Examining How Video-Elicited Reflection Mediates Teacher Candidates' Beliefs about English Language Learners: A Multiple Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Monica M.

2017-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students who speak a language other than English; they are the fastest growing student population in United States' (US) public schools and will include over 17 million students by the year 2020 (NCES,2015). The dramatic increase in the ELL student population means that all mainstream classroom teachers will…

Differentiating Mathematics Instruction for Secondary-Level English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardimona, Kimberly

2018-01-01

This study investigated the nature of dyadic interaction between secondary English language learners (ELLs) engaged in mathematics peer tutoring sessions. An analysis of 15 ELL expert/novice student-tutoring dyads and three mathematics teacher/ELL novice dyads revealed the importance of questions and wait time in developing novice tutee ownership…

The Impact of Differentiated Instructional Materials on English Language Learner (ELL) Students' Comprehension of Science Laboratory Tasks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Manavathu, Marian; Zhou, George

2012-01-01

Through a qualitative research design, this article investigates the impacts of differentiated laboratory instructional materials on English language learners' (ELLs) laboratory task comprehension. The factors affecting ELLs' science learning experiences are further explored. Data analysis reveals a greater degree of laboratory task comprehension…

Taking a Closer Look at English Learner Subgroups Whose Achievement Stalls Out. REL West Research Digest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Regional Educational Laboratory West, 2014

2014-01-01

To figure out better ways to serve their English language learner (ELL) students, the state departments of education in the West Region states of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, who are members of the English Learner Alliance, asked REL West to help them put together a more detailed picture of two particular groups of K-12 ELL students who seem to…

Using Cogenerative Dialogues to Improve Coteaching for Language Learner (LL) Students in an Inclusion Science Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Im, Sungmin; Martin, Sonya N.

2015-01-01

This paper presents findings from a study conducted in an urban elementary school in the United States with an English language learner (ELL) student and two teachers engaged in collaborative teaching in an inclusion science classroom. This study examines the efficacy of utilising cogenerative dialogues between an ELL student and his science…

English Language Learners in a Digital Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prince, Johanna

2017-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) experience linguistic, cultural, and cognitive shifts that can be challenging and at times lead to isolation for ELLs. While education technology may be an instructional resource and engage learners, devices alone do not shift instructional practices or lead to student gains. This case study was performed at an…

The Use of Video Self-Modeling with English Language Learners: Implications for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortiz, Jennifer; Burlingame, Cheryl; Onuegbulem, Cybeles; Yoshikawa, Koichi; Rojas, Eliana D.

2012-01-01

The efficacy of video self-modeling (VSM) to improve reading fluency for English language learners (ELLs) is explored. A review of the literature demonstrates the success of VSM in improving non-ELL students' fluency. Preliminary research with culturally and linguistically diverse students implies that the intervention can be equally effective…

Teaching English Language Learners: Literacy Strategies and Resources for K-6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Shelley Hong

2010-01-01

Grounded in research and practical expertise, this volume helps K-6 teachers skillfully support all of their English language learners (ELLs)--from a single student to an entire classroom. Ideas for teaching ELLs across different grade and proficiency levels include ways to link instruction to students' lived experiences, use a variety of…

Educational Factors and Experiences in English Language Learner Reading Fluency Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Weber, Christina J. T.

2013-01-01

Reading fluency has been an area of struggle for students. Certain populations of students, such as English language learners (ELLs), have struggled even more so, affecting their overall achievement. Interventions have been implemented and studied regarding the reading fluency of ELLs, yet reading fluency has continued to be problematic in this…

Promoting College Access among Latina/o English Language Learners: Implications for Professional School Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cook, Amy L.; Pérusse, Rachelle; Rojas, Eliana D.

2015-01-01

According to the U.S. Department of Education (2010), Latina/o English language learners (ELL students) are less likely to complete high school and attend college compared to their White non-Latina/o peers. Numerous factors affect Latina/o ELL students' academic achievement, including insufficient resources, acculturation issues, attitudinal…

Using State Assessments for Teaching English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Luster, John

2012-01-01

Populations of minority students the United States have increased steadily over the past few decades to 42 percent of public school enrollment (Echevarria, 2011). English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing population of students enrolled in public schools across the United States. Nationally, if an ELL speaks English with difficulty,…

Becoming One Community: Reading and Writing with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fay, Kathleen; Whaley, Suzanne

2004-01-01

Written for the general classroom teacher whose class includes English language learners (ELLs), as well as for ELL teachers working in general classrooms, this book portrays ELL students in grades 3-6 who learn essential reading and writing skills and are full members of the classroom community. Throughout the book, the authors emphasize the…

Reading Test Performance of English-Language Learners Using an English Dictionary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albus, Debra; Thurlow, Martha; Liu, Kristin; Bielinski, John

2005-01-01

The authors examined the effects of a simplified English dictionary accommodation on the reading-test performance of Hmong English-language learners (ELLs). Participants included a control group of 69 non-ELL students and an experimental group of 133 Hmong ELLs from 3 urban middle schools in Minnesota. In a randomized counterbalanced design, all…

Exploring US Mainstream Teachers' Perspectives on Use of the Native Language in Instruction with English Language Learner Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karathanos, Katya

2009-01-01

In the US, public school teachers are currently experiencing an unprecedented increase in the number of English language learner (ELL) students with whom they work. Research shows the practice of incorporating ELL students' native languages (L1) into instruction to be a major factor enhancing their success in school. In this study, 327 pre-service…

Exploring problem solving strategies on multiple-choice science items: Comparing native Spanish-speaking English Language Learners and mainstream monolinguals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kachchaf, Rachel Rae

The purpose of this study was to compare how English language learners (ELLs) and monolingual English speakers solved multiple-choice items administered with and without a new form of testing accommodation---vignette illustration (VI). By incorporating theories from second language acquisition, bilingualism, and sociolinguistics, this study was able to gain more accurate and comprehensive input into the ways students interacted with items. This mixed methods study used verbal protocols to elicit the thinking processes of thirty-six native Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs), and 36 native-English speaking non-ELLs when solving multiple-choice science items. Results from both qualitative and quantitative analyses show that ELLs used a wider variety of actions oriented to making sense of the items than non-ELLs. In contrast, non-ELLs used more problem solving strategies than ELLs. There were no statistically significant differences in student performance based on the interaction of presence of illustration and linguistic status or the main effect of presence of illustration. However, there were significant differences based on the main effect of linguistic status. An interaction between the characteristics of the students, the items, and the illustrations indicates considerable heterogeneity in the ways in which students from both linguistic groups think about and respond to science test items. The results of this study speak to the need for more research involving ELLs in the process of test development to create test items that do not require ELLs to carry out significantly more actions to make sense of the item than monolingual students.

Chemical education experiences from the English language learner perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flores, Annette

2011-12-01

The Rio Grande Valley (RGV) is a region populated by Spanish-speaking immigrants and their descendants producing a large English Language Learner (ELL) student population. ELLs have historically had low literacy rates and achievement levels when compared to their counterparts. In order to address this achievement gap, previous research efforts and curriculum interventions have focused on language acquisition as being the determining factor in ELL education, with little attention given to academic content acquisition. More current research efforts have transitioned into English language acquisition through academic content instruction; this present research study specifically focuses on ELL experiences in chemistry. Participants were high school chemistry students who identified as ELL or had recently exited out of ELL status. Students were interviewed to identify factors that attributed to their experiences in chemistry. Findings indicate code-switching as a key to learning chemistry in English but also the deterrent in English language acquisition.

The Effects of Glossary and Read-Aloud Accommodations on English Language Learners' Performance on a Mathematics Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Kim, Jinok; Kao, Jenny

2012-01-01

Glossary and reading aloud test items are commonly allowed in many states' accommodation policies for English language learner (ELL) students for large-scale mathematics assessments. However, little research is available regarding the effects of these accommodations on ELL students' performance. Further, no research exists that examines how…

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Perceptions of Differentiated Instruction for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murray, Vicki

2013-01-01

English language learner (ELL) mathematics students at a California middle school did not meet Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) toward state standards in 2010. The purpose of this project study was to examine 6th and 7th grade mathematics teachers' perceptions regarding differentiated instruction for ELL students' specific academic needs and to…

Impact of Childcare Center Programs on Reading Achievement of English Language Learner Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keil, Valerie

2017-01-01

Some children struggle to learn the academic skill of reading. Providing effective assistance to struggling students, especially to English Language Learners (ELLs), can be a challenge for teachers. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of childcare programs on the reading achievement of ELLs in kindergarten and first grade.…

English Language Proficiency and Teacher Judgments of the Academic and Interpersonal Competence of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freberg, Miranda E.

2014-01-01

The purpose of the study was to investigate how English language proficiency is related to teacher judgments of students' academic and interpersonal competence. It was hypothesized that English Language Learner (ELL) students would generally be perceived as having weaker academic and interpersonal skills than their non-ELL counterparts regardless…

The Relationship between English Language Learners' Language Proficiency and Standardized Test Scores

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thakkar, Darshan

2013-01-01

It is generally theorized that English Language Learner (ELL) students do not succeed on state standardized tests because ELL students lack the cognitive academic language skills necessary to function on the large scale content assessments. The purpose of this dissertation was to test that theory. Through the use of quantitative methodology, ELL…

Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners: Perspectives from Arizona's Latino/a Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Okhremtchouk, Irina; González, Taucia

2014-01-01

It has been long established that Latino/a teachers have unique capacities to advance educational trajectories for their English language learner (ELL) students. However, while the Latino/a ELL student population continues to expand in numbers, the number of Latino/a teachers entering the teaching profession remains small. In this empirical…

Assessing English Language Learners' Opportunity to Learn Mathematics: Issues and Limitations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal; Herman, Joan

2010-01-01

Background/Context: English language learner (ELL) students are lagging behind because of the extra challenges they face relative to their peers in acquiring academic English language proficiency, and the added burden of learning content in a language in which they are not proficient. The mandated inclusion of ELL students in the nation's…

Linguistic and Cultural Issues in Developing Disciplinary Literacy for Adolescent English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Schonewise, Estella Almanza; Klingner, Janette K.

2012-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the student population. An understanding of the diversity these students bring to contexts of disciplinary learning is critical to determining how best to teach them. At the secondary level, ELLs are required to learn content and build English language proficiency simultaneously.…

A Qualitative Inquiry into the Experiences of High-Potential Hispanic English Language Learners in Midwestern Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Nielsen; Gentry, Marcia

2013-01-01

The underrepresentation of English language learners (ELLs) in gifted programs remains a severe and pervasive problem; however, few studies exist concerning the educational experiences of high-potential ELLs. This study focused on Hispanic ELLs in Grades 2 through 6 from four Midwestern schools. In all, 22 students, 20 parents, and 22 teachers…

Powerful Learning Tools for ELLs: Using Native Language, Familiar Examples, and Concept Mapping to Teach English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yu Ren

2013-01-01

This article highlights how English language learners' (ELLs) prior knowledge can be used to help learn science vocabulary. The article explains that the concept of prior knowledge needs to encompass the ELL student's native language, previous science learning, native literacy skills, and native cultural knowledge and life experiences.…

Developing Testing Accommodations for English Language Learners: Illustrations as Visual Supports for Item Accessibility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solano-Flores, Guillermo; Wang, Chao; Kachchaf, Rachel; Soltero-Gonzalez, Lucinda; Nguyen-Le, Khanh

2014-01-01

We address valid testing for English language learners (ELLs)--students in the United States who are schooled in English while they are still acquiring English as a second language. Also, we address the need for procedures for systematically developing ELL testing accommodations--changes in tests intended to support ELLs to gain access to the…

Highly Effective Teachers of Latino English Language Learners: Knowledge, Skills, and Dispositions That Lead to Improved Language Acquisition and Student Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Wendy V.

2016-01-01

It is predicted that Hispanic school-aged children will outnumber non-Hispanic white students in public schools by 2050 (Wolf, Herman, & Dietel, 2010). While the number of Latino English language learners (ELLs) continues to grow, their educational achievement remains problematic. Data reveal that ELL dropout, mobility, and poverty rates are…

Classroom Teachers' Understanding of the Needs of English-Language Learners and the Influence on the Students' Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Bogum

2007-01-01

Grounded in culturally relevant pedagogy, this case study explored the practices of a general education classroom teacher teaching middle grade English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study was to examine the teacher's beliefs about her role in teaching ELLs, and the relationship between her teaching approaches and the students'…

The Positive Peer Effects of Classroom Diversity: Exploring the Relationship between English Language Learner Classmates and Socioemotional Skills in Early Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottfried, Michael A.

2014-01-01

Recent federal, state, and district policies that have mainstreamed English language learner (ELL) students into general, English-only elementary school classrooms have raised questions among educational stakeholders about the widespread effects of these policies. Most research has focused on the outcomes of ELL students; almost nothing is known…

Language Accommodations for English Language Learners in Large-Scale Assessments: Bilingual Dictionaries and Linguistic Modification. CSE Report 666

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal; Courtney, Mary; Mirocha, James; Leon, Seth; Goldberg, Jennifer

2005-01-01

Recent attention to issues concerning the instruction and assessment of English language learner (ELL) students has placed them among the top national priorities in education. Policy has noticeably shifted from exclusion to inclusion of ELL students in the assessment and accountability system. However, recent research on and practice in the…

Formative Information Using Student Growth Percentiles for the Quantification of English Language Learners' Progress in Language Acquisition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taherbhai, Husein; Seo, Daeryong; O'Malley, Kimberly

2014-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing subgroup in American schools. These students, by a provision in the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, are to be supported in their quest for language proficiency through the creation of systems that more effectively measure ELLs' progress across years. In…

The Voices of Special Educators: How Do Special Educators Teach English Language Learners Who Are Receiving Special Education Services?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DuBois, Elizabeth Ann

2017-01-01

Disproportionality in special education has been examined from various perspectives over a 50-year period. English Language Learner (ELL) students have been included in the discussion among researchers in the past two decades as a disproportionate number of ELL students are referred to special education. Though the problem of disproportionality…

The Arizona Home Language Survey: The Identification of Students for ELL Services

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldenberg, Claude; Rutherford-Quach, Sara

2010-01-01

Assuring that English language learners (ELLs) receive the services to which they have a right requires accurately identifying those students. Virtually all states identify ELLs in a two-step process. First, parents fill out a home language survey. Second, students in whose homes a language other than English is spoken and who therefore might…

Probabilistic Approaches to Examining Linguistic Features of Test Items and Their Effect on the Performance of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solano-Flores, Guillermo

2014-01-01

This article addresses validity and fairness in the testing of English language learners (ELLs)--students in the United States who are developing English as a second language. It discusses limitations of current approaches to examining the linguistic features of items and their effect on the performance of ELL students. The article submits that…

Investing in Our Next Generation: A Funder's Guide to Addressing the Educational Opportunities and Challenges Facing English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grantmakers for Education, 2010

2010-01-01

More than one in ten preK-12 students in the U.S. are English Language Learners (ELLs), yet a sizable achievement gap exists between these more than 5.3 million ELL students and their English-proficient peers. In June 2010, Grantmakers for Education (GFE) convened funders, researchers, policymakers and practitioners to examine the role of…

Evidence-Based Literacy Interventions for East/Southeast Asian English Language Learners: A Review of the Research and Recommendations for Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beneville, Margaret A.; Li, Chieh

2018-01-01

Purpose: There is a notable dearth of interventions that have been specifically designed for Asian English Language Learner (ELL) students, and the existing research on ELL students often lacks population validity and sample diversity. In response to this need, this paper aims to review current research on literacy interventions for East/Southeast…

Integrating Science and English Proficiency for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Okhee; Buxton, Cory A.

2013-01-01

Despite the expectation that all students should achieve high academic standards, content area instruction and English for speakers of other languages instruction for English language learners (ELLs) have traditionally been conceptualized as separate domains, resulting in educational inequities for ELLs. This is because effective instruction to…

A Systematic Approach to Bilingual Assessment: Development of a Handbook for School District Administrators and School Psychologists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parres, Laura

2017-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are a significant and growing subset of the school age population across the United States. The projected growth of ELL students is significant and poses unique challenges for school districts when assessing bilingual students for special education. The state of California has the most ELL students in the nation…

Nearly 50 Years Post-Jim Crow: Persisting and Expansive School Segregation for African American, Latina/o, and ELL Students in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vasquez Heilig, Julian; Holme, Jennifer Jellison

2013-01-01

This study addresses the segregation of English language learner (ELL) students in schools across Texas. We descriptively analyze levels of racial, economic, and linguistic isolation experienced by ELL students across the state of Texas. We also examine the association between segregation by race/ethnicity, economic disadvantage, and language…

A Study of a Multiple Component Feedback Approach to Substantive Revision for Secondary ELL and Multilingual Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Early, Jessica Singer; Saidy, Christina

2014-01-01

This mixed method investigation included a quasi-experiment examining if revision instruction enhanced the substantive revising behavior of 15 English language learner (ELL) and multilingual 10th grade students enrolled in an English class for underperforming students in comparison to 14 non-ELL and multilingual students from the same class who…

An Investigation of the Impact of Parent and Community Involvement in Middle Schools in North Carolina That Successfully Serve Latino English Language Learners (ELLs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fuga, Michael T.

2016-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) are students that speak a primary language other than English. The number of ELLs continues to grow in the United States with the current majority having Spanish as their base language (Ortiz & Pagan, 2009). Since the implementation of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in 2001, schools are held accountable for…

Preparing teachers to create a mainstream science classroom conducive to the needs of English-language learners: A feminist action research project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buck, Gayle; Mast, Colette; Ehlers, Nancy; Franklin, Elizabeth

2005-11-01

A feminist action research team, which consisted of a science educator, an English-language learner (ELL) educator, a first-year science teacher, and a graduate assistant, set a goal to work together to explore the process a beginning teacher goes through to establish a classroom conducive to the needs of middle-level ELL learners. The guiding questions of the study were answered by gathering a wealth of data over the course of 5 months and taken from the classroom, planning sessions, and researchers and students. These data were collected by observations, semistructured interviews, and written document reviews. The progressive analysis ultimately revealed that: (a) successful strategies a beginning teacher must utilize for teaching middle-level ELL children in a mainstream classroom involve complex structural considerations that are not part of the teacher's preparation; (b) learning increases for all children, but there are differences in learning achievement between ELL and non-ELL children; and (c) student and peer feedback proved to be an effective means of enhancing the growth of a beginning teacher seeking to increase her skills in teaching ELL learners. The experiences and findings from this project have implications for teacher preparation programs committed to preparing educators to teach science to all children.

Fairness in Assessment of English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal; Levine, Harold G.

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) face a challenging academic future in learning a new language while simultaneously mastering content in the language they may be struggling to learn. Assessment plays an extremely important role in the academic careers of ELL students, perhaps more so than for native speakers of English. Major changes and…

Supporting English Language Learners in Social Studies: Language-Focused Strategies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Ying

2017-01-01

With the significant enrollment increase of English Language Learners (ELLs) nationwide, social studies teachers face challenges to educate these students. As a response to the literature of preparing all content teachers to work with ELLs, this article introduces three teacher-friendly language-focused strategies. These strategies help social…

Teaching Vocabulary to English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Sharilyn Fox

2009-01-01

This study determined if the vocabulary gap for English Language Learners (ELLs) and their peers could be bridged through providing home interventions with multiple exposures to words, definitions, model sentences and context. Ninety-one first grade students from a public school in Southern California with a 95% ELL population were researched. ELL…

Instructing English Language Learners: Assessing the State of Our Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldenberg, Claude; Quach, Sara Rutherford

2010-01-01

Although schools and districts are increasingly required to provide various supports and instructional programs for English Language Learners (ELLs), standardized measures of these students' academic achievement continue to be low. This article summarizes key findings of two major reviews of the research on educating ELLs that were completed in…

Preparing Teachers to Promote Culturally Relevant Teaching: Helping English Language Learners in the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Islam, Chhanda; Park, Mi-Hwa

2015-01-01

Graduate students who know strategies for second language acquisition are more prepared to advocate for appropriate instructional accommodations to facilitate engagement of English language learners (ELLs; Daniel, 2008). Obstacles to comprehension for ELLs are decreased when teachers use purposeful tasks that use language productively and…

Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to Succeed: Profiles of Three Expanded Learning Time Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farbman, David A.

2015-01-01

With the number of students who are English language learners (ELLs) likely to double in coming years, it is more important than ever for schools across the U.S. to design and implement educational practices and strategies that best meet ELLs' learning needs, says the report, "Giving English Language Learners the Time They Need to…

The Effect of English Language Learner Reclassification on Student ACT Scores, High School Graduation, and Postsecondary Enrollment: Regression Discontinuity Evidence from Wisconsin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carlson, Deven; Knowles, Jared E.

