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Program

English Language Learners (ELL)

The members of the English language learner (ELL) SCASS form the only national, sustained forum among state education agencies, researchers, and policy experts on assessment issues for English language learners. The collaborative focuses on the assessment of ELLs' English language proficiency and inclusion of ELLs in academic content assessments including the role of accommodations and/or alternate assessment to provide valid and reliable achievement data. Recent key activities have highlighted educational challenges and policy imperatives needed to meet those challenges. Last September this SCASS was the driving force in hosting a National Summit on English Language Learners and the common core.

Current ELL projects include:

  • ELL is partnering with the Council of Great City Schools, National Council of La Raza, National Indian Education Association and other community and civil rights organizations to ensure that the common core standards are inclusive to the linguistic needs of ELLs.
  • ELL is revising a series of publications for re-release on guidance for assessing ELLs with high quality assessment programs that yield meaningful results.
  • ELL is providing a work group to manage the recently shortened and revised English Language Development Test (ELDA), a battery of tests designed to allow schools to measure annual progress in the acquisition of English language proficiency skills among non-native English speaking students in grades 3-12. The ELDA includes separate tests for listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and is currently in use in eight states.

ELL Collaborative Advisor: Sharon Sáez

Sharon Sáez is the Collaborative Advisor for both the ELDA and ELL SCASSs. Ms. Sáez a Program Director with the Standards, Assessments and Accountability Team at CCSSO. Prior to joining CCSSO, Ms. Sáez was a senior national consultant at the Educational Testing Service. Ms. Sáez has also worked at the US Department of Education and for the Delaware Department of Education.

Members

Colorado, Connecticut, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming

Associate Members

CTB McGraw Hill, ETS, Pearson, WestEd, WIDA

Partners

NCEO, UCLA CRESST, Stanford University, School for Redesign Network

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