Best Practices in Chinese AssessmentK-8 Formative and Summative AssessmentsBest Practices in Chinese AssessmentK-8 Formative and Summative Assessments

Lynn Thompson

Na Liu

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Workshop GoalsWorkshop Goals

To share CAL formative and summative K-8 oral proficiency assessments

To inspire you to use and create formative and summative assessments!

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Discussion: Chinese ClassroomDiscussion: Chinese Classroom

What do you do in your class to help students understand Chinese?

What do you do in your class to help students speak Chinese?

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What is Oral Language Proficiency? What is Oral Language Proficiency?

Traditional language learning focused on: Learning vocabulary lists, grammatical accuracy, memorized dialogues

Language as communication focuses on: The functions of language, comprehensibility of learner output, gestures, words, short phrases, memorized chunks of language, creating at sentence level, paragraph-level speech, extended paragraphs

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Sample Language Functions:Sample Language Functions:

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Language Functions and LevelsLanguage Functions and Levels

How do language functions relate to levels of oral proficiency?

It is quite easy to learn a greeting and use it effectively in another language, but it is far more difficult to tell a story or persuade another person to support your point of view.

Some functions can span a number of proficiency levels. The same function becomes more complex, nuanced, and elaborated as student oral proficiency increases.

Function: Sharing informationFunction: Sharing information

Jr. Novice   Student speech at this level ranges from producing words, phrases, and memorized responses to some successful attempts to create sentences.

Jr. Intermediate Student speech at this level ranges successful attempts to create sentences to providing paragraph-like descriptions of self, family members, and activities.

Jr. Advanced Students at this level are able to share personal information in great detail. They can tell stories about experiences they have had and defend or explain their actions.

Assessment and LevelsAssessment and Levels

How do we measure proficiency?

We use assessments

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What is Assessment?What is Assessment?

Assessment is an ongoing process of setting clear goals for student learning and measuring progress toward those goals.

Assessment = the opportunity to enhance, empower, and celebrate students’ learning while giving guidance to instructors.

Assessment versus TestsAssessment versus Tests

Achievement Test: Checks student language knowledge of specific content, language structures.

Language Proficiency Assessment: Checks what students CAN DO with the language

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Why Assess? Why Assess?

Types of AssessmentTypes of Assessment

−Formative Assessment: monitor students' daily progress

−Summative Assessment: check in on student progress at key points in the school year

Formative assessment

Summative Assessment

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Assessment and InstructionAssessment and Instruction

What do you want your students to be able to do at the

end?

= Assessment

Plan your lessons

What will you have to teach them so

they can reach the end goal?

Begin with the EndBegin with the End

To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of destination

It means to know where you’re going so that you better understand where you are now

That way the steps you take are always in the right direction.

-Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, 1989, p. 98

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What are the SOPA and ELLOPA?What are the SOPA and ELLOPA?

SOPA (Student Oral Proficiency Assessment)

ELLOPA (Early Language Listening and Oral Proficiency Assessment)

--- Summative assessments (end of year, end of program)

--- Formative (administered annually over a period of years)

--- Sometimes used for placement (student heritage learner or coming from another program)

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SOPA and ELLOPASOPA and ELLOPA

Purpose: Assess students' ability to understand and speak a second language

Level: Grades K-8

Format: Two students assessed together in a friendly, non-stressful environmentTime: 20 minutes for each pair of students

Scoring: COPE-SOPA Rating Scale (9 Junior levels based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines)

How do the SOPA and ELLOPA work?How do the SOPA and ELLOPA work?

Both are administered by an “interviewer.” A rater is also present at the interview to take notes and rate students at the conclusion of the interview.

Two students are presented with a series of tasks (SOPA) or games (ELLOPA) that range from easy to more challenging

The interviewer winds down the interview when students have reached their “ceiling”

ICE BREAKER

Take a moment to think about a memorable interview experience that you had.

What made it a good/bad experience?

Interview Techniques ChecklistInterview Techniques Checklist

View clips from Sample InterviewsView clips from Sample Interviews

As you watch each interview, identify the tasks that the interviewer uses with the students.

Observe techniques that she uses:

---What techniques encouraged students to respond?

---What could you suggest to improve the interview?

Sample InterviewsSample Interviews

ELLOPA

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Sample InterviewsSample Interviews

SOPA

What is different about these interviews?

What is the same?

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How are ELLOPA and SOPA the same?How are ELLOPA and SOPA the same?

1. Two students are assessed at the same time.

2. Students are given progressively difficult tasks until they reach their ‘ceiling’.

3. The same rating rubric is used for all assessments.

How are they different?How are they different?

The ELLOPA uses a puppet, visual organizers, and songs

The ELLOPA is designed for children in preK to Grade 2

The SOPA is designed for students in Grades 2-8, but is sometimes used with younger students.

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How do I decide which to use K-2?How do I decide which to use K-2?

Consider how you teach: For example, if you use visual organizers, puppets, or songs with students you should include these elements in your assessment.

Consider your curriculum: The assessment tasks and props that you use should reflect the topics your students have covered in their language classes, their developmental level, and the second language proficiency range of your students.

Brainstorming tasks for your studentsBrainstorming tasks for your students

Working with a partner, brainstorm at least 3 tasks that you could use with your students

A warm up task

Answering personal questions

Description

Story-telling

Other?

