Center for Standards, Assessment, and Accountability

Subject Area: Science

Framework for English Language Proficiency Development Standards Corresponding to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards

The Council of Chief State School Officers developed this framework to assist states with the work of developing or adapting English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards to align with the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and the forthcoming Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). The goal of the English Language Proficiency Development Framework is to “provide guidance […]

Assessment in Elementary and Secondary Education: A Primer

The following is a summary of this publication from the Congressional Research Service.  “This report provides a framework for understanding various types of assessments that are administered in elementary and secondary schools. It broadly discusses various purposes of educational assessment and describe comprehensive assessment systems. Common assessment measures currently used in education are described, including […]

Materials for Teachers

This website includes standard-aligned units, lessons, resources, tools for use in the formative assessment process, and “Dream Team” instructional guides for a range of subject areas and grade levels. Most of the materials in math and ELA are from outside sources but have been rated by Connecticut educators using the EQuiP Rubric, with their associated […]

Academic Language and ELLs: What Teachers Need to Know

From the website: “This article written by Colorín Colorado Manager Lydia Breiseth helps educators understand the role that academic language plays in their classrooms and in ELL student success. The article also includes information on social vs. academic language, as well as numerous examples of the different kinds of academic language needed for all students […]

Common Core and ELLs: Planning Professional Development About Academic Language

This article is part of a series from Colorin Colorado! on planning professional development around the Common Core with English learners (ELs). Written for a district or school curriculum leader, an administrator, or a lead teacher, this article shares guidelines and examples on how to train teachers to include academic language into their lesson planning materials. […]

Determining How Much Background Knowledge to Provide for ELLs

The topics of this blog post, written by ELL and literacy expert Diane Fenner, relate to close reading, Common Core, background knowledge, and English language learners (ELLs). There has been considerable debate regarding how much background knowledge is appropriate for ELL students, and this post offers two tools for helping teachers determine how much background […]