Bilingual Education, Part 4
Question 1: Discuss the TEKS Spanish language arts curriculum for EC-4: writing and evaluation.
Answer 1: Upon completion of the third grade, students should be equipped with the basic tools for critiquing their own writing and the writing of their classmates. The criteria for evaluating a piece of writing will vary depending on genre. In a story, for instance, students will be rewarded for using the kind of colorful language that would not be acceptable in an expository essay. In an essay, on the other hand, students would need to adhere to a stricter organizational structure than they would in a narrative. Students should be encouraged to assess the degree to which a piece of writing achieves its intent. One instructional method that many teachers employ is to show students a wide range of essays on the same subject, and ask the students to place the essays in order from least to most successful.
There are lots of good resources about Bilingual Education that you can find available.
Question 2: Discuss the TEKS Spanish language arts curriculum for EC-4: writing, inquiry, and research.
Answer 2: One of the goals of literacy development is that the students be able to research and report on a variety of topics. This requires a working knowledge of various reference works as well as an ability to effectively search within these works for specific information. Students should be able to self-direct their research by posing a few pertinent questions to guide subsequent inquiry. During the research process, students should be able to maintain intelligible and thoughtful notes, and should be able to gather these notes into a coherent outline when it comes time to produce an essay. At first, however, teachers will need to concentrate on the ways in which research can supplement reading.
Question 3: Discuss assessment of CALP and content-area concepts: TELPAS.
Answer 3: In light of the mandates of the No Child Left Behind Act, it is necessary for school districts to have a specific protocol for declaring English proficiency. In Texas, this protocol is known as the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System, or TELPAS. This protocol is in place to ensure that students are making annual progress toward being integrated into an English-language classroom. Ideally, students will advance at least one proficiency level every year. This protocol of assessment has two parts: the Texas Observation Protocols and the Reading Proficiency Tests in English. These tests are alternately administered depending on the age and proficiency level of the student. Language proficiency assessment committees (LPACs) are convened to study the results of these assessments and place students accordingly.
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