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Research & Reports

Assessment and Accommodations

Descriptive Study of Services to LEP Students and LEP Students with Disabilities

U.S. Department of Education. (2002). To assure the free appropriate public education of all children with disabilities: Twenty-fourth annual report to Congress on the implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Act. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Education.

Zehler, A. M., Fleischman, H. L., Hopstock, P. J., Pendzick, M. L., & Stephenson, T. G. (2003). Descriptive study of services to LEP students and LEP students with disabilities (No. 4 Special topic report: findings on special education LEP students). Development Associates, Inc.: Arlington, VA.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations; Learning Disabilities and Special Education;

Tags: Instructional Programs; Intervention; Placement; Rights, Students;

Summary:

The number of ELL students in U.S. schools continues to rise, but learning a new language may not be their only challenge. How do schools help ELLs with disabilities?

The U.S. Department of Education commissioned a report — A Descriptive Study of Services to LEP [Limited English Proficient] Students and LEP Students with Disabilities — that surveyed schools and districts nationally to identify characteristics of and services provided to ELLs. Part of the study focused on the services offered to ELLs who are also students with disabilities and their participation in standards and assessment systems.

English Language Learners with Disabilities: Identification and Other State Policies and Issues

by National Association of State Directors of Special Education

Keller-Allen, C. (2006). English Language Learners with Disabilities: Identification and Other State Policies and Issues. Project Forum, National Association of State Directors of Special Education: Alexandria, VA.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations; NCLB and AYP;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Language Proficiency; Rights, Students;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are the current state policies and practices related to ELLs with disabilities?

Summary:

Most school districts do not have plans in place for identifying and addressing learning disabilities in ELLs. Project Forum selected and studied seven states with large or growing ELL populations. They interviewed both special education and English language learner staff to find out what policies and practices are happening at the state level and what policies they would recommend to improve the quality of education for ELLs with learning disabilities.

Findings:
State-level personnel reported that they:

  • Lacked qualified personnel trained in ELL or bilingual education to manage state-wide ELL needs;
  • Lacked appropriate assessment instruments in languages other than English;
  • Cultural barriers in communicating with ELL parents; and
  • Sustaining collaboration between bilingual education and special education personnel

Policy Recommendations:

  • Local accountability - Local planning areas that submit special education program plans to the state should be required to detail their process for the referral, identification, assessment and service delivery to ELLs with disabilities.
  • Clear policies and guidance - States should create a comprehensive policy for ELLs with exceptionalities (including gifted education) based on current research followed by extensive guidance to localities.
  • Teacher training and licensure - States should facilitate and/or require all teachers to be trained to some extent in ESL strategies and language acquisition. Further, policies should be in place that require any teacher who serves at least one ELL to be trained in the appropriate ESL or bilingual education strategies necessary in order to meet the language development as well as academic needs of the students.
  • Coordinated policies between special education and ELL professionals - States should consider developing policies that require and set parameters for communication and collaboration between ELL and special education professionals at the point of entry to and exit from special education as well as during the monitoring process while ELLs are being served in special education.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Nancy Tucker at NASDSE, 1800 Diagonal Road, Suite 320, Alexandria, VA 22314 Ph: 703-519-3800 ext. 326 or Email: nancy.tucker@nasdse.org

Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners

by Laurie Olson, UC Linguistic Minority Research Institute

Olsen, L. (2006). Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners. University of California: Linguistic Minority Research Institute.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Comprehension; Curriculum; Differentiated Instruction; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Parent Involvement and Outreach / PTA; Struggling Readers; Transfer of Literacy Skills; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: The paper provides an overview of research and knowledge that educators can use to create schools in which English learners thrive and achieve at high levels.

Summary: This report, or position paper, highlights nine elements of a strong program, based on three decades of research. The report recommends best practices that include accessible preschool programs, support for newcomers of all ages, and a focus on English language development.

