ASSESSMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
ASSESSMENT PLAN
ELLs will participate in all Districtwide assessments. These
include grade appropriate PSSA, TerraNova, and other
literacy based tests. Please consult the District’s most recent
testing schedules. Certain exemptions may apply to students
who are in their first year of public education. The PDE
website has the most up-to-date information regarding ELL
exemptions and accommodations.
STANDARDIZED TESTING GUIDELINES
PSSA/TERRA NOVA TESTING
ESL students must participate in PSSA and Terra Nova
testing as mandated by the Pennsylvania Department of
Education. LEP students in their first year (12 months) of
enrollment in U.S. schools have an option of taking the
Reading PSSA. A student’s enrollment in a school in Puerto
Rico is not to be considered as enrollment in a U.S. school.
If in the first year in U.S. schools students choose to
participate in the Reading assessment, their performance
level results will not be included in the AYP calculations for
the school or district.
All students are required to participate in the Mathematics
PSSA, with accommodations as appropriate. However, the
Mathematics scores of the LEP students in their first year of
enrollment in U.S. schools, not including Puerto Rico, will not
be used to determine the percent proficient or higher for AYP
status.
STANDARDIZED TESTING GUIDELINES
ACCOMMODATIONS
Accommodations are provided to ensure that an assessment
measures the ELL’s knowledge and skills rather than his/her
limited
English
proficiency.
The
intent
of
providing
accommodations is to “level the playing field” for ELLs,
ensuring that the test is measuring the student’s skills and
knowledge and not English language proficiency. The listing
of
accommodations
below
are
the
allowable
accommodations for ELLs as determined by the State for the
PSSA.











Extension of allotted time
Use of multiple shortened test period
Scheduled breaks
Classroom adaptations
Testing in a separate room
Small group setting
Bilingual dictionary (without definitions)
Qualified bilingual interpreter
Reading of questions (not for Reading assessments)
Providing visual clues
Simplification of directions
*PDE allowable accommodations for ELLs may change from
year-to-year. Please consult the most recent Pennsylvania
Accommodations Guidelines which can be found at
www.pde.state.pa.us.
ACCOMMODATIONS
What You Can Do:

You may simplify the language of the directions.

You may repeat directions as necessary.

Read directions in English and/or the native language
and have students explain directions aloud to confirm
understanding.
What You Cannot Do:

Point to answers.

Read the reading passages that are part of the
reading section of the test.

Assist the student to decide what answer is “correct”.

Assist the student in any way that compromises the
validity of the test, e.g., “Are you sure that this is the
answer?” Have you looked at answer X?”
ACCOMMODATIONS
The Pennsylvania Department of Education has added two
accommodations that address the needs of ELLs:
Dictionaries for Translation:
Word-to-word dictionaries that translate native
language to English or English to native language
are allowed. Bilingual dictionaries that include word
definitions or pictures are not allowed.
On the PSSA, bilingual dictionaries may be used on
any portion of the Mathematics test and the openended section of the Reading test. Bilingual
dictionaries cannot be used on the Writing test or
for multiple choice/passages on the Reading test.
Qualified Interpreter (English to
Native Language):
Interpreters may translate directions and clarify
instructions for the Reading, Writing, and
Mathematics assessment on the PSSA. Interpreters
may translate, but not define, specific words and/or
questions (multiple choice and open-ended) on the
Writing and Mathematics sections of the PSSA.
Interpreters may only translate the directions on the
Reading test. They may not translate or define
words or phrases in passages or questions.
Please consult the ESL Office for a list of translators
or with additional questions.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Each school must involve the appropriate school personnel in
the determination of appropriate accommodations for ELLS.
The ESL teacher, classroom teachers, the test coordinator, a
parent/guardian, the principal or counselor and the student
(when appropriate) may be involved in this determination.
Identifying appropriate accommodations should be a
collaborative process and should always include regular
classroom/content area teachers consulting with ESL
teachers. This determination must be done annually on an
individual basis and must not be done for groups of ELLs.
School personnel should consider the following in determining
the appropriate accommodations:
The ELL’s familiarity with the accommodations to be used.
Current accommodations used in day-to-day instruction and
assessment are appropriate. New accommodations unfamiliar
to students should not be introduced to students for the first
time when they are taking the PSSA or any other standardized
test.
An annual review of the ELL’s progress in English language
proficiency and academic achievement. Knowing this
information
will
help
teachers
determine
which
accommodations are still appropriate given the ELL’s current
level and knowledge.
As per Pennsylvania State requirements, all testing
accommodations must be documented in the student
permanent record and updated annually. (See appendix for
Assessment accommodations Checklist for ELLs).
ACCOMMODATIONS
Once the checklist is filled out for the individual ELL,
those accommodations must be used for all tests
during the school year including teacher-made tests.
In order for accommodations to be effective, they
must become part of day-to-day practices.
Testing
Window
AND
Regular
School
Year