Module 5 - Reporting progress in secondary schools

In this module, you will explore:

• the background information that is relevant to reporting progress and achievement for English language learners in secondary schools
• key ideas about reporting progress and achievement to parents
• specific ideas for leading the professional development and learning of others in your school.

To help you, you will need:

• The English Language Learning Progressions: Years 9–13
• The Literacy Learning Progressions
• The New Zealand Curriculum
• a copy of your school reporting format(s).

Summary of key messages about reporting progress

• Most English language learners will be able to work at the curriculum level of their cohort in their first language/s. However, they will need scaffolding so that they can access curriculum content that is delivered in English. They will need support with:
  • English language and literacy development
  • background knowledge and understandings about contexts
  • ways of learning in New Zealand classrooms.
• Teachers, deans, families, and whānau all benefit from understanding the English language learner pathways described in the English Language Learning Progressions and how these pathways are related to The New Zealand Curriculum, The Literacy Learning Progressions, and NCEA.
• A key purpose of reporting student progress and achievement is to inform the students themselves and to ensure they are able to track their own pathway and reflect on their own progress.
• Making accelerated progress must be the goal for English language learners who are achieving below their age-level cohort in English literacy and who need to reach this constantly moving cohort. TheEnglish Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) provide a pathway towards the English language proficiency level that students need so they can meet the expectations for learning at years 9–13 of the curriculum.
• Some English language learners are working above the expectations for their year level. In these cases, schools may choose to use the ELLP or the NCEA literacy requirements rather than the ELLP matrices to report their progress. TheLiteracy Learning Progressions describe the expectations for year-appropriate literacy skills for the junior secondary school. The NCEA literacy requirements indicate some expectations in the senior secondary school.
• In order to ensure the school’s reporting processes are understood and acceptable, schools need to recognise the diversity of their family and whānau communities and engage in discussion with relevant groups. It is helpful if guardians can pass information on to the families of international students

Purpose

In this section of the module, you will explore background information that is relevant to reporting the progress and achievement of English language learners.

This includes:

• Key messages
• The New Zealand Curriculum – Setting the direction
• Who the English Language Learning Progressions are for
• Why schools should use the English Language Learning Progressions
• Making an overall teacher judgment for English language learners
• Moderation using the English Language Learning Progressions.

Key messages: Questions to think about or discuss with colleagues

Read the key messages for this module and prepare to discuss the questions below.

key messages about reporting - Secondary - 1 (PDF 69KB)

What are the different purposes for reporting progress and achievement to:

• students?
• parents, families, and whānau?
• Boards of Trustees?
• the Ministry of Education?

The New Zealand Curriculum – Setting the direction

• One of the visions of The New Zealand Curriculum is to develop “confident, connected, actively involved, and lifelong learners” (page 8). Engaging English language learners and their families in monitoring each student’s progress and achievement can contribute to this outcome.
• All the learning areas of the curriculum provide the appropriate contexts for cognitively rich and challenging teaching and learning for all students, regardless of their English language proficiency. However, for English language learners, teachers will need to provide scaffolding to help them access curriculum content (which includes amplifying language rather than simplifying it).
• Focusing on developing key competencies will support learning.
• The principles in The New Zealand Curriculum (page 9) underpin all decisions teachers and schools make about their teaching and learning programmes.
  • The principle of inclusion states that we “ensure that students’ identities, languages, abilities, and talents are affirmed and that their learning needs are addressed”.
  • The principle of high expectations states that “the curriculum supports and empowers all students to learn and achieve personal excellence, regardless of their individual circumstances”.
  • The principle of coherence requires us to provide for “coherent transitions, and [to] open up pathways for further learning”.

Think about or discuss with colleagues:

• What do you do in your classroom to address each of the points above?
• How does your school address each of the points above?

Who are The English Language Learning Progressions for?

The English Language Learning Progressions is effective with a wide range of learners, including:

• students from homes where a language other than English is spoken
• ESOL-funded students from migrant, refugee, or New Zealand backgrounds
• previously ESOL-funded students who have exceeded their funding period
• students transitioning from kura to English-medium learning environments
• students from bilingual education settings
• international fee-paying students.