Policy Recommendations:

  • Invest in building a qualified educator workforce;
  • Build a meaningful accountability system for English learners;
  • Assure that educators have the materials they need to deliver high quality English Language Development; and
  • Demonstrate new models of successful schools for English learners

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
University of California
Linguistic Minority Research Institute
4722 South Hall
Santa Barbara, CA 93106-3220

Exit Exams and ELLs

Sullivan, P., Yeager, M., Chudowsky, N., Kober, N., O'Brien, E., Gayler, K. (2005). State High School Exit Exams: States Try Harder, But Gaps Persist Center on Education Policy: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Latino ELL Students;

Summary:

A growing number of states are requiring students to pass exit exams in order to receive a high school diploma. What is the impact of exit exams on ELLs? Evidence indicates that with effective educational support, ELLs can achieve as much or more than other students. This new study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) investigates why the pass rates for ELLs is often 30-40% lower than the national average.

* Note: Chapter 6: Special Topic 2005, Exit Exams and English Language Learners (pp. 93-122).

Getting Ready for Reading: Early Phoneme Awareness and Phonics Teaching Improves Reading and Spelling in Inner-city Second Language Learners

by M. Stuart

Stuart, M. (1999). Getting ready for reading: early phoneme awareness and phonics teaching improves reading and spelling in inner-city second language learners. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 587-605.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations; Best Teaching Practices / Professional Development;

Tags: Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Comprehension; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Motivation; Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Reading; Spelling; Struggling Readers; Vocabulary;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary

Research Questions the Report Poses: Does a commercially available early literacy program for ELLs improve reading and spelling.

Summary: Previous studies demonstrate that phoneme awareness training, particularly when combined with letter-sound teaching, results in improved reading and spelling development. This study seeks to extend previous findings by including children learning English as a second language, who have typically been excluded from previous studies.

Findings:

  • The experimental program accelerated children's acquisition of phoneme awareness and of phonics knowledge;
  • Student's ability to apply phoneme awareness and phonics knowledge awareness in reading and writing improved in the experimental group;
  • An early focus on teaching phoneme awareness and phonics can significantly improve reading and spelling standards in inner city second language learners.

Policy Recommendations:
Stuart, M. (1999). Getting ready for reading: early phoneme awareness and phonics teaching improves reading and spelling in inner-city second language learners. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 69, 587-605.

How Far Behind in Math and Reading are English Language Learners?

by Pew Hispanic Center / Rick Fry

Fry, R. (2007, June). How far behind in math and reading are English language learners? Washington, DC: Pew Hispanic Center.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Content Areas: Math; Reading;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: How do the scores in reading and mathematics of ELL students compare to the scores in reading and mathematics of white, black, and Hispanic students? What are some of the characteristics of limited English speaking students at different grade levels? Do state based standardized tests produce similar achievement gaps as NAEP when comparing ELL students and other student groups (white, black, Hispanic)?

Summary: The article explores variance in ELL scores in reading and mathematics versus non-ELL scores on a major national test called the NAEP. The author also looks at gaps between ELL students and all other ethnic groups as they matriculate to middle school. The author attributes these gaps to two factors: the declassification of many successful ELL students and increases in new ELL students into the population.

Findings:

  • The results of 2005 testing shows that 46% of 4th grade ELL students scored at the lowest level in mathematics on a national test. The same test shows that 73% of those ELL 4th grade students scored at the lowest level in reading. In middle schools 71% of 8th grade students performed at the lowest level in both reading and mathematics.
  • Many students are moved out of limited English speaking status as they acquire language skills, while new immigrant students are added to the ELL group. These two factors add to an increased gap between elementary school ELL scores in math and reading and middle school ELL scores in math and reading.
  • When comparing ELL student scores to other group scores (white, black, Hispanic) state-based standardized tests produce comparable gaps to the NAEP.

