Formative Language Assessment Records for ELLs
Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC Chicago, IL Garden Grove, CA

FLARE Professional Development: Overview

Year 1: 2009 Summer Institute

  • Discuss what literacy is and the impact of Second Language Assessment Literacy (incorporating the standards) and introduce FLARE to participating schools, administrators and teachers.
  • Discuss how formative assessments fit into a balanced assessment system and how formative assessments can be used in the ELL classroom.

Year 2: 2010 Summer Institute

  • Provide more detail on FLARE and training on using language learning targets and assessments.
  • Discuss signs of language literacy progress
  • Provide training on the language learning plan and guiding students in self-reflection, self-assessment, and goal setting.
  • Provide training on assessing the linguistic components and using FLARE scoring materials, scoring forms, and reports.

Year 3: 2011 Summer Institute

  • Focus on using FLARE assessment tools and reporting forms to diagnose students' strengths and needs. Also provide guidance on setting language learning goals to be articulated in the Language Learning Plan.
  • Revisit the use of FLARE assessment tools and also provide training on how to use materials to set language learning goals for the linguistic components: language functions, vocabulary, grammar and language discourse.
  • Provide examples and guidelines for collaborating with content teachers (e.g., science and mathematics).

Professional Development Materials List

1 A presentation with associated materials introducing and providing and overview of FLARE

2 A presentation with associated materials on using the Language Learning Targets and setting goals based on the targets

3 FLARE benchmark assessment's administration, scoring, reporting, and interpretive guides

4 FLARE assessment toolbox's administration, scoring, reporting and interpretive guides

5 A presentation and guide for the student self-assessments and Language Learning Plans

6 FLARE Native Language Literacy Screener's administration, scoring, reporting and interpretive guide

7 A presentation on how ELL formative assessment fits into a district's balanced assessment system for ELLs

8 A guide to using FLARE reports, using of FLARE assessment data, and using the language learning plan, and potentially in the future a guide to using FLARE's online reporting system

9 A FLARE Handbook which will be a compendium of all FLARE training materials and sample templates, rubrics, and anchor papers

10 A guide on college readiness standards and the academic language required by standards by subject area