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Contact Richard Lentz, Director of Categorical Programs Richard_Lentz@pvusd.k12.ca.us 831.786.2335 Demographics Summary The Benchmark Performance Indicators (BPI) Teacher's Manual, produced by Pajaro Valley Unified School District, is a guide for instructing and assessing English learners. The August 2001 update of the manual identifies key performance indicators, criteria for assessment, and guides for instruction. One manual covers grades K-5, the other covers grades 6-12. The manual supports standards-based lesson planning and accountability for monitoring English learner progress. Benchmark Performance Indicators Full Description The Benchmark Performance Indicators (BPI) Teacher's Manual, produced by Pajaro Valley Unified School District, is a guide for instructing and assessing English learners. The August 2001 update of the manual contains information and resources on determining students' language-acquisition levels, placement, instruction, and assessment. The manual addresses the four English language development (ELD) domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and five performance levels (Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced, Advanced). BPI contact information to purchase manuals: Pajaro Valley Unified School District, Categorical Programs, 294 Green Valley Road, Watsonville, CA 95076 (approximately $20 plus $3.50 shipping for each manual grade span manual). Guide to Reasonable Fluency The state leaves the decision to local districts to identify when English learners have acquired "reasonable fluency" to shift from a major focus on English language development (ELD) to the English language arts (ELA) standards (with language support). Pajaro Valley sets "reasonable fluency" at the Early Advanced level for ELD standards. The BPI helps teachers determine when English learners have mastered the Early Advanced level. Key Performance Indicators There are four key performance indicators for each of the five performance levels covering the state's key ELD standards. Teachers are to use the key indicators as instructional goals to design lessons for English learners. The major goal is to help English learners rapidly acquire functional and academic language skills. Standards-Based Lesson Planning The BPI is both an instructional guide to plan lessons and an assessment tool to monitor student progress. It is to be used in conjunction with district-adopted ELD curriculum materials. As an instructional guide, teachers are encouraged to use the BPI for "backward design" of major lessons -- that is, start with the goal or indicator, select the summary assessment, and then plan the learning activities and instructional strategies to help students learn and practice the skills that will be assessed. Assessment Tool The BPI form is an assessment profile that shows indicators and dates that standards are accomplished. A student must show mastery of all four indicators at a level to be "at that independent level" of functioning without the aid of the teacher. Since much rests on the teacher's judgment of attainment, the BPI can be a solid classroom resource and, with adequate training and accountability processes, it can be used as a local district assessment tool. Standards-based report cards have been developed for grades K-6 in English and Spanish: Report Cards BPI Sections 2-5 Section 2 of the manual describes a continuum of second-language abilities and language-acquisition stages matched with suggested instructional strategies. Section 3 describes appropriate instructional settings and student placement. Section 4 discusses lesson planning and provides sample standards-based lesson plans. Section 5 includes ideas for assessment and benchmark tools. |