Policy Recommendations:
n/a

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
1615 L Street, NW Suite 700 Washington, DC 20036-5610
p 202.419.3600
f 202.419.3608

Improving Assessment and Accountability for ELLs in the No Child Left Behind Act

by National Council of La Raza (NCLR); Melissa LazarÍn

Lazarín, M. (2006). Improving Assessment and Accountability for English Language Learners in the No Child Left Behind Act. National Council of La Raza: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations; NCLB and AYP;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Comprehension; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Placement;

Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: This issue brief is designed to help inform future dialogue on assessment and accountability. The brief examines the progress and manner in which states have implemented the federal law's accountability and testing provisions with respect to ELLs.

Summary:

At over 10% of the U.S. student body, English language learners in grades K-12 hold significant influence over the success of national school improvement. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has set out to insure accountability in the academic achievement of all students, but it faces political and administrative challenges.

This report from the National Council of La Raza (NCLR) provides an overview of the assessment and accountability provisions of NCLB affecting ELLs, the challenges of implementation in various states and districts, and policy recommendations for improving the law's effectiveness for ELLs.

Findings:
NCLB implementation with respect to ELLs has failed to live up to the law's promise. State and district accountability systems not only must include ELLs, they must be implemented in a way that effectively closes the existing academic achievement gap for ELLs.

Policy Recommendations:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should increase research and investment in the development of a range of appropriate assessments and testing accommodations, including native-language and simplified English tests for ELLs.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should provide firm guidance to states regarding the law's directive to assess ELLs "to the extent practicable, in the language and form most likely to yield accurate data."
  • With enforcement by the U.S. Department of Education, states and districts must continue to assess ELLs and include them in AYP determinations.
  • The Administration and Congress should fine-tune the definition of AYP for ELLs.
  • The U.S. Department of Education and Congress should enhance accountability measures for secondary ELLs, particularly lateentrant ELLs. The U.S. Department of Education, states, and districts should improve reporting of assessment data and other AYP indicators to parents of ELLs.
  • The U.S. Department of Education and Congress should ensure equitable access to supplemental services for ELLs.
  • The President and Congress must increase the federal investment in English language learner programs (Title III).
  • The U.S. Department of Education should increase its investment in the development of assessments for ELLs The President and Congress should increase federal support for Parent Assistance Programs.
  • States should ensure fiscal equity in their education finance systems, with adequate inclusion of resources for ELLs.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
The National Council of La Raza (NCLR)
Attention: Office of Publications
Raul Yzaguirre Building
1126 16th Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20036
Tel: 202.785.1670
Fax: 202.776.1794

Language Accommodations for English Language Learners in Large-Scale Assessments

by Jamal Abedi, Mary Courtney, James Mirocha, Seth Leon, and Jennifer Goldberg National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)/University of California, Los Angeles

Abedi, J., Courtney, M., Mirocha, J., Leon, S., and Goldberg, J. (2005). Language Accommodations for English Language Learners in Large-Scale Assessments. National Center for Research on Education, Standards, and Student Testing: Los Angeles, CA.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Comprehension; Content Areas: Science; Intervention; Vocabulary;

Target Population: Preschool, Elementary, Middle, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses:

  1. Do accommodation strategies help reduce the performance gap between ELL and non-ELL students? (Effectiveness)
  2. Do accommodation strategies impact the performance of non-ELL students on content-based assessments? (Validity)
  3. Do student background variables impact performance on the accommodated assessments? (Differential impact)
  4. Are accommodations easy to implement or use? (Feasibility)

Summary: How to measure the skills and knowledge of ELLs effectively has been a continuing point of debate for educators. How do we create accurate assessments of students' abilities when their experiences with a particular academic subject have been in another language? If we account for this difference using accommodations, do the accommodations themselves have an unintended impact on the results? A study by the National Center for Research on Education, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at the University of California, Los Angeles, measures the effectiveness, validity, differential impact, and feasibility of accommodations for ELLs.

