WIDA - World Class Instructional Design & Assessment - testing is ongoing in Covert and the state of Michigan since February 9th. All bilingual students are tested in Listening, Reading, Writing and Speaking. While the listening, reading and writing is generally administered in groups, students are tested one-on-one in speaking. This is the second year that Michigan has used the WIDA test, which is both more comprehensive and more challenging than the former ELPA - English Language Proficiency Test.
The federal and state government want to ensure that students who come from homes where another language besides English is spoken have a fair chance to learn at school. So we have tests to determine the student's proficiency. However, even when a student scores proficient, the state requires high scores on the state reading and mathematics tests as well. Only then can students exit the Title III support programs. Last year most of the students liked the WIDA and we were optimistic about it. However, the scores were much lower for students. No students in kindergarten through second grade received a proficient score on the WIDA. In former years, this was never the case and we expected about a third or more of the students to show proficiency at those grades. |
Ms. MeyerMs. Meyer has been teaching ESL in Covert and/or Van Buren County since 1981. She is a mother and grandmother. ArchivesCategories |
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