Bernice Garcia

Standard 4.a.: Issues of Assessment for English Language Learners (TESOL/ CAEP). Principle #8
Using Formal and Informal Assessment (INTASC)
Candidates demonstrate understanding of assessment issues as they affect ELLs, such as accountability,
bias, special education testing, language proficiency, and accommodations in formal testing situations.
Candidates understand the different purposes of assessment and that assessment must be fair, valid, reliable,
and easy to administer. They should understand how and why to implement authentic or performancebased assessment and the difference between formative and summative assessment. They understand the
particular issues and biases regarding ELLs that stem from high-stakes testing. Candidates work with other
school professionals who assess ELLs in English and their native language to distinguish among normal
language development, language differences, and learning problems, using multiple sources of information
to make adjustments before concluding that the problem resides within the learner and making a special
education referral.

My artifact for standard 4.a. Issues of Assessment for English Language Learners
has been selected from class ESC 761. This artifact is a section from my New York State
English Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) paper where I made general
reflections about assessments of English Language Learners (ELLs).
As I read pros and cons articles that spoke about assessments for ELLs I made my
own conclusion about how I felt about these assessments. As I teacher I reflected on my
own practices inside my classroom and how I assess my ELLs and I realized Ive been
assessing them unfairly! I believe Ive done a good job in differentiating tasks for my
ELL students but I never considered assessments. Completing this NYSESLAT
assignment helped me see and understand why my students do so poorly on their
assessments. If the assessments I give to them are heavy in language, which is not what I
provide for them in their class assignments, how are they going to understand?!
Therefore, Ive been making sure that the assessments I provide my ELL students
reflect the same practices I do for their everyday classroom assignments. I have noticed

that this has helped my ELL students score higher in their overall assessments. This
makes me feel proud as a teacher because I have been able to grow and learn on such
important data that I collect. The assessments I provided before, with heavy language
where incapable of providing me data on what my students really knew. However, now
that my assessments are also differentiated for their individual language needs I have
more accurate data on their process of learning.