Why should schools use The English Language Learning Progressions?

The English Language Learning Progressions provides:

• a nationally consistent set of progressions that enable teachers to identify and describe specific stages of English language learning
• a detailed description of English language learners’ progress and achievement in reading, writing, speaking, and listening as they move towards the relevant curriculum expectations
• a means for showing a student’s pace of progress and achievement over time (which will ensure you know if their pace of progress is limited and consider whether the student’s learning needs are being met)
• a document for teachers to use to track, monitor, and report the progress and achievement of individual students
• guidance about learning an additional language and learning in an additional language
• matrices and exemplars that support teachers to give feedback to students and families on a student’s next learning steps
• a tool for aggregating information about groups of students in a school (which is especially useful for reporting to the Board of Trustees).

Please note: The English Language Learning Progressions are valuable for all of the purposes described above, even if schools choose not to use them for reporting to parents, families, and whānau.

Making an overall teacher judgment for English language learners

Teachers use several sources of information to place a student on the appropriate stages of The English Language Learning Progressions.

Teachers draw on a variety of information from a range of sources, including assessment tools, learning conversations, and observations.

The process of making an overall teacher judgment is similar for all students, but there are some important points of difference for English language learners.

When assessment tools that have been norm referenced for students whose first language is English are used with an English language learner, the results may lead their teacher to make inappropriate judgments about aspects of the student’s ability, for example:

• the student may be able to make inferences and draw conclusions from reading, but the unfamiliar vocabulary or context may prevent them from displaying this skill
• the student’s performance in secondary school entrance tests might result in them being placed in lower-band classes when they have the potential to work well in higher-band classes.

 
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Moderation using The English Language Learning Progressions

Moderation with a classroom teacher and an ESOL teacher

In many schools, a classroom teacher and an ESOL teacher can work together to moderate their overall teacher judgments in relation to the ELLP stages. This is a valuable process as each professional brings different knowledge of and perspectives on a student.

Moderation in groups

Moderation may also involve teachers in a group, either within a school or from different schools. Local ESOL cluster meetings and ESOL workshops are possible contexts for supporting this process of group moderation.

Purpose

In this section of the module, you will explore reporting learners’ progress and achievement to parents in secondary schools. This includes:

• Relevant aspects of the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs)
• Which students will have their English literacy progress and achievement reported using The English Language Learning Progressions?
• What will you say to parents, families, and whānau about learning in school?
• Assessing the progress of English language learners in curriculum learning areas in years 9–13
• Written reports for English language learners
• Community engagement

Relevant aspects of the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs)

Relevant aspects of the National Administration Guidelines (NAGs) are:

NAG 1: (c) on the basis of good quality assessment information, identify students and groups of students:

• who are not achieving
• who are at risk of not achieving
• who have special needs (including gifted and talented students)
• aspects of the curriculum which require particular attention.

NAG 2: (c) report to students and their parents on the achievement of individual students, and to the school's community on the achievement of students as a whole and of groups (identified through NAG 1(c) above).

The progress and achievement of secondary English language learners may be reported to parents in relation to the listening, speaking, reading, and writing matrices in ELLP rather than in relation to the English curriculum levels.

Which students will have their English literacy progress and achievement reported using the ELLP?

For all students, it is critical that TheLiteracy Learning Progressions and the NCEA literacy requirements, which are signposts for age or year-appropriate achievement, are the long-term goal.

• Students who are English language learners may be reported in relation to the national expectations described in The Literacy Learning Progressions and the NCEA literacy requirements or in relation to the matrices in the ELLP.
• When deciding whether a student should be reported in relation to the national expectations or in relation to the ELLP stages, teachers need to understand background information about the student (for example, how long they have been in the New Zealand education system and whether they have had interrupted schooling).
• Generally, teachers should encourage secondary students learning at Foundation Stage, Stage 1, and Stage 2 of the ELLP to view their own progress in relation to these stages. Reporting progress to parents for these students in relation to English curriculum levels may be of limited value. It may be unhelpful in establishing learning needs and next steps and may not enable progress in language learning to be reported and acknowledged.
• When students are working at ELLP Stage 3 or 4, they are getting closer to cohort level and may be reported in relation to The Literacy Learning Progressions and the NCEA literacy requirements.
• The English Language Learning Progressions continue to be a helpful tool for informing teaching and learning even when students are working at or above ELLP Stage 3.

