English Language Learners

Within the past ten years, the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) has doubled. An increase of more than 2 million ELL students in the U.S schools, left professionals within the field of education with no choice but to face the challenge of understanding cultural differences. In addition to this, educators must understand how these differences affect students’ language development, learning style, academic achievement and most importantly, his or her performance on standardized tests. These differences must be understood, valued and respected by all service providers, especially those who are involved in the decision making process concerning the placement of students in special educational programs. (Roseberry-McKibbin, 2014).

The all too familiar situation of English language learners (ELLs) struggling in a classroom that is not meeting their needs is the theme of this short film. ELL’s present unique challenges for teachers given how the California educational system calls for only one year of English language development (EDL). After this time, English language development goals rest on the shoulders of the general education teacher with the additional requirement of infusing SADIE strategies into their daily lessons.

For the past two years I have worked as a teachers’ aide for special education classrooms. I have had the privilege of working in over fifteen different schools and over thirty different classrooms ranging from kinder garden to the adult transition program. For the past three months I have been working in an adult transition classroom with five students. Four out of our five students are non-verbal and have severe behaviors. The school is located in the small city of Corona, CA with Hispanic students being the majority group. In the classroom I am the only aide who can fluently speak and write Spanish. Being bilingual has helped me in my job because all of our student’s parents are Spanish speaking and are originally from Mexico.

If the schools didn’t make AYP for three years in a row, they had to provide free tutoring and supplemental educational service. Everyone involved felt that the NCLB had unsolved issues. (Randolph & Wilson-Younger, 2012). There are teachers that argue that the testing is not fair with the children that are under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Children with individualized education plans are being forced to take standardized test on their grade level and the teachers argue that the tests might be way above where these children are academically. This also includes the children who have English as their second language because they are struggling when they are taking the standardized tests. Additionally, Choi, (Aug. 2012) describes how many schools struggle to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the Act called No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Pressures on the schools to meet the AYP can affect how each school does their testing and teaching policies. While states have been silent, the question has been whether states have a responsibility to intervene.

When it comes to teaching English Language Learners, math is often an under researched topic because it is thought to be a language of numbers (Janzen, 2008). A misconception that many educators share is that because math uses symbols it is not associated with language or culture (Bresser, Melanese &Sphar, 2009). Not all English Language Learners are the same, and often times ELLs enter a new classroom that requires proficiency on both mathematical and linguistic levels. ELLs come in with different levels of schooling, some come from a situation where they have been attending school regularly, so the transition is not as hard as it is for the students who really have not attended school on a regular

For the Fall of 2016, I worked at Cornatzer Elementary School in Davie County. Cornatzer Elementary School was a Title I school where 60% of the students were considered economically disadvantaged and qualified for free/reduced lunch. I worked in a 1st grade classroom that was composed of 25 students; out of those 25, 15 were male and 10 were female. The majority of the class was Caucasian; however, there were 4 Hispanic children, and 1 of two or more races. During a typical week, we had 5 children who received pull out services. Specifically, we had one student who qualified for English Language Learner (ELL) services, 3 students who solely needed speech services, and 1 student who received speech and behavior interventions.

These standarized tests were not created to measure students’language proficiency .With the No child Left Behind Act(NCLB), states have to use standarized testing to measure students’ adequate yearly progress(AYP). According to Paige , one of the proponents of the NCLB, standardized tests deliver a valid and reliable means of measuring student learning, and this method expands on teacher-made assessments(Hulsh 2005). Test results alone should not be reliable and valid to measure students’learning. Acombination of assessments and projects can be more reliable and valid to show students’ yearly progress. Because English learners students lack the language proficiency to read and comprehend the questions, the results shoould be considered worthless. The invalid results don’t speak to the students’abilities. Fry mentioned that 46% of 4th grade students in the English language learner (ELL) category scored “below basic” in mathematics in 2005 and that that about 51% of 8th grade ELL students are behind whites in reading and math (Fry 2007). It is nearly impossible for half of ELL to receive a low score in the test. These numbers don’t always mean that the students don’t know the answer, but maybe the numers tell us that the english learners lack the reading comprehension needed to unsderstand the questions. According to Haladyna, students stop taking the test or mark answers aimlessly not because they didn’t learn but because they can not read and nonresponse and omitted responses are more prevalent with English language learners (Haladyna, 2006). When taking the math test, students migh know the answers , but can interpret the question wrong therefore giving a wrong answer.

The achievement gap that exists in my school is a socioeconomic one (J. Perkins, personal communication, October 24, 2016). Data for Woodville High School shows an achievement gap for low-income students (J. Perkins, personal communication, October 24, 2016). Additionally, this achievement gap is wider for low-income, first-generation students. ACT Aspire Reading data shows that only 25% of students at the poverty level met or exceeded the content standards. ACT Aspire Math data shows that only 21% of students at the poverty level met or exceeded content standards. The total minority population of the school is 6%, and the largest minority group is Native American (Cherokee). Based on the available data, the target population to combat the achievement gap is the high poverty students. 64% of the school’s total student population is considered economically disadvantaged (Woodville High School). These students qualify for free or reduced lunch. The latest data show that there is a 20.4% gap between economically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students in math and reading (Woodville High School).

