English Language Learner: Evaluation
& Assessment
|
Dr.
Karen Lea |
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Phone: |
509-891-7219 |
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Office
Hours: |
8
a.m. to 5 p.m. PST Monday - Friday |
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Email: |
|
|
Address: |
Virtual
Education Software |
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23403
E Mission Avenue, Suite 220F |
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Liberty
Lake, WA 99019 |
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Technical
Support: |
English Language Learner:
Evaluation & Assessment was written to help teachers understand concepts and terms
related to evaluating and assessing students whose first language is not
English. This course discusses high-quality assessment and the scope of
assessments, including initial placement, annual assessments, and exit
assessments. This course ends with a discussion of classroom assessments,
including accommodations for those who need language assistance.
This computer-based instruction course is a self-supporting
program that provides instruction, structured practice, and evaluation all on
your home or school computer. Technical support information can be found in the
Help section of your course.
|
Title: |
English Language Learner: Evaluation & Assessment |
|
Publisher: |
Virtual Education
Software, inc. 2020, Revised 2022 |
|
Instructor: |
Dr. Karen Lea |
Academic Integrity
Statement
The structure and format of most distance-learning courses
presume a high level of personal and academic integrity in completion and
submission of coursework. Individuals enrolled in a distance-learning course
are expected to adhere to the following standards of academic conduct.
Academic Work
Academic work submitted by the individual (such as papers,
assignments, reports, tests) shall be the student’s own work or appropriately
attributed, in part or in whole, to its correct source. Submission of
commercially prepared (or group prepared) materials as if they are one’s own
work is unacceptable.
Aiding Honesty in Others
The individual will encourage honesty in others by
refraining from providing materials or information to another person with
knowledge that these materials or information will be used improperly.
Violation of these academic standards
will result in the assignment of a failing grade and subsequent loss of credit
for the course.
Level of Application
This course is designed as an informational course for K–12
teachers, administrators, parents, and related service personnel. Information
discussed is designed to help you better understand second language acquisition
and current educational models being used to educate English language learners.
This course will allow you to compare and identify how school districts in your
own area are implementing English language learning programs, handling current
issues, and some of the practices teachers are using to educate students and
communicate with parents/guardians.
Expected Learning
Outcomes
As a result of taking this course,
participants will be able to demonstrate their ability to:
1.
Identify bias and other
ethical concerns in assessments.
2.
Apply knowledge of a
variety of assessments.
3.
Apply knowledge of
assessment procedures for ELLs.
4.
Apply knowledge of
assessment accommodations for ELLs.
5.
Implement legal
assessment requirements for identification, reclassification, and exit of ELLs
from ELL programs.
6.
Assess ELLS using a
variety of assessments.
Course Description
Information provided in this course has been divided into
four chapters, which should be completed in the order in which they are
presented in the program. Once you have completed these four chapters, you
should have a better understanding of the concept of evaluating and assessing
English language learners. You are strongly encouraged to read additional
journal articles, books, and research materials outside the course material to
gain a better understanding of current issues related to educating students who
need language assistance.
Chapter 1: High-Quality
Assessments
This chapter of the course focuses on the criteria for
determining whether an assessment is a high-quality assessment. We will also
discuss issues such as validity and culturally fair assessments.
Chapter 2: Initial
Placement Assessments
Chapter 2 focuses on the initial placement assessments
required by legislation. Included in the discussion are the accommodations
needed for students learning English as a second language.
Chapter 3: Exceptional
and/or Gifted
This chapter focuses on students who need language
assistance and are also exceptional and/or gifted. Discussion will focus on
legislative requirements and practical suggestions for the classroom.
Chapter 4: Classroom
Assessments
Chapter four focuses on classroom assessments every educator
can use to assess English language learners, including possible accommodations.
Student Expectations
As
a student you will be expected to:
·
Complete all four
information sections showing a competent understanding of the material
presented in each section.
·
Complete all four section examinations, showing a competent
understanding of the material presented. You must obtain
an overall score of 70% or higher,
with no individual exam score below
50%, and successfully complete ALL writing assignments to pass this course.
*Please
note: Minimum exam score requirements may vary by college or university;
therefore, you should refer to your course addendum to determine what your
minimum exam score requirements are.
·
Complete a review of any
section on which your examination score was below 50%.
·
Retake any examination,
after completing an information review, to increase that examination score to a
minimum of 50%, making sure to also be achieving an overall exam score of a
minimum 70% (maximum of three attempts). *Please note: Minimum
exam score requirements may vary by college or university; therefore, you
should refer to your course addendum to determine what your minimum exam score
requirements are.
·
Complete all course journal article and essay writing
assignments with the minimum word count shown for each writing assignment.
·
Complete a course evaluation form at the end of the course.
Examinations
At the end of each course section, you
will be expected to complete an examination designed to assess your knowledge.
