How can teachers effectively assess comprehension in ELLs during reading?

Asking open-ended questions to summarize and infer allows teachers to assess comprehension in English Language Learners (ELLs) more effectively because it encourages critical thinking and deeper engagement with the text. When students are prompted to summarize, they need to identify key ideas and main concepts, which demonstrates their understanding of the material. Inferring requires them to draw connections and make interpretations beyond the literal text, indicating a higher level of comprehension.

This approach also accommodates varying levels of language proficiency, as students can express their understanding in their own words, leading to richer dialogue, clarification of thoughts, and opportunities for teachers to provide feedback tailored to the student's language development needs. In contrast, other options may limit the depth of understanding or fail to capture the nuances of the students' comprehension abilities.