Standarized English Learners

After the No-Child-Left-Behind (NCLB) bill was introduced by the Bush administration in 2001, the use of standardized tests skyrocketed because all schools in the country were required to assess students using these tests to evaluate the student, teacher and school’s performance. A standardized test is any examination that is administered and scored in a predetermined, standard manner (Popham 8). The use of these tests have not improved education in the United States because teachers teach to the test, which means that they only focus on what is going to be on the exam and do not spend time on other material; tests like the SAT which evaluate the student solely on the outcome of the test and upon the score the student is placed where “appropriate”; and that one assessment is not enough to evaluate students, teachers, principals

The No Child Left Behind Act requires English language learners (ELL) to be held to the same academic standards as English speaking students. Schools must provide specialized instruction that enable students to receive meaning education. Federal mandates attempt to create educational opportunities that help ELL students in reaching their full potential. To ensure equal access to an education is achieved, states are required to assess students with tools aligned with state content standards. The results from the

In 2001, NCLB established legislation in a sweeping overhaul of federal effort to support elementary and secondary education. The legislation (Section 11: Title III) holds school districts accountable for English proficiency and is based upon improved student achievement and accountability for results with an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research (Boward County Public Schools, 2010). With NCLB accountability, districts much describe how they will hold elementary and secondary schools accountable for meeting the goals and objectives for increasing the English proficiency of current ELL’s (Boward County Public Schools, 2010). Districts must also hold elementary and secondary schools accountable for meeting the goals and objectives for increasing academic achievement for all current and former ELL’s (Boward County Public Schools, 2010). Further required is an improvement plan that outlines interventions and procedures implemented if districts fail to meet the Annual Measureable Achievement Objectives (AMAO). Procedures and implementation are monitored by SALA (Bureau of Student Achievement through Language Acquisition) (Florida Department of Education).

In the wake of educational initiatives such as No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top, standardized tests have become a central part of elementary and secondary school instruction in the United States. Students in New York have been affected by high-stakes tests that are increasingly the primary method by which the performances of programs, schools, and teachers are evaluated and ranked. Unfortunately, these test scores carry considerable weight in day-to-day school decision making with administrators, teachers and students. In order to ensure academic progress of English Language Learners through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Title III funding has been tied to English language proficiency measures. New policies enacted at the national level have resulted in the mandatory implementation of language proficiency testing protocols in all states.

In this short film titled IMMERSION, Moises, an immigrant child with less than proficient English language skills, is seen in a real world context as he struggles with academics, specifically math, in a public school setting in the U. S. The “structured English Immersion” program, which is in place to assist children like Moises falls short of providing the supprts necessary for immigrant students to master a second language while they are also expected to build on academic skills. In this film, school leadership has failed to recognize and back one teacher’s pursuit of providing supports to ascertain whether the student is able to complete the assignment in his naïve language or does he not understand the concepts. Even after advocating for himself and asking for the test in Spanish the young boy is told not to worry as the test is not important. Unfortunately, Moises knows the test is significant and is then faced with a no win situation at school.

English language learners enrollment in the Council member districts has remained relatively stable over the past several years. In 2007-08, 1.1 million ELLs were enrolled in urban schools, accounting for 16.5 percent of total district enrollment. In 2009–10, 1.2 million ELLs were enrolled, accounting for 17.5 percent of total district enrollment (Uro & Barrio, p. 26, 2013). The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 required students in grades three through eight to be tested every year in reading and math. While NCLB now holds educators more accountable with student learning, it now also tests English language learners (ELLs) in content areas (Coltrane, 2002, p.1). This denotes a question of validity and reliability with assessment. The

The English Language Learner (ELL) assessment process is different in each state. Each state must assess student’s performance in reading or language arts in order to comply with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). In addition NCLB requires that schools receiving Title III funds annually assess the English Proficiency of all Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students participating in Title III programs. Although the assessments may vary, the goals of the assessments are all the same, to assess where students are as they learn the English language. Is this assessment enough or should alternative assessments be required?

The school system do not take in consideration that ELL students not only have a language barrier that prevent them from performing on the standardized tests, but that they are transitioning from a completely different learning environment. ELL students are also classified as poor academic performers because of their language barrier. This language barrier explain the academic achievement gaps between ELL students and native english-speaking students. The test scores are not sufficient proof to argue that ELL students have a gap in academic achievement. This is questionable to the validity of the standardized tests on ELL students.(Youth)

The NCLB Act has become the largest intervention by the federal government. This act promises to improve student learning and to close the achievement gap between the white students and students of color. The law is aimed at having standardized test to measure student performance and quality of teacher. The Standardized exams are fully focused on reading and mathematics. This law characterizes an unequalled extension of the federal role into the realm of local educational accountability. High school graduation rates are also a requirement as an indicator of performance at secondary level. In low performing schools they get punished by receiving less funds and students have the choice to move to high performing school. The quality of our

The impressive increase in earnings with length of time in the United States among immigrants is in large part due to their increase in English language proficiency the longer they live in the US. There are also many non-economic benefits for immigrants from becoming proficient in English. These include access to and participation in the civic, cultural, social, and political life of the country, including passing the language test in order to become a citizen (Chiswick & Miller forthcoming). Certain factors, however, make it more difficult for some individuals or immigrant groups to become proficient in spoken or

The No Child Left Behind Act requires schools to test students on reading and math through grades three through eight and at least once in tenth through twelfth grade. “The exclusive emphasis on tests has left students sick with stress in even the youngest grades; some schools reported that on testing days, up to two dozen children vomit on their test booklets.” As stated by Robbins. Because of how emphasized tests are, a student’s performance is only based on test

“The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 wasn’t signed into law by President Bush until Jan. 8, 2002, was reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, the central federal law in pre-collegiate education” (No Child 1). Since 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was established and made the ‘Title I’ programs in schools to aid students who needed extra help on a day to day basis. When the act needed to be reauthorized for 2001, they changed the name of the act to “No Child Left Behind” or NCLB (No Child 1-2). Annual testing shows the federal governments if every student in every public school nation wide are meeting their state’s standards in mathematics and reading.

Standardized Testing have been ubiquitous in America for more than 50 years. It originates from China where they used similar test systems to gauge individual’s Confucian philosophy and poetry for government jobs. After No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was passed in America in 2001 to ensure high quality student achievements through tests (Yell 180-181), the use of these standardized tests rose. Western World

Immigrants and language minority students like English learners are among the fastest growing populations in U.S. public schools. The Urban Institute finds that the share of children enrolled

The NCLB’s required standardized tests have created a framework that does not adhere to each child’s strengths and abilities, but measures them and the schools on a superficial level. Standardized tests are used to rank children to where the national government believes they should be at based on their grade. About half of all children in the US will score below average (). These tests look at race, and demonstrate a large achievement gap amongst minorities. However, they do nothing to help the children succeed, and then this labels both the children and the schools as failures. In addition their scores are often an inaccurate representation of their intelligence because the tests are often biased (). Jay Rosner in 2002 evaluated the decision-making process about which questions would be included on a test. If a question was answered