2016-01-01

The recent increase in the number of students classified as English language learners (ELLs) has focused significant attention on reclassification policy, which governs the process by which ELLs move toward, and are deemed to reach, full English proficiency. In this paper, we draw on a data set containing annual individual-level records for every…

School Libraries Addressing the Needs of ELL Students: Enhancing Language Acquisition, Confidence, and Cultural Fluency in ELL Students by Developing a Targeted Collection and Enriching Your Makerspace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Peggy Henderson

2018-01-01

English Language Learner (ELL) students are sometimes a small constituency. Many resources already in the library can be used to enhance their language acquisition, confidence, and cultural fluency--resources such as graphic novels, hi-lo books, and makerspace materials. This article discusses enhancing language acquisition, confidence, and…

ELL Students and the Library or ELL Estudiantes en la Biblioteca

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moorefield-Lang, Heather; Anaya, Gabriela; Shirk, Dawn

2010-01-01

Like middle school students, adults would never want to go into a new school not being able to speak the language. Most teachers aren't signing up to teach in Mexico or China unless they know how to speak with their fellow educators and their students. But English Language Learners (ELL) don't have the choices that teachers do. They have been…

Top Languages Spoken by English Language Learners Nationally and by State. ELL Information Center Fact Sheet Series. No. 3

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Batalova, Jeanne; McHugh, Margie

2010-01-01

While English Language Learner (ELL) students in the United States speak more than 150 languages, Spanish is by far the most common home or first language, but is not the top language spoken by ELLs in every state. This fact sheet, based on analysis of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2009 American Community Survey, documents the top languages spoken…

Supporting Oral Narrative Development of Kindergarten English Language Learners Using Multimedia Stories

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Sha

2016-01-01

Narrative ability comes before literacy for bilingual students and helps narrow down the gap in text-level literacy between English language learners (ELLs) and native English speakers. Kindergarten ELLs are the best age group to receive intervention to improve their oral narrative skills. Multimedia stories have potential to assist kindergarten…

Improving Comprehension and Assessment of English Language Learners Using MMIO

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carrier, Karen A.

2006-01-01

Many mainstream content teachers are encountering, for the first time, K-12 students who are in the process of learning English as a second language (English language learners or ELLs), and this new population presents a significant challenge. Teachers are already familiar with many of the techniques available to help their ELLs comprehend…

Enhancing English Learners' Language Development Using Wordless Picture Books

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louie, Belinda; Sierschynski, Jarek

2015-01-01

This article presents an approach to use wordless picture books to enhance the language development of English language learners. This approach is grounded in best practices to teach ELLs. The process starts with viewing and analyzing the visual images, engaging ELLs in discussion, and ending with students' self-authored texts. The wordless…

Meeting the Needs of English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy-Campbell, Zaline

2012-01-01

The authors discuss educational issues that trail English Language Learners (ELLs) by looking at the experiences of Mumina, a student who entered a U. S. classroom seven years ago after spending time in a refugee camp in Kenya. ELLs--especially at the high school level - are a challenging group for educators because they have a relatively short…

English Language Learners' Perceptions of Autonomy Support in a Literacy Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Taboada, A.; Kidd, J. K.; Tonks, S. M.

2010-01-01

In this study, we explored 3 Grade 4 English Language Learners' (ELLs) perceptions of teacher autonomy-supporting practices in literacy instruction in science. The support of autonomy in literacy classes is central to students' internal motivation for reading. Given that many ELLs are at risk for reading failure, understanding autonomous learning…

GED Success: Case Study of an English Language Learner in Correctional Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gardner, Susanne

2017-01-01

Understanding the elements of educational success for adult English language learners (ELLs) is an important priority for correctional educators, especially today with an increased population of non-English speaking students in correctional schools throughout the country. There is a dearth of information, however, about incarcerated adult ELLs and…

Computer Testing as a Form of Accommodation for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal

2009-01-01

This study compared performance of both English language learners (ELLs) and non-ELL students in Grades 4 and 8 under accommodated and nonaccommodated testing conditions. The accommodations used in this study included a computerized administration of a math test with a pop-up glossary, a customized English dictionary, extra testing time, and…

English Language Learners' (ELLs) Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) Course-Taking, Achievement and Attainment in College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shi, Qi

2017-01-01

Using data from the Educational Longitudinal Study: 2002, the present study examined the effects of demographic variables, high school math course-taking and high school GPA on ELL students' STEM course-taking, achievement and attainment in college. Regression analysis showed female ELL students were more likely to take more STEM courses and get…

MCAT Verbal Reasoning score: less predictive of medical school performance for English language learners.

PubMed

Winegarden, Babbi; Glaser, Dale; Schwartz, Alan; Kelly, Carolyn

2012-09-01

Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores are widely used as part of the decision-making process for selecting candidates for admission to medical school. Applicants who learned English as a second language may be at a disadvantage when taking tests in their non-native language. Preliminary research found significant differences between English language learners (ELLs), applicants who learned English after the age of 11 years, and non-ELL examinees on the Verbal Reasoning (VR) sub-test of the MCAT. The purpose of this study was to determine if relationships between VR sub-test scores and measures of medical school performance differed between ELL and non-ELL students. Scores on the MCAT VR sub-test and student performance outcomes (grades, examination scores, and markers of distinction and difficulty) were extracted from University of California San Diego School of Medicine admissions files and the Association of American Medical Colleges database for 924 students who matriculated in 1998-2005 (graduation years 2002-2009). Regression models were fitted to determine whether MCAT VR sub-test scores predicted medical school performance similarly for ELLs and non-ELLs. For several outcomes, including pre-clerkship grades, academic distinction, US Medical Licensing Examination Step 2 Clinical Knowledge scores and two clerkship shelf examinations, ELL status significantly affects the ability of the VR score to predict performance. Higher correlations between VR score and medical school performance emerged for non-ELL students than for ELL students for each of these outcomes. The MCAT VR score should be used with discretion when assessing ELL applicants for admission to medical school. © Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2012.

Long-Term English Language Learners' Perceptions of Their Language and Academic Learning Experiences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Won Gyoung; García, Shernaz B.

2014-01-01

Long-term, adolescent English language learners (ELLs) experience persistent academic underachievement in spite of several years of schooling; yet, the research on this topic is scant. To increase our understanding of these students' educational experiences, we explored perceptions of 13 long-term ELLs about their schooling in the context of their…

The Physical Educator as a Language Teacher for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gomez, Conrado L.; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita

2012-01-01

The linguistic diversity in schools is increasing throughout the United States and as state and federal accountability increases in the instruction of English language learners (ELLs), many teachers who never before were asked to work with ELLs are now required to contribute to the education of these students. In some states, all education majors,…

English Language Learners in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Calderon, Brenda

2015-01-01

The Elementary and Secondary Education Act has provided services for English Language Learners (ELLs) since 1968. In 2010 nearly 4.6 million students were classified as ELLs and of those nearly 80% were from a Spanish speaking background. To ignore their education is to neglect preparing a large portion of our nation's future workforce. Given…

The Relationship between English Language Learner Status and Music Ensemble Participation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorah, Julie A.; Sanders, Elizabeth A.; Morrison, Steven J.

2014-01-01

Authors of previous research have reported that U.S. English language learner (ELL) students participate in school-sponsored music ensembles (band, orchestra, and choir) at a lower rate than their native-English-speaking peers (non-ELLs). The current study examined this phenomenon using a nationally representative sample of U.S. 10th graders (14-…

Increasing the Vocabulary Acquisition Rate for Third Grade English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pendergrass, Jennifer D.

2017-01-01

Given the ongoing demographic transformations of U.S classrooms, knowledge of the strategies teachers use to address the vocabulary needs of English language learners (ELLs) is central for improving student outcomes. The problem in a Georgia school system was that ELLs were not building grade-level appropriate vocabulary at a pace comparable to…

The Intersection of Mathematics and Language in the Post-Secondary Environment: Implications for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jean; Milburn, Rebecca; Reynolds, Brett; Marcoccia, Philip; Silva, Patrick Justin; Panag, Sikander

2013-01-01

Given the increasing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in post-secondary environments (Roessingh & Douglas, 2012), educational practices such as availability of language support for mathematics should be assessed to ensure that all students' needs are met. To explore the effects of language on mathematics in ELLs, mathematical test…

English Language Learners and Gifted Identification: Exploring the Perceptions of Teachers and Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichol, Kathy P.

2013-01-01

The demographics of public schools in the United States have changed over recent years to include millions of English language learners (ELLs), students whose first language is not English and who demonstrate limited proficiency in English. During this same time period, school personnel have struggled to identify ELLs for gifted programs because…

A Conflict between Experience and Professional Learning: Subject Teachers' Beliefs about Teaching English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gleeson, Margaret; Davison, Chris

2016-01-01

Secondary schools in Australia have long benefited from state policies aiming to increase the academic success of English language learners (ELLs). Complementary pre-service and in-service teacher education programmes have been implemented to raise the expertise of subject teachers who teach ELL students. However, subject teachers may not be…

Language Policy, Teacher Beliefs, and Practice: Implications for English Language Learners in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llamas-Flores, Silvia

2013-01-01

In 2007, Arizona voters passed House Bill (HB) 2064, a law that fundamentally restructured the Structured English Immersion (SEI) program, putting into place a 4-hour English language development (ELD) block for educating English language learners (ELLs). Under this new language policy, ELL students are segregated from their English-speaking peers…

Teaching English Language Learners in Mainstream Science Classrooms: Teacher Practice and Educational Opportunity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schroeder, Carlotta Dorothy

2011-01-01

Equal educational opportunity for English language learners (ELLs) has been a goal of the public educational system in the United States. Language policy reforms have increased accountability in order for schools to improve student achievement and measure the progress of ELLs. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires assessment and…

Teaching Persuasive Argument Essay Writing to Adolescent English Language Learners through the "Reading to Learn" Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramos, Kathleen Ann

2012-01-01

A persistent achievement gap exists between the steadily growing population of adolescent English language learners (ELLs) in K-12 public schools and their native English-speaking peers. Unsurprisingly, the underachievement of this population of students is linked to an excessively high dropout rate among adolescent ELLs across the nation. Current…

Characteristics of English Language Learners in the School District of Philadelphia. PERC Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lin, Joshua; Hughes, Rosemary; Long, Daniel; Kim, Dae

2016-01-01

As a group, English Language Learners (ELLs) are diverse and come from a variety of home languages, cultures, educational backgrounds, and educational needs. This brief focuses on descriptive characteristics of the ELL students served by the School District of Philadelphia in 2014-2015. Specifically, this brief highlights the diversity of the ELL…

Connecting the Dots for English Language Learners: How Odds-Beating Elementary School Educators Monitor and Use Student Performance Data

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilcox, Kristen Campbell; Gregory, Karen; Yu, Lisa

2017-01-01

This article reports on findings from a multiple case study investigating the nature of educators' approaches toward monitoring English language learners' (ELLs) performance and using data to improve instruction and apply appropriate interventions. Six New York elementary schools where ELLs' performance was better than predicted (i.e.…

Classification System for English Language Learners: Issues and Recommendations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal

2008-01-01

High-stakes decisions for the instruction and assessment of English language learner (ELL) students are made based on the premise that ELL classification is a valid dichotomy that distinguishes between those who are proficient in the use of the English language and those who are not. However, recent research findings draw a vague picture of the…

How Preservice Teachers' Study Abroad Experiences Lead to Changes in Their Perceptions of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina, Adriana L.; Hathaway, Jennifer I.; Pilonieta, Paola

2015-01-01

Teacher attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs) can affect what these students will learn. It has been noted that teachers with personal multicultural experiences are likelier to have a more positive attitude towards teaching ELLs (Youngs and Youngs, 2001). Thus, preparing future teachers is vital. This cannot be solely accomplished…

Talking to Learn: A Mixed-Methods Study of a Professional Development Program for Teachers of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shea, Lauren M.

2012-01-01

Most teachers of English language learners (ELLs) have had virtually no specialized, in-service training in adapting instruction for their students. Prior research fails to investigate the impact of professional development (PD) specifically designed for teachers of ELLs. This dissertation examines a PD program that attempted to prepare teachers…

Growth in Oral Reading Fluency of Spanish ELL Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubin, Daniel Ian

2016-01-01

The process of learning to read is difficult for many children, and this is especially true for students with learning disabilities (LD). Reading in English becomes even more difficult when a student's home language is not English. For English language learner (ELL) students with LD, acquiring the necessary skills to read fluently is an even…

Teaching Science through the Language of Students in Technology-Enhanced Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryoo, Kihyun

2015-01-01

This study examines whether and how tapping into students' everyday language in a web-based learning environment can improve all students' science learning in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. A total of 220 fifth-grade English Language Learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL peers were assigned to either an everyday English approach…

Assisting Parents of Bilingual Students to Achieve Equity in Public Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ochoa, Salvador Hector; Rhodes, Robert L.

2005-01-01

This article provides school-based consultants with an overview of the English language learner (ELL) student population and common programs available to ELL students (such as English-only programs, pull-out English as a second language [ESL], content-based ESL, transitional bilingual programs, maintenance bilingual programs, and two-way or dual…

WIDA Assessment and Accommodations for English Language Learners with Disabilities. 2014-2015 Test Administration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Indiana Department of Education, 2015

2015-01-01

On a case-by-case basis where appropriate documentation exists, students with disabilities may require accommodations in order to access the W-APT and/or ACCESS for English Language Learners (ELLs). The information in this document replaces accommodations information in the appendices of the W-APT and ACCESS for ELLs test administration manuals…

"So What's the Difference?" Talking about Race with Refugee Children in the English Language Learner Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roy, Laura

2017-01-01

This study examines how an English language learner (ELL) educator negotiated conversations about the intersectional nature of race in an elementary ELL classroom using a critical literacy framework. Few studies examine the ways in which teachers of young children negotiate conversations about the complexities of race with their students. Even…

The Disproportional Representation of English Language Learners in Gifted and Talented Programs in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coronado, Jennifer M.; Lewis, Katie D.

2017-01-01

The U.S. public K-12 student population experienced a significant increase in the number of English language learners (ELLs) since 2010. Public schools responded to this change in demographics by increasing their services for ELLs; however, many were not initially prepared for this change. Within the field of gifted education, there is a concern…

Test Accommodations for English Language Learners Using the Student Language Assessment Plan

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brantley, Sherri G.

2014-01-01

Public schools are attempting to work with a growing number of immigrant English language learners (ELLs) in the U.S. education system at a time when the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has mandated that ELLs achieve proficiency on assessments even if they have not acquired sufficient language proficiency. The purpose of this qualitative case…

Measuring Opportunity to Learn and Academic Language Exposure for English Language Learners in Elementary Science Classrooms. CRESST Report 767

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martinez, Jose Felipe; Bailey, Alison L.; Kerr, Deirdre; Huang, Becky H.; Beauregard, Stacey

2010-01-01

The present study piloted a survey-based measure of Opportunity to Learn (OTL) and Academic Language Exposure (ALE) in fourth grade science classrooms that sought to distinguish teacher practices with ELL (English language learner) and non-ELL students. In the survey, participant teachers reported on their instructional practices and the context…

Perceptions of Individual Education Plan Team on Identification of English Language Learners with Specific Learning Disability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adekanye, Emily

2017-01-01

Students identified as learners with specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) represent almost half of the total special education population. With the high numbers of students identified as SLD, there has also been the concern of over-identification of immigrant students called English language learners (ELLs), which leads to disproportionality in…

Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class, Grades K-2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bresser, Rusty; Melanese, Kathy; Sphar, Christine

2009-01-01

More than 10 percent of the students in our nation's public schools are English language learners, and this number grows each year. Many of these students are falling behind in math. "Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class, Grades K-2" outlines the challenges ELL students face when learning math and provides a wealth of specific…

Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class, Grades 3-5

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bresser, Rusty; Melanese, Kathy; Sphar, Christine

2009-01-01

More than 10 percent of the students in our nation's public schools are English language learners, and this number grows each year. Many of these students are falling behind in math. "Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class, Grades 3-5" outlines the challenges ELL students face when learning math and provides a wealth of specific…

Exploring English Language Learners (ELL) experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Algee, Lisa M.

English Language Learners (ELL) are often at a distinct disadvantage from receiving authentic science learning opportunites. This study explored English Language Learners (ELL) learning experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context. This research was theoretically informed by sociocultural theory and literature on student learning and science teaching for ELL. A qualitative, case study was used to explore students' learning experiences. Data from multiple sources was collected: student interviews, science letters, an assessment in another context, field-notes, student presentations, inquiry assessment, instructional group conversations, parent interviews, parent letters, parent homework, teacher-researcher evaluation, teacher-researcher reflective journal, and student ratings of learning activities. These data sources informed the following research questions: (1) Does participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increase ELL use of scientific language? (2) Does participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increase ELL understanding of scientific inquiry and their motivation to learn? (3) What are parents' funds of knowledge about the local ecology and does this inform students' experiences in the science project? All data sources concerning students were analyzed for similar patterns and trends and triangulation was sought through the use of these data sources. The remaining data sources concerning the teacher-researcher were used to inform and assess whether the pedagogical and research practices were in alignment with the proposed theoretical framework. Data sources concerning parental participation accessed funds of knowledge, which informed the curriculum in order to create continuity and connections between home and school. To ensure accuracy in the researchers' interpretations of student and parent responses during interviews, member checking was employed. The findings suggest that participation in an out-of-school contextualized inquiry science project increased ELL use of scientific language and understanding of scientific inquiry and motivation to learn. In addition, parent' funds of knowledge informed students' experiences in the science project. These findings suggest that the learning and teaching practices and the real life experiential learning contexts served as an effective means for increasing students' understandings and motivation to learn.

Science: A Second Language for ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nabors, Martha L.; Edwards, Linda Carol

2011-01-01

In today's inclusive classrooms, teachers are challenged to incorporate a variety of instructional activities designed to support learning for all--including children who are English Language Learners (ELLs). In science lessons at the early childhood level, ELLs not only must learn science concepts, but also the vocabulary essential for mastering…

Classroom Instruction that Works with English Language Learners Participant's Workbook

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Jane D.; Bjork, Cynthia Linnea

2008-01-01

Everyone who participates in your workshop on "Classroom Instruction That Works with English Language Learners" needs this participant's workbook to gain expertise in strategies that are effective with ELL (English Language Learners) students.

Immersing the Library in English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Riley, Bobby

2008-01-01

The author relates how his school has a very active English Language Learner (ELL) program. ELL students typically have varying levels of social and academic language, but almost always have some English proficiency. Recently, his school established a Newcomer Program that drastically changed the school system. They acquired students lacking any…

Mathematics Problem Solving, Literacy, and ELL for Alternative Certification Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Evans, Brian R.; Ardito, Gerald; Kim, Soonhyang

2017-01-01

New teachers who entered the profession through alternative pathways often teach in high-need urban environments, which means there may be a significant number of English Language Learner (ELL) students in their classrooms. In order to best support these students, techniques can be employed to best facilitate learning for students who do not have…

Testing Accommodations for ELL Students on an Achievement Test Battery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dockery, Lori Lee

2013-01-01

How well students perform on standardized tests can affect their educational paths and the rest of their lives. In addition, students' performances on state assessments will affect their schools due to the No Child Left Behind Act. For English language learners (ELLs), the success on tests may be diminished due to their inability to completely…

Improving the Validity of English Language Learner Assessment Systems. Full Report. Policy Brief 10, Spring 2010

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Herman, Joan L.; Dietel, Ronald

2010-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing group of students in American public schools. According to Payan and Nettles (2008), the ELL population doubled in 23 states between 1995 and 2005. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that by 2050, the Hispanic school-age population will exceed the non-Hispanic white school-age public school…

Improving Responsiveness to Intervention for English-Language Learners: A Comparison of Instructional Pace on Letter Naming Rates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gilbertson, Donna; Bluck, John

2006-01-01

An alternating treatments design was used to compare the effects of a 1-s and a 5-s paced intervention on rates of letter naming by English Language Learners (ELL). Participants were four kindergarten students performing below the average letter naming level and learning rate than other ELL classmates. The fast paced intervention consisted of a…

An Evaluation of Two English Language Learner (ELL) Instructional Models at School District ABC: Pull-In and Push-Out

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lloyd, Sonya LaShawn

2014-01-01

Providing academic assistance to English Language Learners (ELLs) is varied and often ineffective. The purpose of this causal-comparative study was to determine if there was a relationship between 9th grade students' performance on the High School Graduation Exam (HSGE) in reading and language and the Push-in and Pull-out models of instruction.…

School Finance and English Language Learners: A Legislative Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez-Castellanos, Oscar

2010-01-01

The state of California educates over six million or twelve percent of the nation's student population. Approximately three million are Latino and 1.5 million are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). English Language Learners are significantly underperforming in math and reading compared to White students in all grade levels. The…

The Common Core, English Learners, and Morphology 101: Unpacking LS.4 for ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickey, Pamela J.; Lewis, Tarie

2013-01-01

The Common Core Learning Standards set forth learning goals for all students, including English learners, but this document does not provide information on effective literacy instruction for English learners or unpack the specific resources and challenges that bilingual students bring to the classroom. Language Standard 4 addresses morphological…

Something That Test Scores Do Not Show: Engaging in Community Diversity as a Local Response to Global Education Trends

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdiviezo, Laura A.

2014-01-01

At Smith Street Elementary School, the globalizing education trends that English language learner (ELL) teachers face focus on measuring student achievement through testing and the English mainstreaming of non-dominant students as opposed to the cultivation of the students' linguistic and cultural diversity. The ELL teachers at Smith Street…

Understanding Subgroups in Common State Assessments: Special Education Students and ELLs. NCEO Brief. Number 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, 2011

2011-01-01

Although most assessment developers have a sense of the nature of the general student population, they often lack an understanding of the characteristics of special education students and English Language Learners (ELLs) who will participate in the assessment. The Race-to-the-Top Assessment Consortia have the rare opportunity to know who these…

A Study of Arizona's Teachers of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rios-Aguilar, Cecilia; Gonzalez-Canche, Manuel; Moll, Luis C.

2010-01-01

In this study a representative sample of 880 elementary and secondary teachers currently teaching in 33 schools across the state of Arizona were asked about their perceptions of how their ELL students were faring under current instructional policies for ELL students. Teachers were surveyed during the Spring of 2010. Overall findings show that most…

The Relationship between Language Literacy and ELL Student Academic Performance in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawon, Molly A.

