Accommodation Strategies for English Language Learners on Large-Scale Assessments: Student Characteristics and Other Considerations (original) (raw)
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An analysis of state assessment policies addressing the accommodation of English language learners
Center for Equity and Excellence in …, 2004
• This paper reviews 15 research studies that (1) examined effects of particular accommodations or groups of accommodations on performance, and (2) employed experimental and quasi-experimental research designs that allowed examination of the effect of the accommodation(s) on ELLs and non-ELLs. Studies looked at one or more of the following types of accommodations: (1) linguistic simplification, (2) customized English dictionaries and glossaries, (3) use of the native language, (4) reading items and/or directions aloud, and (5) providing extra time in combination with other accommodations. • Although research on accommodations for ELLs is inconclusive, two kinds of accommodations appear to hold promise: native language versions of assessments and linguistic simplification of English versions. In addition, combining specific direct linguistic support accommodations (i.e., bilingual glossaries) with specific indirect linguistic support accommodations (i.e., extra time) also appears to support ELL's performance on assessments. • This paper also discusses how second language acquisition research informs the use of accommodations. The tendency of ELLs to process the language of a test by focusing on linguistic structures, lexical items, and phonological features leaves fewer cognitive resources available for accessing the content of the test. Furthermore, in addition to processing the language of the test, ELLs also must negotiate the sociocultural practices and expectations embedded in assessment. These disadvantages can be mitigated directly through the (1) simplification, (2) repetition, or (3) clarification of the test items or directions, or indirectly, by modifying the conditions under which a test is taken. • This paper reviews states' SY 2000-2001 policies related to testing accommodations for ELLs. Policies were often organized explicitly around the needs of two student groups: ELLs and SDs. Some states' policies treated these as entirely separate groups, whereas other addressed these as one group. In most cases, guidelines for individual assessments for which accommodations were offered were subordinated to considerations of student groups (ELLs and SDs). Overall, the most noticeable trend with regard to states' treatment of content areas is that accommodations providing direct linguistic support to ELLs were more likely to be prohibited for English language arts than for other content areas.
Review of Educational Research, 2009
Including English language learners (ELLs) in large-scale assessments raises questions about the validity of inferences based on their scores. Test accommodations for ELLs are intended to reduce the impact of limited English proficiency on the assessment of the target construct, most often mathematic or science proficiency. This meta-analysis synthesizes research on the effectiveness and validity of such accommodations for ELLs. Findings indicate that none of the seven accommodations studied threaten the validity of inferences. However, only one accommodation—providing English dictionaries or glossaries—has a statistically significant effect on ELLs’ performance, and this effect equates to only a small reduction in the achievement score gap between ELLs and native English speakers. Findings suggest that accommodations to reduce the impact of limited language proficiency on academic skill assessment are not particularly effective. Given this, we posit a hypothesis about the necessary...
Accommodations and English Learners: Inconsistencies in Policies and Practice
2014
This article outlines the results of a survey of all the large-scale testing accommodations used with English learners across the United States, addressing the increasing challenge of integrating this population into a state's accountability system in a valid and reliable manner. This examination of accommodation policies used in standardized content area assessments reveals that there is little consistency across states with regard to testing accommodations for ELs in providing accommodations when ELs are tested in academic content areas. In today's educational environment in the United States, it is virtually impossible to find a district or school that is not held accountable by some sort of large scale or standardized assessment. In fact, as more and more federal funds are tied to the results of such assessment programs, we see this trend in accountability becoming more and more prevalent. The No Child Left Behind [NCLB] (2002) and the Common Core State Standards Initiat...
Accommodations for English Language Learners on Statewide English Language Proficiency Assessment
2012
This exploratory research study was conducted to examine federallymandated annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment of English language learners (ELLs) and their use of accommodations on the assessment. The literature was examined for differences and similarities between the three types of testing scenarios as well as identifying gaps in the literature for students who are both ELLs and who also have a disability and how their ELP is assessed, taking into account their disability. The results from investigating data related to ELLs with disabilities and specific accommodations used by ELLs with disabilities contributes to the limited current research available regarding this subgroup as well as how the annual ELP assessment mandate is actuated at the state, district, and classroom levels. The researchers used one state's existing quantitative ELP assessment data to examine types of accommodations for ELLs with disabilities on the statewide ELP assessment and then explored potential relationships between specific disabilities and accommodations used. The researchers investigated factors that contribute to the relationships between disabilities, accommodations, and performance on the ELP assessment through qualitative data from interviews with state, district, and school level personnel to further expand on results from the quantitative ELP assessment data.
Critical issues surrounding test accommodations: A language planning and policy perspective
Testing has become a central concern for educators concerned with English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. public schools. The development of the policies and practices surrounding the use of test accommodations, or changes to the test response, administration, or test itself , for this population have been and continue to be influenced by multiple complicating forces. These factors include but are not exclusively restricted to language and testing policies, national educational policy and discourses in addition to students with disabilities research and policy. This paper, therefore, aims to identify and clarify some critical issues that surround the practice of test accommodations for ELLs as seen through a language planning and policy lens. This approach of framing test accommodations as a form of language policy brings into relief the myriad of language-specific factors, such as framing language diversity from a deficit perspective, that surround testing accommodations.
U.S. public schools are responsible for educating large numbers of students with disabilities and English language learners--some 20 percent of the nation's 46 million public school students fall into one or both of these categories. Both of these populations have been increasing, and the demand for evidence of their academic progress has also grown. In response to both changing public expectations and legal mandates, the federal government, states, and districts have attempted to include more such students in educational assessments. This summary touches on three broad areas that are discussed in the book: (1) The policies and practices for the inclusion and provision of accommodations provided for students with disabilities and English language learners that are followed in the National Assessment of Educational Progress and other large-scale assessments conducted by states; (2) The research that has been conducted to date on the effects of accommodations on test performance a...