Ellevation webinar focused on helping ESL / ELL educators author goals for English Language Learners. Key topics include crafting SMART goals aligned to language proficiency standards, supporting access to the content of the Common Core, and using technology to track student progress against key language objectives.

1. Welcome! We’ll
begin in just a few
minutes.
Everyone is muted
upon arrival.
If you have
questions, use the
chat box on the
right.
We will be sharing
the slides and
recording
after the event.
Indispensable Tools for Today’s ELL Professionals
Writing Goals for English Learners
Jordan Meranus: Ellevation CEO
Allison Balter: EL Teacher, Lawrence MA

2. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
2

3. ELLEVATION
Ellevation is a software company
exclusively dedicated to serving
English Language Learners and
the educators that work with them.

4. THE ELLEVATION PLATFORM
Instruction
• Individualized Learning Plans aligned to state, Common
Core, and WIDA standards
• Student/school/district analysis of ELP assessments
Productivity
• ELL Data Collection and Demographics
• Required letters to families in 25+ languages
Collaboration
• Collaborative goal setting and progress monitoring
• Communication tools for ELL and classroom teachers

5. NATIONAL REACH
190 School Districts: 26 States
5

6. TODAY’S OBJECTIVE
Help all participants gain practical tips for writing goals for
individual English Language Learners or groups of ELs at a
similar level, and ideas on how to monitor student goals.
6

7. OPENING EXERCISE
Of the three goals below, which would you rate as the
highest quality and most applicable for use by a teacher?
1. Student will grow from a Level 1.9 in speaking to a Level 3.9 in
speaking by the end of the school year.
2. Student will write a well-organized paragraph with a clear main
idea and supporting details by the end of Unit 3.
3. Student will increase his/her reading fluency to a rate of 85
words per minute.
7

8. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
8

9. I. CONTEXT
RTI
Student
Learning
Objectives
LIEP
Set and
Track
Goals
Personalized
Learning
9

10. II. WHY ARE GOALS IMPORTANT
Planning
Setting goals helps teacher make sure
lessons are targeted and strategic.
Differentiation
Helps make sure teachers provide
necessary scaffolds/supports based on
individual needs.
Student
Motivation
Transparency with students, and enabling
them to set and track progress, is
empowering!
10

11. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
11

12. III. WHAT ARE GOALS
Definition: Statement of an Intended
Outcome of Work
Criteria: We are going to use the SMART
framework as criteria for evaluating goals.
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Relevant
Time-bound
12

13. III. SMART … FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Criteria
Description
… for ELLs
target a specific area for
improvement
focused on a single language
domain, very concrete skill
quantify or at least suggest an
indicator of progress
tools exist, such as a rubric, to measure
student progress
realistic and aligned to
appropriate standards
aligned with language development
standards and proficiency levels
Relevant
goals matter and are
appropriate for this time and
place
relevant to what students need to be
successful in content classes and move
to next level of proficiency
Time-bound
specify when the result(s) can
be achieved
specific to individual or groups of
students
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
(Aligned)
13

14. OPENING EXERCISE
Of the three goals below, which would you rate as the
highest quality and most applicable for use by a teacher?
1. Student will grow from a Level 1.9 in speaking to a Level 3.9 in
speaking by the end of the school year.
2. Student will write a well-organized paragraph with a clear main
idea and supporting details by the end of Unit 3.
3. Student will increase his/her reading fluency to a rate of 85
words per minute.
14

15. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
15

16. IV. CREATING GOALS: HOW DO I START?
Baseline
& Target
Verb
At what level
are my
students.
Work Achievement
What will the
student do.
What will I
observe? In
the context
of content.
Timeframe
By when?
16

17. IV. CREATING GOALS: HOW DO I START?
Baseline and Target
1.
Use assessment data to determine where a student is
currently performing across domains
2.
For newcomer/beginner – 2 ELD levels in one year
3.
For intermediate or higher – 1 ELD level in one year
4.
Each student needs an annual goal for each domain.
5.
From there we can chunk up goals into smaller sub
goals.

18. IV. BASELINE AND TARGET
Academic Language Demands
L5
L4
L3
L2
L1
Linguistic
Complexity
Vocabulary
Usage
Language
Forms

19. IV. CREATING GOALS: HOW DO I START?
Verb
1. Goals are action oriented.
2. Focused on language skills and functions.
3. Examples:
– Increase
– Critique
– Compare and contrast
4. Sources of verbs that are appropriate for goals
– Bloom’s Taxonomy
– Can Do Descriptors

20. IV. HELPFUL TOOL: BLOOM’S TAXONOMY

21. IV. HELPFUL TOOL: WIDA CAN DO DESCRIPTORS

22. IV. CREATING GOALS: HOW DO I START?
Work Achievement
1. Specific to language domains
– Speaking; Listening; Reading; Writing
2. Related to what students must do in grade level
content classes
3. Examples
–
–
–
Writing assignment
Oral classroom debate
Annotating in the margin of the text

