Assessment 7: Assessment that addresses other TESOL standards: Culminating
Project: Comprehensive Exam/Masters Essay
1. A brief description of the assessment and its use in the program (one sentence may be
sufficient)
The culminating project is the teacher candidates’ choice of either a) M.A. Comprehensive
Exam or b) Master’s Essay that incorporates aspects of the entire program, including
content knowledge and knowledge of pedagogy, and, in particular, addresses candidate
impact on student learning. The assessment demonstrates candidates’ understanding of
TESOL concepts related to teacher effectiveness, including recognizing learner needs,
providing effective feedback, and adjusting instruction based on ongoing assessment.
Completion of the culminating project allows candidates to meet the exit requirement by
passing the M.A. Comprehensive Exam or submitting an acceptable Master’s Essay.
2. A description of how this assessment specifically aligns with the standards it is cited for
in Section III.
As indicated in Section III, the culmination project addresses TESOL standards:
1a. Describing Language.
1b. Language Acquisition and Development.
2a. Nature and Role of Culture.
2b. Culural Groups and Identity
3a. Planning for Standards-Based ESL and Content Instruction.
3b. Managing and Implementing Standards-Based ESL and Content Instruction.
3c. Using Resources Effectively in ESL and Content Instruction.
4b. Language Proficiency Assessment.
4c. Classroom-Based Assessment for ESL.
5a. ESL Research and History
The M.A. Comprehensive Exam integrates the standards by assessing teacher candidates’
ability to discuss and apply an understanding of theory and content knowledge in analyzing
the learning needs of ESOL students to develop appropriate curricula and instructional
plans for classroom teaching. The range of questions addresses knowledge the teacher
candidates have developed throughout the program in the areas of second language
acquisition and learning (Standards 1a, 1b), language structure and analysis (Standards 1a,
1b), diagnosing the diverse needs of students (Standards 2a, 2b), the planning of instruction
and the selection of suitable methodologies (Standards 3a, 3b, 3c), and assessments
(Standards 4b, 4c), all of which is framed on the foundation of ESL research and history
(Standard 5a). The rubric we use to assess teacher candidates’ understanding of second
language learning and teaching ESOL students from varied backgrounds aligns with the
TESOL Standards by evaluating candidates’ understanding of features and structures of
language and of learning/acquisition theories (Domain 1); classroom/teaching issues that
influence decisions to teach certain language and content, and application of language and
content knowledge to teaching students of different ages, proficiency levels and cultural
backgrounds (Domain 2 and 3); basic principles of learning and the learning process and
their awareness of and ability to apply approaches, methods and techniques for learning
language (Domain 3); the ability to analyze, diagnose, and assess student needs and errors
(Standards 4b, 4c).
The Master’s Essay requires Teacher candidates to apply their knowledge of language
(Standards 1a, 1b), culture (Standards 2a, 2b), standards (Standards 3a, 3b, 3c), pedagogy
(Domains 1, 2, 3), class-based assessment (Standards 4b, 4c), research and history
(Standard 5a) in the selection of an area for a data-based research study or a curriculum
development project. To accomplish this task, Teacher candidates do extensive reading to
conceptualize and define a second language teaching and learning, language analysis, or
curriculum and materials development project. While it may seem that the Master’s Essay
is focused on an in-depth analysis of one area of inquiry, completing the Master’s Essay
requires Teacher candidates to consider a broad range of knowledge to arrive at a goal for
their project. In determining the appropriateness and goal of any one of the projects listed,
Teacher candidates need to consider and evaluate language acquisition/learning issues
(Domain 1 - Language), pedagogical strategies (Domain 3 – Planning, Implementing and
Managing Instruction), the diverse needs of ESOL students (Domain 2 – Culture) and how
language proficiency will be supported and assessed (Standards 4b, 4c). Teacher
candidates must bring all of the elements together in an organized Master’s Essay that
reflects a well-thought-out purpose of inquiry, a thorough review of the literature, a
synthesis and integration of ideas from integral sources, evidence that the Master’s Essay
contributes to the literature, and an in-depth discussion of the implications of their findings.
3. A brief analysis of the data findings
In total, for the culminating project represented by the M.A. Comprehensive Exam and
Master’s Essay, 95% (38 of 40 Teacher candidates) of the candidates performed At/Above
Standard and 5% (2 of 40 Teacher candidates) of the candidates performed Below
Standard. Teacher candidates who take the Comprehensive Exam are rated as pass
(At/Above Standard) or fail (Below Standard) and those Teacher candidates who chose to
take the Master’s Essay must earn a B or better to meet the exit requirement.