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Rating the SOPA and ELLOPARating the SOPA and ELLOPA

As the interviewer conducts the SOPA and ELLOPA, a rater writes down what they students say and notes how well they understand.

These notes are then used to assign ratings to each student at the end of the interview.

Three Main Levels of ProficiencyThree Main Levels of Proficiency

Junior Novice

Junior Intermediate

Junior Advanced

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COPE/SOPA Rating ScaleCOPE/SOPA Rating Scale

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Figure 1 COPE/SOPA Rating Scale

Junior Novice LevelJunior Novice Level

Oral Fluency

-Isolated Words

-Memorized phrases

-Attempt s sentences with

some success

-Basic objects, people, and

places, predictable topics

-Long pauses

Speech Sample: Junior NoviceSpeech Sample: Junior Novice

Interviewer: I’m going to ask you some questions now. How old are you?

Jana: Six

Interviewer: Do you know when your birthday is?

Jana: No

Interviewer: What do you like to do on your birthday?

Jana: Play

Interviewer: Do you eat any special food on your birthday?

Jana: Sandwiches

Interviewer: Can you think of any presents you got on your birthday one time?

Jana: Ball

Interviewer: Okay.

Junior Intermediate LevelJunior Intermediate Level

Oral Fluency

-Simple conversation at sentence level

-Uses language creatively

-Everyday topics and some

academic topics

-Describes successfully

Speech Sample: Junior IntermediateSpeech Sample: Junior Intermediate

Interviewer: Can you tell me what you see in this picture? What is it?

Joseph: Yes. The food chain. The plant produce photosynthesis. It make its own food in the leaves and solar energy. How you say “lobo”? Wolf needs rabbit to eat. Rabbit need plants to eat. The plants need sun to grow.

Junior Advanced LevelJunior Advanced Level

Oral Fluency

-Paragraph-level discourse

-Topics of personal and general

interest, and academic topics

-Narrates successfully

-Organizes and connects

speech smoothly

-Emerging ability to hypothesize

on abstract topics

Speech Sample: Junior AdvancedSpeech Sample: Junior Advanced

Interviewer: I hear you want to tell me about my new rules. Melissa: I totally disagree, with all due respect to the principal, with the

very first rule about no calculators in math class. Interviewer: And why is that? Melissa: Well, one of the reasons is because if you were in the fifth grade

and you’re doing this problem and you didn’t get it; you try to do everything that you knew to figure it out and you still can’t get it. Then you wanted to use the calculator, but that’s against the rules, so you wouldn’t be able to. That wouldn’t be fair and that wouldn’t be good because then they wouldn’t know the answer and that leads to bigger problems.

Interviewer: What would happen? Melissa: The person would be stuck there forever, and maybe not forever,

but the person would be stuck there for a while, and maybe the person would probably end up just failing.

COPE/SOPA Rating RubricCOPE/SOPA Rating Rubric

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Next StepsNext Steps

Complete SOPA and ELLOPA trainingOnline training course – (April-June)Live 2 day workshops

When you have completed training:Select pairsAdminister and rate interviewsRecord ratings for data entry Report results for different audiences

Formative Assessment -- SSAFormative Assessment -- SSA

Student Self Assessment (SSA)

Developed by CAL for Grades 3-8

Series of statements based on language functions assessed in the SOPA

Students are asked to indicate to what extent the statements describe what they can do by selecting YES, ALMOST, A LITTLE, or NOT YET

Students are then asked:

Can you think of anything else you can do in CHINESE that is not in this assessment?

What can you do best in CHINESE?

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Brainstorm Self-Assessment StatementsBrainstorm Self-Assessment Statements

 

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Take a moment and write down some of the language functions that you teach in class.

Turn to the person next to you and share your ideas.

Purpose of The SSAPurpose of The SSA

Used for periodically (beginning of year, end of year or more often)

Teacher gets feedback from students on their learning

Students become more aware of proficiency expectations and what they CAN DO in the Chinese

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Background of TOM-SOPABackground of TOM-SOPA

Since the 1980s, CAL has been developing assessments for young learners, including ELLOPA, SOPA, and COPE

As part of the field-testing of ELLOPA/SOPA, teachers rated their students’ oral proficiency as seen in the classroom.

This adaptation of rating rubrics resulted in the TOM-SOPA.

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Purpose of TOM-SOPAPurpose of TOM-SOPA

Used for periodic, classroom based assessment of a student’s oral and listening proficiency in a second language

Ratings are assigned in four skill areas

−Oral fluency−Grammar−Vocabulary−Listening comprehension

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Components of the TOM-SOPA ToolkitComponents of the TOM-SOPA Toolkit

TOM-SOPA Observation Checklist

Sublevels with Rating Instructions

TOM-SOPA

TOM-SOPA Rating Summary Sheet

Sample of a Completed Set of Tools

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TOM-SOPA Observation ChecklistTOM-SOPA Observation Checklist

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TOM-SOPATOM-SOPA

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TOM-SOPA Rating Summary Sheet TOM-SOPA Rating Summary Sheet

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Thank you!Thank you!

Please take a moment to complete the workshop evaluation form!

For more information about the SOPA and ELLOPA and training options please contact

Lynn Thompson lthompson@cal.org

Na Liu nliu@cal.org

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