Those who are currently teaching are required to take a course called Rethinking Equity and Teaching English Language Learners (RETELL) or Secondary English Language (SEI) course so they can be better prepared to teach the students of other primary languages. The data from the ELL students in the three districts are more dramatic than percentages of students with disabilities. Compared to Norwood and Brockton’s ELL student population, Monson only had 7 ELL students in their district in 2016. When comparing the ELA, math, and science scores for all three towns, Monson didn’t even have sufficient data to record. Norwood and Brockton however, had interesting data to compare. In ELA, Norwood scored higher than Brockton with a percentage of 41 and Brockton at 13 percent for students who performed with high proficiency. In math, Norwood had a 40 percent higher academic standing, whereas Brockton only had 15 percent. Both Monson and Brockton ELL students performed below the achievement gap goal with negative scores. Norwood, however, performed above the state level for all three subjects. There was no data found in the scoring of ELL students in Monson for MCAS scores. Out of the 5th grade ELL students in Norwood, who participated in the MCAS, 6 scored in above average, 31 percent scored in proficient, 50 percent scored needs improvement, and 13 percent scored as failing.

In the recent past, various policy initiatives have been adopted to minimize educational disparities in the U.S. Notable strides include the enactment of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This legislative piece prioritized the bridging of the achievement gap at the federal level, leading to the adoption of targeted interventions for diverse student groups (Arceneaux 391). The available evidence suggests that Hispanic and African-American students have improved in such areas as mathematics and reading. However, the achievement gap between Blacks and Hispanics and Whites is still evident. Recent analyses reveal that Hispanic and African-American students trail their white peers by approximately twenty test-score points on

Rivera-Batiz (1992) stated, “Mathematical achievement of individuals strongly predicts their success later in life.” Watson & Gable (2012) mention that basic academic skill are fundamental to long-term academic success and, on a post-secondary level obtaining employment in a highly competitive job market.” National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS-2); ( Newman, et al., 2011) stated that more than three quarters of youth with disabilities test below the mean. Far less information is attainable on mathematics than reading instruction (Gregoire’ & Desoete, 2009). The same report mentioned that 45% of students with disabilities compared to 25% of their typical peers complete a below standard curriculum. What makes mathematics a strong

The United States is continuing to grow in the number of families that are immigrating to our country. According to Washington State Institute for Public Policy (2007), “As of 2000, there were approximately 107,000 immigrant elementary students and 100,000 middle and high school students in Washington State, based on U.S. Census data.” Children from these families enter our educational system knowing very little English and they are considered to be an English Language Learner (ELL) defined by “those whose primary language is a language other than English and who have English language skill deficiencies that impair their learning in regular classrooms” (Malagon, McCold, Hernandez, 2011, p. IV). While parents truly believe their children will receive a better education in the United States as oppose to the country they came from, English Language Learner students face a number of everyday challenges while at school. These challenges go beyond learning the English language; they include the struggles that are faced not only academically, but socially as well. English Language Learner students face these day-to-day problems due to their inability to express their ideas and thoughts, along with not being able to communicate substantially and identify with the people in their community.

Achievement Gaps in the United States are tough to define. Currently academia is focusing on racial and ethnic gaps and might be overlooking a subtle fact. There is a trend in ongoing research that shows many of lowest achieving students hail from a low socioeconomic status. Before addressing the racial gaps in achievement, educators must look towards better understanding the effect that low SES has on students. After knowing how much SES impacts achievement, educators and researchers will be better able to address racial achievement gaps without biased factors manipulating their data. Articles by Rolf K. Blank, a case study performed by the Washington Board of Education, and an article by Victoria Risko and Doris Walker-Dalhouse will explore

American students, especially African- and Latin-Americans are performing poorly on international assessments such as the PISA. On the 2012 PISA math and science scores remained below average (496) for African-Americans scoring 421 in math and 439-science and Latin-Americans 455 in math and 462 in science (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). The educational disparities is exacerbated by the low high-school graduation rates and college attendance by minorities. Part of the problem can be attributed to the disproportionately high number of minority students in remedial classes and lack of diversity in gifted education programs. Several factors contribute to a disproportionate number of minority students being placed in special education. Poverty perpetuate problems ranging from premature births to impoverished neighborhoods. Insufficient funding, inadequate resources, and poor curriculum impedes a constructive learning environment (Artiles, Harry, Reschly, & Chinn, 2002). Also the lack of cultural cohesion between teachers and students may result in students of color placed in special education programs (Bailey, 2012). In addition, some assessments used for placement may be culturally bias (Artiles, Harry, Reschly, & Chinn, 2002) and students possibly lack suitable instruction before being placed in remedial education. Students in impoverished neighborhoods receive considerably less state and local funding, the lack of resources increase the probability of being

English language learners are students whose first language is not English. Consequently, ELLs have lower reading ability levels compared to non-English learners (Begeny, Ross, Green, Mitchell, & Whitehouse, 2012; Ross & Begeny, 2011). In addition, different ELL categories exist: long-term ELLs, migrant ELLs, and transnational ELLs. Long-term ELLs are United States citizens who have been enrolled in American schools since kindergarten; however, these students are classified as limited English proficient because they have not successfully acquired English during their elementary years. Furthermore, transnational ELLs move back and forth from their native country to the United States; therefore, the constant move between countries inhibit