2017-01-01

This quantitative study used regression analysis to investigate the correlation of limited language proficiency and the performance of English Language Learner (ELL) students on two commonly used math assessments, namely the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) and the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP). Scores were analyzed for eighth…

Elementary and Secondary Teachers' Attitudes and Efficacy for Teaching English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mathis, Dawn L.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Elementary and Secondary teachers' attitudes, efficacy, and cultural proficiency with mainstream ELL students. This study further explored teachers' beliefs toward professional development, differentiating curriculum and instruction, and understanding language acquisition with mainstream ELL students. The…

Reading Cooperatively or Independently? Study on ELL Student Reading Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Siping; Wang, Jian

2015-01-01

This study examines the effectiveness of cooperative reading teaching activities and independent reading activities for English language learner (ELL) students at 4th grade level. Based on simple linear regression and correlational analyses of data collected from two large data bases, PIRLS and NAEP, the study found that cooperative reading…

A Running Start for ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Herbert, Marion

2012-01-01

One in four students under the age of six comes from an immigrant family in which at least one parent does not speak English. Traditionally, states such as Nevada, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas have served the vast majority of English language learner (ELL) students, although the surging growth of this demographic--now 5.5 million…

The Relationship between Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Student Achievement on Language Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Umstead, Lyubov

2013-01-01

The number of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly growing. Teachers continue facing challenges in providing effective content instruction to ELLs while helping them learn English. New and improved approaches are necessary to meet the individual learning needs of this diverse group of students and help them progress academically while…

Create a Responsive Learning Community for ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yu Ren

2016-01-01

The American educational landscape is changing rapidly, and so are the students in American mathematics classrooms. In the New York City public schools, one of every four students is an English language learner (ELL) (New York City Department of Education 2014). Mathematics teachers find themselves teaching either in a classroom that contains all…

A Quantitative Causal-Comparative Nonexperimental Research Study of English Language Learner and Non-English Language Learner Students' Oral Reading Fluency Growth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Loughlin, Tricia Ann

2017-01-01

Beginning learners of English progress through the same stages to acquire language. However, the length of time each student spends at a particular stage may vary greatly. Under the current educational policies, ELL students are expected to participate in the general education curriculum while developing their proficiency in the English language.…

College Persistence and Engagement in Light of a Mature English Language Learner (ELL) Student's Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Almon, Cate

2015-01-01

An interview study at a community college in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States reveals factors in the persistence of English language learners (ELLs) starting from their courses in English as a second language (ESL) through to their graduation or transfer to 4-year institutions. The results form a narrative of a day in the life of a…

Examination of instructional strategies: Secondary science teachers of mainstreamed English language learners in two high schools in southern New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yangambi, Matthieu Wakalewae

2005-12-01

Increasingly, English Language Learners (ELLs) are mainstreamed in science classes. As a result, science teachers must assume responsibility for these students' education. Currently, state tests show a wide performance gap between ELLs and non-ELLs in science and other content area courses. For instance, the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) shows a two years average performance of 6% for ELLs and 33% for non-ELLs in English Language Arts (ELA), Mathematics, and Science and Technology, a 27% performance gap (Lachat, 2000). The use of research based effective teaching strategies for ELLs is indispensable in order to meet ELLs' learning needs (Jarret, 1999). The purpose of this study was to determine if differences exist between ELLs and non-ELLs regarding instructional strategies that secondary science teachers employ. Four areas were examined: instructional strategies mainstreamed ELLs and non-ELLs report as being most frequently employed by their science teachers, instructional strategies ELLs and non-ELLs consider most effective in their learning, the existing differences between ELLs and non-ELLs in the rating of effectiveness of instructional strategies their teachers currently practice, and factors impacting ELLs and non-ELLs' performance on high-stakes tests. This study was conducted in two urban high schools in Southern New England. The sample (N = 71) was based on the non-probability sampling technique known as convenience sampling from students registered in science classes. The questionnaire was designed based on research-based effective teaching strategies (Burnette, 1999; Ortiz, 1997), using a Likert-type scale. Several findings were of importance. First, ELLs and non-ELLs reported similar frequency of use of effective instructional strategies by teachers. However, ELLs and non-ELLs identified different preferences for strategies. Whereas non-ELLs preferred connecting learning to real life situations, ELLs rated that strategy as least effective. The results of this study may inform education policy makers and school systems about instructional strategies to implement in classrooms in order to meet the learning needs of every student. Recommendations for practice are included.

ELL High School Students' Metacognitive Awareness of Reading Strategy Use and Reading Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hong-Nam, Kay

2014-01-01

This study investigated the metacognitive awareness and reading strategies use of high school-­aged English language learners (ELLs) and the relationship between ELL reading strategy use and reading proficiency as measured by a standardized reading test and self-­rated reading proficiency. Results reveal that participants reported moderate use of…

Differential Item Functioning (DIF) among Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners (ELLs) in State Science Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ilich, Maria O.

Psychometricians and test developers evaluate standardized tests for potential bias against groups of test-takers by using differential item functioning (DIF). English language learners (ELLs) are a diverse group of students whose native language is not English. While they are still learning the English language, they must take their standardized tests for their school subjects, including science, in English. In this study, linguistic complexity was examined as a possible source of DIF that may result in test scores that confound science knowledge with a lack of English proficiency among ELLs. Two years of fifth-grade state science tests were analyzed for evidence of DIF using two DIF methods, Simultaneous Item Bias Test (SIBTest) and logistic regression. The tests presented a unique challenge in that the test items were grouped together into testlets---groups of items referring to a scientific scenario to measure knowledge of different science content or skills. Very large samples of 10, 256 students in 2006 and 13,571 students in 2007 were examined. Half of each sample was composed of Spanish-speaking ELLs; the balance was comprised of native English speakers. The two DIF methods were in agreement about the items that favored non-ELLs and the items that favored ELLs. Logistic regression effect sizes were all negligible, while SIBTest flagged items with low to high DIF. A decrease in socioeconomic status and Spanish-speaking ELL diversity may have led to inconsistent SIBTest effect sizes for items used in both testing years. The DIF results for the testlets suggested that ELLs lacked sufficient opportunity to learn science content. The DIF results further suggest that those constructed response test items requiring the student to draw a conclusion about a scientific investigation or to plan a new investigation tended to favor ELLs.

The Efficacy of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) in Mathematics Instruction on English Language Learner Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vidot, Jose L.

2011-01-01

Studies by the National Association for Educational Progress found that English Language Learner (ELL) students perform poorly compared to other students on standardized mathematics exams. The research problem addressed how Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) affected the instructional practices of high school mathematics teachers.…

Strangers and Professionals: Positioning Discourse in ESL Teachers' Work

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haneda, Mari; Nespor, Jan

2013-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) usually spend most of the school day with regular classroom teachers. The ability of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers to help these students, then, depends in part on their ability to influence how the classroom teachers think of ELL students and ESL itself. One way ESL teachers do this is through…

Newcomer Immigrant Program Evaluation, 2015-2016. Research Educational Program Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Houston Independent School District, 2016

2016-01-01

There are approximately 65,000 students in the Houston Independent School District (HISD) labeled as "English language learners" (ELLs). Many of these students have the additional obstacle of being recent immigrants who have been in the United States for three years or less. In recent years, the number of immigrant ELLs in the district…

"That's Where the Rubber Meets the Road": The Intersection of Special Education and Dual Language Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kangas, Sara E. N.

2017-01-01

Background: English language learners (ELLs) with special needs remain an underresearched student population. Although providing services to these students proves to be a daunting task, bilingual schools are uniquely poised to meet the educational needs of ELLs with special needs. Yet, research has not explored service provision practices in…

¿Qué Pasa? Are ELL Students Remaining in English Learning Classes Too Long?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Edward; Painter, Gary; Pachon, Harry

2009-01-01

This new study by the Tomás Rivera Policy Institute (TRPI) demonstrates that English Language Learners (ELLs) who learn English at school can do better academically than native English speakers, and that the window for mastering the English language is wider than previously thought. Typically ELLs perform at lower levels than their English-fluent…

When Good Intentions and Reality Meet: Large-Scale Reform of Science Teaching in Urban Schools with Predominantly Latino ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Carla C.; Bolshakova, Virginia L. J.; Waldron, Tammy

2016-01-01

This study examined the ability of Transformative Professional Development (TPD) to transform science teacher quality and associated impact on science achievement, including particular focus on English Language Learners (ELL). TPD was implemented in a large, low-performing, urban district in the southwest with predominantly Latino ELL populations.…

Supporting ELLs before, during, and after Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DelliCarpini, Margo

2011-01-01

Working with English language learners in mainstream ELA classrooms can provide rich rewards in terms of developing multiple perspectives, sharing diverse experiences, and developing understanding of different cultural practices. However, these students can also challenge mainstream teachers. Supporting ELLs throughout the reading process can…

Normalizing English Language Learner Students: A Foucauldian Analysis of Opposition to Bilingual Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bondy, Jennifer M.

2011-01-01

This article uses Foucault's (1977/1995) concept of normalization to analyze contemporary opposition to bilingual education in the United States. These contemporary movements have "normalized" English language learner (ELL) students by appropriating the technology of language in order to become "Americanized." This has become…

Office of English Language Learners: 2013 Demographic Report

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Department of Education, 2013

2013-01-01

The aim of this report is to provide context about the NYC Department of Education's (DOE) English Language Learners (ELLs) students. The data provided is based on the Bilingual Education Student Information Survey (BESIS). Just over 41% of the students enrolled in New York City public schools speak a language other than English at home. That…

Teaching Photosynthesis with ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piper, Susan; Shaw, Edward Lewis, Jr.

2010-01-01

Although the teaching of photosynthesis occurs yearly in elementary classrooms, one thing that makes it challenging is the inclusion of English language learners (ELLs). This article presents several activities for teaching and assessing of photosynthesis in a third grade classroom. The activities incorporate the photosynthesis content, teaching…

Science for ELLs: Rethinking Our Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina-Jerez, William; Clark, Douglas B.; Medina, Amelia; Ramirez-Marin, Frank

2007-01-01

A rich amount of research suggests that native-English speaking and linguistically diverse students are equally capable of learning scientific concepts and terminology through collaborative inquiry-based experiences. Yet, a full understanding of how to address English Language Learner (ELL) issues during science instruction and assessment will…

A Return to the "Mexican Room": The Segregation of Arizona's English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandara, Patricia; Orfield, Gary

2010-01-01

This paper reviews the research on the impact of segregation on Latino and English Language Learner (ELL) students, including new empirical research conducted in Arizona. It also reviews court decisions regarding students' rights to be integrated with their mainstream peers, and provides data on the increasing segregation of Arizona's Latino and…

Journal Coverage of Issues Related to English Language Learners across Student-Service Professions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albers, Craig A.; Hoffman, Alicia J.; Lundahl, Allison A.

2009-01-01

The number of students who are classified as English language learners (ELLs) is increasing within schools across the United States. Thus, it is important that school professionals have access to information regarding research-based assessment, prevention, and intervention practices that reflect the appropriate provision of services to this…

Validity Evidence in Accommodations for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camara, Wayne

2009-01-01

The five papers in this special issue of the "Journal of Applied Testing Technology" address fundamental issues of validity when tests are modified or accommodations are provided to English Language Learners (ELL) or students with disabilities. Three papers employed differential item functioning (DIF) and factor analysis and found the…

Challenges and Instructional Approaches Impacting the Literacy Performance of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Markham, Paul L.; Gordon, Karen E.

2007-01-01

For English Language Learners (ELLs), the process of becoming literate in English is daunting. Not only are these students faced with the same literacy challenges faced by native English-speaking students, but they are also challenged with extensive diversity issues relating to substantial differences in linguistic, cultural, and academic…

Building Schema for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Navarro, Ann M.

2008-01-01

Background: Many classrooms today have ESL students who do not speak English and are completely lost. How can teachers help these students comprehend what they are learning in English? Purpose: The purpose of this research is to identify effective reading strategies to build schema for English language learners (ELLs) to help them comprehend.…

The Correlates of Academic Performance for English Language Learner Students in a New England District. Stated Briefly. REL 2014-021

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parker, Caroline E.; O'Dwyer, Laura M.; Irwin, Clare W.

2014-01-01

This "Stated Briefly" report is a companion piece that summarizes the results of another report of the same name. The study examined student and program characteristics that are related to English proficiency and content area achievement for English language learner (ELL) students in one urban district in Connecticut. Study authors found…

Examining the Effectiveness and Validity of Glossary and Read-Aloud Accommodations for English Language Learners in a Math Assessment. CRESST Report 766

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Kim, Jinok; Kao, Jenny C.; Rivera, Nichole M.

2009-01-01

Glossary and reading aloud test items are often listed as allowed in many states' accommodation policies for ELL students, when taking states' large-scale mathematics assessments. However, little empirical research has been conducted on the effects of these two accommodations on ELL students' test performance. Furthermore, no research is available…

Measuring and Comparing Academic Language Development and Conceptual Understanding via Science Notebooks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Margarita; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael

2016-01-01

The authors of this quantitative study measured and compared the academic language development and conceptual understanding of fifth-grade economically disadvantaged English language learners (ELL), former ELLs, and native English-speaking (ES) students as reflected in their science notebook scores. Using an instrument they developed, the authors…

No Puedo

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Benavides, Ramon; Medina-Jerez, William

2017-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) early schooling often involves a mix of their native (L1) and second (L2) languages. Spanglish speakers take this one step further and employ a hybrid language practice to compensate for their lack of fluency in both Spanish and English. Unlike conventional ELLs, these students use the two languages simultaneously…

Friction in Different Languages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hurley, Sarah Jessica; Murray, Alexa Lee; Cormas, Peter

2014-01-01

This article describes a lesson taught in a designated English Language Learner (ELL) classroom in an elementary school in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, using a sheltered instruction approach. Eighty one percent of the students at this school are from diverse ethnic backgrounds where 25 per cent of them receive ELL services. A variety of languages are…

Computer-Assisted Instruction: A Case Study of Two Charter Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keengwe, Jared; Hussein, Farhan

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship in achievement gap between English language learners (ELLs) utilizing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) in the classroom, and ELLs relying solely on traditional classroom instruction. The study findings showed that students using CAI to supplement traditional lectures performed better…

Informal Reading Inventories and ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gandy, Sandra E.

2013-01-01

With the increasing amount of testing taking place in classrooms, teachers may question how appropriate those assessments are for the growing numbers of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States. One of the assessment options for classroom teachers is the informal reading inventory (IRI), which is the most frequently used assessment…

Helping English Learners Rise to the Challenge of Complex Texts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walqui, Aida

2014-01-01

The idea that secondary English language learner (ELL) students can master rigorous academic content quickly and deeply goes against much accepted wisdom in the field, but Aída Walqui--the author and Director of WestEd's Teacher Professional Development Program, which houses the Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) initiative--and her…

The Educational Trajectories of English Language Learners in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flores, Stella M.; Batalova, Jeanne; Fix, Michael

2012-01-01

About 5.3 million English Language Learners (ELLs)--students whose primary language is not English and whose English language skills are not sufficient to keep up with classes conducted only in English--are enrolled in PK-12 public schools across the United States. The number of these students increased dramatically in ten years, from 3.5 million…

ESSA and English Language Learners. Policy Update. Vol. 23, No. 21

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Parsi, Ace

2016-01-01

Representing an estimated 4.4 million students in the United States, English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the public school population and yet are twice as likely to drop out of high school and significantly less likely to attend and complete postsecondary education. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) includes…

In Their Shoes: Teachers Experience the Needs of English Language Learners through a Math Simulation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Oliveira, Luciana C.

2011-01-01

Given the increase in the number of culturally and linguistically diverse students in American schools, it is vital for teacher education programs to address the needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) in their courses. Mainstream, general education teachers who did not previously experience this student population in their classes are now…

Art Education, Literacy, and English Language Learners: Visual Arts Curriculum to Aid Literacy Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Renish, Angela J.

2016-01-01

Nineteen students whose first language is not English (English Language Learners, ELL) participated in an action research study that focused on the marriage of an art education curriculum and literacy practice. The study introduced students to the consistent use of language in art education as a means to discuss, inform, explain, and demonstrate…

Addressing the Issue of Cultural and Linguistic Diversity and Assessment: Informal Evaluation Measures for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spinelli, Cathleen G.

2008-01-01

Existing research indicates that there is a disproportionate number of students with cultural and linguistic differences, English Language Learners (ELL), who are misidentified as learning disabled when their problems are due to cultural and/or linguistic differences. As a consequence, these students do not receive appropriate services. With the…

Hearing the voices of alternatively certified teachers in Texas: Narratives of teaching English language learners in urban secondary mainstream classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zannou, Yetunde Mobola

In Texas, nearly half of all new teachers are alternatively certified (AC) whilst English language learners (ELL) are over one-third of the public school population in some districts. As this trend continues, the likelihood that AC teachers will teach ELLs increases and alters what Texas teachers must know upon entering the classroom. This research explores teacher knowledge and beliefs about teaching ELLs through constructivist and narrative lenses. Four AC science teachers in two diverse school districts participated in in-depth interviews and reflective interviews following classroom observations to answer the research questions: (1) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their acts of teaching ELLs in mainstream classrooms; and (2) how do AC teachers describe and interpret their learning to teach ELLs in mainstream classrooms. Data were transcribed and analyzed using thematic narrative methods. This study found that participants saw ELL instruction as: (1) "just good teaching" strategies, (2) consisting primarily of cultural awareness and consideration for student comfort, and (3) less necessary in science where all students must learn the language. The most experienced teacher was the only participant to reference specific linguistic knowledge in describing ELL instruction. Many of the teachers described their work with ELL students as giving them an opportunity to improve their lives, which was consistent with their overall teaching philosophy and reason for entering the profession. Participant narratives about learning to teach ELLs described personal experience and person-to-person discussions as primary resources of knowledge. District support was generally described as unhelpful or incomplete. Participants portrayed their AC program as helpful in preparing them to work with ELL students, but everyone desired more relevant information from the program and more grade-appropriate strategies from the district. Participant narratives reveal AC teachers needed a pragmatic and less theoretical understanding of diversity during pre-service training. Participant tendency to draw upon "common sense", affective, and practical strategies in teaching ELL students in lieu of the state-mandated English language proficiency standards (ELPS) suggests AC programs should have teachers articulate and discuss their beliefs about ELL instruction in order to provide training targeted towards misconceptions about language development, particularly in science.

The Influence of Tier One of RtI[superscript 2] and Instructional Coaching on Teacher Instruction and Student/ELL Learning: A Multiple Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valadez, Frances E.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this case study was to demonstrate the influence of Tier 1 of Response to Intervention and Instruction (RtI[superscript 2]) and instructional coaching on teachers' instruction and on students' and English Language Learners' (ELL) learning. Research was conducted in one large urban elementary school. The unit of study…

The Education of English Language Learners in Arizona: A Legacy of Persisting Achievement Gaps in a Restrictive Language Policy Climate

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Eugene E.; Lawton, Kerry; Diniz de Figueiredo, Eduardo H.

2010-01-01

This report reviews achievement gaps in both reading and math between ELL and non-ELL students in Arizona over the post-Proposition 203 period 2005-2009 and during the first year of implementation of the 4 hour ELD block, 2008-09. The study finds that Arizona has made little to no progress in closing the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL…

Home-Language Surveys for ELLs under Fire

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zehr, Mary Ann

2010-01-01

A growing chorus of people are saying that some school districts are overzealous in categorizing students as English-language learners (ELLs) in the aim of complying with federal and state laws to ensure that children of immigrants get extra help with English. They contend that the information requested on the home-language survey that parents are…

The Use of Technology to Enhance the Learning Experience of ESL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diallo, Abdoulaye

2014-01-01

The growing numbers of ELLs (English language learners) makes the search for new effective and efficient instructional methods a priority. While several teaching methods and tools are used to help ELLs succeed in becoming proficient English speakers, technology has gained substantial attention due to the abundance of new technology tools, which…

Shifting Attention Back to Students within the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Shannon M.; Conlin, Luke

2015-01-01

The Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) is increasingly used as an instructional framework to help elementary and secondary teachers support English language learners (ELLs). This useful tool has helped teachers gain the knowledge, skills, and dispositions they need to support ELLs learn subject-area content and skills while learning…

Implementing Structured English Immersion in Arizona: Benefits, Challenges, and Opportunities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rios-Aguilar, Cecilia; Gonzalez Canche, Manuel S.; Moll, Luis C.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Arizona's most recent English Language Learner (ELL) legislation, starting in the school year 2008-2009, requires all such students be educated through a specific Structured English Immersion (SEI) model: the 4-hour English Language Development (ELD) block. The basic premise behind this particular model is that ELL students…

Empowering ELLs through Strong Community-School District Partnerships for Enrichment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Jessica; Donovan-Pendzic, Esperanza; Marion, Mary Jo

2015-01-01

The English Language Learner (ELL) Summer Camp in Worcester, Massachusetts--an intensive six-week program that served middle school and high school students from Worcester Public Schools (WPS)--was the product of a five-way partnership that included the school district, higher education institutions (Latino Education Institute [LEI] at Worcester…

Using Inquiry to Break the Language Barrier

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ricketts, Amy

2011-01-01

The more than five million English language learners (ELLs) in the United States represent over 10% of students enrolled in public schools--and this number is growing rapidly. From 1997 to 2007, growth of ELL enrollment exceeded that of overall enrollment by more than six to one. Regardless of where they teach, science educators will undoubtedly…

Strategy Inventory for Language Learning-ELL Student Form: Testing for Factorial Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardasheva, Yuliya; Tretter, Thomas R.

2013-01-01

As the school-aged English language learner (ELL) population continues to grow in the United States and other English-speaking countries, psychometrically sound instruments to measure their language learning strategies (LLS) become ever more critical. This study adapted and validated an adult-oriented measure of LLS (50-item "Strategy…

Impact of No Child Left Behind on English Language Learners. Hearing before the Subcommittee on Early Childhood Elementary and Secondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor. U.S. House of Representatives. One Hundred Tenth Congress, First Session (March 23, 2007). Serial Number 110-14

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US House of Representatives, 2007

2007-01-01

This document records testimony regarding the Department of Education's slow pace in providing States the assistance they require to implement No Child Left Behind's provisions for English Language Learners (ELLs) and the status of recent efforts to correct that; practices for training teachers of ELL students and for improving their academic…

Use and Impact of English-Language Learner Assessment in Arizona

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lawton, Stephen B.

2009-01-01

The Arizona English-Language Learner Assessment (AZELLA) is the backbone of Arizona's new English-language learner (ELL) policy in that it is used to assess students' English-language proficiency in order to place them into groups for English-language instruction and to determine when they have become proficient in English. This paper evaluates a…

English Language Learners and Their Academic Progress: 2010-2011

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shneyderman, Aleksandr

2012-01-01

This is the 2010-11 annual report on the academic progress of English language learners in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools. The purpose of the report is to: (1) Describe the demographic characteristics of students classified as English Language Learners (ELL) in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS); (2) Provide data regarding ELL…

Effect of a Multiyear Intervention on Science Achievement of All Students Including English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Ahn, Soyeon; Lanier, Kimberly; Diaz, Jennifer; Lee, Okhee

2016-01-01

This study was part of the Promoting Science among English Language Learners (P-SELL) efficacy study, a research and development project that implemented a curricular and professional development intervention to improve science achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs) in urban elementary schools. The study used a cluster randomized control…

Including English Learners in a Multitiered Approach to Early Reading Instruction and Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fien, Hank; Smith, Jean Louise M.; Baker, Scott K.; Chaparro, Erin; Baker, Doris Luft; Preciado, Jorge A.

2011-01-01

Delivering high-quality reading instruction to English language learners (ELLs) in the early grades is one of the most challenging issues facing schools. The report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (NLP; August & Shanahan, 2006) defined "English language learners" as students who come from language backgrounds…

The Effect on Cumulative Language Acquisition Increase for English Language Learner Students in Kindergarten through Third Grade Who Attended Multiple Years of Summer Remediation Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baker, Gregory A.

2013-01-01

Already academically at risk, students in the rapidly growing English Language Learner (ELL) student population in the United States face additional challenges due to regression of English language acquisition over the average ten-week agrarian summer break when they return to homes in which Spanish was the primary language spoken. While the…

Teachers' Perceptions of the Implementation of the Literacy Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners and Students with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Audrey Figueroa; Haller, Elizabeth

2015-01-01

This qualitative study explored the experiences of U.S. teachers of English language learners (ELLs) and students with disabilities (SWDs) as they sought to align the new Common Core State Standards (CCSS) with previously used standards and instructional approaches during the first year of CCSS implementation. Open-ended interviews were conducted…

The Community College: Bridge or Roadblock to Higher Education for US Adult Immigrant English-Language Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Janis, Thomas

2013-01-01

While community colleges have been accessible for adult learners with an immigrant and an English Language Learning (ELL) background, there is a gap between preparation and academic success on the college level among these students. Within community colleges, older adult English as a Second Language (ESL) students have the lowest first-semester…

An Examination of Referral and Eventual Placement of African American Students and English Language Learners in Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deveaux, Eneas Ruel

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that educators in a large, suburban, public school district in the southeastern United States believe contribute to African American and English Language Learners (ELL) being referred to special education at a higher rate than traditional students by exploring the attitudes and perceptions…

State Funding Mechanisms for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Millard, Maria

2015-01-01

Research is clear that English language learners (ELLs) perform better academically and achieve greater language proficiency when they have high-quality English language instruction.1 Like all supplemental services, these necessary supports require additional funding above the average per-student amount. The federal government provides grant…

Meeting the Needs of High School Science Teachers in English Language Learner Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Seonhee; McDonnough, Jacqueline T.

2009-08-01

This survey study explored high school science teachers’ challenges and needs specific to their growing English language learning (ELL) student population. Thirty-three science teachers from 6 English as a Second language (ESL)-center high schools in central Virginia participated in the survey. Issues surveyed were (a) strategies used by science teachers to accommodate ELL students’ special needs, (b) challenges they experienced, and (c) support and training necessary for effective ELL instruction. Results suggest that language barriers as well as ELL students’ lack of science foundational knowledge challenged teachers most. Teachers perceived that appropriate instructional materials and pedagogical training was most needed. The findings have implications for science teacher preservice and inservice education in regard to working with language minority students.

Analysis of the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol Model on Academic Performance of English Language Learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ingram, Sandra W.

This quantitative comparative descriptive study involved analyzing archival data from end-of-course (EOC) test scores in biology of English language learners (ELLs) taught or not taught using the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP) model. The study includes descriptions and explanations of the benefits of the SIOP model to ELLs, especially in content area subjects such as biology. Researchers have shown that ELLs in high school lag behind their peers in academic achievement in content area subjects. Much of the research on the SIOP model took place in elementary and middle school, and more research was necessary at the high school level. This study involved analyzing student records from archival data to describe and explain if the SIOP model had an effect on the EOC test scores of ELLs taught or not taught using it. The sample consisted of 527 Hispanic students (283 females and 244 males) from Grades 9-12. An independent sample t-test determined if a significant difference existed in the mean EOC test scores of ELLs taught using the SIOP model as opposed to ELLs not taught using the SIOP model. The results indicated that a significant difference existed between EOC test scores of ELLs taught using the SIOP model and ELLs not taught using the SIOP model (p = .02). A regression analysis indicated a significant difference existed in the academic performance of ELLs taught using the SIOP model in high school science, controlling for free and reduced-price lunch (p = .001) in predicting passing scores on the EOC test in biology at the school level. The data analyzed for free and reduced-price lunch together with SIOP data indicated that both together were not significant (p = .175) for predicting passing scores on the EOC test in high school biology. Future researchers should repeat the study with student-level data as opposed to school-level data, and data should span at least three years.

Constructing Meaning: Think-Aloud Protocols of ELLs on English and Spanish Word Problems.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Celedon-Pattichis, Sylvia

This one-year qualitative study analyzed how nine middle school English language learners (ELLs) of Mexican descent constructed meaning on think-aloud protocols of Spanish and English word problems. Strategies used by these students to process information from English to their native language included translating to Spanish, reading the problem at…

Helping ELLs Meet Standards in English Language Arts and Science: An Intervention Focused on Academic Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; Artzi, Lauren; Barr, Christopher

2016-01-01

The Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards require students to understand and produce academic language that appears in informational text. Vocabulary is a critical domain of academic language, but English language learners (ELLs) come to the English Language Arts classroom with more limited English vocabulary than…

Enhancing Academic Investment through Home-School Connections and Building on ELL Students' Scholastic Funds of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Eric J.; Johnson, Angela B.

2016-01-01

This discussion examines an academic intervention designed to enhance the motivation and classroom engagement of English Language Learners (ELLs) during literacy-based activities. Stemming from a sociocultural perspective of literacy (Au, 1993; Perez, 2004) within a funds of knowledge framework (González, Moll, & Amanti , 2005), our approach…

Gifted English Language Learners: Global Understandings and Australian Perspectives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blackburn, Aranzazu M.; Cornish, Linley; Smith, Susen

2016-01-01

Current research on gifted English language learners (gifted ELLs) is broadly centered on identification issues and investigations of underrepresentation in gifted programs mainly in schools in the United States and referencing predominantly Spanish-speaking students. Australia presents itself as a multicultural nation, yet limited research exists…

Teacher Investment in Learner Identity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reeves, Jenelle

2009-01-01

From a sociocultural perspective, teacher identity is constructed in relation to others, including other teachers and students. Drawing on positioning theory and the concept of investment, this study analyzed the case of a secondary English teacher who negotiated his teacher identity in relation to English language learners (ELLs). Findings…

Teaching Reading Strategies to English Language Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jenks, Christopher J.

This paper discusses the importance of teaching English language learners (ELLs) three reading strategies to help facilitate a productive literacy environment, suggesting that students must be taught specific reading strategies in which purpose, comprehension, and memorization are facilitated. The first section presents a pre-reading strategy,…

Relationship between English Language Learners' Proficiency in Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking and Proficiency on Maryland School Assessments in Mathematics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, C. Michael

2013-01-01

Mathematics proficiency of English language learners (ELLs) on the Maryland School Assessments (MSA) for mathematics continues to lag behind the proficiency level of students who are proficient English speakers. The purpose of this study was to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between English language learner's…

Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools. Executive Summary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uriarte, Miren; Karp, Faye; Gagnon, Laurie; Tung, Rosann; Rustan, Sarah; Chen, Jie; Berardino, Michael; Stazesky, Pamela

2011-01-01

English language learners (ELLs), their teachers, and the schools and programs where they are enrolled face a triple challenge: (1) students must be taught and learn English at a level of proficiency high enough to allow them access to academic content; (2) students must be taught and learn academic content at a level comparable to that of English…

The Impact of English Language Learner Status on Screening for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: A Differential Item Functioning (DIF) Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lambert, Matthew C.; Garcia, Allen G.; January, Stacy-Ann A.; Epstein, Michael H.

2018-01-01

There have been significant changes in the racial/ethnic and linguistic background of students attending public schools in the United States. The number of public-school students who are English language learners (ELLs) participating in programs of language assistance has more than doubled over the past two decades. In 1993-1994, 5.1% of…

Speech-Language Pathologists' Comfort Levels in English Language Learner Service Delivery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kimble, Carlotta

2013-01-01

This study examined speech-language pathologists' (SLPs) comfort levels in providing service delivery to English language learners (ELLs) and limited English proficient (LEP) students. Participants included 192 SLPs from the United States and Guam. Participants completed a brief, six-item questionnaire that investigated their perceptions regarding…

Observations of Real-Time Captioning in the Elementary English Language Learner Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingraham, Nissa

2014-01-01

This qualitative study reviews the effects of real-time captioning on vocabulary acquisition of a novice elementary English language learner (ELL). Triangulation of data was completed through review of teacher journaling, captioning transcripts, and student pretest and posttest assessments. Results illuminate improved retention and usage of…

Disproportionate Classification of ESL Students in U.S. Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Nicole; Inserra, Albert

2013-01-01

This study explores the possible causes behind the disproportionate percentages of English language learners (ELLs) classified into U.S. special education. Elementary school classroom teachers were examined, from school districts that exhibited growth in the percentage of English language learners with Individual Education Plans during 2007-2010.…

Factors Affecting the Identification of Hispanic English Language Learners in Special Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Becker, Gail I.

2012-01-01

This qualitative phenomenological study revealed factors affecting the overrepresentation of Hispanic English language learners (ELLs) in special education. An analysis of the lived experiences of school professionals indicate multiple causes that determine students to be disabled often in violation of state and federal guidelines. Child study…

Accommodation Practices for English Language Learners in States' Mathematics Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolf, Mikyung Kim; Kao, Jenny C.; Rivera, Nichole M.; Chang, Sandy M.

2012-01-01

Background/Context: Testing accommodations have been widely utilized as a way of increasing the validity of content assessments for English language learner (ELL) students. However, concerns have also arisen regarding the appropriateness of accommodation use, including the accessibility and fairness of accommodations. While many states have…

Teaching Science Through the Language of Students in Technology-Enhanced Instruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryoo, Kihyun

2015-02-01

This study examines whether and how tapping into students' everyday language in a web-based learning environment can improve all students' science learning in linguistically heterogeneous classrooms. A total of 220 fifth-grade English Language Learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL peers were assigned to either an everyday English approach condition or a textbook approach condition, and completed technology-enhanced instruction focusing on respiration and photosynthesis. Students in the everyday English approach condition were taught the concepts in everyday, conversational English before content-specific scientific terms were introduced, while students in the textbook approach condition were taught the same concepts and vocabulary simultaneously. The results show that the everyday English approach was significantly more effective in helping both ELLs and non-ELL students develop a coherent understanding of abstract concepts related to photosynthesis and respiration. Students in the everyday English approach condition were also better able to link content-specific terms to their understanding of the concepts. These findings show the potential advantage of using students' everyday English as a resource to make science more accessible to linguistically diverse students in mainstream classrooms. By integrating students' everyday language in science instruction, it is possible for all students including ELLs to acquire both the content and language of science.

The impact of science notebook writing on ELL and low-SES students' science language development and conceptual understanding

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, Margarita

This quantitative study explored the impact of literacy integration in a science inquiry classroom involving the use of science notebooks on the academic language development and conceptual understanding of students from diverse (i.e., English Language Learners, or ELLs) and low socio-economic status (low-SES) backgrounds. The study derived from a randomized, longitudinal, field-based NSF funded research project (NSF Award No. DRL - 0822343) targeting ELL and non-ELL students from low-SES backgrounds in a large urban school district in Southeast Texas. The study used a scoring rubric (modified and tested for validity and reliability) to analyze fifth-grade school students' science notebook entries. Scores for academic language quality (or, for brevity, language ) were used to compare language growth over time across three time points (i.e., beginning, middle, and end of the school year) and to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) using descriptive statistics and mixed between-within subjects analysis of variance (ANOVA). Scores for conceptual understanding (or, for brevity, concept) were used to compare students across categories (ELL, former ELL, non-ELL, and gender) in three domains using descriptive statistics and ANOVA. A correlational analysis was conducted to explore the relationship, if any, between language scores and concept scores for each group. Students demonstrated statistically significant growth over time in their academic language as reflected by science notebook scores. While ELL students scored lower than former ELL and non-ELL students at the first two time points, they caught up to their peers by the third time point. Similarly, females outperformed males in language scores in the first two time points, but males caught up to females in the third time point. In analyzing conceptual scores, ELLs had statistically significant lower scores than former-ELL and non-ELL students, and females outperformed males in the first two domains. These differences, however, were not statistically significant in the last domain. Last, correlations between language and concept scores were overall, positive, large, and significant across domains and groups. The study presents a rubric useful for quantifying diverse students' science notebook entries, and findings add to the sparse research on the impact of writing in diverse students' language development and conceptual understanding in science.

Interventions for Supporting and Assessing Science Writing Communication: Cases of Asian English Language Learners

PubMed Central

Smith-Keiling, Beverly L.; Swanson, Lidia K.; Dehnbostel, Joanne M.

2018-01-01

In seeking to support diversity, one challenge lies in adequately supporting and assessing science cognitions in a writing-intensive Biochemistry laboratory course when highly engaged Asian English language learners (Asian ELLs) struggle to communicate and make novice errors in English. Because they may understand advanced science concepts, but are not being adequately assessed for their deeper scientific understanding, we sought and examined interventions. We hypothesized that inquiry strategies, scaffolded learning through peer evaluation, and individualized tools that build writing communication skills would increase confidence. To assess scientific thinking, Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) software measured underlying analytic and cognitive features of writing despite grammatical errors. To determine whether interventions improved student experience or learning outcomes, we investigated a cross-sectional sample of cases within experimental groups (n = 19) using a mixed-methods approach. Overall trends of paired t-tests from Asian ELLs’ pre/post surveys showed gains in six measures of writing confidence, with some statistically significant gains in confidence in writing skill (p=0.025) and in theory (p≤0.05). LIWC scores for Asian ELL and native-English-speaking students were comparable except for increased cognitive scores for Asian ELLs and detectable individual differences. An increase in Asian ELLs’ cognitive scores in spring/summer over fall was observed (p = 0.04), likely as a result of greater cognitive processes with language use, inquiry-related interventions, and peer evaluation. Individual cases further elucidated challenges faced by Asian ELL students. LIWC scores of student writing may be useful in determining underlying understanding. Interventions designed to provide support and strengthen the writing of Asian ELL students may also improve their confidence in writing, even if improvement is gradual. PMID:29904544

Learning to write in science: A study of English language learners' writing experience in sixth-grade science classrooms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Yang

Writing is a predictor of academic achievement and is essential for student success in content area learning. Despite its importance, many students, including English language learners (ELLs), struggle with writing. There is thus a need to study students' writing experience in content area classrooms. Informed by systemic functional linguistics, this study examined 11 ELL students' writing experience in two sixth grade science classrooms in a southeastern state of the United States, including what they wrote, how they wrote, and why they wrote in the way they did. The written products produced by these students over one semester were collected. Also collected were teacher interviews, field notes from classroom observations, and classroom artifacts. Student writing samples were first categorized into extended and nonextended writing categories, and each extended essay was then analyzed with respect to its schematic structure and grammatical features. Teacher interviews and classroom observation notes were analyzed thematically to identify teacher expectations, beliefs, and practices regarding writing instruction for ELLs. It was found that the sixth-grade ELLs engaged in mostly non-extended writing in the science classroom, with extended writing (defined as writing a paragraph or longer) constituting roughly 11% of all writing assignments. Linguistic analysis of extended writing shows that the students (a) conveyed information through nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbial groups and prepositional phrases; (b) constructed interpersonal context through choices of mood, modality, and verb tense; and (c) structured text through thematic choices and conjunctions. The appropriateness of these lexicogrammatical choices for particular writing tasks was related to the students' English language proficiency levels. The linguistic analysis also uncovered several grammatical problems in the students' writing, including a limited range of word choices, inappropriate use of mood, inconsistency of verb tense, and overuse of reiterating thematic patterns and everyday conjunctions to structure and organize their writing. Thematic analysis of teacher interviews and classroom observations revealed that the teachers (a) held different expectations for English language learners than mainstream students, (b) rarely provided explicit instruction on science writing, and (c) did not see themselves as having a shared responsibility of teaching writing in their subject area, despite acknowledgement of the essential role that writing plays in promoting scientific literacy. These findings provide a snapshot of the writing experience that sixth-grade English language learners had in their science classrooms. They suggest that the ELLs needed language and literacy support in science learning, but such support was largely absent in the science classrooms. The implications of the findings for science teaching and teacher education, along with the limitations of the study, are discussed.

Walking a Mile in Their Shoes: Developing Pre-Service Music Teachers' Empathy for ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Yiyue

2017-01-01

In recent decades, music educators have become increasingly aware of the English Language Learner (ELL) population due to mainstreaming and inclusion policies. Meanwhile, the need for adequately preparing pre-service music teachers has become a focal point for music teacher preparation programs in the United States. In this article, I will 1)…

Technology-Enhanced Formative Assessment in Mathematics for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lekwa, Adam Jens

2012-01-01

This paper reports the results of a descriptive study on the use of a technology-enhanced formative assessment system called Accelerated Math (AM) for ELLs and their native-English-speaking (NES) peers. It was comprised of analyses of an extant database of 18,549 students, including 2,057 ELLs, from grades 1 through 8 across 30 U.S. states. These…

Striking a Balance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Susan Ferguson; Green, Andre

2012-01-01

Learning centers can help teachers assess students' content knowledge without penalizing them for language barriers. With the increasing number of English language learners (ELLs) in classrooms, the emphasis on mastery of content and inclusion of all students in class discussions and activities will provide all students a chance for scientific…

K-12 Categorical Entitlement Funding for English Language Learners in California: An Intradistrict Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez-Castellanos, Oscar; Okhremtchouk, Irina

2013-01-01

The K-12 student population is becoming increasingly diverse in the United States. In particular, the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) rose from 4.7 million in 1980 to 11.2 million in 2009, more than doubling from 10% to 21% of the student population (U.S. Department of Education n.d.). At approximately 1.8 million, the state of…

Development and Validation of Extract the Base: An English Derivational Morphology Test for Third through Fifth Grade Monolingual Students and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goodwin, Amanda P.; Huggins, A. Corinne; Carlo, Maria; Malabonga, Valerie; Kenyon, Dorry; Louguit, Mohammed; August, Diane

2012-01-01

This study describes the development and validation of the Extract the Base test (ETB), which assesses derivational morphological awareness. Scores on this test were validated for 580 monolingual students and 373 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) in third through fifth grade. As part of the validation of the internal structure,…

A comparison of the language skills of ELLs and monolinguals who are poor decoders, poor comprehenders, or normal readers.

PubMed

Geva, Esther; Massey-Garrison, Angela

2013-01-01

The overall objective of this article is to examine how oral language abilities relate to reading profiles in English language learners (ELLs) and English as a first language (EL1) learners, and the extent of similarities and differences between ELLs and EL1s in three reading subgroups: normal readers, poor decoders, and poor comprehenders. The study included 100 ELLs and 50 EL1s in Grade 5. The effect of language group (ELL/EL1) and reading group on cognitive and linguistic skills was examined. Except for vocabulary, there was no language group effect on any measure. However, within ELL and EL1 alike, significant differences were found between reading groups: Normal readers outperformed the two other groups on all the oral language measures. Distinct cognitive and linguistic profiles were associated with poor decoders and poor comprehenders, regardless of language group. The ELL and EL1 poor decoders outperformed the poor comprehenders on listening comprehension and inferencing. The poor decoders displayed phonological-based weaknesses, whereas the poor comprehenders displayed a more generalized language processing weakness that is nonphonological in nature. Regardless of language status, students with poor decoding or comprehension problems display difficulties with various aspects of language.

Improving Science and Literacy Learning for English Language Learners: Evidence from a Pre-service Teacher Preparation Intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaw, Jerome M.; Lyon, Edward G.; Stoddart, Trish; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Menon, Preetha

2014-08-01

This paper present findings from a pre-service teacher development project that prepared novice teachers to promote English language and literacy development with inquiry-based science through a modified elementary science methods course and professional development for cooperating teachers. To study the project's impact on student learning, we administered a pre and post assessment to students (N = 191) of nine first year elementary teachers (grades 3 through 6) who experienced the intervention and who taught a common science unit. Preliminary results indicate that (1) student learning improved across all categories (science concepts, writing, and vocabulary)—although the effect varied by category, and (2) English Language Learner (ELL) learning gains were on par with non-ELLs, with differences across proficiency levels for vocabulary gain scores. These results warrant further analyses to understand the extent to which the intervention improved teacher practice and student learning. This study confirms the findings of previous research that the integration of science language and literacy practices can improve ELL achievement in science concepts, writing and vocabulary. In addition, the study indicates that it is possible to begin to link the practices taught in pre-service teacher preparation to novice teacher practice and student learning outcomes.

