HSD 2012
Initial Assessment Guide/Suggestions for:
Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing
The purpose of the initial assessment is to gather critical and detailed information about each learner’s educational background and experiences and level of proficiency in
English and/or the first or dominant language in order to determine appropriate programming needs.
Descriptors from the EAL Stages of ‘ Global Assessment Indicators’
( https://csteal.wikis.hsd.ca/Assessment ) & ‘ Characteristics of EY/ MY/ SY EAL
Learners ’ may be used to make this determination.
Ideally, initial assessment information should be gathered formally and informally over a period of one to two weeks through a variety of social interactions and learning experiences.
Provide contextualized and authentic opportunities for students to demonstrate what they can do through:

Familiar topics of their choosing

Open-ended questions & responses and comfortable conversations
ASSESSMENT MATERIALS may include some of the following:

Oral interview (see below)

Collection of interesting, age and culturally appropriate pictures

English vocabulary inventory: to assess receptive and expressive skills
Pictures, charts, illustrations of the following: Basket of school supplies:
 colours
 numbers
 ABC’s
 body parts
 clothing



 foods animals active people landscapes crayons, markers, scissors, stapler, ruler, glue stick, pens, pencil case, pencil crayons, notebook, book, hole punch, paper, calculator, pencil sharpener,

Display of books on a table that include: o a range of reading levels with strong picture support o various topics of age appropriate interest o several books in student’s first language (if available).

Lined and unlined papers, pencils, crayons (for drawing), highlighter

Continuum Charts: EAL Global Assessment Indicators
EAL Characteristics of EY / MY / SY EAL Learners
ELA Reading Continuum (ex. Bonnie Campbell-Hill)
ELA Writing Continuum
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HSD 2012
LISTENING & SPEAKING

Oral interview (see below)

Vocabulary inventory: receptive and expressive: name &/or point to picture

Use illustrations in books or pictures to engage students in a conversation
(English and home language) about topics they are VERY familiar with, such as: family, weekend, recess, pets, sports, holidays, etc. o Prompt (with gestures) during conversation:
 “Show me…”, “Where is..” “Who has…” Yes/no o Students may respond silently or in their home language.
Refer to: EAL Global Assessment Indicator chart. Highlight observed indicator elements.
ELA Developmental Continuum. Highlight observed proficiency elements.
Note the following: o Can student comprehend something from your comments? o Can student name some familiar items in English?
o Can student talk about items and activities in a picture?
Comments / Observations:
Affect: shy, eager, confident, anxious?
STAGE 1 o responds physically and/or verbally to simple commands and familiar social conventions paired with gestures, familiar vocabulary, and visual support o may be in a silent period o observes and imitates to engage in classroom activities o uses non-verbal language, first language, and single words
STAGE 2 o understands the gist of connected sentences in familiar contexts o responds in phrases or short sentences to whquestions o requests clarification using familiar phrases o begins to predict meaning from key words with visual support o recognizes differences of formality of speech in familiar contexts o recognizes English sounds o begins to identify the main ideas and some details of texts o responds to more complex questions about familiar topics o joins ideas using common linking expressions o forms questions, statements, and commands o responds to oral text adjusted for the learner’s language level.
STAGE 3 o responds to most oral/visual text in social and academic contexts o responds to implied meaning, hypothetical questions, and rapid, unfamiliar speech o asks questions to get more information during interactions o comprehends the natural flow of conversation o understands most idioms and cultural references o repeats, responds, and initiates using gestures, 1-2 word utterances, and basic vocabulary o uses common courtesy expressions o imitates English sounds o relies heavily on first language and culture to make sense of the world o speaks in phrases and short sentences o expresses ideas using personal familiar vocabulary, key content words, and patterned, predictable sentences o errors of grammar and syntax do not greatly detract from comprehensibility o experiments with social expressions o imitates English speaking and pronunciation patterns o self-corrects occasionally o initiates and sustains interactions o organizes ideas in sequence o selects vocabulary for a variety of academic and social purposes o uses sentence structures and grammar with increasing accuracy initiates, sustains, closes communicative tasks o selects appropriate expressions, gestures, and idioms o uses comprehensible speech in unrehearsed situations (accented speech is expected and valued).
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HSD 2012
Refer to: EAL Global Assessment Indicator chart. Highlight observed indicator elements.
ELA Developmental Reading Continuum. Highlight observed proficiency elements.
Note: Can student decode text? o What strategies do they use when reading? o Does student notice / correct errors? o What does student do when he/she has trouble o Picture clues, phonics, contextual cues o What level of text can student read with comprehension? with a word? o Does student use / notice punctuation? o Is oral reading smooth or choppy, phrased, expressive?
Comments / Observations:
READING
Letter Work
Ask students to: o Name random letters on the ABC chart
 Or, “Show me the letter …..” o Respond to, “What sound does this letter make?”
 Or, “Point to the letter that makes this sound…..”
Text Reading
Ask student to choose a book.

