Moira Koskey

April 23, 2021

ED 291
Week Four
ELL Assessments

The Student Oral Language Observation Matrix (SOLOM) is a useful tool because it

measures authentic language usage, covering both BICS (social language) and CALP (academic

language). It also observes a student’s performance in different contexts, as when Ms. Fernandez

used the SOLOM protocol to assess Patrick’s overall comprehension and usage in academic set-

tings as well as in everyday interaction. It’s important to observe in multiple environments be-

fore completing this assessment, because there can be outside factors that affect classroom per-

formance, whether it’s a shy personality or cultural differences. Due to repeated observations,

Ms. Fernandez was able to determine that Patrick’s skills were consistent across settings. Her

recommendations to help Patrick improve his skills were wide-ranging and targeted. I particu-

larly liked her ideas for how to pair him with students whose strengths will really benefit areas

where he needs improvements, as well as having him participate in Readers Theater and reading

buddies. 

There are numerous ways to assess reading and writing, and it’s very exciting to see

the ways that these assessments engage the class in authentic and interactive activities. As men-

tioned in the text, these assessments don’t subtract from instructional time, they contribute to

classroom engagement while providing authentic data for the teacher. I have always been a fan

of the KWL chart, because I feel it serves the purpose of reactivating prior knowledge as well as

getting students excited to learn more. I like this as a group activity where students can add to

what others are saying, which helps with social objectives and builds enthusiasm. I think the

“What have we learned” segment is also a great way to get a feel for different learning styles
within the class, and may be a good opportunity for a less fluent student to pair with a more con-

fident English speaker and present their conclusions. 

Interactive writing charts are another really great way to make assessments a fun activ-

ity that engages the whole class, and the example given in the text is a wonderful way for stu-

dents to practice their written language in a fun and low anxiety environment. This example was

one of my favorites- the way the activity was presented got the students interested and engaged,

and the outcome will set them up for success on the following day. It also provided the teacher

an opportunity to witness different types of language proficiency, not just written, but verbal

communication as well, as when the student from Somalia spoke with his partner about the

whiteboard and the marker. This activity is one that I would definitely use in a classroom. 

Assessment is absolutely key to designing effective instruction, identifying areas to

provide scaffolding, and capitalizing on strengths when putting groups together. I liked the quote

by the teacher in the movie where she points out “assessment is happening all the time”. This is

in line with the recommendation from R&F that assessments should be recursive, or as the film

puts it, there should be “a tight assessment loop”. The consistent use of a variety of dynamic as-

sessment tools should be happening before, during, and after instruction for the most effective in-

struction. The other recommendations, such as the use of a variety of tools and making sure as-

sessments match the instructional practices and requirements, line up with this thinking as well. 

There are two recommendations that really stand out to me and that I will keep in

mind. The first is to assess by using a daily teaching event as part of the assessment process. It is

worth noting that crucial to this entire process is that the teacher needs to get to know each stu-

dent to understand their strengths and weaknesses. These assessments can’t be done effectively

by an outsider. So a daily event gives teachers a regular opportunity to track progress and get a
sense of what each student needs. The second is that we plan instruction after assessment. This is

a different perspective on what I used to think of as assessments, which was basically a test given

after the instruction to see how much was learned. This concept is thankfully somewhat outdated,

and assessment is no longer a scary or disheartening word! Instead it represents an opportunity to

shape my lessons specifically to meet the needs and interests of my students, which is a lot more

exciting.