Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Assessments in the Content Areas
Examination of Peer Review and Title I Monitoring Feedback Regarding the Inclusion and Accommodation of English Language Learners in State Content Assessments
Author: Acosta, B.D., Rivera, C., & Willner, L.S., The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education
Summary: The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires that ELLs and Students with Disabilities (SDs) be assessed in academic content through a state exam. This study examined how effectively states are including ELLs and students with disabilities (SDs) in academic content assessments and tracking this data. State data revealed lack of complete information on use or lack of use of accommodations on assessments.
Tags: Language of Instruction;
Target Population: Elementary, Middle, High School
Research Questions the Report Poses:
- To what extent do State Education Agencies (SEAs) receive feedback on peer review decision letters and/or Title I monitoring reports that address the inclusion and accommodation of ELLs in state assessments?
- What issues are identified in peer review decision letters and Title I monitoring reports to SEAs related to the inclusion and accommodation of ELLs?
Findings:
- The majority of SEAs have weaknesses in their policies and practices for including and accommodating ELLs in state assessment systems.
- The feedback itself given to and by states is inconsistent both within and across the peer review and Title I monitoring processes.
Policy Recommendations:
- Provide demographic data; document the number of ELLs and the number of ELLs included in each state assessment.
- Provide state policy and procedures for accommodating ELLs; clarify whether Local Education Agencies (LEAs) have local control or are subject to state policy.
- Document SEA written guidance and procedures for LEAs to collect data and report inclusion and accommodation data to the SEA.
- Document any program of research in place carried out by the SEA independently or in partnership with other states on the effectiveness of specific accommodations allowed to ELLs.
- Improve alignment of the peer review and Title I monitoring rubrics making clear what ELL issues are to be addressed by SEAs and reviewers.
- Make clear expectations for each review process with regard to addressing the inclusion and accommodation of ELLs.
- Align peer review and Title I monitoring guidance so that the accommodation of ELLs is addressed as a technical quality issue and not as an issue uniquely pertaining to ELLs.
- Refine the language in both peer review guidance and in the Title I monitoring rubric so it clearly distinguishes the needs of ELLs from SDs.
- Provide Title I monitors with access to peer review feedback, so the two reviews are complementary and build on each other.
- Include experts in the assessment of ELLs on all peer review committees and Title I monitoring teams.
- Require reviewers to record whether an SEA has addressed each issue on a protocol; both acceptable and unacceptable practices should be documented.
Shafer Willner, L., Rivera, C., & Acosta, B. (2010). Examination of Peer Review and Title I Monitoring Feedback Regarding the Inclusion and Accommodation of English Language Learners in State Content Assessments. Arlington, VA: The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education.
New Measures of English Language Proficiency and Their Relationship to Performance on Large-Scale Content Assessments
Author: Caroline Parker, Josephine Louie, Laura O'Dwyer. Institute of Education Sciences. U.S. Department of Education.
Summary: The U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences (IES)’s "New Measures of English Language Proficiency and their Relationship to Performance on Large-scale Content Assessments" (2009) reports the findings of a study designed to determine whether students' performance on an English proficiency assessment (ACCESS for ELLs) could predict their performance on a large-scale content assessment (the New England Common Assessment Program, or NECAP). The findings are important because they demonstrate that the English proficiency assessments that schools depend upon to guide placement and instruction for their English language learners can, indeed, be effective for that purpose, and they can also help schools identify students who may have difficulty on large-scale content assessments. In addition, these findings point teachers and administrators to the types of proficiency tasks that are the best indicators of students' performance in content area subjects (i.e., reading and writing tasks as opposed to listening and speaking tasks).
Tags: Language Proficiency; Reading; Writing;
Target Population: Elementary, Middle School
Research Questions the Report Poses: How does performance in four language domains on an English language proficiency assessment predict English language learner students' performance on a state content assessment after accounting for student and school characteristics?
Findings:
- English language proficiency, in the domains of reading and writing, were significant predictors of performance on reading, writing, and mathematics content assessments in fifth and eighth grades.
- Reading and writing were stronger predictors of content area performance than the oral language skills of speaking and listening.
Parker, C. E., Louie, J., and O'Dwyer, L. (2009). New measures of English language proficiency and their relationship to performance on large-scale content assessments (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2009-No. 066). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands. Retrieved from http://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs.
The Relationship Between English Proficiency and Content Knowledge for English Language Learner Students in Grades 10 and 11 in Utah
Author: X. Barrat, Min Huang; Regional Educational Laboratory at WestEd; National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance
Summary: The study examines data from Utah tests given to 10th and 11th graders on language proficiency as well as content knowledge for both math and language arts.
Tags: Language Proficiency;
Target Population: High School
Research Questions the Report Poses: What is the relationship between level of English proficiency and content knowledge? How do English language learners compare in academic performance with native English speakers?
Findings:
- The higher students scored on the English proficiency, the higher they scored on both math and language arts exams.
- English language learner students scored lower than non-English learners in both language arts and math.
- Use the study's findings in discussion of rules on when students should be moved out of English language learner status and in creation of assessment programs and curriculum for English language learners.
Policy Recommendations:
Use the study’s findings in discussion of rules on when students should be moved out of English language learner status and in creation of assessment programs and curriculum for English language learners.
Crane, E.W., Barrat V. X., and Huang, M. (2011). The relationship between English proficiency and content knowledge for English language learner students in grades 10 and 11 in Utah. (Issues & Answers Report, REL 2001-No. 110). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance, Regional Educational Laboratory West.
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