scholarly journals English Language Proficiency and Content Assessment Performance: A Comparison of English Learners and Native English Speakers Achievement

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
Suzi Keller Miley ◽  
Aarek Farmer
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language Arts ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Subsequent Performance ◽  
Scale Scores ◽  
Achievement Levels

As a result of the accountability requirements established in Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Educational Act (ESEA) legislation, English Learners (ELs) are expected to make progress in both content area academic achievement and English Language Proficiency (ELP). In Tennessee ELs progress is measured by administering WIDA-Access to assess English language proficiency, and Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) standardized assessments to measure content academic achievement. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the performance levels of ELs who achieved the exit criteria on WIDA-Access state mandated English proficiency assessment and their subsequent performance on English Language Arts and Math TCAP assessments. Specifically, a comparison of EL’s achievement on TCAP was compared to the achievement on TCAP of non-ELs. Independent samples t-tests were performed on data from 302 elementary and middle school ELs and non-ELs that participated in WIDA-Access and TCAP assessments in 2015. Data analyses concluded that English Language Arts and Math TCAP scale scores were significantly different between ELs and non-ELs. Achievement levels in both English Language Arts TCAP and Math TCAP for ELs, who achieved the exit criteria on WIDA-Access, were lower than the achievement levels of non-ELs. Discussions of the findings in this study along with implications of using these assessments to measure ELs growth is provided in relation to the increased demands on measuring both the academic achievement and English language progress for ELs.

A longitudinal study at an English medium instruction university in Turkey: the interplay between English language improvement and academic success

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Doğan Yuksel ◽  
Adem Soruç ◽  
Mehmet Altay ◽  
Samantha Curle
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Content Learning ◽  
English Medium Instruction ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Academic Content

Abstract This article reports a quantitative empirical study that investigated whether English language proficiency increases over time when studying academic content through English Medium Instruction (EMI). It was also investigated whether an increase in proficiency predicts EMI academic achievement. Student English language test score data and Grade Point Average (GPA) data were collected from a public university in Turkey. Two academic subjects were compared: Business Administration (a Social Science subject, n = 81) and Mechatronics Engineering (a Mathematics, Physical and Life Sciences subject, n = 84). Results showed that in both subjects, English language proficiency statistically significantly improved over a four-year period of studying through English. Furthermore, this improvement predicted EMI academic achievement; meaning that the more proficient students became in English, the higher they achieved in their EMI academic studies. This provides evidence for policymakers, EMI practitioners, and language professionals around the world that English does improve when studying academic content through English, and that this improvement has a positive effect on content learning outcomes. Implications of these findings, and suggestions for further research are discussed.

scholarly journals EFFECT OF ENGLISH PROFICIENCY ON SOCIAL CAPITAL AND ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG ECONOMIC STUDENTS

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Sodbir Hamzah ◽  
Hussin Abdullah ◽  
Mazida Ahmad
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Social Capital ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
English Language ◽  
Structural Model ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Academic Achievements

The use of English language becomes increasingly important, either in educational sector or working sector. The role of social capital should be taken into consideration in helping the students to achieve their academic success. Previous findings indicated that students with limited use of English faced problems in advance subjects. Thus, this study examines the effect of English language proficiency towards social capital and academic achievement. This study employed the survey research design and the sample comprised of 81 undergraduate students enrolled in Economics courses from year two and three in Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM). The instruments were adapted based on the constructs in the structural model developed. The data has been analysed using Structural Equation Modelling to enable simultaneous analysis of all the constructs and estimate the magnitude of the direct and indirect effects between the constructs. The findings show that there is a significant direct effect of English Language Proficiency (ELP) towards Academic Achievements (AA) and Social Capital Outside Family (SCOF), and from social capital outside family towards academic achievements. The mediating effect of social capital outside family towards English Language Proficiency (ELP) and Academic Achievement (AA) among economics students in UUM was significant. The findings suggest for more activities geared towards increasing students’ English language proficiency to help them to increase their academic achievements.Keywords: English Language Proficiency; Social Capital; Academic Achievement.

scholarly journals Performance in English Skills Courses and Overall Academic Achievement

1991 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean Black
Keyword(s):  
Academic Achievement ◽  
Academic Success ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language ◽  
Threshold Level ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Academic Needs ◽  
Universities And Colleges ◽  
Spoken English ◽  
Academic Courses

The implementation of ESL courses at universities and colleges has been based on the assumption that a threshold level of English proficiency is necessary for students to succeed at their academic work. The correlation, however, between English language proficiency and academic success has not been clearly established. This paper describes a study undertaken at Brock University which correlates performance of students in ESL courses in spoken and written English with achievement in their other academic courses. The grades received in the ESL courses were correlated with the overall academic average and the major average for the whole group and for each of three degree groups-students completing B.A, RSc., and B.RE. degrees. Analysis of the data revealed a modest positive correlation between performance in written English and the overall and major averages in all groups except the B.RE., in which there was no significant correlation. The grades for the spoken English course failed to correlate significantly with either the overall average or the major average in any of the groups. Pedagogical implications of these surprisingly low correlations are discussed, and suggestions are offered for making skills learned in ESL courses more relevant to the academic needs of students.

Aligning English Language Proficiency Standards With Content Standards: Shared Opportunity and Responsibility Across English Learner Education and Content Areas

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 534-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okhee Lee
Keyword(s):  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
Content Standards ◽  
Content Areas ◽  
Disciplinary Practices ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
English Language Proficiency Standards ◽  
K 12

The Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 mandates that English language proficiency (ELP) standards align with content standards. As the fast-growing population of English learners (ELs) is expected to meet college- and career-ready content standards, the purpose of this article is to highlight key issues in aligning ELP standards with content standards. The overarching question is how to align ELP standards with academically rigorous and language-intensive disciplinary practices of content standards while respecting and maintaining the nature of the discipline within each area. I begin by describing contributions and shortcomings of content standards and ELP standards. Next, I propose consideration of three components in aligning ELP standards with content standards: (a) norms of disciplinary practices across content areas, (b) developmental progressions of disciplinary practices across K–12 grade levels or bands and across content areas, and (c) language use across levels of English proficiency. For each component, the challenges in establishing alignment and potential trade-offs in addressing these challenges are discussed. Finally, I highlight how these challenges present opportunities for substantive collaboration between EL education and content areas to move these fields forward and ensure ELs achieve academically rigorous content standards while developing ELP.

Borrowing legitimacy as English learner (EL) leaders: Indiana’s 14-year history with English language proficiency standards

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trish Morita-Mullaney
Keyword(s):  
Language Development ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language ◽  
English Language Proficiency ◽  
English Language Development ◽  
Content Standards ◽  
Critical Leadership ◽  
English Language Proficiency Standards ◽  
K 12

English language proficiency or English language development (ELP/D) standards guide how content-specific instruction and assessment is practiced by teachers and how English learners (ELs) at varying levels of English proficiency can perform grade-level-specific academic standards in K–12 US schools. With the transition from the state-developed Indiana ELP/D standards adopted in 2003 to the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) English language development standards adopted in 2013, this paper explores Indiana’s ELP/D standard’s 14-year history and how its district EL/Bilingual district leaders have interpreted and implemented these two sets of standards between the school years 2002–03 and 2015–16. Using critical leadership and feminism within a narrative design, EL/Bilingual leaders illuminate distinct leadership logics as they mediate and implement ELP/D standards in their districts. Academic content standards are regarded with greater privilege, complicating how EL/Bilingual leaders can position ELP/D standards. Restricted by this standards hierarchy, EL/Bilingual leaders found limited educational venues in which to discuss the performance-based nature of ELP/D standards. Implications for assessment, policy, and leadership preparation are discussed.

scholarly journals Writing Instruction That Makes a Difference to English Learners

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (24) ◽  
pp. 77-96
Author(s):  
Juan J. Araujo ◽  
Carol D. Wickstrom
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Language Arts ◽  
Writing Instruction ◽  
English Learners ◽  
English Language Arts ◽  
English Language ◽  
Linguistic Knowledge ◽  
High School English ◽  
Language Arts Teachers ◽  
Arts Teachers

This paper presents the actions of two high school English language arts teachers as they engage in writing instruction with adolescent English learners. Using a naturalistic, qualitative methodology we investigate the actions two high school English language arts teachers engage in to meet the needs of their students. Findings suggest that embracing the students’ resources, building on linguistic knowledge, taking time to choose the right books and activities, being explicit about writer’s workshop and accepting its frenetic pace because it meets the students’ needs, and using the act of writing as a thinking activity, were the actions that made a difference to promote student success.

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