You may take these exams a total of three times. Your last score will save, not
the highest score. After your third attempt, each examination will lock and not
allow further access. The average from your exam scores will be printed on your
certificate. However, this is not your final grade since your required writing
assignments have not been reviewed. Exceptionally written or poorly written
required writing assignments, or violation of the academic integrity policy in
the course syllabus, will affect your grade. As this is a self-paced
computerized instruction program, you may review course information as often as
necessary. You will not be able to exit any examinations until you have
answered all questions. If you try to exit the exam before you complete all
questions, your information will be lost. You are expected to complete the
entire exam in one sitting.
Writing Assignments
All assignments are reviewed and may impact your final
grade. Exceptionally or poorly written
assignments, or violation of the Academic Integrity Policy (see course syllabus
for policy), will affect your grade. Fifty percent of your grade is determined
by your writing assignments, and your overall exam score determines the other
fifty percent. Refer to the Essay Grading
Guidelines, which were sent as an attachment with your original course link.
You should also refer to the Course
Syllabus Addendum, which was sent as an attachment with your original course link,
to determine if you have any writing assignments in addition to the Critical
Thinking Questions (CTQ) and Journal Article Summations (JAS). If you do, the
Essay Grading Guidelines will also
apply.
Your writing assignments must meet the
minimum word count and are not to include the question or your final citations
as part of your word count. In other words, the question and citations are not
to be used as a means to meet the minimum word count.
Critical Thinking
Questions
There are four CTQs that
you are required to complete. You will need to write a minimum of 500 words
(maximum 1,000) per essay. You should explain how the information that you
gained from the course will be applied and clearly convey a strong
understanding of the course content as it relates to each CTQ. To view the
questions, click on REQUIRED ESSAY and choose the CTQ that you are ready to
complete; this will bring up a screen where you may enter your essay. Prior to
course submission, you may go back at any point to edit your essay, but you
must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits.
You must click SAVE
before you write another essay or move on to another part of the course.
Journal Article
Summations
You are required to
write, in your own words, a summary on a total of three peer-reviewed or
scholarly journal articles (one article per JAS), written by an author with a
Ph.D., Ed.D. or similar, on the topic outlined within each JAS section in the
“Required Essays” portion of the course (blogs, abstracts, news articles, or
similar are not acceptable). Your article choice must relate specifically to
the discussion topic listed in each individual JAS. You will choose a total of
three relevant articles (one article per JAS) and write a thorough summary of
the information presented in each article (you must write a minimum of 200
words with a 400 word maximum per JAS). Be sure to provide the URL or the
journal name, volume, date, and any other critical information to allow the
facilitator to access and review each article.
To write your summary,
click on REQUIRED ESSAYS and choose the JAS that you would like to complete. A
writing program will automatically launch where you can write your summary.
When you are ready to stop, click SAVE.
Prior to course submission you may go back at any point to edit your summaries
but you must be certain to click SAVE once you are done with your edits.
For more information on the features of this assignment, please consult the
HELP menu.
You must click SAVE
before you write another summary or move on to another part of the course.
Instructor Description
Karen Lea holds a Ph.D. in education. Dr. Lea has 15 years
of experience teaching at the K–12 level and another 14 years’ experience
teaching education courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate levels. Those
14 years in higher education included 6 years as a dean at a university and 7
additional years in charge of assessment and accreditation at a university.
Currently, she is a lead program development owner at Western Governor’s
University. Dr. Lea has been professionally published over 15 times and has
served on over a dozen panels and boards, including serving on the NCATE (CAEP)
Board of Examiners.
Contacting the Instructor
You may contact the instructor by emailing karen_lea@virtualeduc.com or by calling 509-891-7219
Monday through Friday. Calls made during office hours will be answered within
24 hours. Phone conferences will be limited to ten minutes per student, per
day, given that this is a self-paced instructional program. Please do not
contact the instructor about technical problems, course glitches, or other
issues that involve the operation of the course.
Technical Questions
If you have questions or problems related to the operation
of this course, please try everything twice. If the problem persists please
check our support pages for FAQs and known issues at www.virtualeduc.com and also the Help
section of your course.
If you need personal assistance then email support@virtualeduc.com or call 509-891-7219. When
contacting technical support, please know your course version number (it is
located at the bottom left side of the Welcome Screen) and your operating
system, and be seated in front of the computer at the time of your call.
Minimum Computer
Requirements
Please refer to VESi’s website: www.virtualeduc.com or contact VESi if you have further questions about the compatibility
of your operating system.
Refer
to the addendum regarding Grading Criteria, Course Completion Information,
Items to be Submitted, and how to submit your completed information. The
addendum will also note any additional course assignments that you may be
required to complete that are not listed in this syllabus.
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D. S. (2016). Fair and square
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Zacarian,
D. (2011). IDEA and English language
learners. ColorinColorado. http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/what-individuals-disabilities-education-act
Course content is updated every three years. Due to this
update timeline, some URL links may no longer be active or may have changed.
Please type the title of the organization into the command line of any Internet
browser search window and you will be able to find whether the URL link is
still active or any new link to the corresponding organization’s web home page.
11/29/22 JN