The high performance rates on the Comprehensive Exam (92%, 35 of 40 Teacher
candidates) may include the Teacher candidates who pass the M.A. Comprehensive Exam
after re-taking the exam. The high rating for the Master’s Essay (100%, 3 of 3 Teacher
candidates) may be partially due to the low number of Teacher candidates taking the
Master’s Essay. The number of Teacher candidates choosing the Master’s Essay option has
also been quite low because in order to complete the essay Teacher candidates must
complete it in one semester in addition to their already substantial course load. At this time,
the Master’s Essay is a one-semester experience offered only during the Fall semester, so
of the three semesters of data reported below, only one is from a Fall term. Furthermore,
for our K-12 programs, opting to complete the MA Essay requires that they register for a
special 3-credit course which, due to the large number of requirements of the New York
State Education Department for certification, is above and beyond the credits required for
graduation. The passing rate is also as high as it is largely because faculty members guide
each teacher candidate to continue to improve and revise their Essay until they achieve a
passing grade or decide to take the MA Comprehensive Exam instead. Thus, Teacher
candidates seldom fail it. While the passing rate of Teacher candidates who complete the
Master’s Essay is high for good reason, it is the consensus of the program faculty that a
two-semester experience would allow more Teacher candidates to complete Master’s Essay
because it is quite demanding. A two-semester course occurring over the Fall and Spring
semesters would provide more guidance to Teacher candidates and encourage more to
select the Master’s Essay as a viable option to meet the program exit requirement. Data is
not available to determine how many Teacher candidates started out in one of the options
and switched to the other culminating project, or either dropped out of the program or are
still in the program and need to complete the exit requirement.
4. An interpretation of how that data provides evidence for meeting standards
The data shown in section 5c affirm that the candidates met or surpassed the standards.
Overall 95% or 38 out of 40 candidates performed at or above standard, thereby meeting
the expectations for the assessment.
5. Attachment of assessment documentation, including1
(a) the assessment tool or description of the assignment
a) The Masters Essay is a culminating project for the TESOL M.A. Program. For this
project the candidate identifies, researches, and presents in formal written form an
investigation of an issue related to second language learning/teaching, language analysis,
or materials development. It generally involves one of the types of topics described
below, and includes a description of the issue/topic, a thorough literature review, and
some original research, materials, or other content on that topic. It must follow APA
style and contain a complete bibliography.
b. The TESOL Program MA Comprehensive Exam is a 3-hour essay exam which
students generally take in their last or next to last semester in the program. The exam
requires students to answer three essay questions. The first two are questions that must
be answered by all students, but students are able to choose which one of three additional
possible questions they will answer for their third question. All of the questions are
designed to be answerable regardless of which instructor students may have had for
particular courses in the program. This is accomplished either by giving students a
choice of which sub-parts they answer on a particular question, or by asking the question
in a sufficiently broad way that many different correct answers are possible. The three
questions cover the following categories of knowledge:
Theories of Learning and Second Language Acquisition:
This question generally requires students to write extensively on either 1) a selection of
several specific hypotheses representing the range of learning and second language
acquisition theories, or 2) a broad question that requires students to make connections
across and to draw upon a knowledge of many of the different theories of learning and of
second language acquisition. This question includes material covered in the Theories of
1
All three components of the assessment – as identified in 5a-c – must be attached, with the following
exceptions: (a) the assessment tool and scoring guide are not required for reporting state licensure data,
and (b) for some assessments, data may not yet be available.
Second Language Acquisition, various Educational Foundations classes, and various
general learning theories covered in other classes.
Language Structure and Analysis:
You should be prepared to explain a variety of major concepts and issues involved in
teaching the form and use of the English language. This includes what was covered in
various classes in the areas of phonetics/phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics,
pragmatics, sociolinguistics, the lexicon, and discourse. This question may take different
forms, ranging across any of the following:
 issues to consider in teaching certain sounds, words, or structures
 the phonological, morphological, or grammatical points that one could use a
particular text to teach
 how a knowledge of certain linguistic or grammatical concepts might be useful for
teaching a particular point in a language class
 key concerns a teacher should have when teaching a particular structure or language
point
 typical stages ESL students go through in learning a particular structure
 common errors ESL student make when learning a particular sound, form, or use
Methodologies and Applications to Teaching:
Be prepared to explain a variety of major approaches, methods, techniques, and issues
involved in teaching English to different populations, with different needs, in different
contexts. This includes what was covered in various classes in the areas of
methodology, curriculum, materials, and assessment, as well as what you learned in
your field experiences and student teaching/practica. This question may take different
forms, ranging across any of the following:




issues to consider in teaching to certain ages/levels/needs of students
how, given a specific real-life teaching context, you might design an ES/FL course
how a knowledge of language, content, and student needs would be applied to
teaching a particular type of language class
key concerns a teacher should have when teaching using a particular method,
approach, technique, or content
(b) the scoring guide for the assessment
a) The Masters Essay (Pass/Fail)
1. YES NO NA
Does the essay have a clear title that captures and states the thesis
of the essay?
2. YES NO NA
Does the essay have good overall organization emanating from
logical, cohesive sequential segments?
3. YES NO NA
If appropriate, is there adequate coverage of the background
literature or a delineation of the area treated?
4. YES NO NA
Does the writer say something insightful, substantive, significant,
unique, and applicable?
5. YES NO NA
Is the content of the essay relevant to teaching English as a
second/foreign language?