What will you say to the parents, families, and whānau of English language learners about the student’s learning?

This diagram from The English Language Learning Progressions illustrates the relationships between the progress of English language learners in acquiring proficiency in English and the levels in the learning areas of the curriculum.

You could copy this diagram and the explanation of the relationship between learning in the curriculum learning areas and learning English from the PDF and use them to support your discussions with parents, families, and whānau. You could use them as part of a school report and/or as a prompt when conferencing with parents, families, and whānau.

The key points in the diagram and the relationship between students’ progress in English language learning and their learning across the curriculum in secondary school are summarised below.

• The learning areas of the curriculum are represented in different colours on the right-hand side of the diagram.
• As secondary students progress in English, they move through Foundation Stage, Stage 1, Stage 2, Stage 3, and Stage 4. These stages are shown on the left-hand side of the diagram.
• New students usually join classes in the curriculum learning areas with other students who are the same age.
• Students might start at secondary school at any of the ELLP stages. Depending on their prior knowledge and experiences, secondary students may take five years to develop enough academic English to meet the national expectations described in The Literacy Learning Progressionsand the NCEA literacy requirements.
• English language learners are usually tracked on the ELLP stages until they approach the national expectations for English literacy.
• When secondary students reach Stage 4, they are approaching the same level as national expectations.

Assessing the progress of English language learners in curriculum learning areas in years 9–13

Generally, English language learners’ progress and achievement in curriculum learning areas is reported in relation to the year-appropriate curriculum levels.

Students learn through language and, to a great extent, display their knowledge and understanding through language. At all times, teachers need to know the English language proficiency level of English language learners, their learning needs, and the implications of this for displaying their knowledge and understanding in curriculum learning areas.

For many new learners of English, the language demands of norm-referenced standardised assessment tools may mean that an assessment does not measure their performance in the learning area accurately (ESOL Progress Assessment Guidelines, Ministry of Education, 2005, p. 5).

Teachers need to make judgments about a student’s readiness for participating in assessment procedures. Teachers base these judgments on information they gain from regular formative assessment during daily lessons, balanced by a sense of urgency and a need for accelerated progress.

At times there is a mismatch between teacher and/or student expectations and assessment results. Teachers will need to explore with the student whether the results can be attributed to difficulties with the language of a task or a lack of subject conceptual knowledge and understanding. Comments on reports reflect learning and achievement in language and subject knowledge.

Written reports for English language learners

Think about or discuss with colleagues:

• How will you show English language learners’ progress and achievement in reading, writing, and oral language in relation to the ELLP stages but also report the learning areas and key competencies?
• Will you use the ELLP to determine what has been learned and the next learning steps in reading, writing, and oral language?
• Will some aspects of the report need to be translated and/or an interpreter provided for a parent conference to ensure the parent can understand and respond to the information and/or participate in the conference?

Teachers may find it useful to use The English Language Learning Progressions matrices or exemplars as a source for specific comments and “next learning steps”.

The PDF documents below provide possible models that schools can adapt to suit the school format. It may be necessary to create a specific format for English language learners so that these students are reported against the stages in The English Language Learning Progressions and/or against curriculum levels.

Xxx High School Rep intro (PDF 156KB) Xxx High School Rep 9 10 (PDF 197KB) Xxx High School Rep 11 12 13 (PDF 199KB)

Community engagement

In successful Community engagement, the school both communicates well and listens effectively to their parent community.

Schools may have groups of parents who would benefit from having important educational messages translated into their home languages. In some cases, the school needs to organise translations. In other cases, translated written materials may be available from the Ministry of Education.

