Gaining ACCESS

The end of the calendar year is upon us, with all the hectic holiday activity.For a large part, students have pretty much hung out their personal "on vacation" shingle. We teachers are still doing our jobs, because of the curriculm we follow.
In ESOL classes, we are preparing for the season of ACCESS testing, which will begin after the break. I will be taking class groups for instruction, but on a less regular schedule. My Beginner level will continue to meet daily, however. Other groups may be cut to 2 or 3 times per week. Students are "tiered" by level, as well as grades 3-5, and 6-8. As a result of the grouping requirements and test admisistration guidelines, testing will continue for several weeks.
The areas to be tested in groups are Listening, Reading, and Writing. Speaking tests are individually administered. Nearly all the students are familiar with the style of the test, and do best in the Listening and Spaeaking areas. Reading and Writing are more of a challenge, because they are based on "academic language"-the language of regular classroom subjects. Students need to use language, reason, make comparisons, and draw conclusions.

But for now, we are gearing up to "stand down". There are a major celebrations ahead-Christmas, Hannukah, and Kwanzaa. All are family-focused and joyful. I hope and pray for all of you to have a happy, healthy, warm, and safe holiday! God bless you and yours!