Findings:

  • Accommodation effectiveness varies by type;
  • Accommodation

Policy Recommendations:
n/a

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
Center for the Study of Evaluation
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing Graduate School of Education & Information Studies
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1522
(310) 206-1532

Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-based Recommendations for the Instruction and Academic Interventions

by David J. Francis and Mabel Rivera/Center on Instruction English Language Learners Strand, Nonie Lesaux and Michael Kieffer/Havard Graduate School of Education, Hector Rivera/Center on Instruction English Language Learners Strand

Francis, David J., Mabel Rivera, Nonie Lesaux, and Hector Rivera. (2006). Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions. Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners, Retrieved April 11,2008, from http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL1-Interventions.pdf

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Assessment and Accommodations; Learning Disabilities and Special Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Comprehension; Content Areas: Math; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Phonics; Phonological Awareness; Reading; Struggling Readers; Vocabulary; Writing;

Target Population: Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What students are classified as being English Language Learners? How are they best identified, and what recommendations should be made to more adequately instruct possible ELL students to prevent further learning difficulties?

Summary: After briefly highlighting the characteristics of and how to best identify ELL students the articles attempts to show the importance of effective instruction and intervention not only for academically struggling ELL students, but also for all ELL students including those individuals who are linguistically fluent in English. Before looking into the proposed recommendations the article also briefly looks into the importance of mastering academic language skills as key elements to academic success. The importance of academic language skills is revisited under the recommendations sections for both reading comprehension and mathematics.

Findings:

  • Statistics for ELLs may be hard to obtain or may be inaccurate since many ELL students go without being properly identified
  • ELL students can better from more individualized instruction
  • Mastery of academic language is necessary for academic success, which can prove to be difficult even for English speaking proficient ELLs
  • In order to provide effective support of reading comprehension to ELLs educators must have an understanding of the child's individual needs
  • In addition to reading comprehension it is crucial for students to become proficient in mathematics

Policy Recommendations:
While the article did not have any specific policy recommendations the recommendations listed in the article could be taken as such and thus included in this section.

Recommendations for Reading Instruction and interventions:

  • ELLs need early, explicit, and intensive instruction in phonological awareness and phonics in order to build decoding skills.
  • K-12 classrooms across the nation must increase opportunities for ELLs to develop sophisticated vocabulary knowledge.
  • Reading instruction in K-12 classrooms must equip ELLs with strategies and knowledge to comprehend and analyze challenging narrative and expository texts.
  • Instruction and intervention to promote ELLs' reading fluency must focus on vocabulary and increased exposure to print.
  • In all K-12 classrooms across the U.S., ELLs need significant opportunities to engage in structured, academic talk.
  • Independent reading is only beneficial when it is structured and purposeful, and there is a good reader-text match.
Recommendations for Mathematics Instruction:

  • ELLs need early explicit and intensive instruction and intervention in basic mathematics concepts and skill.
  • Academic language is as central to mathematics as it is to other academic areas. It is a significant source of difficulty for many ELLs who struggle with mathematics.
  • ELLs need academic language support to understand and solve the word problems that are often used for mathematics assessment and instruction.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
N/A

Secretary Spellings Announces Final Limited English Proficiency Regulations

by United States Department of Education

Not a report; press release. See below.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Rights, Students;

Target Population: All

Research Questions the Report Poses: None — press release.

Summary: In September 2006, the U.S. Department of Education released final regulations on calculating adequate yearly progress (AYP) for ELLs. These regulations had been in draft form for over two years, but most states have been operating as if they were in final form for some time now. The main provisions of the regulations are:

