Four Levels of Assessment
 Screening
 Benchmark/Formative
 Diagnostic
 Summative/Annual
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
Assessment of Home Language

English Language Proficiency (K-12)

http://www.state.nj.us/education/bilingual/resources/prof_tests.htm
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SCREENING ASSESSMENT
Assessment Level
Screening: a brief procedure designed as a first
step in identifying children who may be designated
as needing English Language services.
N.J.A.C. 6A:15-1.3(a)2
Develop a screening process, initiated by a homelanguage survey, to determine which students in
kindergarten to 12th grade, of those whose native
language is other than English, must be tested to
determine English language proficiency. The
screening shall be conducted by a bilingual/ESL or
other certified teacher, and shall be designed to
distinguish students who are proficient English
speakers and need no further testing.
Tool
Grade
Levels(s)
Administered
What were the screening tools shared in Module A?
What screening tool is your district using?
W-APT
WIDA-MODEL
K-12
At any time when
a student needs to
be screened
K-12
At any time when
a student needs to
be screened
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


What screening assessments are currently used in
your district?
Which stakeholders are informed by this type of
assessment? (Consider not who should be
informed by the assessment, but how it is being
used in your district.)
How are the screening assessment results shared
with general education teachers working with ELLs?
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BENCHMARK/FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT
Assessment Level
Tool
Benchmark/Formative: An assessment that evaluates
children’s learning based on systematic observations by
teachers of children performing academic tasks that are
part of their daily classroom experience and is used to
improve instruction. This assessment should be aligned
to the curriculum (which is aligned to the ELD and/or
the NJ State Standards).
WIDA Rubrics
N.J.A.C. 6A:15-1.13 (b)& (c) – (b) Each district board of
education shall send progress reports to parent(s) of
students enrolled in bilingual, ESL, or English language
services programs in the same manner and frequency as
progress reports are sent to parent(s) of other students
enrolled in the school district.
(c) Progress reports shall be written in English and in
the native language of parent(s) of students enrolled in
the bilingual and ESL program unless it can be
demonstrated and documented in the three-year plan
required in N.J.A.C. 6A:15-1.6 (a) that the requirement
would place an unreasonable burden on the district
board of education.
Locally
Devised
Grade
Level(s)
Administered
K-12
Local Decision
MODEL
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 Progress
monitoring
 Benchmarks
 Portfolios
 Rubrics
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


What benchmark/formative forms of assessment
are currently being used in your district?
Which stakeholders are informed by this type of
assessment? (Consider not who should be
informed by the assessment, but how it is being
used in your district.)
How are the benchmark/formative assessment
results shared with general education teachers
working with ELLs?
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DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT
Assessment Level
Diagnostic: An assessment that is valid, reliable.
Identifying a child’s specific areas of strengths and weaknesses.
Administered
As needed
N.J.A.C.6A: 15-1.10(e) - Newly exited students who are not progressing in the
mainstream English program may be considered for reentry to bilingual and ESL
programs as follows:
1. After a minimum of one-half an academic year and within two years of exit, the
mainstream English classroom teacher may recommend retesting with the approval of
the principal.
2. A waiver of the minimum time limitation may be approved by the executive county
superintendent upon request of the chief school administrator if the student is
experiencing extreme difficulty in adjusting to the mainstream program.
3. The recommendation for retesting shall be based on the teacher’s judgment that the
student is experiencing difficulties due to problems in using English as evidenced by the
student’s inability to: communicate effectively with peers and adults; understand
directions given by the teacher; and/or comprehend basic verbal and written materials.
4. The student shall be tested using a different form of the test or a different language
proficiency test than the one used to exit the student.
5. If the student scores below the State-established standard on the language
proficiency test, the student shall be reenrolled into the bilingual or ESL program.
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 What
diagnostic assessments are currently
being used in your district?
 Which
stakeholders are informed by this type
of assessment? (Consider not who should be
informed by the assessment, but how it is
being used in your district.)
 How
are the diagnostic assessment results
shared with general education teachers
working with ELLs?
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Summative Assessment
Assessment Level
Summative: An
outcome
assessment that
is Stateapproved, normreferenced
and/or criterionreferenced.
Tool
Grade Level(s)
ACCESS FOR ELLs 2.0
K-12
PARCC
3-11
www.state.nj.us/education/
bilingual/resources/prof_te
sts.htm
K-12
Terra Nova ed./any normreferenced or criterion
referenced standardized test
(Also available in Spanish)
ANY GRADES
NAEP – National Assessment of
Educational Progress
Grades 4, 8 and 12
Administered
End of the Year
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




Provides district level information
Depending on the assessment, you may be able to
compare students to peers statewide and/or
nationwide
Allows for school-district comparison
Generates questions concerning programs and
curriculum
Identifies patterns of student performance within
various subgroups
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


What summative assessments are currently being
used in your district?
Which stakeholders are informed by this type
assessment? (Consider not who should be
informed by the assessment, but how it is being
used in your district.)
How are the summative assessment results shared
with general education teachers working with ELLs?
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
Take a look at all of the highlighted areas of need
on your completed worksheet.

Identify the most significant areas of need for your
particular district.

Select three goals for the upcoming year based on
your identified district needs.

Strategize the steps to reaching those goals.

Complete SMART Goal Worksheet indicating steps
you will take this year to complete your goals.
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
Please email [email protected] with any
questions or comments you may have regarding
this module.
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