Traditionalist

I administered Test #1 on Figurative Language as a paper-and-pencil format.  Currently, administering a computer-based test is not practical at the school where I am working because classrooms are not equipped with computers except for laptop carts that teachers have to share.  Furthermore, the Internet connection is often unreliable.

Figurative Language is difficult to teach ESL students.  However, because one of the main goals of our school's ESL department is to integrate ELL students to mainstream classes, teaching our ELLs the school curriculum seems to be the best way to attain that goal.  Admittedly, it is not an easy task and a handful of students are unable to grasp the concepts from the school-wide grade level curriculum map, considering that these students have never learned the alphabets in their schools from the islands they came from (I teach 6th-8th graders, by the way.)

The rationale for fashioning the test from the Reading department-created Common Assessments is because the Common Assessments are supposed to be prepare the students for the annual standardized assessments: ACT Aspire and Standard Based Assessment (SBA).

Results for the test are as shown by the chart below:

The results show that 3 out of the 4 Reading classes that I teach reached Mastery (80% and above) of Figurative Language for their class average for this test.  Students who had difficulty understanding the test items because of language were tested orally and with translations.  They were also given fewer questions to answer.  It was not easy and I'm trying to find other ways to make the test more feasible to my 4 students who are having difficulty with the concept.  However, when they take the standardized assessments, these modifications will not be given to them.