  • During their first year in U.S. schools, ELLs can be exempt from taking the state reading/language arts assessment.
  • Also during their first year in U.S. schools, ELLs must take the state math assessment, but the scores from the math assessment do not have to be included in the calculation of AYP.
  • For the purposes of meeting AYP's 95 percent participation requirement during that first year, ELLs must take the English language proficiency assessment. (ELLs are already required to take this assessment as per other NCLB mandates.)
  • Even if ELLs do not take the reading/language arts assessment during their first year in U.S. schools, this first year must count as the first of three years in which a student may take the reading/language arts assessment in their native language.
  • States are required to report on the number of first-year ELLs who were exempt from participating in the English reading/language arts assessment.
  • Students who exit the ELL subgroup because they've attained English language proficiency can have their scores count in the ELL subgroup for AYP calculations for up to two years.
  • If these "exited" ELLs are included in the ELL subgroup, ALL "exited" ELLs must be included, not just those who score proficient.

Findings:
See summary.

Policy Recommendations:
None, see summary.

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
n/a

State High School Exit Exams: States Try Harder, But Gaps Persist

by Center on Education Policy (CEP), Patricia Sullivan

Sullivan, P., Yeager, M., Chudowsky, N., Kober, N., O'Brien, E., Gayler, K. (2005). State high school exit exams: States try harder, but gaps persist. Center on Education Policy: Washington, DC.

Topics Covered: Assessment and Accommodations;

Tags: Bilingual Instruction; Bilingualism / Biliteracy; Comprehension; Instructional Programs; Intervention;

Target Population: High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What are states doing to prepare ELL students to take and pass exit exams.

Summary: A growing number of states are requiring students to pass exit exams in order to receive a high school diploma. What is the impact of exit exams on ELLs? Evidence indicates that with effective educational support, ELLs can achieve as much or more than other students. This new study by the Center on Education Policy (CEP) investigates why the pass rates for ELLs is often 30-40% lower than the national average.

Findings:
Most ELL remediation programs, exit exam preparation programs, currently operate at the local level.

Policy Recommendations:
The US Department of Education needs to pay more attention to strategies to prepare and remediate ELL students to pass exit exams

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
n/a

Urgent but Overlooked: The Literacy Crisis Among Adolescent English Language Learners

by Alliance for Excellent Education

(February 2007). Urgent but overlooked: The literacy crisis among adolescent English Language Learners. Retrieved April 11, 2008, from Alliance For Excellent Education Web site: http://www.all4ed.org/files/UrgentOver.pdf

Topics Covered: About ELLs; Assessment and Accommodations; Bilingual Education; Literacy and Reading / Writing Instruction;

Tags: American Indian ELL Students; Asian ELL Students; Bilingual Instruction; Comprehension; Differentiated Instruction; Fluency; Instructional Programs; Intervention; Language of Instruction; Language Proficiency; Latino ELL Students; Other ELL Students (Middle Eastern, African, European, etc.); Reading; Transfer of Literacy Skills;

Target Population: Pre-K, Elementary School, Middle School, High School

Research Questions the Report Poses: What factors prevent ELL students from receiving effective literacy instruction?

Summary: ELL students represent the fastest growing segment of the student population and yet with respect to reading and literacy rates they are among the country's lowest performing students. This article looks at the crisis of low literacy rates among ELL students, what research is currently being done, the findings of that research, addresses key policy questions needing to be addressed by policymakers as well as a brief look into the types of support needed in order to provide ELL students with effective literacy instruction.

Findings:

  • ELLs comprise 10.5 percent of the nation's pre-K-12 school enrollment, up from 5 percent in 1990
  • ELLs continually score lower on the reading portion of the National Assessment of Educational Progress
  • As the population of ELL students increases so does the demand from teachers for better methods of instruction
  • The literacy needs of ELLs are both identical and distinct to their English-proficient peers
  • Local, state, and federal policymakers need to address effect of the growing ELL student population's effect on demographic trends, educational challenges, school performance, etc.
  • Improvements must be made on the types of support available to teachers working with ELL students, with special recognition that there are no one size fits all approaches to effective literacy instruction
  • It should be the goal of the nation to educate all students

Policy Recommendations:
N/A

To order a hard copy of the report, contact:
N/A