Return-Path: <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id eBPKQN904003; Mon, 25 Dec 2000 15:26:23 -0500 (EST) Date: Mon, 25 Dec 2000 15:26:23 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: <F1554yp8ARf3sllNY30000063da@hotmail.com> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: "Susan Rowley" <susanrowley@hotmail.com> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-ESL:5395] Re: curriculum in volunteer tutoring programs X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Type: text/html Status: O Content-Length: 7064 Lines: 248
I read with interest Melanie Danforth's commentary on the lack of curriculum in tutoring programs. For the past three years I worked as an ESL Specialist with the St. james ESL Program in Seattle, Washington. When I began there was no curriculum whatsoever and the Program Director made it clear that he did not believe in curriculum. As time went on and various members of the local literacy community made it clear that curriculum was the foundation of any program, I was able to add curriculum, materials, resource books and ideas for successful lessons. It was slow going.
Eventually the state of Washington not only mandated a competency based curriculum, but a performance based assessment system as well. A group of us spent a year refining and defining the competencies and then moved on to writing rubrics with which to evaluate student progress in terms of the competencies.
The latest development is the creation of assessment tasks that represent competencies items. There are specific conditions set down for the execution of these tasks which will be judged in terms of the rubrics.
A great many practioners have worked extremely hard to create this system with the unfailing guidance of ABLEnet Seattle. I believe the success of this system comes directly from the fact that ABE and ESL practioners were the ones who put in the time and hashed out the system. Administrators, for all their expertise in management are often not trained as educators or teachers. Our group was one of active teachers who took time away from their classrooms to work on the assessment system. The result is an amazing body of work which we have already begun to apply in colleges and and to a lesser extent Community Based Organizations.
If there are questions, comments, ideas... I would love to hear them for our process is on going and as a state group excellence is key.
Sincerely,
Susan Rowley, Tacoma Community College, ABE/ESL, mailto:susanrowley@hotmail.com
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