ELL Assessments Tips

Why Use ELL Assessments

The ELL Assessments provide resources for teachers to monitor and track English language learners' progress in targeted academic language skills.

These resources give teachers the ability to identify students' specific language strengths and weaknesses and to plan extensions and interventions accordingly.

Using data from the ELL Assessments, teachers will be able to select ELL Language Skill Packs lessons and other ELL resources to address identified gaps in students' language development.

How to Use ELL Assessments

Resources that accompany each ELL Assessment

• Assessment
• Assessment Script and Directions
• Answer Key
• Vocabulary Lesson & Cards

1. Select a grade range to find ELL Assessments that correlate to WIDA, TESOL, and Common Core State Standards.
2. Review each Skills List to become familiar with language skills addressed in the assessments at the chosen grade range.
3. Review the Vocabulary Cards to determine content-area topics covered in each assessment.*
4. Administer the first ELL Assessment in a grade range at the beginning of the school year (or when a new English language learner enters your classroom) using the Assessment Script and Directions.
5. Use the Answer Key and the Writing and Speaking Scoring Rubrics to score students' assessments.
6. Record individual student's results on the Tracking Student Progress Form as baseline data for planning instruction.
7. Use the last column of the Answer Key to form groups of students who need to learn or practice specific language skills.
8. Using the data, select ELL Language Skill Packs lessons and other ELL resources to address identified gaps in students' language development.
9. Administer additional ELL Assessments at key points in the school year to track how students' language skills are progressing. Continue to use the Tracking Student Progress Form to monitor students' growth across language skills.

Note: Use the Vocabulary Cards to pre-teach content vocabulary before administering assessments in order to focus assessment results solely on language skill development. Alternatively, use the Vocabulary Cards after administering assessments to develop content-area vocabulary knowledge.

Other Resources for Informational Texts

• Shared Reading nonfiction books ensure early readers work with informational texts.
• Our Close Reading Packs contain a large selection of informational text to support reading multiple, short texts closely.
• Visual Devices feature explicit instruction on text elements, such as graphs, charts, maps, schedules, or other visual texts.
• Content Area Reading organizes leveled books into featured groups of common content area topics.