Home | How It Works | Stats Login | Register         Case: Is it possible to set academic assessment expectations for ESL students Mrs. Marcus had implemented the latest idea in educational assessment. She had studied and prepared for the introduction of portfolio assessment into her seventh grade classroom. The students, including her ESL (English as a Second Language) students, were excited about collecting their work in their very own portfolios. Mrs. Marcus explained to her students that their portfolios would be evaluated and shared with parents during conferences. After a few weeks of working on important assignments, students were allowed to organize their portfolios and enter their work. Mrs. Marcus informed the students of her specific academic expectations on each assignment. Unfortunately, she encountered some difficulties when evaluating the students' portfolios. She observed that her grading guidelines did not accommodate her ESL students. The second language learners were not meeting her expectations in the area of grammar and punctuation on the assignments. Mrs. Marcus realized that she had not taken into consideration the varied language acquisition stages of the ESL students. Questions: 1. Should Mrs. Marcus return to her conventional assessment methods? 2. How can portfolios meet the needs of all students? 3. Is it possible to set academic assessment expectations for ESL students who have not yet acquired their new language? Solution: (Rates are posted for this solution!) Mrs. Marcus should not return to her conventional assessment methods! Portfolios are one of the best ways to assess a students progress, and really see what they know. A portfolio shows the student's best work. The work chose for a portfolio is chosen specifically because it is the best they've done. This meets the needs of all students because a portfolio is meant to show progress. Whether the student is gifted or ESL, the portfolio will show progress. It is definitely possible to set academic assessment expectations for ESL students. They need goals just as much as any other child does. This is where her modifications should come in when she is grading the portfolios.                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: Rated On: February 15, 2013 5:06 pm Rated By: Ashley Hedick                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) Yes The suggested solution is relevant to the case Yes The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement Yes The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue Yes The suggested solution is original Yes Comments: I agree. I like the idea of using portfolios and I think that ESL students should have different assessment expectations since they are not at the same level. Rated On: October 15, 2014 10:23 pm Rated By: Megan Lee                 Rating The suggested solution is respectful of the individual (student) No The suggested solution is relevant to the case No The suggested solution is reasonable (easy) for the teacher to implement No The suggested solution is likely to solve the problem/issue No The suggested solution is original No Comments: I would never do this! This is wrong. Rated On: March 3, 2017 10:20 pm Rated By: GyNyzu