6. YES NO NA
Has the writer apparently profited from the experience so that (s)he
has obviously enhanced knowledge of the area treated?
7. YES NO NA
Is the essay a worthy contribution to the literature? Would others
within and outside the discipline want to read it?
8. YES NO NA
Does the writer synthesize ideas from various integral sources and
integrate them in the essay?
9. YES NO NA
Is the essay well written from a mechanical point of view: correct
spelling, accurate word choice, natural expression, considerate
punctuation, clear references, appropriate parallelisms, processable
sentence length, tense sequences, etc.?
10. YES NO NA
Does the essay follow the APA style sheet?
11. YES NO NA
Does the essay succeed as an academic piece of writing?
12. YES NO NA
Is the essay balanced in that it represents fairly and accurately
conflicting points of view?
Does the writer use specific technical language in self-defining
contexts in such a way that the lay reader could understand?
Is it clear that the writer has consulted and cited all the relevant
background sources?
Are the ideas in the essay attributed appropriately either by direct
quotations or paraphrases? Do these citations appear in the
bibliography?
13. YES NO NA
14. YES NO NA
15. YES NO NA
Comments:
b) Comprehensive Exam (Pass/Fail
The answer was considered PASSING
PASSING (P) because it showed:
The answer was considered MARGINAL
(M) because it:
The answer was considered NOT
PASSING (NP) because it:
1. an understanding of the complexities of
particular features and structures of
language
1. showed limited understanding of limited
range understanding of particular features
and structures of language
1. showed a lack of understanding of some
important aspect of particular features and
structures of language;
2. an understanding of learning or language
acquisition theories, stages, and
processes
2. showed some understanding of learning
or language acquisition theories, stages,
and processes
2, omitted or misrepresented some key
aspect of a learning or second language
acquisition theory, stage, or process, OR
3. an understanding of the basic principles
of learning and the language learning
3. showed a limited understanding of the
basic principles of learning and the
3. omitted or misrepresented some aspect
of the basic principles of learning or the
process
language learning process
language learning process, OR:
4. an awareness of and ability to apply
approaches, methods, and techniques for
learning language
4. showed only a limited awareness of and
ability to apply approaches, methods,
and techniques for learning language
4. showed a lack of awareness or ability to
apply approaches, methods, or techniques
for learning language, OR:
5. an awareness of classroom/teaching
issues that influence how one
should/could teach certain language and
content
5. showed a limited awareness of
classroom/teaching issues that influence
how one should/could teach certain
language and content
5. showed a lack of awareness of
classroom/teaching issues that influence
how one should/could teach certain
language and content, OR:
6. an ability to apply language and content
knowledge to teaching students of
different ages, proficiency levels, and
backgrounds
6. showed a limited ability to apply
language and content knowledge to
teaching students of different ages,
proficiency levels, and backgrounds
6. showed problems in applying language
or content knowledge to teaching students
of different ages, proficiency levels, or
backgrounds, OR:
7. an ability to analy7e, diagnose, and
assess student needs and errors
7. a limited ability to analyze, diagnose,
and assess student needs and errors
7. inaccurately analyzed, diagnosed, or
assessed student needs or errors, OR:
8. an ability to express oneself well in
written English, including using
appropriate style, organization, register,
lexical choice, grammar, and common
writing conventions
8. showed a limited ability to express
oneself well in written English,
including using appropriate style,
organization, register, lexical choice,
grammar, and common writing
conventions
8. showed an inability to express oneself
well in written English, including
weaknesses in the use of appropriate style,
organization, register, lexical choice,
grammar, and common writing conventions
Question 1: P
M
NP
Question 2: P
M
NP
Question 3: P
M
NP
Overall Score (circle one):
Note: Two or three MARGINALs result in a Fail.
Comments:
Pass
Fail
(c) candidate data derived from the assessment.
Key Assessment
Format of
Data
Semester
Candidate Performance
Ratings
Below
Standard
(Fail)
Percentage
Number
Percentage
Spring
2006
Spring
2006
Spring
2006
Spring
2006
Spring
2006
Spring
2006
Fall 2006
Fall 2006
Number
Fall 2006
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Number
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Percentage
Subtotal
Number
Subtotal
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Subtotal
Subtotal
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Number
Culminating Project: Masters Essay
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Culminating Project: Comprehensive
Exam
Percentage
Subtotal
Number
Subtotal
Percentage
TOTAL
Number
TOTAL
Percentage
Number
Percentage
Percentage
Number
Percentage
Number
Percentage
Fall 2006
Fall 2006
Fall 2006
Spring
2007
Spring
2007
Spring
2007
Spring
2007
Spring
2007
Spring
2007
Total
Semesters
Total
Semesters
At/Above
Standard
(Pass)
Grand
Total
0
11
11
0%
100%
100%
0
11
11
0%
0%
100%
3
100%
100%
3
100%
1
11
12
8%
1
7%
92%
14
93%
100%
15
100%
0
1
13
14
7%
93%
100%
1
13
14
7%
93%
100%
2
38
40
5%
95%
100%