1. Improving Proficiency
Outcomes Through Effective
Assessment in the Chinese
Immersion Classroom
April , 2013
National Chinese Language Conference, Boston
Shen Yin, Kojo Hakam and Michael Bacon
Portland Public Schools K-12 Mandarin Immersion Program

2. The Long Journey…
千里之行始于脚下

3. What is “effective” assessment?
Summative vs. Formative
Formal vs. Informal
Feedback and how you use it (cycle)
Student centered
Empowers teacher and most importantly student

4. Essential Questions
Where are you going?
Where are you now?
How do you close the gap?

5. Setting Outcome Targets
Why?
Accountability
Improvement
Celebration
How?
ACTFL National Standards
LinguaFolio CAN DOs
National and Local Data (casls.uoregon.edu)
Teacher training and involvement (i.e. OPI Training)

6. What are our targets?
Upon completion of…
3rd Grade: Intermediate Low
5th Grade: Intermediate Mid
8th Grade: Intermediate High
10th Grade: Intermediate High/Advanced Low
12th Grade: Advanced Low/Advanced Mid

7. How do we close the gap?
Language and literacy development is intentional
Language and literacy development is explicit
Effective instruction and assessment is developmentally
appropriate
Clear expectations and student ownership
Engaging, meaningful and contextualized

8. In K-5 we focus on:
Rigorous process - step by step guidance
- clear and high expectations
Powerful input - meaningful instruction
- efficient teaching tools
Then output will come naturally

9. Step by step guidance

11. Clear and high expectations

15. Meaningful instruction & Efficient
teaching tools
-making teaching connected

19. Meaningful instruction
- Create with the language

22. Warm-up: Discuss with a
partner
Why is “assessment”
important?
Use one paragraph with at least 4
connectors and at least 5
academic vocabulary words
为什么“评估”很重要？
讲一段话
应该用4个连词
应该用5个高级的生词 (跟中文教
学有关）

23. How do we get “there”?
Essential Questions:
What does ‘there’ mean?
What does ‘there’ look like?
How do we move students
from ‘here’ to ‘there’

24. How to get ‘there’

25. Sample Rubrics
(Presentational Mode)

26. Classroom Strategies tied to
ACTFL Guidelines
Opening writing Prompts （开头）
Think, write, pair, share
Unrehearsed speaking prompts (Voice Thread)
Feedback (Rubrics)
Peer Review/Self-Correction/Revision
Experiential Learning

27. Sample ‘Can do’ Statements
(8TH GRADE):
Filial Piety (孝顺)
Students can use connected sentences of at least one paragraph
length (IM/IH)/ or connected paragraphs with academic
vocabulary (IH/AL) to compare and contrast the concept of respect
towards the elders between the US and China.
Students can use connected sentences of at least one paragraph
length with some academic vocabulary (IM/IH)/ or connected
paragraphs with academic vocabulary (IH/AL) to explain and
defend opinion on why he/she will or will not take care of his/her
parents when they get old

28. Tasks with explicit requirements get
better results
“No, because that’s weird”.
“I dunno”
“Yes, because they took care of
me when I was young”.
Voice Thread Sample
When you get older will
you take care of your
parents? Why or why not?
When your parents get old, do you
think you should take care of
them? Why or Why not? Please
use this week’s vocabulary and 2
paragraphs to answer

29. Scaffolding
1. 题目选择：我要讲有关___________________因为……..
2.决定你的观点(guan dian; perspective)
我觉得/我认为…….
因为…… (一段)

30. Peer Review

31. Student Output

32. 8th Grade 2009

33. 8th Grade 2011 Results (STAMP)

34. QUESTIONS?