High-Stakes Testing, Latinos and Limited English Proficient Students: Lessons from Colorado (original) (raw)
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American Journal of Education, 2015
Little research currently examines language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) in states with a more recent growth of the Latino English learner population. To meet this need, the authors examined the content each of the state LIEPs, focusing chiefly on the extent to which the types of language support, as well as the stipulations associated with them, are made explicit. Using US Census data from 1970 and 2009, the authors assessed LIEPs in the context of Latino population patterns and examined the relationship between the degree to which state LIEPs emphasize bilingual education and fourth-grade Latino English learners' achievement patterns in reading, mathematics, and science achievement on the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for all 50 US states and the District of Columbia. Latino English learners in states with a higher proportion of Latinos tend to have higher achievement outcomes when policies emphasize bilingual education, but these states also have a longer history of Latino presence. Implications for high-growth states are discussed. Although the United States has a long history of immigration from countries spanning the globe, the dramatic growth of Latino English learners (ELs) over the past 4 decades is well documented (García and Frede 2010; Krogstad and
Standardized Test and The Impact on Latino Students
2018
This research reports on what Standardized Test are telling us about the type of education students of color are receiving and how it impacts them and the schools they attend. The method of analysis for this research relies on multiple peer reviewed articles and journals to draw conclusions on the impact of standardized testing. Upon examining the data, it has become clear that standardized testing indicate students of color are not getting the quality of education that their white counter parts are receiving. Standardized testing has clearly shown the education gap which has minimized future educational opportunities due to the reduction of federal funds to schools with predominantly minority population.
Latino Students and Secondary School Education
Gaining Ground Newsletter, 2001
While the demand for a highly skilled workforce has increased, several reports have highlighted the poor performance of high school students in reading, math, and science. Moreover, the achievement gap between white and minority students is widening. Latino students have one of the highest dropout rates and they perform less well than their peers on several indices of academic achievement. Moreover, the Latino population is growing rapidly. Factors that influence the achievement of Latino students at the high school .level, and over which policymakers have some control, are type of school, quality of teaching, teacher expectations, and English language proficiency. Several interventions hold promise for increasing learning opportunities for Hispanic students. A program that focuses on literacy development across the curriculum is described. Special in-service awareness sessions that include all members of the school community and focus on the needs and characteristics of secondary Latino students have had success in increasing Latino high school completion and college attendance rates. A high school on the Mexico-California border uses teaching strategies that reinforce students• strengths, affirm cultural background, and emphasize native language development. A program developed by the Intercultural Development Research Association that uses cross-age tutoring , role modeling, and student recognition is based on valuing at-risk students and sustaining their efforts with effective coordinated strategies. (TD) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the ori ina] document.
Latinos and Literacy: Hispanic Students' Progress in Reading
Most students in U.S. public schools perform below the “proficient” level in reading, according to national benchmark tests. In 2015, 35 percent of all fourth-graders scored at or above the proficient level on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card™”); at eighth grade, the proportion was 33 percent. Moreover, reading achievement varies substantially by race and ethnicity. Nearly half of white students (46 percent) scored at or above proficient in grade four, while less than a quarter (21 percent) of Hispanic students reached that level.3 This gap in fourth-grade reading achievement is pervasive, ranging from 10 scale points (approximately one grade level4) in Louisiana, to 33 points in Pennsylvania and Minnesota (the equivalent of more than three grade levels).5 Such gaps are concerning, in part because Hispanic children make up 1 in 4 of all U.S. children today and, by 2030, will be 1 in 3. Here, we examine Hispanic students’ NAEP reading scores over the past decade on the fourth- and eighth-grade reading assessments—nationally, by state, for large cities, and for selected urban school districts.
Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Massachusetts: A Focus on Latino/a Students
This report analyzes trends in enrollment and outcomes for English Language Learner stu- dents (ELLs), a growing population in Massachusetts, in the post–Question 2 policy envi- ronment. Where possible, the report presents data on Latino students of Limited English Proficiency (LEP). Few LEP students, and few of the native Spanish speakers among them, reach the highest level of English language proficiency as measured by the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA).Though some improvements have been seen in terms of Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) performance and graduation rates, the rates remain low and the persistence of large gaps between LEPs and their English Proficient (EP) peers is troubling. The report concludes with state- and district-level policy recommendations.
1986
The redesign of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has resulted in improved usefulness of the data set to conduct policy relevant research on Hispanic student achievement. Improvements include changing the procedure for ethnic identification to self-reporting, modifying sample selection, and planning for the conduct of special assessments. The Language Minority Surrey (LMS) was designed to: collect data on student participation in special programs; analyze achievement of students with non-English language backgrounds; and examine the relationships between achievement and relevant school, teacher, and student attitudes. LMS, however, will not assess the progress of LM limited-English-proficient youth. Sampling procedures have incorporated grade and age-level sampling, documentation of excluded students, and Basic Incomplete Block (BIB) sampling. The "new" NAEP has been structured to address policy-relevant issues such as national concerns, human resource needs, and school effectiveness. It should now be possible, if the commitment is made, to examine the achievement of Hispanic youth, and to find ways to encourage persistence in school, faztors contributing to achievement, and the affects of the effective school movement. Students' educational experiences and aspirations could be examined through the Common Background Questionnaire; however, the aspiration question does not 4 amm,Kaa.
Fostering the Literacy Development of Latino Students
Focus on Exceptional Children, 2017
The literacy achievement gap between White and Latino students has remained relatively static, as has progress in literacy for Latino students (NCES, 1998a). Valencia (1991) has written about what he calls the persistent, pervasive, and disproportionate academic failure of Chicano students. Valencia's assessment could reasonably be extended to other groups of Latino students, particularly those of Puerto Rican descent and also, possibly, students from Central American backgrounds. Latino students have attracted the attention of educators, legislators, and the public in general because Latinos now constitute the largest group of minority students in U.S. schools, calculated at 13.5 percent of the total (NCES, 1998b). Latinos experienced a 59 percent growth rate during the 1990s (Pace, 2001). Invariably, many students who are English language learners and who also are having difficulties with literacy will have contact with professionals in special education (Allington, 1989; Gersten, Brengelman, & Jimenez, 1994). This is partly because of the high rate of growth of limited English proficient (LEP) students in regions and cities that have not previously served this population. Of concern is that the professional development necessary to effectively address the needs of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds is not widely available. Because special education teachers often are called upon when students fail to "learn on schedule" or at what is considered an appropriate pace considering their age, they need information and support if they are to serve as student advocates. Cummins (1986) argues persuasively that students from language minority backgrounds are either empowered or disabled to the extent that "professionals involved in assessment become advocates for minority students rather than legitimizing the location of the problem in the student" (p. 21). Advocacy, of course, requires more than simply good intentions. Professionals who are effective in working with second language learning students are familiar with the unique learning needs of this population.