Adult Ed SIG Update: Myths & Facts about the ELP Standards

By Marcia Luptak and Ewa Lazowska

Thank you to everyone who attended the adult education SIG meeting at our fall mini-conference! At the conference, we discussed the new English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards and the new ESL Standards Proficient Instructor (ESPI) training being offered through our state professional development center. One of the big takeaways from the meeting is that there is a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication out in the field about the standards and the training as well as testing and placement practices. In response, we have developed a special “Mythbusters” section to our newsletter this issue. We hope that this helps! If you have any questions that are not addressed in this issue, please feel free to email us. We will address any questions from the field in future newsletters.

We are your advocates. If you would like for us to bring anything to the ICCB Adult Education staff or to the Illinois professional developments centers, please let us know. We want your voices to be heard!

Thank you,

Ewa and Marcia

Ewa Lazowska and Marcia Luptak are the chairs of the Adult Education SIG (Special Interest Group).

Adult Education Mythbusters – Fall Edition

Myth 1: The ELP Standards are about adding math to the classroom and focus only on career pathways. They do not help to prepare students for the BEST, BEST Plus, or the CASAS, which are required by the state for reporting.

Fact: The 2017 Illinois ESL Content Standards include the 2007 ESL Content Standards, the new English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards, technology, and math, so math is only one component of the new standards. The 2017 ELP Standards are correlated to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards, and their main focus is English language use and development, not career pathways. The ELP standards are intended to add rigor to what we already teach so that students are more challenged in their use of language. They are not specific regarding classroom topics and content but are meant to lead to easier college and career transition. For more information on the ELP standards, you can go to http://www.iccb.org/iccb/wp-content/pdfs/adulted/publications_reports/IL_ESL_Content_Standards_3-17.pdf. On page 4, it lists the 10 ELP Standards and summarizes their functions. This is a very helpful introduction to the standards. The increased rigor included in the standards should better prepare students for the state-required tests (CASAS, BEST, and BEST Plus) as it is in all skill areas (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). The new ELP standards will also match the revised NRS Educational Functioning Level descriptors for ESL. Additionally, CASAS is being updated to match the new descriptors.

Myth 2: I don’t need English Standards Proficient Instructor (ESPI) training because I already have a Master’s degree in TESOL/Reading/Adult Education. I cannot attend the training anyways because it is only offered on Fridays during the school year and I teach k-12.

Fact: ESPI training is not meant to replace a Master’s degree, teacher, or graduate level coursework in TESOL. In fact, in order to be eligible to do the training, instructors must meet the descriptors for “ESL Preferred Instructor,” which include proficiency in oral and written English, technology/digital literacy proficiency, training or coursework in ESL teaching methodology, completion of professional development relevant to ESL, and experience with English language learners. Program administrators have to sign off that instructors entering the training meet all of these criteria. The assumption in the ESPI training is that teachers already have a solid background in how to teach ESL learners. The purpose of ESPI training is to inform teachers about the standards and to train instructors on how to apply them in the classroom. It enhances what they already know and do. The focus on ESPI training is increasing rigor, adding math, and adding technology to the ESL classroom. Teachers who have taken the training have commented that they see an impact in how they teach. As a person who observes teachers, I can attest that teachers who have received the training have noticeably improved their instructional techniques. While the training is offered on Fridays during the school year, the training was also offered during the summer in the summer of 2018. Many teachers took advantage of this training in July. Other trainings times/days may be considered if there is enough interest in the field.

Myth 3: The state of Illinois mandates that programs place students within their programs according to their CASAS/BEST/BEST Plus scores. A student is not allowed to progress in a program unless the student makes a NRS level gain on one of these tests.

Fact: While the state requires specific tests for reporting purposes, it does not dictate how programs place students into their classes or how many levels/classes are offered within a program. Programs decide how to place students within their classes and decide what is required to go up a class level within the program. For example, at Elgin Community College (ECC), we administer the CASAS for reporting purposes but do not use it for placement. We use in-house assessments in speaking and writing to place students into the 10 levels that we offer. Other adult education programs have opted to use the CASAS for placement. Also at ECC, we determine whether to pass a student to the next class level based on in-house program assessments we have developed that tests students in all four skills. Other programs have opted to require students to make a level gain in order to progress to the next class level. There are variations from program to program. These decisions are made at the program level and may depend on a program’s performance the prior fiscal year.

Myth 4: ESL students do not need to learn math or technology. They are there just to learn English. Technology and math should be separate classes because we don’t test students on math. The CASAS doesn’t test math.

Fact: New literacy definitions include digital literacy. In order to function and be competitive in this society, students need these skills. Under WIOA final rule 463.1, math is also required for ESL programs in order to prepare students for transition to college and/or career. There is a great Issue Brief on the topic called “Meeting the Language Needs of Today’s Adult English Language Learner: Issue Brief” at https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/ELL_Increasing_Rigor_508.pdf. Other recommended resources on the topic include “English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education” at http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/elp-standards-adult-ed.pdf and “College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education” at https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf . These help to explain why it is important for us to add math and technology to our ESL classes. It is important to remember that these should be contextualized to our ESL content and be practical and relevant to our students. Additionally, there is a math test for CASAS, but this has not been approved by Illinois for program reporting purposes.


