Tips on How to Work with Diagnostic Tests for English Language Learners

At the onset of instruction, diagnostic tests can provide valuable information about students' ability levels, which may confirm the students' levels and abilities, teachers have been suspecting all along. In order for diagnostic tests to be purposeful, teachers should map the results using a mapping chart in order to visually comprehend the data for ascertaining which areas of at-risk instruction need more interventive strategies, which is an important part in guiding instruction for meeting the English language learning needs of a heterogenous class.

Language Learning Skills

As ESL and ELLs acquire more English language skills, teachers may choose to adapt a specific set of assessment criteria for diagnostic tests that allows them to demonstrate the proficient level of TESOL and/or state standards, which can also be assessed using a variety of assessment strategies such as portfolio, performance tasks, observation, paper and pencil tests.

When planning the diagnostic test, teachers should consider the objectives, content and weight since this test may in fact, carry important weight for either initial student placement or initial guiding instruction.

Types of Diagnostic Tests
Teachers can also choose to implement a variety of informal assessments ongoing check-ups, oral fluency tests such as timed readings.Additionally,teachers may decide to conduct individual tutorials in order to address progress in from word to text based progress.

For beginning readers or struggling readers, teachers can also complete specific diagnostic assessments that focus on recognizing the sounds of whole words as well as individual initial and last sound-letter correspondences of the area of phonological awareness.

Effective Diagnostic Tests for Guiding Instruction

• Implementing a diagnostic test using a table of specifications or a similar chart of objectives helps refine accountability procedures for assessments to work more effectively.
• Effectively implemented assessments help refine and guide instructional objectives.

Diagnostic assessment tools are most effective for targeting skills at the onset of instruction. Refining or adapting instruction in light of standards and content objectives occurs once the teacher has been made aware of the students' language proficiency levels.

Implications for Change

Teachers new to the concept of diagnostic testing as a formal assessment, will find that inevitably diagnostic is not gives an important overview and justification for the next step of the teaching process, which is usually interventive planning on a core level for successive reading lessons and mini informal and ongoing assessments. the core planning presupposes intervention on various levels ranging from sound-letter correspondence to reading sentences for understanding. The most crucial element for interventive planning and assessment is the starting point or, the core for taking inventory and analyzing students' reading results.