Week 4 Types of Assessment/Interview with Teacher

I had the opportunity to interview my cooperating teacher (Mr. Ray Munoz)who is also the resource room teacher at Franklin Elementary School in Hempstead. I asked him a series of questions and these were his responses:
1) Please describe your ELL teaching experience
I have been employed by the Hempstead School district for nearly 9 years as both an ESL teacher as well as the head of language resources.
2) What is your perception of ELL's motivation and performance? (reading & writing)
Most ELL students arrive in this country about 1 year behind in their reading and writing skills. Students from both South and Central America tend to be be very eager to learn and are very respectful toward adults. Children from El Salvador have limited background knowledge due to their up-bringing in a country which was in frequent Civil War not long ago.
3)What learning difficulties do ELL's face?
The biggest difficulty I find is trying to adapt to a new culture and language. I usually see students from the same country or ethnicity remain in small groups; I believe they feel most comfortable like this until they meet new students.
4)What is the role of family and community in school?
I believe both are vital to the successful learning which take place in school. I always try to reach out to parents to volunteer as well as community leaders who can share their stories with students.
5) How do you resolve learning difficulties among ELL's?
I think that using a students background knowledge (if available) helps them to grasp new ideas and concepts I am trying to teach them in their new language.
6) What particular strategies do you use and are they effective?
One strategy I use other than using prior knowledge is to group my ELL's into their appropriate ability ( beginner, intermediate as well as advanced). I also group students across grade levels if they are reading at the same ability level. This tends to help out both readers.
7) Do you participate in on-going training?
Yes. I attend monthly district meetings as well as several seminars per year to find out about the latest research being conducted on this subject
8)How do you make sure your teaching is culturally responsive?
Again, I try my best to incorporate my students culture and background into the lessons so they are recognized and feel important.
9) How do you reach out to the families and community?
In addition to what I said before, I have also initiated a program which will allow translators to attend PTA meetings so parents can understand what is being discussed.
10) How do you teach an ELL who's culture you are not familiar with?
I always try to get their parents in to volunteer so the student will feel more at ease. I also try to research about that culture because each has it's unique features. For example, in the U.S, we look at people in the eyes when we speak to them. In certain cultures, this is considered disrespectful if done by a child to an adult.
At the conclusion of my interview, I asked Mr. Munoz about the various assessments which he uses in his class. To determine a student's reading level intially, he uses an IRI ( Informal Reading Inventory). For the purposes of diagnosis as well as progress monitoring, he uses Running Records, Dibels as well as Story Retells with questioning. Outcomes are assessed each year using traditional NYS standardized tests.