Adult Ed SIG Update: Myths & Facts about the ELP Standards By Marcia Luptak and Ewa Lazowska Thank you to everyone who attended the adult education SIG meeting at our fall mini-conference! At the conference, we discussed the new English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards and the new ESL Standards Proficient Instructor (ESPI) training being offered through our state professional development center. One of the big takeaways from the meeting is that there is a lot of misunderstanding and miscommunication out in the field about the standards and the training as well as testing and placement practices. In response, we have developed a special “Mythbusters” section to our newsletter this issue. We hope that this helps! If you have any questions that are not addressed in this issue, please feel free to email us. We will address any questions from the field in future newsletters. We are your advocates. If you would like for us to bring anything to the ICCB Adult Education staff or to the Illinois professional developments centers, please let us know. We want your voices to be heard! Thank you, Ewa and Marcia Ewa Lazowska and Marcia Luptak are the chairs of the Adult Education SIG (Special Interest Group). Adult Education Mythbusters – Fall Edition Myth 1: The ELP Standards are about adding math to the classroom and focus only on career pathways. They do not help to prepare students for the BEST, BEST Plus, or the CASAS, which are required by the state for reporting. Fact: The 2017 Illinois ESL Content Standards include the 2007 ESL Content Standards, the new English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards, technology, and math, so math is only one component of the new standards. The 2017 ELP Standards are correlated to the College and Career Readiness (CCR) standards, and their main focus is English language use and development, not career pathways. The ELP standards are intended to add rigor to what we already teach so that students are more challenged in their use of language. They are not specific regarding classroom topics and content but are meant to lead to easier college and career transition. For more information on the ELP standards, you can go to http://www.iccb.org/iccb/wp-content/pdfs/adulted/publications_reports/IL_ESL_Content_Standards_3-17.pdf. On page 4, it lists the 10 ELP Standards and summarizes their functions. This is a very helpful introduction to the standards. The increased rigor included in the standards should better prepare students for the state-required tests (CASAS, BEST, and BEST Plus) as it is in all skill areas (reading, writing, speaking, and listening). The new ELP standards will also match the revised NRS Educational Functioning Level descriptors for ESL. Additionally, CASAS is being updated to match the new descriptors. Myth 2: I don’t need English Standards Proficient Instructor (ESPI) training because I already have a Master’s degree in TESOL/Reading/Adult Education. I cannot attend the training anyways because it is only offered on Fridays during the school year and I teach k-12. Fact: ESPI training is not meant to replace a Master’s degree, teacher, or graduate level coursework in TESOL. In fact, in order to be eligible to do the training, instructors must meet the descriptors for “ESL Preferred Instructor,” which include proficiency in oral and written English, technology/digital literacy proficiency, training or coursework in ESL teaching methodology, completion of professional development relevant to ESL, and experience with English language learners. Program administrators have to sign off that instructors entering the training meet all of these criteria. The assumption in the ESPI training is that teachers already have a solid background in how to teach ESL learners. The purpose of ESPI training is to inform teachers about the standards and to train instructors on how to apply them in the classroom. It enhances what they already know and do. The focus on ESPI training is increasing rigor, adding math, and adding technology to the ESL classroom. Teachers who have taken the training have commented that they see an impact in how they teach. As a person who observes teachers, I can attest that teachers who have received the training have noticeably improved their instructional techniques. While the training is offered on Fridays during the school year, the training was also offered during the summer in the summer of 2018. Many teachers took advantage of this training in July. Other trainings times/days may be considered if there is enough interest in the field. Myth 3: The state of Illinois mandates that programs place students within their programs according to their CASAS/BEST/BEST Plus scores. A student is not allowed to progress in a program unless the student makes a NRS level gain on one of these tests. Fact: While the state requires specific tests for reporting purposes, it does not dictate how programs place students into their classes or how many levels/classes are offered within a program. Programs decide how to place students within their classes and decide what is required to go up a class level within the program. For example, at Elgin Community College (ECC), we administer the CASAS for reporting purposes but do not use it for placement. We use in-house assessments in speaking and writing to place students into the 10 levels that we offer. Other adult education programs have opted to use the CASAS for placement. Also at ECC, we determine whether to pass a student to the next class level based on in-house program assessments we have developed that tests students in all four skills. Other programs have opted to require students to make a level gain in order to progress to the next class level. There are variations from program to program. These decisions are made at the program level and may depend on a program’s performance the prior fiscal year. Myth 4: ESL students do not need to learn math or technology. They are there just to learn English. Technology and math should be separate classes because we don’t test students on math. The CASAS doesn’t test math. Fact: New literacy definitions include digital literacy. In order to function and be competitive in this society, students need these skills. Under WIOA final rule 463.1, math is also required for ESL programs in order to prepare students for transition to college and/or career. There is a great Issue Brief on the topic called “Meeting the Language Needs of Today’s Adult English Language Learner: Issue Brief” at https://lincs.ed.gov/sites/default/files/ELL_Increasing_Rigor_508.pdf. Other recommended resources on the topic include “English Language Proficiency Standards for Adult Education” at http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/elp-standards-adult-ed.pdf and “College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education” at https://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/CCRStandardsAdultEd.pdf . These help to explain why it is important for us to add math and technology to our ESL classes. It is important to remember that these should be contextualized to our ESL content and be practical and relevant to our students. Additionally, there is a math test for CASAS, but this has not been approved by Illinois for program reporting purposes.
ITBE Link - Fall 2018 - Fall 2018