Tips for Doing Transformations with the 2012 Amplification

Earlier this year I wrote about some of the new features in the 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards.  I highlighted the new components, including the example context for language use, cognitive function and topic-related language sections. 

Since then I have conducted several workshops on transformations.  (For those of you new to the ELD Standards, check out these posts:  Transformations – Part 1, Transformation s – Part 2, Q&A on Transformations.)  I have been delighted to see that these same new features actually make it easier for my participants to do transformations.  So today I will be sharing some transformation tips. Some are my tips; some came from my workshop participants.

It’s Our First Blog Birthday!

It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since we launched this blog!  Thanks to you, it has been a resounding success.  Over 38,000 people have visited the WIDA blog since November 7, 2011.  Just last month, we had over 8,000 page views. 

 Join us as we celebrate!  

Using the ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports

Last week an administrator told me that he was surprised to learn that there were several different types of score reports available for the ACCESS for ELLs assessment.  He only knew about the data that was uploaded annually to his district’s online data management system.  Reflecting on that conversation led me to today’s post. 

Understanding Proficiency Levels Using an Ice Cream Cone Analogy

 

I suspect that proficiency levels are the “most talked about” of the scores provided by the ACCESS for ELLs score reports.  However, many of us have a hard time explaining the levels to people outside our field.  In today’s post, I will share with you my favorite analogy – the ice cream cone.  

During workshops, I have been known to actually draw this image free hand.  It isn’t very pretty! The “homemade” image of the ice cream cone diagram below is much nicer.  

Welcome, Colorado and Nevada!

Have you heard the news?  On October 1, 2012, Colorado became the 30^th member of the WIDA Consortium.  On October 11^th, Nevada joined and became the 31^st member. 

Both states previously adopted the WIDA ELD Standards  for use in their schools.  Now that they are official Consortium members, Colorado and Nevada educators are preparing to administer the ACCESS for ELLs assessment.  

Here are a few blog posts that you might find useful if you are preparing to give the ACCESS for ELLs for the first time this year:

Tips for Using the CAN DO Name Charts

Looking for a way to organize and share your students’ English language proficiency data?  For years I have suggested to my workshop participants that they use the CAN DO Descriptors to contextualize their students’ ACCESS for ELLs® data.  That is, I have suggested that they write their students’ names or initials on the appropriate grade level cluster CAN DO charts.  But now we have an even better option! 

Four New Features in the Strands of MPIs

Recently I pointed out some of the similarities and differences present in the 2012 amplification of the ELD Standards.  Today I would like to share a little more with you about some of the new features in the Model Performance Indicator strands.  For additional background information on MPIs, click here. 

If you have flipped through the 2012 Amplification, you have likely noticed that the strands of MPIs look different.  There are more components and there is more information included with each strand.  Specifically, I am talking about: