scholarly journals Improving Content Assessment for English Language Learners: Studies of the Linguistic Modification of Test Items

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Young ◽  
Teresa C. King ◽  
Maurice Cogan Hauck ◽  
Mitchell Ginsburgh ◽  
Lauren Kotloff ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Content Assessment ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Linguistic Modification

Language and the Performance of English-Language Learners in Math Word Problems

2008 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 333-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARIA MARTINIELLO
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Word Problems ◽  
English Language ◽  
Assessment System ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Linguistic Complexity ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Math Test ◽  
Math Proficiency

In this article, Maria Martiniello reports the findings of a study of the linguistic complexity of math word problems that were found to exhibit differential item functioning for English-language learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs taking the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) fourth-grade math test. It builds on prior research showing that greater linguistic complexity increases the difficulty of Englishlanguage math items for ELLs compared to non-ELLs of equivalent math proficiency. Through textual analyses, Martiniello describes the linguistic features of some of the 2003 MCAS math word problems that posed disproportionate difficulty for ELLs. Martiniello also uses excerpts from children's think-aloud transcripts to illustrate the reading comprehension challenges these features pose to Spanish-speaking ELLs. Through both DIF statistics and the voices of children, the article scrutinizes the appropriateness of inferences about ELLs' math knowledge based on linguistically complex test items.

Testing English language learners under No Child Left Behind

2011 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 323-341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael B. Bunch
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
No Child Left Behind ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Content Standards ◽  
Test Items ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
Grant Program ◽  
Depth Analysis ◽  
Title Iii

Title III of Public Law 107-110 (No Child Left Behind; NCLB) provided for creation of assessments of English language learners (ELLs) and established, through the Enhanced Assessment Grant program, a platform from which four consortia of states developed ELL tests aligned to rigorous statewide content standards. Those four tests (ACCESS for ELLs, CELLA, ELDA, and MWA) are now in use in one or more states, along with a host of other commercially available or locally developed tests. The tests (those developed by consortia as well as the others) are quite similar in many ways, principally in their contents: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Most measure these domains with a combination of multiple-choice (MC) and open-ended (OE) test items. This article provides an overview to the four consortium-developed tests as well as an in-depth analysis of one representative example. It also provides a summary of the characteristics of four commercially available tests. Not surprisingly, the four commercially available tests are rather similar to one another and to the consortium-developed tests in terms of content, psychometric characteristics, and development. The primary difference between the two sets is that the commercially available tests tend to report percentile ranks as well as proficiency levels. Now that the Race to the Top program is in place, we face many of the same challenges we faced a decade ago when NCLB was passed. While the Enhanced Assessment Grant competition emphasized summative assessment, the latest competition emphasizes formative assessment, which gives rise to the hope that educators can not only discover students’ strengths and weaknesses with these new tests, but do so in a timely manner and have opportunities to use the information constructively. Current work by at least one organization is encouraging in this regard.

scholarly journals 13. The Intersection of Mathematics and Language in the Post-Secondary Environment: Implications for English Language Learners

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Jean Choi ◽  
Rebecca Milburn ◽  
Brett Reynolds ◽  
Philip Marcoccia ◽  
Patrick Justin Silva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Classroom Practices ◽  
Vocabulary Knowledge ◽  
Sentence Structure ◽  
Mathematics Courses ◽  
Post Secondary ◽  
Language Support ◽  
Test Items

Given the increasing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in post-secondary environments (Roessingh & Douglas, 2012), educational practices such as availability of language support for mathematics should be assessed to ensure that all students’ needs are met. To explore the effects of language on mathematics in ELLs, mathematical test items were presented in four language contexts: vocabulary knowledge, negation, preposition use, and atypical sentence structure. Sixty students enrolled in mathematics courses volunteered to complete the mathematics task. Results suggest that math items falling into each of the four language contexts disadvantage ELLs, highlighting that the needs of ELLs should be considered at all levels, from classroom practices to educational policy. 

Young Spanish-English Language Learners' Cognate Facilitation on Picture Naming

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (Spring) ◽  
pp. 115-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsey Leacox ◽  
Carla Wood ◽  
Gretchen Sunderman ◽  
Christopher Schatschneider
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
Picture Naming ◽  
English Language

Assessment 360°: A Panoramic Framework for Assessing English Language Learners

2010 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 37-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Lewis ◽  
Nancy Castilleja ◽  
Barbara J. Moore ◽  
Barbara Rodriguez
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistically Diverse ◽  
Assessment Process ◽  
Assessment Practices ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Diverse Student ◽  
Many Sources

This issue describes the Assessment 360° process, which takes a panoramic approach to the language assessment process with school-age English Language Learners (ELLs). The Assessment 360° process guides clinicians to obtain information from many sources when gathering information about the child and his or her family. To illustrate the process, a bilingual fourth grade student whose native language (L1) is Spanish and who has been referred for a comprehensive language evaluation is presented. This case study features the assessment issues typically encountered by speech-language pathologists and introduces assessment through a panoramic lens. Recommendations specific to the case study are presented along with clinical implications for assessment practices with culturally and linguistically diverse student populations.

Pre-Referral Procedures: Meeting Unique Needs of English Language Learners

2002 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera Joanna Burton ◽  
Betsy Wendt
Keyword(s):  
English Language Learners ◽  
Language Learners ◽  
School System ◽  
English Language ◽  
First Language ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public School System ◽  
Language Difference ◽  
Number Of Children ◽  
School Team

An increasingly large number of children receiving education in the United States public school system do not speak English as their first language. As educators adjust to the changing educational demographics, speech-language pathologists will be called on with increasing frequency to address concerns regarding language difference and language disorders. This paper illustrates the pre-referral assessment-to-intervention processes and products designed by one school team to meet the unique needs of English Language Learners (ELL).

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document