Improving Vocabulary of English Language Learners through Direct Vocabulary Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Meghan; Feng, Jay

2016-01-01

This is a report of a professional development project. The purpose of the project was to provide professional development to teachers in vocabulary instructional strategies and to examine vocabulary acquisition of English language learners. The participants were 8 second grade ELL students and 6 second grade teachers. The eight second grade…

Teachers' Integration of Multimodality into Classroom Practices for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Choi, Jayoung; Yi, Youngjoo

2016-01-01

Despite the proven benefits of multimodal teaching and learning (i.e., through visual, sound, movement, print-based text, and technology) for students, little is known about how teachers of English language learners (ELLs) integrate multimodality into their existing curriculums. In this study, the authors examined how two teachers who had limited…

Vocabulary: The Key to Teaching English Language Learners to Read

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wallace, Christopher

2008-01-01

The greatest challenge inhibiting the ability of English-language learners (ELLs) to read at the appropriate grade level is perhaps a lack of sufficient vocabulary development. While extensive reading is beneficial, these students must acquire the necessary vocabulary in order to read extensively. Both vocabulary breadth and vocabulary depth are…

Relationship between Language and Concept Science Notebook Scores of English Language Learners and/or Economically Disadvantaged Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Margarita; Irby, Beverly J.; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui

2016-01-01

Despite research interest in testing the effects of literacy-infused science interventions in different contexts, research exploring the relationship, if any, between academic language and conceptual understanding is scant. What little research exists does not include English language learners (ELLs) and/or economically disadvantaged (ED) student…

The Effects of Language on English Language Learners' Music Preferences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gosselin, Pei-Ying Lin

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of songs in different languages on English language learners' (ELLs) music preferences. The participants (N = 62) were Chinese graduate students from a state university in the Midwestern United States. The survey contained nine excerpts from popular songs in three languages: Chinese (the…

Culturally Inclusive Dance: Working with Chinese English Language Learners in the Dance Technique Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Jamie A.

2018-01-01

Higher education is experiencing rapidly shifting demographics brought about by the expanding global economy. The influx of English Language Learners (ELLs) into U.S. dance classrooms is creating a shifting paradigm for students and instructors. According to Beth McMurtrie (2012), universities with increasing international enrollments recognize…

Development and Validation of the Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs about English Language Learners Survey (MTBELL)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gann, Linda; Bonner, Emily P.; Moseley, Christine

2016-01-01

Given the increasing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in secondary mathematics classrooms, it is imperative that mathematics teacher educators develop measures for determining how and why secondary mathematics teachers (SMTs) understand and respond instructionally to these students. This paper reports on the initial development and…

Preparing Teachers of English Language Learners. TQ Connection Issue Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGraner, Kristin L.; Saenz, Laura

2009-01-01

More than 5 million English language learners (ELLs) attend school in the United States (Ballantyne, Sanderman, & Levy, 2008). This population has increased by approximately 57 percent during the last decade, drawing sharp attention to the individual and instructional needs of students who are nonnative speakers of English (Ballantyne et al.,…

Asking the Right Questions: Teachers' Questions Can Build Students' English Language Skills

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hill, Jane D.; Flynn, Kathleen

2008-01-01

This article presents an instructional strategy that helps teachers engage English language learners (ELLs) in learning, thus increasing their own belief that they can effectively teach English language learners, and proposes a professional development activity that will cement this strategy in teachers' minds. By using an action research…

Bridging Required with Needed Assessment Measures for Students with Limited English Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aitken, Joan E.

2006-01-01

The paper offers ideas for assessing and teaching English language learners (ELL)--English as Second Language (ESL, 2L, CLD) learners--through dynamic evaluation using children's literature. Given the increased demands within the general education classroom, the teacher needs ways to combine assessment procedures with effective instructional…

The Use of Computer Technology in Designing Appropriate Test Accommodations for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abedi, Jamal

2014-01-01

Among the several forms of accommodations used in the assessment of English language learners (ELLs), language-based accommodations are the most effective in making assessments linguistically accessible to these students. However, there are significant challenges associated with the implementation of many of these accommodations. This article…

Predictors of the Instructional Strategies that Elementary School Teachers Use with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rader-Brown, Lucy; Howley, Aimee

2014-01-01

Background/Context: According to demographers, the number of English language learners (ELLs) in U.S schools has been increasing and is likely to continue to increase in coming years. For various reasons relating to language acquisition, cultural adjustment, and persistent discrimination, these students tend to experience academic difficulties.…

The effects of using diagramming as a representational technique on high school students' achievement in solving math word problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Banmali

Methods and procedures for successfully solving math word problems have been, and continue to be a mystery to many U.S. high school students. Previous studies suggest that the contextual and mathematical understanding of a word problem, along with the development of schemas and their related external representations, positively contribute to students' accomplishments when solving word problems. Some studies have examined the effects of diagramming on students' abilities to solve word problems that only involved basic arithmetic operations. Other studies have investigated how instructional models that used technology influenced students' problem solving achievements. Still other studies have used schema-based instruction involving students with learning disabilities. No study has evaluated regular high school students' achievements in solving standard math word problems using a diagramming technique without technological aid. This study evaluated students' achievement in solving math word problems using a diagramming technique. Using a quasi-experimental experimental pretest-posttest research design, quantitative data were collected from 172 grade 11 Hispanic English language learners (ELLS) and African American learners whose first language is English (EFLLs) in 18 classes at an inner city high school in Northern New Jersey. There were 88 control and 84 experimental students. The pretest and posttest of each participating student and samples of the experimental students' class assignments provided the qualitative data for the study. The data from this study exhibited that the diagramming method of solving math word problems significantly improved student achievement in the experimental group (p<.01) compared to the control group. The study demonstrated that urban, high school, ELLs benefited from instruction that placed emphasis on the mathematical vocabulary and symbols used in word problems and that both ELLs and EFLLs improved their problem solving success through careful attention to the creation and labeling of diagrams to represent the mathematics involved in standard word problems. Although Learnertype (ELL, EFLL), Classtype (Bilingual and Mixed), and Gender (Female, Male) were not significant indicators of student achievement, there was significant interaction between Treatment and Classtype at the level of the Bilingual students ( p<.01) and between Treatment and Learnertype at the level of the ELLs (p<.01).

A Latent Variable Investigation of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening-Kindergarten Assessment: Construct Identification and Multigroup Comparisons between Spanish-Speaking English-Language Learners (ELLs) and Non-ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huang, Francis L.; Konold, Timothy R.

2014-01-01

Psychometric properties of the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening for Kindergarten (PALS-K) instrument were investigated in a sample of 2844 first-time public school kindergarteners. PALS-K is a widely used English literacy screening assessment. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a theoretically defensible measurement structure that was…

Technology in College Classrooms: An Action Research Examining the Use of Powerpoint in ELL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Weiwei

2012-01-01

This research looks at the use of PowerPoint as an instructional tool for teaching English language learners (ELL) who studied in a language program at a state university in the Pacific Northwest. The purpose of the research was to discover and to explore the perceptions of PowerPoint supported teaching and learning that were held by the students,…

Interpretation and Use of K-12 Language Proficiency Assessment Score Reports: Perspectives of Educators and Parents. WCER Working Paper No. 2016-8

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Ahyoung Alicia; Kondo, Akira; Blair, Alissa; Mancilla, Lorena; Chapman, Mark; Wilmes, Carsten

2016-01-01

A number of English language proficiency exams target grades K-12 English language learners (ELLs) because of the rising need to identify their needs and provide appropriate support in language learning. A good example is the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (hereafter ACCESS), designed to measure the English language proficiency of students identified as…

Exploring English Language Learners (ELL) Experiences with Scientific Language and Inquiry within a Real Life Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Algee, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

English Language Learners (ELL) are often at a distinct disadvantage from receiving authentic science learning opportunites. This study explored English Language Learners (ELL) learning experiences with scientific language and inquiry within a real life context. This research was theoretically informed by sociocultural theory and literature on…

Flipped Instruction with English Language Learners at a Newcomer High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graziano, Kevin J.; Hall, John D.

2017-01-01

Research on flipped instruction with English Language Learners (ELLs) is sparse. Data-driven flipped research conducted with ELLs primarily involves adult learners attending a college or university. This study examined the academic performance of secondary ELLs who received flipped instruction in an algebra course at a newcomer school compared to…

Supporting College Students through Peer Mentoring: Serving Immigrant Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kring, Matthew

2017-01-01

Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) Immigrant Services program enlists the support of peer mentors to provide holistic support to the institution's immigrant, refugee, and English Language Learner (ELL) populations. These peer mentors are highly specialized in their student employee role and are trained to provide academic and…

Teaching science to English Language Learners: Instructional approaches of high school teachers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frank, Betty-Vinca N.

Students who are English Language Learners (ELLs) form the fastest growing segment of the American school population. Prompted by the call for scientific literacy for all citizens, science educators too have investigated the intersection of language and science instruction of ELLs. However these studies have typically been conducted with elementary students. Few studies have explored how high school science teachers, particularly those who have not received any special training, approach science instruction of ELLs and what supports them in this endeavor. This was a qualitative case study conducted with five science teachers in one small urban high school that predominantly served ELLs. The purpose of this study was to examine instructional approaches used by teachers to make science accessible to ELLs and the factors that supported or inhibited them in developing their instructional approaches. This goal encompassed the following questions: (a) how teachers viewed science instruction of ELLs, (b) how teachers designed a responsive program to teach science to ELLs, (c) what approaches teachers used for curriculum development and instruction, (d) how teachers developed classroom learning communities to meet the needs of ELLs. Seven instructional strategies and five perceived sources of support emerged as findings of this research. In summary, teachers believed that they needed to make science more accessible for their ELL students while promoting their literacy skills. Teachers provided individualized attention to students to provide relevant support. Teachers engaged their students in various types of active learning lessons in social contexts, where students worked on both hands-on and meaning-making activities and interacted with their peers and teachers. Teachers also created classroom communities and learning spaces where students felt comfortable to seek and give help. Finally, teachers identified several sources of support that influenced their instructional approaches including, the structure of the school, working on instructional teams, collaborating and working with other teachers especially English teachers and including science teachers, and participating in various professional development activities. The findings indicated that the instructional approaches used by teachers were largely supported by literacy education and science education done at elementary level. Findings also revealed that teachers in this study encouraged their ELLs to participate in classroom conversations and involved them in answering open-ended questions. However, not all teachers in this study had the same repertoire of instructional strategies for their ELL students and some teachers demonstrated a better understanding of these approaches than others. All teachers perceived that the structure of the school as well as collaborating and working with other teachers, especially English teachers, as their main source of support in designing instructional approaches. This study suggests that teacher educators and professional development providers need to develop courses and programs to help high school teachers learn about how to design instructional activities that simultaneously promote both academic science and English literacy. Also, administrators need to create conditions at their schools that would allow teachers to interact, collaborate, and learn from each other.

Effects of Assisted-Repeated Reading on Students of Varying Reading Ability: A Single-Subject Experimental Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hapstak, Jo-Ann; Tracey, Diane H.

2007-01-01

This study examined the effects of assisted-repeated reading on four first-grade students whose reading ability varied (a special education student, a non-classified poor reader, an English Language Learner (ELL) student, and a general education student) to determine if an assisted-repeated reading intervention is differentially effective for…

The Relationship of Preservice Teachers to English Language Learners in Mainstream Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alford, Susan F.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship of preservice teachers by examining their attitudes and perceptions to English Language Learners in the mainstream classroom. An ever-increasing population of ELLs in U.S. classrooms has challenged the preparation of preservice teachers to meet the specific needs of this group of students.…

Culturally Relevant Pedagogy for Immigrant Children and English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Jin Sook

2010-01-01

The goal of this chapter is to provide a conceptual review of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP) and a synthesis of research that documents its application to immigrant children and English language learners (ELLs). First, the significance and relevance of CRP are framed in the context of today's student population and the growing gaps in academic…

Read-Aloud and the English Language Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Watson, Tanya Elaine

2013-01-01

Reading aloud (read-aloud) is quickly progressing as a useful strategy on the middle school level, yet research has not adequately caught up with is use with special populations such as middle school students and English language learners (ELLs). The purpose of this study was to add to the limited research on the read-aloud instructional strategy…

Multicultural Teacher Education: Why Teachers Say It Matters in Preparing Them for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolano, Lan Quach; Dávila, Liv Thorstensson; Lachance, Joan; Coffey, Heather

2014-01-01

Numerous studies show that mainstream classroom teachers still remain inadequately prepared to teach diverse students and lack the knowledge base and skills to teach English language learners (ELLs). This has profound implications, particularly in the Southeast, where the rate of school-aged Latino immigrants has grown significantly. Thus, this…

Linking Geography to Reading and English Language Learners' Achievement in US Elementary and Middle School Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hinde, Elizabeth R.; Osborn Popp, Sharon E.; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita; Dorn, Ronald I.

2011-01-01

The "GeoLiteracy for English language learners" (ELLs) program is a curriculum that enhances reading and writing skills while teaching geography content for US students in kindergarten through eighth grades. The program includes 85 lesson plans that address all US national geography standards, a quarter of which address environmental…

Voices from the Field: Making State Assessment Decisions for English Language Learners with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Kristin K.; Goldstone, Linda; Thurlow, Martha L.; Ward, Jenna; Hatten, James; Christensen, Laurene L.

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are an increasing presence in schools in the United States. Title I and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act require that these students meet the same academic grade-level standards and participate in content assessments as their fluent-English speaking peers without…

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions of Their Preparedness to Teach English Language Learners in the Mainstream Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Tara Sheehan

2014-01-01

Although researchers have investigated teachers' perceptions of their preparedness to instruct English language learners (ELLs) and value student culture in the classroom, there has been a lack of studies at an elementary school level. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the perceptions of elementary teachers about their use…

Increasing English Language Learners' Engagement in Instruction through Emotional Scaffolding

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Mi-Hwa

2014-01-01

Some of the challenges that early childhood teachers face include how to deal with a growing diversity in student populations, how to reduce learning gaps, and how to increase the achievement of all children (Copple & Bredekamp, 2009). The number of children who are English language learners (ELLs) is growing fast schools in the United States…

Impact of a Large-Scale Science Intervention Focused on English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Llosa, Lorena; Lee, Okhee; Jiang, Feng; Haas, Alison; O'Connor, Corey; Van Booven, Christopher D.; Kieffer, Michael J.

2016-01-01

The authors evaluated the effects of P-SELL, a science curricular and professional development intervention for fifth-grade students with a focus on English language learners (ELLs). Using a randomized controlled trial design with 33 treatment and 33 control schools across three school districts in one state, we found significant and meaningfully…

The Writing Development of English Language Learners from Two Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Xun

2012-01-01

The current study is a qualitative case study that investigated the writing development of seven Chinese-speaking English language learners (ELLs) from kindergarten and 3rd-grade ESL classes in an elementary school in the Midwest and intended to discover the factors that affect students' English writing development in a one-year period. Guided by…

Framing Appropriate Accommodations in Terms of Individual Need: Examining the Fit of Four Approaches to Selecting Test Accommodations of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koran, Jennifer; Kopriva, Rebecca J.

2017-01-01

Providing appropriate test accommodations to most English language learners (ELLs) is important to facilitate meaningful inferences about learning. This study compared teacher large-scale test accommodation recommendations to those from a literature- and practitioner-grounded accommodation selection taxonomy. The taxonomy links student-specific…

Is the Library's Online Orientation Program Effective with English Language Learners?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albarillo, Frans

2017-01-01

In this paper, the author examines four years of assessment data (N = 4,786) from Brooklyn College's Library Online Orientation Program (LOOP; url: https://library.brooklyn.cuny.edu/resources/loop/loop.php), which is used to provide all English 1010 students with an orientation to the library, to see if English language learners (ELLs) are…

Technology Integration by General Education Teachers of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anglin, Marie Simone

2017-01-01

There is a growing population of English language learners (ELLs) in elementary schools across the United States, and a current academic achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs. Researchers have found that integration of Web 2.0 tools has benefitted ELLs in language learning settings, outside of the general classroom. The research problem…

Early Mathematics Achievement Trajectories: English-Language Learner and Native English-Speaker Estimates, Using the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey

PubMed Central

Roberts, Greg; Bryant, Diane

2012-01-01

This study used data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Kindergarten Class of 1998 –1999, to (a) estimate mathematics achievement trends through 5th grade in the population of students who are English-language proficient by the end of kindergarten, (b) compare trends across primary language groups within this English-language proficient group, (c) evaluate the effect of low socioeconomic status (SES) for English-language proficient students and within different primary language groups, and (d) estimate language-group trends in specific mathematics skill areas. The group of English-language proficient English-language learners (ELLs) was disaggregated into native Spanish speakers and native speakers of Asian languages, the 2 most prevalent groups of ELLs in the United States. Results of multilevel latent variable growth modeling suggest that primary language may be less salient than SES in explaining the mathematics achievement of English-language proficient ELLs. The study also found that mathematics-related school readiness is a key factor in explaining subsequent achievement differences and that the readiness gap is prevalent across the range of mathematics-related skills. PMID:21574702

Learner Outcomes for English Language Learner Low Readers in an Early Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelly, Patricia R.; Gomez-Bellenge, Francisco-Xavier; Chen, Jing; Schulz, Melissa M.

2008-01-01

This study investigated the efficacy of Reading Recovery[R] (RR) with first grade English language learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools by examining the literacy outcomes of ELLs compared with their native English-speaking (NES) peers, who were also enrolled in RR. We also explored how ELLs' fall oral English proficiency levels were related to their…

Developing and Validating a Science Notebook Rubric for Fifth-Grade Non-Mainstream Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Margarita; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.

2014-01-01

We present the development and validation of a science notebook rubric intended to measure the academic language and conceptual understanding of non-mainstream students, specifically fifth-grade male and female economically disadvantaged Hispanic English language learner (ELL) and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students. The…

Motivating Students to Write through the Use of Children's Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daly, Laura; Sharko, Susan

2010-01-01

This action research project involved the implementation of a program designed to improve student motivation to write through the use of children's literature. The targeted populations were students in one kindergarten class and one third grade ELL [English Language Learners] class in two elementary schools. Both schools were located in a…

A Professional Learning Community's Impact on Academic Achievement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ransom, Minnie

2016-01-01

English language learners (ELL students) were not attaining and maintaining sufficient proficiency at public schools in Northern California, as measured by students' achievement scores on state and district assessments. The purpose of this quasi-experimental research was to determine whether there were differences in academic language arts…

Sign Language: An Effective Strategy to Reduce the Gap between English Language Learners Native Language and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nicholson, Sheryl; Graves, Emily

2010-01-01

Linguistic diversity provides even greater challenges for our educational system. English Language Learners (ELLs) are a diverse population of students who are learning English in school. They come from numerous cultural and economic backgrounds, and live throughout the country. The task of the classroom teacher is to find a way to reach these…

Unpacking Pandora's Box: Issues in the Assessment of English Learners' Literacy Skill Development in Multimodal Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pandya, Jessica Zacher

2012-01-01

In this commentary I unpack the Pandora's Box of issues related to the assessment of English language learners' literacy skill development in multimodal classrooms. I ask how we might quantify the benefits of multimodal composing, for k-12 as well as college students, given the existing complexity of assessing ELLs' traditional literacy skills. I…

Using Evidence-Based Conceptual Frameworks to Identify Leadership Practices of Principals of Successful Schools Serving English Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bishop, Robert C.

2013-01-01

This study is one of five thematic dissertations investigating the leadership practices of principals leading successful schools serving ELA learners. Schools selected for participation in this study had (a) an open enrollment policy, (b) at least 40% of total enrollment consists of ELL students, (c) has earned a School Performance Framework (SPF)…

Uninvited Guests: The Influence of Teachers' Roles and Pedagogies on the Positioning of English Language Learners in the Regular Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yoon, Bogum

2008-01-01

Grounded in positioning theory, this study examined regular classroom teachers' views of their roles with regard to English language learners (ELLs) and the relationship between their teaching approaches and the students' reactions and positioning of themselves in the classroom. Findings suggest that the teachers' views of their roles varied based…

The Effects of Culturally Adapted Version of "First Steps to Success" for Latino English Language Learners: Preliminary Pilot Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castro-Olivo, Sara; Preciado, Jorge; Le, Loan; Marciante, Mia; Garcia, Melissa

2018-01-01

For decades, Latino English language learners (ELLs) have been identified as a high-risk population for both reading and behavioral problems. A comprehensive approach that provides academic and behavioral support in both home and school settings has been suggested by researchers as a viable option for improving outcomes of students who exhibit…

Educator Perceptions of Instructional Strategies for Standards-Based Education of English Language Learners with Disabilities. ELLs with Disabilities Report 7

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thurlow, Martha; Albus, Deb; Shyyan, Vitaliy; Liu, Kristin; Barrera, Manuel

2004-01-01

The study reported here was conducted as part of a larger investigation designed to identify instructional strategies most beneficial for English language learners with disabilities. Other aspects of the investigation are examining the research literature, information from parents and students, and the effects of specific strategies. In this…

Assessment of English Language Learners in the Era of New Academic Content Standards

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bailey, Alison L.; Carroll, Patricia E.

