9.+Reflection

The best part of this assignment, by far, was the two interviews that I was able to conduct. I found it so incredible helpful to talk to two teachers who have been involved in bilingual education. It was equally as helpful and useful to talk to teachers at two different points in their careers and from two different schools. I was very interested to see which things they agreed about and which topics they looked at differently. I know that this will be a valuable experience for me as I start my new job (which I think I have mentioned at least a dozen times in this portfolio!).

Just the act of studying and thinking about assessment in general has been a productive journey for me. Before this class I had no idea what ACCESS testing was, the first time I heard about it was in my interview just as class started. Throughout the last several weeks I have had the opportunity to learn how it is administered, who created it, and what information it measures. I feel more prepared for my new position, where I will be administering the test and using the results. Also through this research I know where to go to train how to give the test! So even though I am new at this I feel like I have a heads up on some of what to expect in the coming months. The whole program and this class especially have really helped me to understand the challenges that ELL students face with regard to assessment in general and high stakes testing in particular. I know that thanks to these classes I will be more sensitive to the testing environments that I create for my students and the multiple measures that I use throughout the year. I will definitely be using performance assessments as much as possible. Not only did my academic research tell me how useful and appropriate they are, but both of the teachers that I interviewed stated that they are their favorite types of assessments!

I can honestly say that the four classes that I have taken so far have really changed the way that I look at life and language, especially the linguistics class. So many of the concepts that I learned there have helped me gain perspective on the work that I have done during the last year helping my aunt who is disabled and has not regained her speech. Those concepts also color my interactions with my niece who is just learning to talk. Both of these experiences have taken on a whole new meaning than they would have had if I had not taken this class. Additionally that class has sparked a greater interest in the world of linguistics and knowing more about how we acquire language. I find myself studying words that I am not familiar with and using principles that I have learned to try to figure them out or when I look words up in the dictionary I dig a little deeper to see where they have come from.

The journey of earning an ESL/Bilingual approval certificate is one that I am enjoying more than I ever thought I would. It has opened new doors and I can’t wait to see where they take me.