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Although test-taking is an important part of education in the United States, it's also a source of anxiety and stress for students and teachers alike. In the case of ELLs (English Language Learners), many factors pose challenges to their test-taking success. In this blog post, we will discuss strategies to ensure ESOL students succeed in taking the new and more rigorous CASAS STEPS assessment series.

Inspire a positive classroom mindset

Adult ESOL instructors often have a strong rapport with their students. They are mindful of the challenges students face in their new American lives – challenges such as immigration status, family situation, financial and housing status, which might deter them from fully focusing on their studies. Compassion and a positive classroom mindset are powerful tools for long-term academic success.

One way for teachers to cultivate confidence in students is by celebrating their victories – big or small – such as a student passing their driver's license test, making an MSG (Measurable skill gain) in the CASAS STEPS, or even just increasing their test score at all.Ìý

Clarify testing information

Another step to help students succeed while testing is demystifying tests. Many adult ESOL students might not be familiar with standardized testing at all. In addition, students (especially those in lower NRS level classes) might encounter language barriers in testing terminology.

To help reduce test anxiety, teachers can explain the ins and outs of the CASAS STEPS ahead of time. For instance, how long students have for each session, how many questions there are in each portion, what the scores mean and what they don't mean (a low score will not remove them from their class or program).

Practice, Pratice, PracticeÌý

Providing students with regular practice exercises is a great tool to combat fear of the unknown. Teaching with the test in mind, instructors can include a daily warm-up listening question or two at the beginning of class that relates to the day's lesson topic and/or provide a daily timed "exit ticket" reading question (both can be found in the FUTURE series books and accompanying MyEnglishLab.) so they can practice time management skills for test tasking.

Encourage self-care

While mental preparation is crucial, feeling physically comfortable and having basic needs met makes concentrating on tests a lot easier. According to Harvard, getting a good night's sleep is one of the keys to testing well.

Eating nutritious food, avoiding sugar, and drinking plenty of water are equally important measures. The temperature in the testing rooms can play a role in students' comfort and ability to focus; teachers can remind students to bring sweaters or wear layers and comfortable clothes.

The CASAS STEPS, along with most standardized assessments, is a test of mental and physical endurance. Preparation makes a direct impact on their scores. Developing students' confidence and growth mindset, clearly communicating test information, providing plenty of opportunities to practice with the FUTURE series and MyEnglishLab, and encouraging self-care will help students achieve higher results.ÌýWhat other test-taking strategies do you use with your students?Ìý

In today’s interconnected world, effective communication in English is more crucial than ever. As educators and language learners seek to measure and improve English proficiency, a resource like the Global Scale of English (GSE) offers a valuable framework for assessment. This blog post will explore how the GSE can be used to assess listening skills, providing insights into how it also helps tailor instruction and support language development.

For listening skills, the GSE focuses on how well learners can understand spoken English in different contexts. It assesses comprehension at varying levels of complexity:

Understanding simple information: At lower levels, learners are expected to understand basic information, such as simple instructions or everyday topics. The GSE provides learning objectives for how well learners can grasp essential details.

Understanding main ideas: As proficiency grows, learners should be able to identify main ideas and key points in more complex spoken texts, such as conversations and broadcasts. The GSE outlines how well learners can extract important information from various sources.

Understanding detailed information: At advanced levels, learners are expected to comprehend detailed and nuanced information, including implicit meaning and speaker intent. The GSE describes the level of detail and depth of understanding required at these stages.

The GSE also shows how students engage in different operations of listening, from global comprehension, recognizing information and identifying specific information to extracting information. By taking this into account, teachers can monitor students’ progress and assess their listening skills. An example will show this in action.

Let’s consider a level, say GSE 30-35 (equivalent to low A2 on the CEFR) and focus on how students process information. When checking a listening activity, rather than simply focusing on whether the answers are correct or incorrect, we can analyze our learners using the GSE and see what progress they are making and what we need to do as teachers to help them move on. Heres how:

Ever wondered why Monday is called Monday or how Wednesday got its name? The names of the days of the week in English have fascinating origins, rooted in ancient history and steeped in mythology. Understanding these origins not only enriches our language ability but also provides intriguing insights into cultural heritage.