WEB RESOURCES

The Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) is challenging for all students, and even more so for students who are English Language Learners (ELLs). Most ELLs in Pennsylvania are required to take the PSSA along with their peers.

A video, helpful suggestions, and practice exercises have been developed to assist ELLs in learning about and preparing for the reading, mathematics, and writing assessments of the PSSA. Some of these resources are available on this Web site; all of them can be found in the PaELL Resource Kit for Students, which has been distributed to all public school districts in Pennsylvania. With teacher guidance, the kit can help ELLs by providing test-taking strategies and by building confidence for the PSSA.

Students might want to explore the section titled "Tips for Taking the PSSA." There, they will find information about the purposes of the PSSA, general test strategies, and practice questions. Separate sets of practice questions are available for elementary, middle school, and high school students. A short overview of the video and the complete video script can be found in the "Video" section. Finally, many helpful, informative Internet sites are listed under the "Web Resources for Students" link.

Although the idea of taking the PSSA might sound a little scary to students, it is nothing to worry about. Teachers and other school personnel are available to provide help in preparing for it. Students are advised to check out the information here and on other Web sites and use the sample questions to practice. Before long, their English language skills will become better and better!