2015-01-01

The purpose of this chapter is twofold: (1) to provide a detailed review of current language assessment policies and practices with English language learner (ELL) students under the federal requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB; 2001) and relevant research in order to evaluate their technical quality and validity, and (2) to examine…

The Story of an Arts Integration School on English-Language-Learner Development: A Qualitative Study of Collaboration, Integrity, and Confidence

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ingraham, Nissa; Nuttall, Susanne

2016-01-01

This qualitative case study of a southwest regional elementary school used interviews, focus groups, and document collection to better understand how this arts-integrated school is meeting the needs of English-language learner (ELL) students, discerning increased test performance on state standardized tests. Data were analyzed using open coding.…

Design Challenges Are "ELL-elementary"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Romero, Nancy Yocom; Slater, Pat; DeCristofano, Carolyn

2006-01-01

It has always been a challenge for elementary school teachers to help special needs students and English learners understand challenging, standards-based science content while their students are still developing English language skills. Through their work as pilot teachers for the Engineering is Elementary (EiE) program developed by the Museum of…

Differentiated Literacy Strategies for English Language Learners, Grades 7-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gregory, Gayle H.; Burkman, Amy

2011-01-01

This versatile handbook is for middle school and high school educators who need to differentiate literacy instruction for adolescent ELL students at various stages of literacy competency. Adapted from the highly successful "Differentiated Literacy Strategies for Student Growth & Achievement in Grades 7-12", the authors use brain-based strategies…

Scaffolding Content and Language Demands for "Reclassified" Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rubinstein-Avila, Eliane

2013-01-01

Students who are reclassified from English Language Learners (ELLs) to Fluent English Proficient (FEPs) do not necessarily developed the complex linguistic competencies to succeed across content areas. Through vivid snapshots of two middle school lessons (Science and Reading), the author points out that content area teachers can (and should)…

A Comparison of the Effects of Classroom and Multi-User Virtual Environments on the Perceived Speaking Anxiety of Adult Post-Secondary English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Abal, Abdulaziz

2013-01-01

The population of English Language Learners (ELLs) globally has been increasing substantially every year. In the United States alone, adult ELLs are the fastest growing portion of learners in adult education programs (Yang, 2005). There is a significant need to improve the teaching of English to ELLs in the United States and other English-speaking…

Using Digital Technologies to Redress Inequities for English Language Learners in the English Speaking Mathematics Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freeman, Barbara

2012-01-01

This study examined the question, "What is the impact of a digital math intervention on secondary ELL students' mathematical capabilities and perceptions of their future possibilities?" The hypothesis was that through its direct effect on increasing students' math ability and its indirect effect on increasing students' perceived math…

The Platte River Corridor Project: A University/K-12 Collaboration to Meet the Needs of Latino Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hof, David D.; Lopez, Samuel T.; Dinsmore, Julie A.; Baker, Jessica; McCarty, Wendy L.; Tracy, Glenn

2007-01-01

This article discusses the development and impact of the Platte River Corridor Project, a successful university/K-12 partnership designed to address the inequality in learning outcomes for Latino students by increasing the effectiveness of K-12 classroom teachers in educating Latino English Language Learner (ELL) students and by facilitating…

Preparing Secondary Subject Area Teachers to Teach Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yu Ren

2004-01-01

More and more subject matter area teachers find themselves working with students whose native language is not English. A report from the National Center for Education Statistics (2003) showed that close to four million students nationwide were classified as English language learners (ELL) in the school year of 2001-2002, a 30 percent increase from…

Patterns and Factors of High School Dropout Risks of Racial and Linguistic Groups

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Sunha; Chang, Mido; Singh, Kusum; Allen, Katherine R.

2015-01-01

This study examined the dropout trajectories of racial and linguistic minority students and explored the effects of students' contextual factors on their high school dropout risks. Our motivation was to identify the dropout patterns of Black, Hispanic, and Hispanic English language learner (ELL) students, who have comparatively high dropout rates,…

Problems with science teaching and learning for English Language Learners in one diverse elementary school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodriguez, Karen Margaret

This qualitative study centered on science instruction and learning that occurred in a Title I elementary school in a suburban district in southeast Texas. Twelve teachers were interviewed in order to understand their perceptions of their classroom practices in terms of science instruction and learning for English Language Learners (ELL). This study also analyzed information gathered from teacher lesson plan and classroom observations. The participants’ awareness of the instructional practices necessary for ELL student achievement in science was evident through analysis of interview transcripts. However, after observation of actual classroom instruction, it became apparent that the teaching and learning in most classrooms was not reflective of this awareness. This study proposes that this disconnect may be a result of a lack of quality professional development available to the teachers. The study also outlines and describes the characteristics of quality professional development and its relationship to focused instruction and continuous student improvement.

Test Review: ACCESS for ELLs[R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fox, Janna; Fairbairn, Shelley

2011-01-01

This article reviews Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners ("ACCESS for ELLs"[R]), which is a large-scale, high-stakes, standards-based, and criterion-referenced English language proficiency test administered in the USA annually to more than 840,000 English Language Learners (ELLs), in…

Examining the Relationship among Reading Curriculum-Based Measures, Level of Language Proficiency, and State Accountability Test Scores with Middle School Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stokes, Nicole Osterman

2010-01-01

The purpose of the present study was to examine the predictive ability of oral reading fluency (R-CBM) on a sixth grade high-stakes assessment with ELL and non-ELL students, as well as determine the average rate of growth on R-CBM and how that relates to level of English Proficiency. The participants in the current study included 350 sixth grade…

Adult Learners of English Interacting with Native Speaker Teachers and Non-Native Speaker Teachers: Exploring Differences in Students' Language Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nadeau, Melody Hallenbeck

2014-01-01

This mixed-methods study examined the lived experience of adult English Language Learners (ELLs) in classrooms led by native speaking teachers, compared with their experience in classrooms led by non-native teachers. The socio-cognitive approach to language and emergent common ground framed the development of the English classroom as a Community…

Negotiation, Embeddedness, and Non-Threatening Learning Environments as Themes of Science and Language Convergence for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ardasheva, Yuliya; Norton-Meier, Lori; Hand, Brian

2015-01-01

In this review, we explore the notion of teaching science to English language learners (ELLs) as a balancing act between simultaneously focusing on language and content development, on the one hand, and between structuring instruction and focusing on student learning processes, on the other hand. This exploration is conducted through the lens of a…

A Capstone Project: Closing the Achievement Gap of English Language Learners at Sunshine Elementary School Using the Gap Analysis Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mingo-Long, Enyetta

2013-01-01

This project was an alternative capstone dissertation conducted by a team of three doctoral students. The project focused on systematic and long-term underachievement of the English Language Learner (ELL) population of a single school, Sunshine Elementary, using the gap analysis model (Clark and Estes, 2008). More specifically, the purpose of the…

Do Decision Rules Matter? A Descriptive Study of English Language Proficiency Assessment Classifications for English-Language Learners and Native English Speakers in Fifth Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carroll, Patricia E.; Bailey, Alison L.

2016-01-01

English language proficiency assessments (ELPA) are used in the United States to measure annually the English language progress and proficiency of English-language learners (ELLs), a subgroup of language minority students who receive language acquisition support mandated and largely funded by Title III (NCLB, 2001). ELPA proficient and…

Transformational Opportunities: Language and Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners in the Common Core Era in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kibler, Amanda K.; Walqui, Aída; Bunch, George C.

2015-01-01

New demands of the Common Core State Standards imply instructional transformations for all classrooms in the United States, but teachers of students designated as English language learners (ELLs) are among those most likely to feel the impact in their daily professional lives. Language is an integral part of classroom learning in all subject…

An Analysis of English Language Learning Instruction Provided in Teacher Education and Inservice Training Programs for General and Special Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sedano, Lidia E.

2013-01-01

It is essential that English language learners (ELLs) are able to effectively receive an education. Recent national data indicates that the achievement gap between English and non-English learners in school is approximately a two grade-level difference (NCES, 2012). The increase of students who are learning English and who have a disability is a…

The Role of Language and Literacy in College- and Career-Ready Standards: Rethinking Policy and Practice in Support of English Language Learners. Policy Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haynes, Mariana

2012-01-01

The Common Core State Standards spell out the sophisticated language competencies that students will need to perform in academic and technical subject areas. English language learners (ELLs) face a double challenge--they must learn grade-level content while simultaneously building their language proficiency. This policy brief discusses these…

Text Savvy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Guilford, Jacquelyn; Bustamante, Annette; Mackura, Kelly; Hirsch, Susan; Lyon, Edward; Estrada, Kelly

2017-01-01

Learning science is language intensive. Students might have to interpret the meaning of models, support claims with evidence, communicate arguments, and discuss phenomena and scientific principles. For English Language Learners (ELLs), engaging in scientific and engineering practices includes additional challenges. This article describes a series…

Supporting the Argumentative Writing of Students in Linguistically Diverse Classrooms: An Action Research Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Yvonne C.; Filimon, Claudia

2018-01-01

The number of English language learners (ELLs) mainstreamed into regular classrooms continues to increase. Curricular writing standards required by the Common Core State Standards require students to write essays analytically in response to text(s). Many English Language Arts (ELA) teachers may worry about effectively delivering essay writing…

A Lesson in Taking Flight

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robertson, Kristina

2016-01-01

Teachers often tend to discuss their English language learners (ELLs) in terms of "level." Writes the author, "But if I were to say to a teacher, 'You have four level 2s in your class,' how does that help us have a common understanding of the students' needs?" One approach that has great potential to increase students' language…

ESL Technologies: The Universal Language

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2007-01-01

The number of immigrant students in US schools has more than doubled in the past 15 years. In response, teachers are broadening their ESL programs with the one tool that translates in all dialects--computer technology. Students who are learning English for the first time, better known as English language learners (ELL), make up a greater…

Using Inquiry to Break the Language Barrier in Chemistry Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Andrew; Jessup, Weston; Criswell, Brett A.; Weaver-High, Consuelo; Rushton, Gregory T.

2015-01-01

A guided inquiry lesson intended to support the linguistic and conceptual development of English language learners (ELLs) in a small, cotaught, high-needs secondary setting is presented. Collaborative groupings based on language and content ability coupled with an emphasis on student-student discourse and a hands-on investigation appeared to…

Interdisciplinary Teaching in Elementary Schools: Educating English Language Learner (ELL) Students with Multidimensional Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez-Valls, Fernando

2012-01-01

School accountability has funnelled educational practices into a path where teaching practices are heavily centred in Language Arts instruction. Focusing learning almost exclusively in the aforesaid area develops a one-dimensional process that could hold back certain students from a well-balanced education. This article presents a model of…

Emergent Practices in Translingual Pedagogy: Teachers Learning to Facilitate Collaborative Translation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

David, Samuel S.

2017-01-01

Due to demographic changes, teachers in mainstream U.S. classrooms now work with English language learners (ELLs) in larger numbers than ever before (Sheng, Sheng, & Anderson, 2011). US schools have been diversifying for decades, and students whose first language is not English are the fastest growing population of students in US schools…

Exploring the Experiences of Linguistically Diverse College of Education Student Writers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Karathanos, Katya A.; Mena, Dolores D.

2014-01-01

Many linguistically diverse students at the post-secondary level have difficulty with academic language skills that are important to their success in content-area university courses. Although programs have been established to help English language learners (ELLs) transition from high school to college, little attention has been given to how…

Is It Real for All Kids? A Framework for Equitable Assessment Policies for English Language Learners.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaCelle-Peterson, Mark W.; Rivera, Charlene

1994-01-01

Educational reforms will not automatically have the same effects for native English speakers and English language learners (ELLs). Equitable assessment for ELLs must consider equity issues of assessment technologies, provide information on ELLs' developing language abilities and content-area achievement, and be comprehensive, flexible, progress…

English Language Learners and Reading Instruction: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Snyder, Elizabeth; Witmer, Sara E.; Schmitt, Heather

2017-01-01

The growing English language learner (ELL) population in the United States warrants an examination of reading intervention effectiveness with this population. The reading achievement of ELLs is of particular concern due to the importance of reading skills and the innate language barriers that exist for ELLs. This article reviews existing…

Survey of Native English Speakers and Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners in Tertiary Introductory Statistics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lesser, Lawrence M.; Wagler, Amy E.; Esquinca, Alberto; Valenzuela, M. Guadalupe

2013-01-01

The framework of linguistic register and case study research on Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) learning statistics informed the construction of a quantitative instrument, the Communication, Language, And Statistics Survey (CLASS). CLASS aims to assess whether ELLs and non-ELLs approach the learning of statistics differently with…

Multiliteracies Pedagogy: Creating Claymations with Adolescent, Post-Beginner English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hepple, Erika; Sockhill, Margaret; Tan, Ashley; Alford, Jennifer

2014-01-01

In addressing literacy in high school education, it is important to foreground the particular issues faced by growing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs). In our increasingly culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms, this is a matter for all literacy teachers, as well as ELL specialists. In Australia, teachers of ELLs are…

Video Self-Modeling for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boisvert, Précille; Rao, Kavita

2015-01-01

Teachers of English language learners (ELLs), expected to address grade-level standards and prepare ELLs for standardized assessments, have the difficult task of designing instruction that meets the range of needs in their classrooms. When these learners have experienced limited or interrupted education, the challenges intensify. Whereas…

Helping Reluctant Readers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCormick, Montana K.; Segal, Pamela H.

2016-01-01

University educators work with preservice teachers who often feel overwhelmed when facing high school science classrooms full of reluctant readers. These struggling students often have various special-education modifications or are English language learners (ELLs) with different degrees of language proficiency. Teachers report that these students…

A Framework for Explicit Vocabulary Instruction with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nisbet, Deanna L.; Tindall, Evie R.

2015-01-01

Academic vocabulary development is critical to the success of all learners--particularly English language learners (ELLs). This article presents a framework for integrating explicit academic vocabulary instruction for ELLs into middle school classrooms. The framework embodies five research-based principles and serves as a vehicle for structuring…

English Language Learners in America's Great City Schools: Demographics, Achievement and Staffing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Uro, Gabriela; Barrio, Alejandra

2013-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) are among the fastest-growing demographic group in U.S. public schools. There are numerous recent reports documenting this phenomenon. Some reports estimate the numbers of ELLs enrolled in U.S. public schools, and other reports approximate the growth in ELL enrollment over the past five to ten years. Still, there…

Elementary Teachers' Perceptions regarding Teaching English Language Learners in the Social Studies Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doker, Carrie Ann

2010-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) are being taught social studies by teachers who have received limited resources and training to teach this subject to ELLs in the general education classroom. The purpose of this study was to explore teacher perceptions regarding teaching social studies to ELLs before and after the implementation of a professional…

ELL Parent Perceptions on Instructional Strategies for Their Children with Disabilities. ELLs with Disabilities Report 12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrera, Manuel; Vang, Halee; Liu, Kristin; Thurlow, Martha

2005-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities, especially Hmong, Latinos, and Somalis, exhibit the lowest academic performance and participation rates on statewide tests of academic achievement required by No Child Left Behind (NCLB). These challenges are even more acute for learners with disabilities among these groups and likely reflect the…

High-ELL-Growth States: Expanding Funding Equity and Opportunity for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Horsford, Sonya Douglass; Sampson, Carrie

2013-01-01

The growing numbers of English language learners across the country provide an opportunity for state policymakers and education leaders to invest in and reap the benefits of a well-educated, culturally competent workforce. In this article, the authors review state-level ELL funding for the ten states experiencing the highest ELL population growth…

Full- and Half-Day Kindergarten Programmes: Examining Impacts on Second Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bingham, Gary E.; Hall-Kenyon, Kendra M.

2013-01-01

This study investigated the effect of full- and half-day kindergarten programmes on English language learners (ELL) and English-only-speaking children's literacy and mathematics performance in a large urban school district. Considerations were given to how the length of the school day, children's language status (ELL and non-ELL), and children's…

Exemplary Teachers of English Language Learners: A Knowledge Base

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clayton, Courtney

2013-01-01

The number of English language learners (ELL) in schools continues to rise. However, statistics reveal that the majority of classroom teachers have no training in working with ELLs (NCES, 2011). Because of this, it is critical to understand how teachers can be successfully prepared to teach ELLs. Through in-depth inquiry, this study explored what…

Policy Perspectives on State Elementary and Secondary Public Education Finance Systems in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verstegen, Deborah A.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this article is to describe and compare individual state funding systems for public elementary and secondary education in the United States. States' major education funding systems are described as well as funding mechanisms for students with disabilities; English language learners (ELL); gifted and talented students; and low income…

Pre-Kindergarten - Pre-Kindergarten - New York City Department of Education

Science.gov Websites

miss the March 30, 2018 application deadline. Read More Pre-K Admissions Overview In free, full-day priority to students who receive Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL), English Language Learners (ELLs), students qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch (FRL) for 67% of offers at every District 1 elementary school for

Restructuring Pre-Service Teacher Education to Respond to Increasing Student Diversity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoddart, Trish; Bravo, Marco; Mosqueda, Eduardo; Solis, Jorge

2013-01-01

Several pressing issues call for institutions charged with the responsibility to educate prospective teachers to rethink their model of teacher preparation to better address the educational needs of English Language Learners (ELLs). It is projected that by 2025 one in four students in the U.S. will be from homes where a language other than English…

"Miss, How do you Write Hipotesis?" Learning to Teach Science to English Language Learners While Navigating Affordances and Constraints: A Longitudinal Multiple Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ortega, Irasema

Early career science teachers are often assigned to classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELL students). As these teachers learn to become effective practitioners, the circumstances surrounding them merit a thorough examination. This study examines the longitudinal changes in Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK) and practices of six early career science teachers who taught in urban schools. The teachers participated in the Alternative Support for Induction Science Teachers (ASIST) program during their initial two years of teaching. Our research team followed the participants over a five-year period. This study focuses on data from Years 1, 3, and 5. The data collected included classroom observations and interviews. In addition, classroom artifacts were collected periodically for the purpose of triangulation. The analysis of the data revealed that with the support of the ASIST program, the teachers implemented inquiry lessons and utilized instructional materials that promoted academic language skills and science competencies among their ELL students. Conversely, standardized testing, teaching assignment, and school culture played a role in constraining the implementation of inquiry-based practices. The results of this study call for collaborative efforts among university science educators and school administrators to provide professional development opportunities and support for the implementation of inquiry and language practices among early career science teachers of ELL students.

Educating Culturally Displaced Students with Truncated Formal Education (CDS-TFE): The Case of Refugee Students and Challenges for Administrators, Teachers, and Counselors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gahungu, Athanase; Gahungu, Olive; Luseno, Florah

2011-01-01

From 2006 to 2008, refugee resettlement agencies brought 4018 refugees to Chicago, Illinois. Using the example of the challenges faced by 14 refugee students from Burundi in adjusting to the U.S. school system, the authors call the attention of schools to the distinction between educating English Language Learners (ELL) and Educating Culturally…

Today's Promise, Tomorrow's Future: The Social and Educational Factors Contributing to the Outcomes of Hispanics in Urban Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simon, Candace; Lewis, Sharon; Uro, Gabriela; Uzzell, Renata; Palacios, Moses; Casserly, Michael

2011-01-01

In 2010, approximately 14 percent of all students in the nation were enrolled in the organization's 65 urban school districts out of approximately 15,000 school districts nationwide. In addition, 21 percent of the nation's students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, 26 percent of English language learner (ELL) students and 24 percent of the…

Student Achievement Outcomes of Immigrants and English Language Learners in an Urban Classroom: A Case Study of Great Strides and Hope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Benedict Lazarus

2017-01-01

This study entailed understanding how urban teachers supported a population of immigrant students (from non-English speaking countries) and English Language Leaners (ELLs) as well as how teachers made sense of and carried out instruction for this group of students in an urban classroom. The author's ultimate goal as a teacher educator was to…

Time to Reclassification: How Long Does It Take English Language Learners in Seven Washington Districts to Develop English Proficiency?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Motamedi, Jason Greenberg

2016-01-01

This study provides a basis for understanding how long it typically takes English language learners (ELLs) in seven Washington school districts to achieve reclassification as former ELLs. Researchers looked at ELLs' grade level and English proficiency at school entry, as well as their gender, home language, race/ethnicity, special education…

Examining the Role of Time and Language Type in Reading Development for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Betts, Joseph; Bolt, Sara; Decker, Dawn; Muyskens, Paul; Marston, Doug

2009-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the development of English reading achievement among English Language Learners (ELLs) and to determine whether the time that an ELL's family was in the United States and the type of native language spoken affected their reading development. Participants were 300 third-grade ELLs from two different native…

Education Needs to Further Examine Data Collection on English Language Learners in Charter Schools. GAO-13-655R

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, George A.

2013-01-01

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) began a study to compare English Language Learner (ELL) enrollment in charter schools to ELL enrollment in traditional public schools. For the study, they obtained ELL enrollment counts for school year 2010-11 from the U.S. Department of Education's (Education's) only available dataset containing the…

English Language Learners' Strategies for Reading Computer-Based Texts at Home and in School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Park, Ho-Ryong; Kim, Deoksoon

2016-01-01

This study investigated four elementary-level English language learners' (ELLs') use of strategies for reading computer-based texts at home and in school. The ELLs in this study were in the fourth and fifth grades in a public elementary school. We identify the ELLs' strategies for reading computer-based texts in home and school environments. We…

The Impact on Writing Achievement of Two Bilingual Education Models for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valdez, Angela L.