Parents should always have opportunities to discuss and ask questions about their children’s learning.

• How would your parent community like their children’s progress and achievement reported?
• What methods will you use to communicate key messages about students’ learning to parents?
• How can you ensure that parents understand the role of The English Language Learning Progressions?

Purpose

This section of the module will support you to lead the professional development and learning of others in your school.

This section has some specific ideas about how you might use this online material with other teachers to develop knowledge about tracking, monitoring, and reporting English language learners’ progress.

The content of the module contains some key messages for teachers. You could copy these messages as a prompt for your discussions.

Task one

Can you identify which students should have their progress and achievement monitored, tracked, and reported in relation to the ELLP stages?

Read and discuss the scenarios below, using these questions and instructions to guide your discussions.

• Decide if it is beneficial for the students to be tracked, monitored, and reported using the stages of the ELLP.
• What are the pros and cons of assessing the junior students using norm-referenced tests? If you were giving an asTTle test to the students, what level would you set it at? What might such tests show or not show? What would you do with the information?
• Decide which NCEA literacy assessment pathways the senior students should follow.
• Discuss the best way to report the students’ English language and literacy development to parents.

Scenario 1: Mei came to New Zealand when she was five and attended primary school in Auckland for 18 months. She then went back to China and has returned to New Zealand at the beginning of year 9. She is at Stage 2 in oral language and Stage 1 in writing and reading. Her writing in Mandarin, her first language, has been assessed by the Mandarin teacher as being below the level expected for a student of her age.

Scenario 2: Afia has just started school in New Zealand in year 10. He speaks gagana Sāmoa fluently. In his writing in gagana Sāmoa, he tells us that he has been living in a small village in Sāmoa. The gagana Sāmoa teacher explained that Afia was able to express some complex ideas in this writing and that the content shows he has strong Samoan values. His English is at Stage 2 in oral language and Stage 1 in writing and reading.

Scenario 3: Bikram is a 17 year old Bhutanese boy (year 12). He was born in a refugee camp in Nepal and spent the first 16 years of his life there before being settled in New Zealand. He’d had schooling in English in the refugee camp before coming to New Zealand. His ESOL teacher has assessed his English proficiency at Stage 2 in oral language, reading, and writing. Bikram has a sound understanding of mathematics and has gained some credits in level 2 chemistry, maths, and physics. He is very keen to go to university.

Scenario 4: Rajeev is 17 years old (year 12) and was born in Fiji. He came to New Zealand when he was 14 years old and speaks Hindi and English fluently. He is having more difficulty with reading and writing in English. Rajeev’s ESOL teacher last year determined he was at ELLP Stage 4 in oral language and Stage 3 in reading and writing. He is not having any specific ESOL support this year.

Task two

Who are the English language learners in your school?

Examine your school enrolment information and ensure you have a picture of the cultural and linguistic diversity in your school. Does your enrolment form ensure you collect all of the important and relevant information about each student?

Use the school enrolment information to identify students who would benefit from being tracked and monitored using the matrices in the ELLP.

Task three

Reporting to parents

Examine the models provided in this module and/or analyse your current school reports from the perspective of your English language learners and their families. Do the reports fulfil the requirements of the NAGs? Are there any aspects of your reports that need to be adapted or changed?

Look for evidence of:

• the student’s strengths
• the student’s current learning goals
• the student’s achievement and progress in relation to English language and literacy
• the student’s achievements across the learning areas
• developing key competencies
• what the school will do to support the student’s learning
• what parents, family, and whānau can do to support the student’s learning
• other aspects of school involvement or service.

Discuss with colleagues your current school reporting formats. Record comments and ideas on the table attached.

Task four

Analyse the school-wide achievement data for English language learners that is reported to the Board of Trustees.

Review the progress of groups such as:

• those in the intensive programme
• international students
• students who have previously received ESOL funding
• students born in New Zealand
• recent arrivals.

What are the strengths of individual students and groups of students? What are the learning needs of these students? Which intervention and support has been most effective for individual students and groups of students? How can you support teachers to incorporate identified effective practice into their teaching?