Best practice for using High Point Materials
Albuquerque Public Schools
Language and Cultural Equity
High Point is intended for Middle School English language learners. Students
who test beginner, early intermediate or intermediate on the NMELPA,
require ESL services. Teaching with High Point can fulfill your ESL
requirement. High Point levels B/C can be used for reading intervention for
early advanced or advanced ELL students.
Deciding which placement test to administer
ELL students must be assessed with High Point Placement Test. Use
NMELPA levels as a guideline for deciding which High Point diagnostic
placement test to administer (you don’t have to give students the whole
battery). In other words, you can begin testing a student where you think
he/she is. For example, an early intermediate student could start with the
Level A test.
High Point levels
The Basics (for newcomers only)
Level A
Level B
Level C
NMELPA levels
beginner
early intermediate
intermediate
early advanced or advanced
Correct placement of students
Initially, place ESL students homogeneously by NMELPA scores. Students
should be grouped by language proficiency level and not necessarily by grade
level. Often, in middle school, ELL’s are grouped by grade level with multiple
levels of English language proficiency in one class. We suggest the first level
of placement be the NMELPA score, and then, if possible, by grade level.
That would mean that you might need to place 6th, 7th and 8th graders
together in the same class by language proficiency level rather than by
grade level.
You may find that the High Point placement test scores don’t match well
with the students’ original placements by NMELPA. Variation in reading
levels is to be expected. Except for some special cases, it is not
recommended that you shuffle everyone’s schedules. Keep the placements
according to NMELPA, and use the multilevel strategies recommended by
the High Point publishers to make up for the discrepancy.
Remember, only newcomers should be placed in the Basics book. The Basics
never should be used with students who have been in school in the United
States for more than 1 -2 years, regardless of their High Point Placement
test score. If a student who has been here for longer than 2 years tests
into the Basics level, then the grammar and decoding lessons from the
Reading Basics box of overheads can be used to supplement Levels A-C.
Implementation
Teachers should never try to teach 3 levels at once. Teachers should teach
to the middle level and use the multilevel strategies built into the text in
order to differentiate for language levels. For example, if you have to teach
levels A, B and C, at the same time, then teach primarily from level B and
differentiate using the suggested activities and also the leveled libraries.
Remember that levels B and C can be appropriate for any student who reads
somewhat below grade level and needs support using academic English.
Below you will find the range of reading levels reflective of each High Point
level:
High Point level
Basics (newcomer only)
Level A
Level B
Level C
4/08
Approximate Reading level
grade 1-3
grade 2-4
grade 4-5
grade 5-6