2012-01-01

The number of English language learners (ELLs) within the school system in one Western U.S. state continues to rise; writing scores of ELLs lag well behind those of their English speaking peers. The purpose of this ex post facto quantitative causal comparative study was to examine the writing achievement of fourth grade ELLs instructed within a…

Imagining and Moving beyond the ESL Bubble: Facilitating Communities of Practice through the ELL Ambassadors Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Przymus, Steve Daniel

2016-01-01

When educators do not facilitate English language learners' (ELLs) social integration in schools, this can perpetuate ELLs' marginalized status and the plateauing of ELLs' English language development. This study highlights a program for secondary ELLs called the ELL Ambassadors program, which partnered ELLs with non-ELLs based on shared…

A Capstone Project Using the Gap Analysis Model: Closing the College Readiness Gap for Latino English Language Learners with a Focus on College Affordability and Student Grades

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurland, Michael A. T.

2013-01-01

This capstone dissertation inquiry project focused on the underperformance of English language learners (ELLs) at a high school. The Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis model was the analytical framework used to conduct this inquiry. At the request of the school, the inquiry focus was on gaining a better understanding of the underachievement…

English Second Language, General, Special Education, and Speech/Language Personal Teacher Efficacy, English Language Arts Scientifically-Validated Intervention Practice, and Working Memory Development of English Language Learners in High and Low Performing Elementary Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brown, Barbara J.

2013-01-01

The researcher investigated teacher factors contributing to English language arts (ELA) achievement of English language learners (ELLs) over 2 consecutive years, in high and low performing elementary schools with a Hispanic/Latino student population greater than or equal to 30 percent. These factors included personal teacher efficacy, teacher…

Multisensory Strategies for Science Vocabulary

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Husty, Sandra; Jackson, Julie

2008-01-01

Seeing, touching, smelling, hearing, and learning! The authors observed that their English Language Learner (ELL) students achieved a deeper understanding of the properties of matter, as well as enhanced vocabulary development, when they were guided through inquiry-based, multisensory explorations that repeatedly exposed them to words and…

Meeting the Needs of Chinese English Language Learners at Writing Centers in America: A Proposed Culturally Responsive Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Peizhen; Machado, Crystal

2015-01-01

This paper describes the ways in which Writing Centers (WC) currently serve English Language Learners (ELL) at American universities. The authors argue that the pedagogy offered at these centers does not always meet the needs of the Chinese ELLs who make up the largest population of ELLs at American universities. The proposed supplemental model…

The Role of Dialogic Reading in Enhancing the Learning Opportunities of Preschool English Learners and Teachers in an English Only Setting

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roselli, Taryn

2009-01-01

Today's preschool teachers are educating a diverse population of children, with many from homes where English is not the first language. In light of this growing number of English Language Learners (ELLs) in preschool, researchers have investigated ways to support ELLs' emergent literacy development. One of the ways to support ELLs' emergent…

Massachusetts English Language Learners' Profiles and Progress: A Report for the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slama, Rachel; Haynes, Erin; Sacks, Lynne; Lee, Dong Hoon; August, Diane

2015-01-01

The present study was commissioned by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) to provide a profile of Massachusetts English Language Learners (ELLs) and policy recommendations for improving their outcomes. ESE was concerned about previous study findings that most of these learners exited ELL instructional programs…

Newcomers to the U.S.: Developing Historical Thinking among Latino Immigrant Students in a Central Texas High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franquiz, Maria E.; Salinas, Cinthia S.

2011-01-01

Newcomers are a special subgroup of the student population designated as English Language Learners (ELLs). The research project described in this article investigates how a teacher integrated language and content in a single subject area, social studies, in a high school newcomer classroom. Three extended lessons were presented to newcomer…

Don't Forget Accommodations! Five Questions to Ask When Moving to Technology-Based Assessments. NCEO Brief. Number 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota, 2011

2011-01-01

Accommodations are an important part of paper and pencil testing. They give students with disabilities and English language learners (ELLs) access to the assessment and provide results that have greater validity for those students. This Brief addresses the need to think carefully about accommodations when moving from paper-based assessments to…

The Effects of Multiple-Step and Single-Step Directions on Fourth and Fifth Grade Students' Grammar Assessment Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mazerik, Matthew B.

2006-01-01

The mean scores of English Language Learners (ELL) and English Only (EO) students in 4th and 5th grade (N = 110), across the teacher-administered Grammar Skills Test, were examined for differences in participants' scores on assessments containing single-step directions and assessments containing multiple-step directions. The results indicated no…

Learning Science, Talking Science: The Impact of a Technology-Enhanced Curriculum on Students' Science Learning in Linguistically Diverse Mainstream Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ryoo, Kihyun

2009-01-01

The significant increase of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States raises complex questions about how to provide these students with access to high quality education that can improve both their content knowledge of school subjects and their English proficiency, particularly their academic English proficiency. The development of…

Literacy Specialists in Math Class! Closing the Achievement Gap on State Math Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiGisi, Lori L.; Fleming, Dianne

2005-01-01

Sixth and eighth grade students who are English language learners must be able to read and interpret 39 math word problems in order to successfully calculate the answers on the Massachusetts state math assessment (MCAS). The first year that MCAS was administered, many ELL students read the questions, found them confusing, and left them blank,…

Leadership from the Ground up: Effective Schooling in Traditionally Low Performing Schools. Issues in the Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice of Urban Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Acker-Hocevar, Michele A.; Cruz-Janzen, Marta I.; Wilson, Cynthia L.

2012-01-01

This book chronicles the journey of seven schools serving students of poverty, English Language Learners (ELLs), and students of color, which were able to sustain school improvement for a decade on either state and/or national criteria that measure student performance outcomes. The book shares stories of these seven schools and demonstrates that…

Split Erupts over NAEP Exclusions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Nirvi

2012-01-01

Despite a pending policy change aimed at including more students with disabilities and English-language learners (ELLs) in the "nation's report card," the federal agency that administers the national testing program appears to be softening the penalty for states that fail to improve inclusion rates. The disagreement underscores the…

Aiming for Equity: Preparing Mainstream Teachers for Inclusion or Inclusive Classrooms?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Coady, Maria R.; Harper, Candace; de Jong, Ester J.

2016-01-01

Mainstream teachers throughout the world are increasingly expected to differentiate instruction for primary-grade students with diverse learning needs, including second or English language learners (ELLs). Does teacher preparation translate into instructional practices for English language development? What do graduates of those programs do…

Bridging a Cultural Divide

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Previdi, Patricia; Belfrage, Mary; Hu, Florence

2005-01-01

Playing an active role in a child's education can be especially difficult for parents of English Language Learners (ELL) and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students. Differences in cultural beliefs and language are often barriers to effective parent-school interaction. Such cultural discontinuities between home and school can affect a child's…

The interface of language proficiency and identity: a profile analysis of bilingual adolescents and their writing.

PubMed

Danzak, Robin L

2011-10-01

The purpose of this study was to explore how adolescent English language learners' (ELLs') language and literacy experiences impacted their identities as bilingual writers. Six students were randomly selected from a group of 20 Spanish-speaking ELLs, ages 11-14, who participated in a larger, mixed-methods study on bilingual writing (see Danzak, 2011). The participants produced 10 written journal entries in their language of choice (English, Spanish, or both) and were interviewed. Qualitative analyses were applied to the participants' writing and interviews, both individually and cross-case. Findings were integrated to some extent with the outcomes of quantitative measures applied to the students' writing. Three patterns emerged: ethnic differences, language discrimination, and language preference. Also, the students' self-identification as monolingual or bilingual was reflected in their attitudes toward language learning and their outcomes on writing measures. Three portraits of emerging bilingual writers are discussed: struggling emerging, dominant emerging, and balanced emerging. Language and literacy learning strategies are recommended for each. Qualitative profiles of adolescent ELLs offer an understanding of students' experiences and identities that augments information provided by quantitative writing measures. Additionally, a mixed-methods profile analysis may aid in the identification of adolescent ELLs who may be struggling with undiagnosed language learning disabilities.

Investigating the Homogeneity and Distinguishability of STEP Proficiency Descriptors in Assessing English Language Learners in Ontario Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jang, Eunice Eunhee; Cummins, Jim; Wagner, Maryam; Stille, Saskia; Dunlop, Maggie

2015-01-01

Research on issues concerning the assessment of school-age English language learners (ELLs) in curriculum-learning contexts has been relatively less productive than assessment of adult language learners. A growing demand for assessing school-age ELLs has led to the development of assessment frameworks that provide the opportunity to examine the…

Ten (Usually Wrong) Ideas about ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gottschalk, Barbara

2016-01-01

ESOL teacher Barbara Gottshalk frequently hears well-intentioned but misinformed comments and questions about English language learners and her teaching field. In this article, she clarifies the misconceptions revealed by 10 common remarks--for example, "The students will never learn English if they don't speak it in their home,"…

English Language Learning and Leadership: Putting It All Together

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundquist, Anne M.; Hill, Jane

2009-01-01

As the student population becomes increasingly linguistically diverse, educators are faced with the challenge of providing academically rigorous instruction to ELLs. Because this requires teachers to adopt new strategies that challenge learners to think at higher levels; it will subsequently require leaders to intentionally address all aspects of…

Matching Books and Readers Helping English Learners in Grades K-6

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadaway, Nancy L.; Young, Terrell A.

2010-01-01

Providing practical guidance and resources, this book helps teachers harness the power of children's literature for developing ELLs' literacy skills and language proficiency. The authors show how carefully selected fiction, nonfiction, and poetry can support students' learning across the curriculum. Criteria and guiding questions are presented for…

Teaching Argument Writing to ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferlazzo, Larry; Hull-Sypnieski, Katie

2014-01-01

"How in the world are we supposed to apply the Common Core writing standards to teaching English language learners?" The authors propose a tentative answer to a question that has been troubling educators of late. Educators, they suggest, need to keep in mind three crucial elements: Students should (1) begin by reading more informational…

Working Together to Support English Language Learners: School-Family-Community Engagement. PERC Research Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hughes, Rosemary; Reumann-Moore, Rebecca; Rowland, Jeannette; Lin, Joshua

2016-01-01

When schools, families, and communities work together, student outcomes are better. This brief focuses on the ways family and community engagement can enhance schools' efforts to improve outcomes for ELLs and highlights specific strategies schools can use to more effectively engage families and communities.

Structured English Immersion: A Step-by-Step Guide for K-6 Teachers and Administrators.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haver, Johanna J.

This book describes Structured English Immersion (SEI) for English language learners (ELLs). Seven chapters focus on the following: (1) "Identification, Assessment, and Placement" (e.g., California's school districts implement SEI and proper placement of students); (2) "Listening Skills" (e.g., time on task, total physical…

Workshop Summaries: Excite Students with Tech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gonzalez, Augusta; Sonstrom, Stefanie; Silvey, Patricia; Boscarino, Maryanne; Shea, Ida; Trusz, Jean; Perugini, Dorie; Krzemien, Marta; Caplette, Pamela; Lindsey, Barbara; Lindstrom, Sarah

2011-01-01

Glastonbury Public Schools hosted the NNELL Northeast Regional Workshop on September 24, 2011 in which the theme was "Engaging Digital Natives". Rita A. Oleksak, Director of Foreign Languages/ELL and NNELL vice-president delivered the keynote speech motivating the teachers to engage foreign language learners within the classroom and across their…

Relationship between "Form" and "Content" in Science Writing among English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Okhee; Penfield, Randall D.; Buxton, Cory A.

2011-01-01

Background/Context: While different instructional approaches have been proposed to integrate academic content and English proficiency for English language learning (ELL) students, studies examining the magnitude of the relationship are non-existent. This study examined the relationship between the "form" (i.e., conventions, organization, and…

Promoting social-emotional learning in adolescent Latino ELLs: a study of the culturally adapted Strong Teens program.

PubMed

Castro-Olivo, Sara M

2014-12-01

The current study evaluated the effects of the culturally adapted Jóvenes Fuertes (Strong Teens) Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) program on the social-emotional outcomes of Latino English language learners (ELLs). A quasi-experimental design with random assignment by classrooms was used to assess the intervention's effects on students' knowledge of SEL and resiliency. A sample of 102 Spanish-dominant Latino ELLs enrolled in middle or high school participated in this study. The results indicated significant intervention effects on SEL knowledge and social-emotional resiliency. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for preventive, culturally responsive SEL programs in school settings. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

Group 5: Itinerant English Language Learner (ELL) Teachers. IMPACT: The District of Columbia Public Schools Effectiveness Assessment System for School-Based Personnel, 2012-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

District of Columbia Public Schools, 2013

2013-01-01

The 2012-2013 school year represents a pivotal juncture for DC Public Schools. Last spring, Mayor Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced "A Capital Commitment," their ambitious plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement in the district over the next five years by providing all of their students with a safe, academically…

Bridging the Gap: Preservice Teachers and Their Knowledge of Working with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hutchinson, Mary

2013-01-01

A good deal of attention has been focused on the need to prepare teachers to work with the increasing number of English language learners (ELLs) in today's classrooms. Many would argue that this preparation should be provided at the preservice level so that new teachers are ready to meet the demands of all learners, but in particular ELLs.…

Foreign-born Peers and Academic Performance.

PubMed

Conger, Dylan

2015-04-01

The academic performance of foreign-born youth in the United States is well studied, yet little is known about whether and how foreign-born students influence their classmates. In this article, I develop a set of expectations regarding the potential consequences of immigrant integration across schools, with a distinction between the effects of sharing schools with immigrants who are designated as English language learners (ELL) and those who are not. I then use administrative data on multiple cohorts of Florida public high school students to estimate the effect of immigrant shares on immigrant and native-born students' academic performance. The identification strategy pays careful attention to the selection problem by estimating the effect of foreign-born peers from deviations in the share foreign-born across cohorts of students attending the same school in different years. The assumption underlying this approach is that students choose schools based on the composition of the entire school, not on the composition of each entering cohort. The results of the analysis, which hold under several robustness checks, indicate that foreign-born peers (both those who are ELL and those who are non-ELL) have no effect on their high school classmates' academic performance.

Science is for me: Meeting the needs of English language learners in an urban, middle school science classroom through an instructional intervention

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Joseph A.

2011-12-01

This study involved an intervention in which I explored how the multimodal, inquiry-based teaching strategies from a professional development model could be used to meet the educational needs of a group of middle school students, who were refugees, newly arrived in the United States, now residing in a large urban school district in the northeastern United States, and learning English as a second language. This group remains unmentioned throughout the research literature despite the fact that English Language Learners (ELLs) represent the fastest growing group of K-12 students in the United States. The specific needs of this particular group were explored as I attempted daily to confront a variety of obstacles to their science achievement and help to facilitate the development of a scientific discourse. This research was done in an effort to better address the needs of ELLs in general and to inform best practices for teachers to apply across a variety of different cultural and linguistic subgroups. This study is an autoethnographic case study analysis of the practices of the researcher, working in a science classroom, teaching the described group of students.

Analysis of English language learner performance on the biology Massachusetts comprehensive assessment system: The impact of english proficiency, first language characteristics, and late-entry ELL status

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mitchell, Mary A.

This study analyzed English language learner (ELL) performance on the June 2012 Biology MCAS, namely on item attributes of domain, cognitive skill, and linguistic complexity. It examined the impact of English proficiency, Latinate first language, first language orthography, and late-entry ELL status. The results indicated that English proficiency was a strong predictor of performance and that ELLs at higher levels of English proficiency overwhelmingly passed. The results further indicated that English proficiency introduced a construct-irrelevant variance on the Biology MCAS and raised validity issues for using this assessment at lower levels of English proficiency. This study also found that ELLs with a Latinate first language consistently had statistically significant lower performance. Late-entry ELL status did not predict Biology MCAS performance.

The Language Growth of Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rojas, Raul; Iglesias, Aquiles

2013-01-01

Although the research literature regarding language growth trajectories is burgeoning, the shape and direction of English Language Learners' (ELLs) language growth trajectories are largely not known. This study used growth curve modeling to determine the shape of ELLs' language growth trajectories across 12,248 oral narrative language samples…

The Education of English Language Learners: Research to Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shatz, Marilyn, Ed.; Wilkinson, Louise C., Ed.

2010-01-01

This comprehensive volume describes evidence-based strategies for supporting English language learners (ELLs) by promoting meaningful communication and language use across the curriculum. Leading experts explain how and why learning is different for ELLs and pinpoint specific best practices for the classroom, illustrated with vivid examples.…

Culturally Responsive Instruction for English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orosco, Michael John; O'Connor, Rollanda

2014-01-01

This case study describes the culturally responsive instruction of one special education teacher with Latino English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities in an urban elementary school setting. This study was situated in a social constructivist research based framework. In investigating this instruction with ELLs, this study focused…

Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Practices in Psychoeducational Reports for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Bryn; Sullivan, Amanda L.; Oades-Sese, Geraldine V.; Sotelo-Dynega, Marlene

2015-01-01

Past researchers suggested there are a number of shortcomings in the psychoeducational evaluation process and practices used with English language learners (ELLs). In the present exploratory study, the authors descriptively examined the assessment practices used in the special education eligibility determination process for ELLs as documented in…

Program Evaluation of Western Illinois University's English Language Learner Online Module

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beard, Marisa

2014-01-01

An issue faced by educators throughout the United States is how to successfully educate preservice teachers on various laws, cultural differences, attitudes, and current teaching strategies affecting English Language Learners (ELL) and their educators. Western Illinois University (WIU) implemented an online ELL Module in 2009 that all preservice…

Innovations in Educational Equity for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tung, Rosann

2013-01-01

This issue of "Voices in Urban Education" examines different aspects of asset-based education for English Language Learners (ELLs). Rather than write about ELL education as a problem, dilemma, achievement gap, or crisis, these innovative practitioners, scholars, and policy analysts shift the paradigm, reminding and urging us to embrace…

Cognitive Correlates of Vocabulary Growth in English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farnia, Fataneh; Geva, Esther

2011-01-01

This study modeled vocabulary trajectories in 91 English language learners (ELLs) with Punjabi, Tamil, or Portuguese home languages, and 50 English monolinguals (EL1) from Grades 1 to 6. The concurrent and longitudinal relationships between phonological awareness and phonological short-term memory and vocabulary were examined. ELLs underperformed…

Analyzing the Language of Struggle in Search of Hope for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schmidt, Renita; Whitmore, Kathryn F.

2010-01-01

This article presents a detailed case study analysis of oral and written language expressed by Jacqueline Meyer, a teacher of elementary English Language Learners (ELL),as she struggled to navigate the current political terrain with her students. Ms. Meyer's district adopted commercial materials and increased the amount and substance of testing…

Making Learning Active with Interactive Whiteboards, Podcasts, and Digital Storytelling in ELL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hur, Jung Won; Suh, Suhyun

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine effective ways to integrate an interactive whiteboard, podcast, and digital storytelling for language proficiency development in English language learners. Researchers integrated these three technologies into a 60-hour intensive summer English program and investigated their impacts on student vocabulary…

Preparing Advocates: Service-Learning in TESOL for Future Mainstream Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Jessie l.

2013-01-01

Service-learning pedagogy can provide future educators a meaningful introduction to the field of TESOL and the English language learners (ELLs) it serves. This article briefly describes one approach to integrating service-learning into an Introduction to TESOL course and presents research findings on TESOL students' learning outcomes, which…

Picturing Words: Using Photographs and Fiction to Enliven Writing for ELL Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Shana J.

2015-01-01

This article describes a teacher-research project in which a class of fifth-grade English language learners demonstrated that learning about photography and using it as inspiration for their creative writing authenticated their writing task, helped them bring their outside-school worlds inside school, increased their enthusiasm for writing, and…

Communicative Discourse in Second Language Classrooms: From Building Skills to Becoming Skillful

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Suleiman, Mahmoud

2013-01-01

The dynamics of the communicative discourse is a natural process that requires an application of a wide range of skills and strategies. In particular, linguistic discourse and the interaction process have a huge impact on promoting literacy and academic skills in all students especially English language learners (ELLs). Using interactive…

The Effects of Family Involvement Training for English Language Learners in an Elementary School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kessler, Jonetta

2010-01-01

The purpose of this action research project was to investigate the effects of family involvement training on the success of ELL students, as demonstrated by their reading scores, attendance, and behavior. Additionally, the effects of family involvement training on parents' feelings of self-efficacy were measured. Volunteering families of…

Assessing Bilingual Knowledge Organization in Secondary Science Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Jason S.

2017-01-01

Improving outcomes for English language learners (ELLs) in secondary science remains an area of high need. The purpose of this study is to investigate bilingual knowledge organization in secondary science classrooms. This study involved thirty-nine bilingual students in three biology classes at a public high school in The Bronx, New York City.…

Types of Mathematics-Language Reading Interactions that Unnecessarily Hinder Algebra Learning and Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lager, Carl A.

2006-01-01

English language learners (ELLs)--one of the lowest-achieving and fastest growing middle-school subpopulations--are challenged in the classroom by language components which could potentially jumpstart real mathematical growth for these and, eventually, all other students as well. Going beyond traditional word problems, this study documented and…

Myths about English Language Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Medina-Jerez, William; Campbell, Todd

2015-01-01

As the ethnic and racial diversity in U.S. classrooms continues to grow, myths about the education of English Language Learners (ELLs) persist, while many teachers feel ill-prepared to meet these students' academic needs. This article focuses on myths shared by in-service science teachers enrolled in a master's program at the University of Texas…

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities on State English Language Proficiency Assessments: A Review of 2011 State Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christensen, Laurene L.; Albus, Debra A.; Liu, Kristin K.; Thurlow, Martha L.; Kincaid, Aleksis

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are required to participate in all state and district assessments similar to their peers without disabilities. This includes assessments used for the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title I accountability purposes for demonstrating proficiency in academic content, assessments used…

Improving Professional Development by Examining Teachers' Identities, Beliefs, and Practices in Writing Feedback

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reyes, Lisa Darlene

2017-01-01

The unpreparedness of some regular classroom teachers of English Language Learners (ELLS) to provide appropriate writing feedback and receive improved professional development to combat low student progress have resulted in researcher debate about how and why teachers provide feedback. Some teachers have become frustrated with writing feedback as…

Dual Language Instruction and Achievement: A Need and a Void in the Midwest

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De La Garza, Tammy Oberg; Mackinney, Erin; Lavigne, Alyson L.

