Are Your Assessment Strategies Equitable?

Many educators struggle with how to assess their English learners equitably. They understand that ELs need well-structured lessons and appropriate scaffolds to achieve the required standards, but they also know that sometimes achievement just isn’t possible simply due to lingering language barriers.

How can a teacher balance assessing content knowledge equitably with their district’s requirement to submit grades for all students?

As you have likely guessed, there are no easy answers and certainly no one answer that applies to every situation. However, educators have been grappling with this issue for a long time and some have produced viable solutions that you may be able to apply in your situation.

Several approaches to solving this challenge were produced by Diane Staehr Fenner and her team at SupportEd. Take a look at their Padlet, which also links to the webinar, The 5 Pillars of Equitably Grading ELs. It also offers additional videos and PDFs with concrete suggestions for addressing your assessment challenges.

The 5 Pillars of Equitably Grading ELs
Online resource to share questions, resources, and best practices related to EL grading

https://padlet.com/diane30/15wt3ssv15rx

Share in the comments below:

  • What resources in the SupportEd Padlet did you find to be the most helpful? 
  • What specific assessment challenges are you facing? 
  • How can the Dear Dr. Mooney community help?

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