EL Happenings
Volume 3 Issue 3
Teacher Feature
Teacher Takeaway Vidyard- Comprehensible Input
Compliance Corner
Assessing English Learners in the General Education Classroom (Excerpt from the English Learner Guidebook by the IDOE, Office of English Learning, p. 15)
English learners are provided with access to the same core curriculum as their grade-level peers, and should also be held accountable to the same challenging academic standards. However, assessment for English learners must be differentiated to provide a variety of meaningful ways for students to demonstrate their understanding. Just as instruction for English learners should be personalized to meet their individual academic needs, assessments should be designed to consider English proficiency level and build on students’ strengths and abilities to provide opportunities for success.
For example, an English learner at a beginning level of English proficiency in writing may not be able to show his mastery of a social studies standard by writing an essay explaining the cause and effects of a certain event in history. However, he may be able to show mastery of the same rigorous academic standard by creating a visual representation of cause and effects using pictures and simple labels, or through an oral interview with the teacher. In this way, the rigor of the standard is not compromised, but the means through which students demonstrate mastery are flexible and tailored to individual student needs. Grading processes for English learners are developed locally but should be based on student mastery of academic standards, not on English language proficiency.
The following is Perry Township's current EL Grading Policy.
Day of the Dead- Dia de Los Muertos- November 2nd
The Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos (November 2) is a Mexican holiday celebrated throughout Mexico, in particular the Central and South regions, and by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. The multi-day holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died, and help support their spiritual journey. People celebrated with colorful calaveras (skulls) and calacas (skeletons) and creation of altars to remember the dead.
District EL Coaches
Email: gmayorga@perryschools.org
Twitter: @gschneidercoach
JJ Tidd
Email: jtidd@perryschools.org
Twitter: @JJTidd