Look at the cover, and ask: “What do you see here?”
 Provide a ‘picture walk’ through the book, with a conversation

Ask student to read a-loud or silently. If a long book is selected, have them read a few sentences or paragraphs.

Provide help quickly when student falters
 If students can decode text, stop occasionally for comprehension checks, brief comments; discuss/notice the pictures, “show me where it says …..”, etc.

Ask student to retell the story; beginning, middle, end
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 o participates in shared reading experiences o recognizes that sounds can be represented by symbols o recognizes their own name o recognizes some letters and numbers o begins to understand some environmental icons and print o displays reading-like behaviours o interprets pictures through their first culture o recognizes basic text characteristics
(e.g., cover, left to right, top to bottom directionality) o reads simple or memorized, connected text on familiar topics o recognizes many sound-symbol relationships o connects pictures to words o names the letters of the alphabet nonsequentially o recognizes some sight and high frequency words and phrases o uses organizational patterns to predict meaning o understands the gist of connected sentences in familiar contexts o recognizes and gains meaning from short text by using contextual and visual cues o is developing a variety of decoding strategies for coping with new vocabulary o comprehends cohesive devices to follow the thread of text o applies strategies to decode familiar and new vocabulary o applies knowledge of word forms to understand text o understands many cultural references and inferences in ageappropriate texts
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HSD 2012
WRITING

Ask students to write: o Their name o Alphabet o Numbers o Copy some text from a book cover o Write from memory as many English words as he/she can (in 3 minutes)

Ask students to write in English or their home language, or draw, about: o your conversation on very familiar topics (suggestions above). o something about the story they just read; a short retelling o an interesting picture, book cover, or illustration
Ask students to read what they have written.
Refer to: EAL Global Assessment Indicator chart. Highlight observed indicator elements.
ELA Developmental Writing Continuum. Highlight observed proficiency elements.
Note the following: o o o
Fluency, ease of writing
Printing or script
Letter formation, reversals o Grammar o Punctuation o Amount of writing o Use of spaces o Use of lines on page o Size of letters o Use of upper / lower case o Neatness o Directionality
Comments/Observations:
STAGE 1 STAGE 2 STAGE 3 o draws to communicate meaning o uses their first language and culture to participate in writing o begins to understand that symbols represent words, sounds, and thoughts o writes their own name o copies text and pictures o generates familiar words o is developing awareness of direction of print o experiments with the tools of writing o writes short texts, connects words, and substitutes words in patterned sentences with support o uses vocabulary related to familiar objects and shared or personal experiences o is developing an awareness of spacing between words o attempts to spell familiar words o follows common writing conventions o writes short, related sentences in response to visual cues o uses simple connectors to join sentences and key content vocabulary o adds detail and new vocabulary with teacher support and explicit instruction o demonstrates some control of word order and tense o shows control over a variety of text structures o uses key vocabulary specific to curriculum topics o applies new vocabulary and structures in a variety of forms o demonstrates grade-appropriate grammatical knowledge with occasional errors o writes appropriately for the socio-cultural context
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HSD 2012
Oral Interview
(ERGO, page 2.2)
1.
What is your name? ………………………………………………………………..
2.
How old are you? ……………. When is your birthday? ……………………….....
3.
Where were you born? …………………………………………………………..….
4.
Have you always lived in (name of country)? If not, where else have you lived?
………………………………………………………………………………………..…..
5.
Tell me about your country (or the last country you lived in)?
……………………………………………………………………………………………..
6.
Whom did you live with in (name of country)? ……………………………………..
7.
Did you go to school? Yes No Did you go every day? Yes No
8.
How old were you when you started school? …………………………….………….
9.
In Manitoba, we go to school from September to June. When do you go to school in your country? ……………………………………………………………………………...
10.
Tell me about your school? What did you study? Did you study English?
………………………………………………………………………………….………….
11.
What language(s) did you speak in school? ………………………………………..….
Can you read in ……? Yes No Can you write in ….? Yes No
12.
When did you arrive in Canada? ………………………………………………..……
13.
How do you feel about coming to Canada? Why? ………………………….……….
……………………………………………………………………………….…………
14.
Who do you live with in Canada? ……………………………………….……………
15.
What language(s) do you speak at home? …………………………….………………
16.
What do you like to do after school (music lessons, sports, interest)?
…………………………………………………………………………….……………
17.
Tell me about a good friend of yours. ………………………………….……………..
18.
What do you want to do when you grow up? …………………………….…………..
19.
Do you have any questions to ask me? ……………….………………….……………
For students providing a limited response or no response, proceed to letter work.
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