explain concepts better. Describe your strengths and challenges related to differentiated instruction. Initial Self-Assessment Date/Comments: My strengths in this area include using district adopted materials available at my school site for differentiating instruction, using tiered expectations based on student language proficiency, and providing opportunities for students to use academic language with a peer. My challenge would be providing differentiated instruction that truly supports student’s individual needs. 11/1/12 prior schooling. Final Self Assessment Date/Comments: Evidence: Emphasis on academic vocabulary, word wall, tiered workbooks and writing expectations, strategic student pairing Possible sources of evidence to review when addressing these prompts: Class Profile; School and District Information/ Resources; Ongoing Parent/Student Communication; Student Work; Classroom Observations Copyright © Commission on Teacher Credentialing and the California Department of Education Formative Assessment for California Teachers (FACT) – 2011 Reflections on Teaching and Learning - Induction Standard 6a Self-Assessment