ESL Unit Checks to help measure student outcomes

We’re excited to announce a brand new feature here at Off2Class: ESL Unit Checks! Now, in addition to the Placement Test and homework assignments, you have another tool to measure student progress. Here’s the video to show you how they work:

ESL Unit Checks for measuring student progress

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An important part of teaching anything is having a system in place to make sure students make progress. ESL is no exception! All learners need a sense of progress. Progress keeps us going on the days we’re not feeling motivated. That’s part of the reason Off2Class offers a re-assignable Placement Test and homework assignments. Now we’re excited to announce our next product update: ESL Unit Checks.

We’ve tightly integrated the ESL Unit Checks with the step-by-step curriculum. Each unit in the curriculum contains either 3 or 4 lessons. Now, when you complete units with students and assign all homework, you’ll have the option to assign Unit Checks. They will cover all of the grammar and vocabulary in that unit. This is the first time that we’ve offered assessments that connect to the step-by-step curriculum. Now students have three different types of assessment activities to complete on their own. At the beginning of their course they take the Placement Test. As you complete lessons with them, they work on homework assignments. Now you have a way to measure progress that’s more formal than a homework assignment without re-assigning the Placement Test. Best of all, the Unit Checks instantly and automatically score. Just like homework though, you still have the option to leave personalized feedback.

Quantifiable data

One of the most tangible benefits of the ESL Unit Checks is that you can show your students quantifiable data on their progress. It’s easy to say to a student “you’re making progress, I can tell,” but now you have something objective to back it up! When your student completes the test, both you and the student see the results immediately so you’ll know exactly where they stand, and you can make educated decisions on when to move on. This will empower your students to take ownership over their own learning, and they’ll be extra motivated to do well.

Having access to data like this is valuable for educational institutions as well. Managing many students can be difficult, and measuring progress will help you see if a student is falling behind before it becomes a problem.

ESL Unit Checks for accountability to students and stakeholders

A challenge for both individual teachers and private language schools is student retention. The initial excitement inevitably wanes, and learning can start to feel like a burden. ESL unit checks can help motivate students by showing them how far they’ve come and they can get a real sense of accomplishment for what they have learned. Affirming student progress helps them stay motivated to keep going instead of giving up on a journey that can seem unending.

Unit checks also help motivate you as a teacher. You can take pride in your student learning the material effectively, but if a student doesn’t do well, you can investigate. The student might have an external stressor that’s unrelated to their lessons, or you might need to change the way you present the material.

For teachers working at educational institutions, accountability is also important, whether that accountability is to a teaching supervisor, the student’s company, parents, or a district. Someone (usually many people) want to know that students are making progress! The ESL unit checks serve as an objective measurement for how a student is doing, so that everyone — teachers, students, and stakeholders, know exactly how things are going.

How to assign ESL Unit Checks

The Off2Class unit checks are available now, and there are two ways to assign them. If a student has been enrolled in each lesson of a unit and been assigned each homework assignment, then when you close the classroom on the final lesson, you’ll be prompted to assign the unit check. You can also assign the Unit Checks manually via a new tab that’s been added to your student’s Lesson History Table and Learning Plan.

Try one now and let us know how it goes. We’re excited to hear your feedback!