Resources for School Improvement in Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners

The article presents a longitudinal study of an urban charter middle school to examine the impact testing pressures can have on the education of students with disabilities and English language learners, and how this may lead to a narrowing of the content they are taught. The study examines various sources of data, including the school's evolving language, literacy, and math programs, high-stakes test results, school improvement plans, and written IEP goals. Over several years, as low test scores and failure to make AYP had an increasing impact on school life, skills specifically targeted on annual state tests became the guide for how math and literacy and language development were addressed. In effect, instruction in these areas became equated with test preparation. As ranges in proficiency led to ability grouping in pertinent courses, there was a narrowing of skills addressed in the lower-level classes that were entirely populated by students categorized as limited-English proficient and/or having a disability. In effect, this turned test preparation into the math and literacy curricula for these students, which in turn affected decisions regarding which skills would be addressed in students’ IEPs. Implications for schools, policy, and further research are suggested.

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Exploring quality programs for English language learners in charter schools: A framework to guide future research

Education Policy Analysis Archives ◽

10.14507/epaa.24.1739 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 24 ◽

pp. 53 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peggie Garcia ◽

P. Zitlali Morales

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Public Schools ◽

School Improvement ◽

Charter Schools ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

Research Policy ◽

Essential Elements ◽

Future Research ◽

Quality Programs

Although there has been a great deal of debate about the effectiveness of charter schools in the research literature, there has been surprisingly little attention paid to English language learners (ELLs) in charter schools. Moreover, the charter school research has predominantly focused on whether or not charter schools are effective rather than how or why high-performing charter schools work, particularly for ELLs. We contend that researchers must expand their focus beyond access and achievement and begin to grapple with questions related to the quality of programs for ELLs in charter schools. To meet an emerging need in the field, we synthesize several strands of existing research—related to charter schools, school improvement, and ELLs in traditional public schools—to propose a five-component framework that describes essential elements of quality programs for ELLs in charter schools. We conclude with a discussion of implications of our framework for research, policy, and practice.

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Large-Scale Assessment and English Language Learners With Disabilities

Educational Policy ◽

10.1177/0895904815613443 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 31 (5) ◽

pp. 551-583 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kristin K. Liu ◽

Jenna M. Ward ◽

Martha L. Thurlow ◽

Laurene L. Christensen

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

School Improvement ◽

Language Learners ◽

Test Performance ◽

Large Scale ◽

English Language ◽

Large Scale Assessment ◽

State Education ◽

Education Agencies ◽

High Standards

This article highlights a set of principles and guidelines, developed by a diverse group of specialists in the field, for appropriately including English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities in large-scale assessments. ELLs with disabilities make up roughly 9% of the rapidly increasing ELL population nationwide. In spite of the small overall percentage of students that they represent, this group experiences significant learning and assessment challenges. In the context of successfully educating all students to high standards, it is important for state education agencies, policymakers, and local education agencies to improve achievement outcomes for these students. One of the first steps in improving test performance is to design and implement comprehensive and accessible assessment policies, and consequently assessments, that address the specific needs of ELLs with disabilities. Doing so will give them the chance to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have, thus allowing the test results to more accurately show areas for school improvement.

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

Contemporary Issues in Communication Science and Disorders ◽

10.1044/cicsd_43_s_115 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 43 (Spring) ◽

pp. 115-128 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Lindsey Leacox ◽

Carla Wood ◽

Gretchen Sunderman ◽

Christopher Schatschneider

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

Picture Naming ◽

English Language

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

Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations ◽

10.1044/cds17.2.37 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 37-56 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

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.

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

Perspectives on Communication Disorders and Sciences in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Populations ◽

10.1044/cds8.1.4 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 4-6 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

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).

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Children's Nonword Repetition Tasks and English Language Learners

Perspectives on School-Based Issues ◽

10.1044/sbi11.3.73 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 73-79

Author(s):

Sara C. Steele ◽

Deborah A. Hwa-Froelich

Keyword(s):

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

Language Impairment ◽

English Language ◽

Nonword Repetition ◽

Adopted Children ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Bilingual Speakers ◽

Internationally Adopted Children ◽

English Speaking

Nonword repetition performance has been shown to differentiate monolingual English-speaking children with language impairment (LI) from typically developing children. These tasks have been administered to monolingual speakers of different languages and to simultaneous and sequential bilingual English Language Learners (ELLs) with mixed results. This article includes a review of the nonword repetition performance of monolingual and bilingual speakers and of internationally adopted children. Clinical implications for administration and interpretation of nonword repetition task outcomes are included.

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Working With Interpreters to Support Students Who Are English Language Learners

Perspectives of the ASHA Special Interest Groups ◽

10.1044/persp1.sig16.15 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 1 (16) ◽

pp. 15-27 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Henriette W. Langdon ◽

Terry Irvine Saenz

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

English Language Learners ◽

Language Learners ◽

English Language ◽

First Language ◽

The United States ◽

The Other ◽

Primary Language ◽

Second Best ◽

Support Students

The number of English Language Learners (ELL) is increasing in all regions of the United States. Although the majority (71%) speak Spanish as their first language, the other 29% may speak one of as many as 100 or more different languages. In spite of an increasing number of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) who can provide bilingual services, the likelihood of a match between a given student's primary language and an SLP's is rather minimal. The second best option is to work with a trained language interpreter in the student's language. However, very frequently, this interpreter may be bilingual but not trained to do the job.

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