ESL 5

Assignment 6
Rubrics and Performance Assessment are very useful tools used in the classroom.
Performance assessment is part of the learning process. During the performance
assessment, students create real life experiences and connect that to the curriculum being
learned. Rubrics are helpful for both teachers and students. It helps create consistency
when interpreting and grading material. It allows students to see the goals of the
assignment.
English Language Learners can benefit from the use of both performance
assessment and rubrics. Performance assessment provides real life experiences for the
English Language Learners. When planning a performance assessment, a teacher must
consider factors. Teachers must reflect on the amount of time spent with the ELL. This
determines if the performance assessment can be a short term activity or a long term
project or assignment. Other factors a teacher must consider are allocation of time,
medium of instruction, available resources, grouping of students, amount of support, and
work with other teachers and parents (114). When teachers have considered these factors
and have determine the type of instruction they will use, they are able to consider and
create the rubric that they use.
The use of rubrics allows the teacher to interpret and document a student's work.
Rubrics offer a fair and consistent way for teachers to analyze and score a student's work.
In addition to that, rubrics also allow both students and teachers to see what is expected.
Students can use the rubric to understand the expectation of the assignments and
activities. There are many different kinds of rubrics that can be used when assessing and
ELL. These include checklists, rating scales, analytical, holistic, and task specific scales.
Checklists are rubrics that identify skills, competencies, strategies, or language
functions. There are two options on a check list, yes or no. Students read a statement and
check yes or no depending if they agree or do not agree with the statement. Checklists are
a simple way to check for understanding, however, they do not provide detailed
information. A checklist can be used to determine an ELL reading strategies when
reading. The checklist will have 5 to 10 statements regarding reading strategies. These
may include "I use pictures to clues when I come across a word I do not know", "I
whisper read the sentences aloud", or "I use a bilingual dictionary when reading". The
student will check yes or no whether they agree or disagree with these statements. This
checklist will allow the teacher to see the strategies the ELL uses and does not use.
Rating scales are similar to checklists, however, rating scales assess the degree to
which the skills are performed. Rating scales have multiple choices for the ELL to choose
from. These may include always, sometimes, or never. It is more detailed than a
checklist. Rating scales are often used in a needs assessment. It helps determine where an
ELL needs more support. It can be used when determine what types of activities or
lessons should be taught to the ELL. In Language Arts, this can used to determine a
students strengths and weaknesses when reading. The rubric will list 5 to 10 statements
relating to reading. These may include "I have difficulty reading a book with no
pictures", "When I do not know a word, I do not know what to do", "I often have trouble
understanding what I am reading", "I can identify the differences between a vowel and a
consonant in a word" or "I can identify the differences between a long and short vowel
sound". The student will read these statements and check always, sometimes, rarely, or
never. The teacher can use this information to determine where the student may need
improvement.
An analytic scale provides more detailed information. It is "a type of rubric that
delineates specific dimensions or traits of the construct being measured" (118). This
rubric closely relates to instruction and content learning. It requires time for the teacher to
both create and use to score student work. An analytic scale can be used with many
different assignments. Often times, an analytic scale rubric is used in a writing piece.
Teachers can create an analytic scale to show students what is expected when creating a
brochure or a research paper.
A holistic scale is "a type of rubric that provides an overall description of student
competencies by level of performance" (119). Some advantages of a holistic scale include
overall indicator of student performance, easy to score, easy to understand, and it is
applicable across many tasks and settings. (121). Holistic scale rubrics can be used when
demonstrating a procedure or writing a paragraph or two.
Task specific scales are related to holistic scales and analytic scales. The are
created for single use for a specific task or activity. They are to help students to
understand what exactly is expected and to help them organize their work. The
advantages of task specific scales include concrete feedback to students and parents,
direct links to instruction, map of specific components of assignment, and easy scoring.
(123). A task specific scale can be used in a constructed response or specific classroom
project.
Performance assessments and rubrics are very helpful for students, teachers, and
parents. It creates for an easy and more understanding way for assessment. Everyone
involved in the assignments understands and knows the expectations when rubrics are
used.