Module 6: Assessment of Young Learners

        Assessment, whether formal or informal, is a critical component of any balanced literacy program at all levels. In the early childhood classroom use of assessment data is integral in getting to know emergent readers and supporting them as they begin their formal reading and writing experiences in school. If used systematically and to inform instruction, the administering of assessments can beneficial for students and also for teachers as they plan lessons and educational activities. This assessment is especially important for English Language Learners who as research discussed below will show, tend to score below their English only peers in literacy assessments at the primary level. This is something that teachers cannot just accept, but instead need to use the assessment data to combat the phenomenon and support their growth.

       In her article "Using Literacy Assessment Results to Improve Teaching for English Language Learners," Lori A. Helman (2005) discusses how giving the Phonological Awareness Literacy Assessment (PALS) to ELL students can provide critical data to reveal students needing support in reading. The results of the PALS, which has three parts; word recognition in isolation, spelling inventory, and oral reading in context, can be used to level readers. The levels described are emergent, beginning, and beyond. The results can also be used determine necessary supports, provide early interventions, and identify challenging literacy concepts across the group and use this information to adjust and augment curriculum.

        JoAnn M. Farver, Jonathan Nakamoto, Christopher J. Lonegan (2007)also discuss assessment of ELLs and how assessment in both English and Spanish (or native language) can provide even more information about possible reading challenges and needs. In their article titled "Assessing Preschoolers’ Emergent Literacy Skills in English and Spanish with the Get Ready to Read! Screening Tool," the authors discuss how this specially designed screening, which “ assess[es] print knowledge, letter-name and sound knowledge, rhyming, initial sound matching, compound word blending, and knowledge of writing” can provide valuable information to teachers working with preschool students (p.164). The screening garnered similar to results to more time consuming assessments like the PALS.

Both articles reveal a universal challenge that teachers of ELL students face. Acquiring reading and writing competence is challenging for all learners and when a language is also new this challenge is multiplied. It is critical that teachers are using assessment as a tool to help meet the needs of ELL readers and inform instruction. Two specific themes emerged across the texts and I will discuss them below.

Reading Deficits and Difficulties Should be Identified as Soon as Possible.

     Both articles make it a point to share that the sooner we are able to determine which readers might need additional support, the more likely they are to catch up to their peers and grade level benchmarks. Helman draws the readers' attention to the Matthew Effect, a long standing phenomenon where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. In this case she explains that readers who are struggling from the onset continue to struggle and their struggles grow in magnitude over time. By using assessment, teachers can identify students' needs sooner so they do not become larger gaps as time progresses (p.675). Catching critical warning signs earlier can help prevent later reading challenges.

       Farver et. al. echo this sentiment in their discussion of the need for early and comprehensive assessment data of preschool ELL students. They share that “Reading problems become increasingly difficult to overcome the longer they exist—often to the extent that children may “learn to be learning disabled” (p.162). If readers are identified during the emergent and even pre-emergent stage it is more likely that they will only be plagued temporarily as struggling readers. This is so important because challenges that students face in reading in elementary school are often based on emergent reading abilities (or lack there of) in preschool and kindergarten. If we identify these students sooner we can provide them with targeted and differentiated support beginning in preschool so that these problems disappear by the elementary years.

As the image above shows, though simplified, without foundational skills students' reading achievement remains somewhat stagnant throughout elementary school. By identifying readers who need support and supporting them in their phonemic awareness, word knowledge, and oral language, we can support them in achieving at or above grade level.

Assessment Should be Used to Guide Instruction.

Helman makes it very clear throughout her text that the assessment should serve an immediate instructional purpose. To begin in the case study she shared, where first-third grade ELL students in Nevada were given the PALS assessment, the data provided invaluable information to teachers. “It identified students in need of extra support in their development of early literacy skills; it provided a way for schools, districts, and the NREA management team to monitor students’ progress; and, perhaps what was most important, it clearly outlined crucial aspects of early literacy growth, thus guiding teachers to form instructional groups, focus their teaching goals, and meet individual student’s needs” (p.669). 

On an individual student level one particular teacher was able to see how two students, who scores similarly overall, had very different needs. Carlos, had very strong comprehension and needed an intervention to support his understanding of short vowel sounds in reading and writing. While Rosita had very high word recognition but struggled with comprehending the plot of a story. Her results show that "she would likely benefit from reading activities that focus on meaning making and conceptual development. Her example shows how a literacy assessment can point teachers in the direction of doing in-depth follow-up that will help uncover specific student needs” (p.673). This last thought is huge. The assessment results are giving teachers direction and a plan as to what they need to do to support their individual students and what additional assessments might be needed to get a full picture of this students' literacy development. 

The same is true in the discussion of screening and assessments at the preschool level in the article written by Farver and colleagues. “Recent investigations have also suggested that school-age nondisabled and disabled readers can be differentiated early in their preschool years by the variability in their emergent literacy skills as measured by oral language, phonological awareness, and letter knowledge” (p.162). The results of the screening allows teachers to differentiate the students in their class so that they are delivering targeted instruction that will allow the students to work at their own individual zones of proximal development. The results of the screening help teachers determine what level and frequency of intervention is needed. The screening can also inform the teacher as to the need for further assessment in a specific targeted area (p.174).  

While I do not currently teach many emergent readers, the use of assessment to drive and modify instruction on an individual and full class level is something that I employ in my daily teaching practice. Recently I have been spending more time thinking of the relationship between assessment and instruction as a cycle.

As the image above shows teachers must plan lessons based on curriculum and grade level standards, present this content to students, analyze the effectiveness it in the form of assessments, and then adjust based on that analysis. The adjustment connects to this theme I have uncovered in the articles. Teachers need to be responsive to the results of assessment and adjust the content, grouping, or manner of delivery, so that all students, especially those identified as struggling, can be successful in the classroom.

Farver, J. M., Nakamoto, J., & Lonigan, C. J. (2007, November 16). Assessing preschoolers’ emergent literacy skills in English and Spanish with            the Get Ready to Read! screening tool. Annals of Dyslexia, 57, 161-178. 

Helman, L. A. (2005, April). Using literacy assessment results to improve teaching for English-language learners. International Reading                         Association, 58(7), 668-677.