High Stakes Testing for Tracking, Promotion, and Graduation (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
9 English-Language Learners
9 English-Language Learners
Pages 211-237
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 211... ...
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Title V! regulations forbid various forms of discrimination on the basis of national origin anc3 limited English proficiency (Lou v.
|
From page 212... ...
A large majority are from clisacivantagec3 socioeconomic backgrounds. Children who cannot participate meaningfully anc3 equitably in English-only classrooms clue to limited English proficiency are eligible by law for special instructional services.
|
From page 213... ...
Large majorities of districts also used these tests to assign English- language learners to specific instructional services anc3 to reclassify students after they had clevelopec3 English proficiency. About half the districts also used achievement tests in English to identify anc3 assign English- language learners; more than 70 percent used them for reclassification.
|
From page 214... ...
not only have been characterized by the measurement of decontextualized skills but also have set fairly low standards for language proficiency. Ultimately, English-language learners should be held to high standards for both English language and literacy, and should transition from special language measures to full participation in regularly administered assessments of English-language arts" (1997: ilk.
|
From page 215... ...
The superintendent of San Francisco's schools recently filed suit in federal court against California's test policy, arguing that the civil rights of students with limited English proficiency are being violated because they don't know enough English to react the test and show what they know about reacling, writing, math, history, and science (Educatiorr Week, 1998~. He argued that a longer time is required before a student is proficient enough to take the test in English specific cally, that students should be enrolled in the city's schools for 30 months 4The director of bilingual education for the state reports that districts will probably use the Aprenda, the CTBS Espanol, or the SABE for this purpose See Box g-1~.
|
From page 218... ...
It is unclear whether or how these requirements and disputes will be affected by a June 1998 California referendum that sharply limits bilingual education in the state's public schools. Accommoclations A recent survey of state assessment programs for 1996-1997 (Council of Chief State School Officers, 1998)
|
From page 219... ...
Four states permit or require a .ternat1ve assessments. A major task in ciecicling how to assess English language learners for purposes of high school graduation is to determine what level of English proficiency (if any)
|
From page 220... ...
Although graduation decisions are essentially different from promotion and tracking decisions, some of the considerations concerning relations between instructional methods and testing and concerning test presentation apply equally. As summarized in Improving Schooling for Lar~guage-Mirrority Chit~rerr (National Research Council and Institute of Meclicine, ~ 997 )
|
From page 221... ...
ENGLISH-LANGUAGE LEARNERS 221 · Second-language learners can display a higher level of comprehension of texts that are read in a second language when discussing or when questioned about those texts in their first language than if all the discussion or testing activity occurs in the second language. · Even at relatively low levels of proficiency in a second language, tasks that have been taught and practiced in that language may be performed better in the second than the first, stronger, language.
|
From page 224... ...
· Bilinguals do not typically replicate their capacities across their two languages, unless the array of task clemancis in the two languages are similar. Thus, estimating total vocabulary of a bilingual requires, in effect, addling across inciepencient vocabulary assessments in the two languages; and allowing a bilingual full opportunity to clisplay knowleclge may require allowing cocle-switching (the use of either or both languages cluring the same speech event)
|
From page 225... ...
PSYCHOMETRIC AND MEASUREMENT ISSUES As we have stated throughout this report, the use of any assessment should meet the basic professional stanciarcis of validity anc3 reliability (American Educational Research Association et al., 1985~. But if a student is not proficient in the language of the test, her performance is likely to be affected by construct-irrelevant variance that is, her test score is likely to underestimate her knowledge of the subject being tested.
|
From page 226... ...
Quite clearly, this assessment of mathematical skills is also an assessment of language proficiency. 6More complete discussion of the issues of including English-language learners in NAEP can be found in Grading the Natiorl's Report Card: Evaluating NAEP arid Trarlsformirlg the Assessment of Educational Progress "National Research Council, 1999~.
|
From page 227... ...
Assessments can be cievelopec3 in languages other than English, a strategy uncler active investigation. New York state, for example, will offer three of its four core subject Regents examinations in five languages in abolition to English (Spanish, HaitianCreole, Russian, Chinese, anc3 Korean)
|
From page 228... ...
Researchers at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Stanclarcls, and Student Testing have suggested a number of important background variables to examine with respect to their impact on test performance, including English-language proficiency, prior formal schooling, anc3 length of time in the United States (Butler anc3 Stevens, 19971. These researchers point out that two major obstacles to conducting research and to systematizing the procedures for including Englishlanguage learners are (1)
|
From page 229... ...
communtty .1ngutst1c contexts. · A measure of proficiency should not be limited to oral language proficiency, because such a measure is not sufficient to determine whether an English language learner can meaningfully participate in a written assessment.
|
From page 230... ...
The NRC and {OM committee that wrote Improvir~g Schooling for Lar~guage'Mir~ority Chi7Jrer~ called for more research that would inform decision making about how to get valid test scores for English language learners in large~scale assessments, particularly in developing guidelines for determining when they are really to take the same tests as their En' glish~proficient peers ~1997: 1301. The committee's findings and recommendations about Englishman guage learners are reported in Chapter 12.
|
From page 231... ...
The Office of Bilingual Education anc3 Minority Languages Affairs provides funding for research on the education of language minority stu' clents. Some of its activities include grants to various agencies anc3 ser' vices, including the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education, which collects, analyzes, synthesizes, anc3 disseminates information on studies of assessment anc3 performance of English language learners.
|
From page 232... ...
· A working paper was prepared in 1994 both to help develop strategies for making appropriate and consistent decisions about assessment of English-language learners anc3 to maximize their participation, particularly in NAEP (see National Center for Eclucation Statistics, 19961. Council of Chief State School Officers State Collaboration of Assess ment and Student Standards (SCASS)
|
From page 233... ...
Another report documents data from the GWU/CEEE anc3 SSAP Council of Chief State School Officers/NCREL surveys on assessment policies for English language learners in states re' quiring a test for high school graduation (Rivera anc3 Vincent, 19971. National Research CounciVInstitute of Medicine A 1997 report of the National Research Council anc3 the Institute of Medicine contributes to the unclerstancling of the education of English' language learners, reviews methodologies used, discusses assessment is' sues, anc3 makes recommendations regarding fixture research in order to inform policy anc3 practice (National Research Council anc3 Institute of Medicine, 19971.
|
From page 234... ...
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing, University of California, Los Angeles. Council of Chief State School Officers 1998 Survey of State Student Assessment Programs.
|
From page 235... ...
Department of Education, Washington, DC. 1996 Proceedings of the Conference on Inclusion Guidelines and Accommodations for Limited English Proficient Students in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (December 5-6, 1994)
|
From page 236... ...
Hafner, and M LaCelle-Peterson 1997 Statewide Assessment Programs: Policies arid Practices for the Ir~clusiorr of Limited English Proficient Students Fir~dir~gs from a National Survey of State Assessment Directors.
|
From page 237... ...
et seq. Title VII (Bilingual Education Programs)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.