Introduction
Assessment is an important element in the learning process for it improves the performance of a student (Brownlie & Feniak 2004). English learners are not proficient in English and so they are denied some important educational opportunities. Most English learners learn English as a second language. There are some assessments offered to a learner to know their progress. The assessment is meant to check the student’s English language proficiency. It is also used to determine the level of content-area knowledge in the language. Formative assessment is used in assessing English learners. There is also self-assessment that is done by the student to assess him/her. Some are assessed to look forward to their future and make it better. For better results of the assessment, it has to have both validity and reliability.
Main body
During the assessment, an educator should focus on what a student can produce. A student should not be compared with the other but documentation of the student’s growth should be carried out as per an individual student. An instructor should stress a students’ strong point without bearing in mind his/her weaknesses (Brownlie & Feniak 2004). There are a variety of contemplations t be made when evaluating a student. Some of them are the education styles, language expertise of a student, the way of life of the learner and educational background, and also his/her grade levels.
There are a variety of measures that are carried during the period of assessment. There are some non-verbal assessment strategies. Some of them include a physical demonstration. This kind of assessment entails expressing academic concepts without giving a word of mouth whereby students use gestures or even point at something. Students can also use thumbs when responding to something or use any other nonverbal signs. An educator can opt to use a checklist to record students’ responses.
A teacher can ask students to produce and manipulate drawings, charts, and graphs. This kind of nonverbal appraisal is done using graphic products. In the case of maps, students can try to locate and place labels to the appropriate locations. A teacher can also ask students to demonstrate the life stages of a certain insect rather than explaining where the students point at different parts of the insect in a diagram.
Some teachers prefer using the KWL charts while assessing the students. KWL means all I know, what I desire to be acquainted with and what I have learned. This helps a teacher to gain the awareness of a student, his/her knowledge, and the interest of a student. Those students who have English proficiency are allowed to use the native language or illustrations to complete the chart. It is important for students to first fill in the K and W columns where the teacher asks them to fill in what they know and what they would like to know. This motivates the students to learn and when they get to L the teacher is already aware that they have learned something. This also gives students a sense of accomplishment.
Some oral assessments are used to assess the performance of a student. This kind of assessment includes activities like interviews, role plays, describing, explaining, and paraphrasing stories or text materials (James 2002). The oral assessment is conducted on an ongoing basis to monitor the progress of a student. Here the teacher knows the thinking skills of a student. A student is given a picture and then asked to explain, describe or analyze where the teacher asks questions concerning the picture.
Teachers are advised to use diagrammatic signals than too much English to the students in the early stages of learning to minimize the amount of English in the responses. Role-plays are also encouraged across the curriculum with any number of people. This is an informal way of assessment used by the teachers to identify the students’ knowledge in any subject. Here the teacher pretends to know less than the students where the students are motivated to convey information prompted by the question from the other character.
Oral and written products are useful in the assessment. A teacher can easily monitor the progress of a student. This is done through reading response logs, writing assignments, dialogue journals, audio, and video cassettes, and content area logs. In material, section areas are recommended several expository books that are read by the student whereby they are advised to use metacognitive strategies. Here the there is a form where entries are done. This form contains two headings that include what I understood and what I understand.
Reading response logs are used where the students write their responses or reaction to a piece of literature. Here the students answer questions that encourage critical thinking or may also copy a brief text on a page and then write their reflections on another. The teacher can also guide a learner in the pre-writing phase which may include discussions, brainstorming, and also outlining. What a student manages to write is what is assessed.
Content themes motivate the student writing. The dialogues journals are important to a student for they enable the students to interact with one another and the teacher too. The students participate with the level of their English language proficiency. Audio and video cassettes are made by the students’ oral readings and presentations where the teachers are included.
Portfolios are very important ways of assessment for they are used to collect samples of student work over time (James 2002). There are various methods that teachers use to develop students’ abilities and monitor their progress. Here the students are reflected on their work. In the portfolio, some materials need to be included. Some of these materials are audio and videotaped recordings, writing samples, artwork, conference or interviews, checklists, tests, and quizzes. All these materials enable a teacher to be able to monitor the progress of a student and to assess them.
Conclusion
In conclusion, assessment is an important element that is used to monitor the progress of a student. It is important because it improves the performance of a student. There are various types of assessment used to assess a student. Some are nonverbal assessment where a student uses gestures to express themselves. Some assessments are done through reading and writing. This is done by writing some home works, understanding receptive logs, and also conversation journals.
Teachers in some cases prefer to use KWL when assessing students. This stands for all I have known, what I would like to know all I have learned. This motivates the students because they feel a sense of accomplishment after they reach L. A portfolio is also another good way of assessing students’. Teachers’ assessment improves the student’s performance because after every completion of any task they feel that they have accomplished their mission.
References
Brownlie F. & Feniak C. (2004) Assessment of Esl Learners, New York, Portage & Main Press.
James E. (2002) Assessment of English Learners, Texas, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.