23. IV. CREATING GOALS: HOW DO I START?
Timeframe
1. Long-term goals
– Year-long (2 level growth for beginners; 1 level growth
for intermediates and above)
2. Short-term goals
– Unit-specific
– Quarter or semester specific

24. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
24

25. V. CREATING GOALS: 3 CASE STUDIES
Case Study 1
ESL Class: 12 Students
Case Study 2
Content Class; Multiple
Levels; 22 Students
Case Study 3
Individual Student
25

26. V. CASE STUDY 1: ESL CLASS
Baseline
& Target
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
At what
level are
my
students.
ESL Class: Beginners
12 Students
• 7 are Level 1
• 5 are Level 2
Single Domain Focus: Writing
1
2
3
4
Student Levels: Writing
5
Goal: 2 Levels of Growth
• Level 1 – Level 3
• Level 2 – Level 4
26

27. V. CASE STUDY 1: CONSTRUCTING THE GOALS
Verb
Work Achievement
Timeframe
For Current Level 1 Students
Student will compare and contrast two characters from a story,
in two well organized paragraphs that include at least three
similarities and three differences, by the end of the unit in
December.
Verb
Student will explain steps…
Student will give opinions…
Work Achievement
For arriving at a solution…
through a letter on…
27

28. V. CASE STUDY 1: CONSTRUCTING THE GOALS
Verb
Work Achievement
Timeframe
For Current Level 2 Students
Student will compare and contrast two characters from a story,
in two well organized paragraphs that include at least three
similarities and three differences using transition words to
connect ideas, by the end of the unit in
December.
28

29. V. CASE STUDY 1: SMART CRITERIA
Criteria
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
(Aligned)
Relevant
Time-bound
For ELLs
Focused on a single language domain: Writing
Criteria exists to evaluate well written paragraphs.
Work product is realistic and aligned to appropriate standards.
Applicable to the work of the class.
Teacher has specified “by the end of December”.
29

30. V. CASE STUDY 2: CONTENT CLASS
Baseline
& Target
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
At what
level are
my
students.
Content Class: 22 Students
Single Domain Focus: Speaking
1
2
3
4
5
6
Student Levels: Speaking
Goal: 1 or 2 Levels of Growth
• Level 2 Level 4
• Levels 3, 4, and 5: 1 level growth
• Level 6: Maintain high expectations
30

31. V. CASE STUDY 2: CONSTRUCTING THE GOALS
Verb
Work Achievement
Timeframe
For Current Level 2 Students
Students will present and defend a point of view in a debate
scenario, giving multiple reasons for their position,
by the end of the unit in February.
For Current Levels 3-6 Students
Students will present and defend a point of view in a debate
scenario, giving multiple reasons for their position and citing clear
evidence from different sources by the end of the unit in February.
31

32. V. CASE STUDY 1: SMART CRITERIA
Criteria
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
(Aligned)
Relevant
Time-bound
For ELLs
Focused on a single language domain: Speaking
Teachers can track whether students articulate “multiple
reasons”.
Work product is realistic and aligned to appropriate standards.
Applicable to the work of the class.
Teacher has specified “by the end of the unit in February”.
32

33. V. CASE STUDY 3: INDIVIDUAL STUDENT
Baseline
& Target
At what
level are
my
students.
Focus on Reading and Writing as areas of growth
33

34. V. CASE STUDY 3: CONSTRUCTING THE GOALS
Ver
Work Achievement Timeframe
b
Student will use a variety of strategies to analyze and interpret
text by the end of the 2013-14 school year, as evidenced by
annotations in text, performance on classroom assessments, and
standardized assessments.
Student will identify
unknown words in a
text and use context
clues to infer their
meaning.
Student will make
predictions about a
text based on text
features, such as
titles, pictures, captio
ns, subheadings, and
bold words.
Student will identify
main ideas and label
key supporting
details.
34

35. V. CASE STUDY 1: SMART CRITERIA
Criteria
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
(Aligned)
Relevant
Time-bound
For ELLs
Focused on a single language domain: Reading
Using both assessments and observations, teacher can
measure progress.
Work product is realistic and aligned to appropriate standards.
Applicable to the work of the class.
Teacher has specified “by the end of year” for the broader goal, and
then has chunked up the goal and can set timeframes for each.
35

36. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
36

37. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS
Evaluating progress is difficult; different tools and
approaches are needed
–
Speaking and writing are easier with rubrics
a.
b.
c.
d.
–
Formative and summative assessments
Organic progress monitoring; note taking
WIDA Writing Rubric
WIDA Speaking Rubric
Reading and listening are more difficult; no production
a.
b.
Formative and summative assessments
Organic progress monitoring; note taking

38. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS
Provide students constant and ongoing visibility into their own progress

39. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS
Provide students constant and ongoing visibility into their own progress

40. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS

41. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS

42. VI. MEASURING PROGRESS

43. AGENDA
I.
Introduction
II. Context
III. Goals: Definition, Criteria
IV. Creating Goals: Where to Start
V. Creating Goals: 3 Case Studies
VI. Monitoring Goals
VII. Ellevation Platform Description
43