Grading ELLs Fairly: What Works, What Doesn’t

Many of us struggle to grade the performance of ELLs in a mainstream classroom. How can we separate content knowledge from language skills and assess ELLs in ways that are fair, appropriate, and relevant?

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Margo Gottlieb, Ph.D., is co-founder and lead developer for WIDA at the Wisconsin Center for Education Research, University of Wisconsin- Madison. She has devoted her professional career to the education of multilingual learners, having published extensively and presented worldwide; her latest books include Assessing English language learners: Bridges to equity, Assessing multilingual learners: A month-by-month guide (2017, ASCD), and Language power: Key uses for accessing content. Kristin Spears is an ESOL coach and teacher in Spartanburg, South Carolina District 6 where she helps plan and conduct ESOL professional development and collaborates with elementary teachers on how to best serve ELs in their classrooms.  In her teaching career, she has worked in various upstate SC schools with students in grades K-8. Becky Corr is an English Language Development Team Lead for Douglas County School District in Colorado.  In her role with DCSD as well as the owner of EdSpark Consulting, she provides coaching, professional development, and family engagement opportunities.