2015-01-01

In recent years, the benefits of bilingualism through dual language (DL) education models have been well documented. Despite evidence of bilinguals' heightened cognition and achievement, Midwestern English language learners (ELLs) are relegated to language programs that do nothing to enhance or maintain students' native language. This descriptive…

Group 4: Non-Itinerant English Language Learner (ELL) Teachers. IMPACT: The District of Columbia Public Schools Effectiveness Assessment System for School-Based Personnel, 2012-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

District of Columbia Public Schools, 2013

2013-01-01

The 2012-2013 school year represents a pivotal juncture for DC Public Schools. Last spring, Mayor Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson introduced "A Capital Commitment," their ambitious plan to dramatically accelerate student achievement in the district over the next five years by providing all of their students with a safe, academically…

Examining the Effects of READ 180 with Sixth Grade Students in a Southwest United States School District Based on a Formative Assessment--Measures of Academic Progress--and Its Impact on Leadership Decisions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Daniel A.

2012-01-01

An achievement gap in reading existed in a Southwest United States school district with Hispanic, economically disadvantaged, English Language Learners (ELLs), and special education sixth grade students based on Measures of Academic Progress data. This study investigated the effectiveness of the "READ 180" reading intervention program…

Honoring Counterstories: Utilizing Digital Storytelling in the Culturally Responsive Classroom to Investigate the Community Cultural Wealth and Resiliency of Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porter, Christina M.

2013-01-01

This ethnography seeks to identify the strengths that students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE), a unique subpopulation of English Language Learners (ELLs), possess and explore how those strengths may be utilized in the secondary classroom. This research aims to shift the focus from "eliminating deficits" to working…

Effects of Curriculum and Teacher Professional Development on the Language Proficiency of Elementary English Language Learner Students in the Central Region. Final Report. NCEE 2012-4013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Arens, Sheila A.; Stoker, Ginger; Barker, Jane; Shebby, Susan; Wang, Xin; Cicchinelli, Lou F.; Williams, Jean M.

2012-01-01

This study responds to regional and national needs by examining the impact on students' English language proficiency of a particular set of ELL-specific classroom materials in combination with a specific teacher professional development program. The classroom materials used in this study, entitled On Our Way to English (OWE), were authored by…

The Nation's Report Card: Mega-States--An Analysis of Student Performance in the Five Most Heavily Populated States in the Nation. NCES 2013-450

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Center for Education Statistics, 2013

2013-01-01

California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas enroll close to 40 percent of the nation's public school students. The importance of these "Mega-States" goes beyond the sheer size of their population. They now serve more than half of the nation's English language learners (ELL), as well as some of the largest concentrations of…

Developing and Validating a Science Notebook Rubric for Fifth-Grade Non-Mainstream Students

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huerta, Margarita; Lara-Alecio, Rafael; Tong, Fuhui; Irby, Beverly J.

2014-07-01

We present the development and validation of a science notebook rubric intended to measure the academic language and conceptual understanding of non-mainstream students, specifically fifth-grade male and female economically disadvantaged Hispanic English language learner (ELL) and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students. The science notebook rubric is based on two main constructs: academic language and conceptual understanding. The constructs are grounded in second-language acquisition theory and theories of writing and conceptual understanding. We established content validity and calculated reliability measures using G theory and percent agreement (for comparison) with a sample of approximately 144 unique science notebook entries and 432 data points. Results reveal sufficient reliability estimates, indicating that the instrument is promising for use in future research studies including science notebooks in classrooms with populations of economically disadvantaged Hispanic ELL and African-American or Hispanic native English-speaking students.

`Does it answer the question or is it French fries?': an exploration of language supports for scientific argumentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González-Howard, María; McNeill, Katherine L.; Marco-Bujosa, Lisa M.; Proctor, C. Patrick

2017-03-01

Reform initiatives around the world are reconceptualising science education by stressing student engagement in science practices. Yet, science practices are language-intensive, requiring students to have strong receptive and productive language proficiencies. It is critical to address these rigorous language demands to ensure equitable learning opportunities for all students, including English language learners (ELLs). Little research has examined how to specifically support ELL students' engagement in science practices, such as argumentation. Using case-study methodology, we examined one middle school science teacher's instructional strategies as she taught an argumentation-focused curriculum in a self-contained ELL classroom. Findings revealed that three trends characterized the teacher's language supports for the structural and dialogic components of argumentation: (1) more language supports focused on argument structure, (2) dialogic interactions were most often facilitated by productive language supports, and (3) some language supports offered a rationale for argumentation. Findings suggest a need to identify and develop supports for the dialogic aspects of argumentation. Furthermore, engaging students in argumentation through productive language functions could be leveraged to support dialogic interactions. Lastly, our work points to the need for language supports that make the rationale for argumentation explicit since such transparency could further increase access for all students.

Preparing English Learners for Effective Peer Review in the Writers' Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Soo Hyon

2015-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) often face challenges when participating in peer review activities in writers' workshops. This article identifies some of the potential difficulties that ELL writers may experience, and provides teachers with strategies to address these problems. The author describes a simple three-step peer review training model…

Relationships among Teachers' Attitudes, Behaviors toward English Language Learners, Experience, and Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mitchell, Sandra L.

2016-01-01

Public school teachers must meet the unique needs of English language learners (ELLs) in the general education classroom. There is a need to understand teacher attitudes toward ELLs because attitudes can explain and influence teacher behavior and professional practice. The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationships between…

Supporting Adolescent English Language Learners' Reading in the Content Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klingner, Janette K.; Boardman, Alison G.; Eppolito, Amy M.; Schonewise, Estella Almanza

2012-01-01

Adolescent English language learners (ELLs) with learning difficulties face many challenges when reading in the content areas. In this article, we review what research tells us about how best to support ELLs' reading comprehension and content learning. We draw from recent research syntheses as well as individual studies. We highlight one…

English Language Learner Teacher Effectiveness and the Common Core

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Tammy; Wells, Lorra

2017-01-01

Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and teacher effectiveness are among the most contentious issues in education today. With an increase in English language learners (ELLs) and the rigorous requirements imposed by the CCSS, teachers are left unprepared and ELLs struggle to stay afloat. Using California as a case study, this research synthesis…

Providing Leadership to Meet the Needs of ELLs with Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Kristin; Barrera, Manuel

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are a growing part of the K-12 school population and will be included in the next generation of accountability assessments, just as they are now included in state assessments. These learners have some unique characteristics and may demonstrate their knowledge and skills in particular ways because…

Principles and Guidelines for Equitable Mathematics Teaching Practices and Materials for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moschkovich, Judit

2013-01-01

In this essay, the author describes principles for equitable mathematics teaching practices for English Language Learners (ELLs) and outlines guidelines for materials to support such practices. Although research cannot provide a recipe for equitable teaching practices for ELLs, teachers, educators, and administrators can use this set of…

Investigating Vocabulary and Reading Strategies with Middle Grades English Language Learners: A Research Synthesis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cisco, Brooke Kandel; Padron, Yolanda

2012-01-01

Recent data indicate that many adolescent English language learners (ELLs) comprehend English texts at only a limited literal level. The purpose of this research synthesis was to systematically identify and describe the research related to the English reading comprehension of middle grades ELLs while also making practical connections to…

Invented Rule with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boyer, Valerie E.; Martin, Kathryn Y.

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to utilize an invented rule with English language learners (ELLs) in a clinical setting to determine differences based on language and age of the children. The performance was correlated with teacher reports of strong and weak language learning. Using a within-participants design, ELLs of age three to five were taught…

Teaching English Language Learners: Strategies for Overcoming Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Helfrich, Sara R.; Bosh, Amy J.

2011-01-01

The number of English language learners (ELLs) in today's classrooms is increasing. In this article, the authors identify four perceived barriers beginning and veteran teachers face in teaching literacy to ELLs: the lack of understanding of the role of literacy in other cultures, the teacher's inability to differentiate instruction to meet the…

School Expenditures and Academic Achievement Differences between High-ELL-Performing and Low-ELL-Performing High Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jiménez-Castellanos, Oscar Hugo; García, David

2017-01-01

English Language Learners (ELLs) are one of the fastest-growing K-12 populations across the nation. Educating secondary ELLs poses a unique challenge to U.S. schools. For instance, ELLs tend to experience high rates of poverty and attend segregated, underfunded, and unsafe schools. With the "League of United Latin American Citizens vs.…

Instructional Coaching in Higher Education: Partnering to Infuse ELL Instructional Practices into Social Studies Courses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thibault, Malissa

2017-01-01

As evidenced in the growing achievement gap between English language learners (ELLs) and their non-ELL counterparts, it is clear future teachers need to be better prepared to work with ELLs. This study examined the influence of infusing ELL strategies into methods courses through instructional coaching. This study was inspired by the larger…

English language learners with learning disabilities interacting in a science class within an inclusion setting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ayala, Vivian Luz

In today's schools there are by far more students identified with learning disabilities (LD) than with any other disability. The U.S. Department of Education in the year 1997--98 reported that there are 38.13% students with LD in our nations' schools (Smith, Polloway, Patton, & Dowdy, 2001; U.S. Department of Education, 1999). Of those, 1,198,200 are considered ELLs with LD (Baca & Cervantes. 1998). These figures which represent an increase evidence the need to provide these students with educational experiences geared to address both their academic and language needs (Ortiz, 1997; Ortiz, & Garcia, 1995). English language learners with LD must be provided with experiences in the least restrictive environment (LRE) and must be able to share the same kind of social and academic experiences as those students from the general population (Etscheidt & Bartlett, 1999; Lloyd, Kameenui, & Chard, 1997) The purpose of this research was to conduct a detailed qualitative study on classroom interactions to enhance the understanding of the science curriculum in order to foster the understanding of content and facilitate the acquisition of English as a second language (Cummins, 2000; Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2000). This study was grounded on the theories of socioconstructivism, second language acquisition, comprehensible input, and classroom interactions. The participants of the study were fourth and fifth grade ELLS with LD in a science elementary school bilingual inclusive setting. Data was collected through observations, semi-structured interviews (students and teacher), video and audio taping, field notes, document analysis, and the Classroom Observation Schedule (COS). The transcriptions of the video and audio tapes were coded to highlight emergent patterns on the type of interactions and language used by the participants. The findings of the study intend to provide information for teachers of ELLs with LD about the implications of using classroom interactions point to: students more actively engaged, an increase in the acquisition of L2, development of science content vocabulary, and a willingness of students to take risks.

Study of the Feasibility of a NAEP Mathematics Accessible Block Alternative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DeStefano, Lizanne; Johnson, Jeremiah

2013-01-01

This paper describes one of the first efforts by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) to improve measurement at the lower end of the distribution, including measurement for students with disabilities (SD) and English language learners (ELLs). One way to improve measurement at the lower end is to introduce one or more…

Pedagogical Stances of High School ESL Teachers: "Huelgas" in High School ESL Classrooms

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

del Carmen Salazar, Maria

2010-01-01

This article presents a qualitative case study of the pedagogical stances of high school English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers, and the subsequent responses of resistance or conformity by their English Language Learners (ELLs). The participants include three high school ESL teachers and 60 high school ESL students of Mexican origin. Findings…

Update: Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program (TBIP), 2012-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malagon, Helen; McCold, Paul; Nelson, Joan Johnston

2013-01-01

This report provides an update on the Transitional Bilingual Instruction Program (TBIP). In 2012-13, 104,025 English language learners (ELLs) received state services through the TBIP. This was an increase of just over 9% from the previous year. Most students live in urban areas along Interstate 5 corridor and in rural areas like the Yakima Valley.…

"Rompiendo el Silencio": Meta-Analysis of the Effectiveness of Peer-Mediated Learning at Improving Language Outcomes for ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cole, Mikel W.

2013-01-01

This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of the effectiveness of peer-mediated learning for English language learners. Peer-mediated learning is presented as one pedagogical tool with promise for interrupting a legacy of structural and instructional silencing of culturally and linguistically diverse students. Oral language…

Time to English Reading Proficiency. Research Brief. RB 1201

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shneyderman, Aleksandr; Froman, Terry

2012-01-01

The time it takes for an English Language Learner (ELL) to reach reading proficiency in English depends on the grade level of entry into the English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program and on the student's initial English proficiency level. The summary table below presents the average years to English proficiency across different grade…

The Accessibility of Academic Vocabulary to Spanish Speaking High School Biology Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reed, Deborah K.; Medina, Luis A.; Martinez, Norma A.; Veleta, Lorena G.

2013-01-01

One recommendation for better preparing English language learners (ELLs) for scientific fields is to capitalize on Spanish speakers' knowledge of cognates. However, little is known about the presence of cognates in high school biology content. This study examined the linguistic basis of 968 terms co-occurring in at least one of four textbooks…

Preparing Bilingual Teacher Candidates: A Linguistic Conundrum in a Changing Political Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yturriago, Judith Kwiat; Gil-Garcia, Ana

2010-01-01

In schools across the country, many students who consistently score below their white peers on state standardized tests are English language learners (ELLs). Under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the reauthorized ESEA under President Obama, all 50 states are and will be required to have English language proficiency (ELP) standards and state…

Federal Attention on ELL Needs Seen to Wane

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxwell, Lesli A.

2012-01-01

As the number of English learners continues to grow faster than that of any other group in the nation's public schools, concerns are mounting that the distinctive needs of those students and the educators who work with them are receiving diminishing attention from the U.S. Department of Education. Even as the federal government spends roughly $750…

Urban Third Grade Teachers' Practices and Perceptions in Science Instruction with English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, Scott; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Adamson, Karen; Lee, Okhee

2011-01-01

The study examined relationships among key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students based on teachers' perceptions of their classroom practices (i.e., what they think they do) and actual classroom practices (i.e., what they are observed doing). The four domains under investigation included: (1) teachers'…

Effects of a Transnational Teaching Program in the Development of Cultural Critical Consciousness

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia-Paine, Jose M.

2011-01-01

The United States has been experiencing an ever-growing increase in the last few decades of English Language Learner students (ELLs) whose primary language is Spanish and who are of Mexican descent. At the same time, the teaching force in the country remains strongly homogeneously White, English-speaking, and female. This creates an inequitable…

Spanish Vocabulary-Bridging Technology-Enhanced Instruction for Young English Language Learners' Word Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leacox, Lindsey; Jackson, Carla Wood

2014-01-01

This study examined preschool and kindergarten English language learners (ELLs) attending a migrant summer programme and their vocabulary word learning during both adult-read and technology-enhanced repeated readings. In a within-subject design, 24 ELLs (four to six years old) engaged in repeated readings in a control and a treatment condition. In…

Resisting Assimilation: Deliberate Acculturation by the American English Language Learner

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schultz, Lyndsie

2016-01-01

Education policy has historically been viewed as having an influential part in crafting the roles of immigrants in American society. However, while policy makers continue to push their own agendas on English language learners (ELLs), ELLs continue to push back to create their own sense of what it means be an American. This article analyzes how…

Identifying Academically Gifted English-Language Learners Using Nonverbal Tests: A Comparison of the Raven, NNAT, and CogAT

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lohman, David F.; Korb, Katrina A.; Lakin, Joni M.

2008-01-01

In this study, the authors compare the validity of three nonverbal tests for the purpose of identifying academically gifted English-language learners (ELLs). Participants were 1,198 elementary children (approximately 40% ELLs). All were administered the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices (Raven), the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test (NNAT), and…

Assessment and Intervention for English Language Learners with Primary Language Impairment: Research-Based Best Practices

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pieretti, Robert A.; Roseberry-McKibbin, Celeste

2016-01-01

Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are experiencing the exciting challenge of serving increasing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. schools. When ELLs struggle in school, they may be overreferred for speech-language services. SLPs are routinely expected to differentiate a language difference based on cultural, linguistic, and…

A Longitudinal Analysis of English Language Learners' Word Decoding and Reading Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nakamoto, Jonathan; Lindsey, Kim A.; Manis, Franklin R.

2007-01-01

This longitudinal investigation examined word decoding and reading comprehension measures from first grade through sixth grade for a sample of Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs). The sample included 261 children (average age of 7.2 years; 120 boys; 141 girls) at the initial data collection in first grade. The ELLs' word decoding and…

Families Writing Together: The Experience of English Language Learner Families in a Writing Workshop

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Korab, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

The purpose of this qualitative study was to gain a greater understanding of English language learner (ELL) family involvement in school environments through the lens of family literacy. This study was informed by literature from two fields: early childhood writing and ELL family involvement. While some schools have focused on at-home reading…

Effect of Balanced Math Instruction on Math Performance of Grade 1 and Grade 2 English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cavanaugh, Gary Scott

2017-01-01

Research affirmed that instructional strategies that promote English Language Learners' (ELLs) Academic Language Proficiency (ALP) are essential in the primary grades for ELLs to succeed in school. This quantitative causal-comparative study relied on the premise of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and addressed to what extent Balanced Math…

Accommodations for English Language Learners with Disabilities in Federally-Mandated Statewide English Language Proficiency Assessments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuti, Laura M.

2011-01-01

The purpose of this research study was to conduct exploratory research to examine federally-mandated annual English language proficiency (ELP) assessment of English language learners (ELLs) and their use of accommodations on the assessment. First the researcher provides a review of the literature regarding accommodations provided for ELLs,…

Mobile-Assisted Narrative Writing Practice for Young English Language Learners from a Funds of Knowledge Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yan; Carger, Chris Liska; Smith, Thomas J.

2017-01-01

As a nation of immigrants with diverse cultures and nationalities, one of the most striking occurrences in the United States educational system is the rapidly increasing enrollment of English Language Learners (ELLs). In view of their multicultural backgrounds, the multiliteracies education of ELLs is intertwined with their diverse socioeconomic,…

A Culture of Collaboration: Meeting the Instructional Needs of Adolescent English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Russell, Felice Atesoglu

2012-01-01

This article details a study that focused on the supports that enabled an English language learner (ELL) facilitator to contribute to a culture of collaboration between the English as a Second Language (ESL) and Language Arts Departments to more effectively meet the instructional needs of ELLs in one culturally and linguistically diverse high…

Comparison of Oral Language Usage among English Language Learners Diagnosed with a Learning Disability and Those in General Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pray, Lisa

2009-01-01

The investigator compared the linguistic characteristics of Spanish and English language samples taken from English language learners (ELLs) diagnosed with an academic learning disability (LD) and ELLs in general education to determine if the errors and characteristics of their language use differ. There was a statistically significant difference…

Predictors and Outcomes of Early versus Later English Language Proficiency among English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Halle, Tamara; Hair, Elizabeth; Wandner, Laura; McNamara, Michelle; Chien, Nina

2012-01-01

The development of English language learners (ELLs) was explored from kindergarten through eighth grade within a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners (N = 19,890). Growth curve analyses indicated that, compared to native English speakers, ELLs were rated by teachers more favorably on approaches to learning, self-control,…

Assessment Tools to Differentiate between Language Differences and Disorders in English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shenoy, Sunaina

2014-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) who are in the process of acquiring English as a second language for academic purposes, are often misidentified as having Language Learning Disabilities (LLDs). Policies regarding the assessment of ELLs have undergone many changes through the years, such as the introduction of a Response to Intervention (RTI)…

Semiotic Structure and Meaning Making: The Performance of English Language Learners on Mathematics Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solano-Flores, Guillermo; Barnett-Clarke, Carne; Kachchaf, Rachel R.

2013-01-01

We examined the performance of English language learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs on Grade 4 and Grade 5 mathematics content knowledge (CK) and academic language (AL) tests. CK and AL items had different semiotic loads (numbers of different types of semiotic features) and different semiotic structures (relative frequencies of different semiotic…

Effects of Computer Assisted Learning Instructions on Reading Achievement among Middle School English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bayley-Hamlet, Simone O.

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of Imagine Learning, a computer assisted language learning (CALL) program, on addressing reading achievement for English language learners (ELLs). This is a measurement used in the Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS for ELLs or ACCESS) reading scale…

Investigating the Reading Engagement of English Language Learners: A Case Study of Four Middle School ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Protacio, Maria Selena O.

2013-01-01

This study investigates the reading engagement of four middle school English Language Learners (ELLs) in their English or English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. Engaged readers are those who address the four components of reading engagement--motivation, strategic knowledge, constructing meaning from texts, and social interactions. In this…

Demographic Characteristics of Successful English Language Learners in Rural Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murley, Colleen A.

2017-01-01

As the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to grow in our country, schools are looking for ways to better identify and to help those who need English as a Second Language (ESL) services (Mossaad, 2016). ELLs present a unique challenge to school districts as some perceive that the federal guidelines are vague, but require school…

Understanding Videotext: Listening Strategy Use by Adult Mandarin-Chinese English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Slimon, Jason

2012-01-01

A vast number of news video listening materials are now easily accessible to English language learners (ELLs) due to developments in broadcast and multimedia technology. While little is known about how ELLs attempt to comprehend this challenging medium, researchers agree on the critical nature of listening skills, which researchers have placed at…

Professional Development for Teachers of English Language Learners: Discursive Norms, Learning Processes, and Professional Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molle, Daniella

2010-01-01

The lack of empirical scholarship on professional development initiatives for teachers of English language learners (ELLs) in US schools has been repeatedly documented in educational research. The present dissertation project examines a professional development course specifically designed for K-12 teachers of ELLs. The course aims to foster the…

Goats Don't Wear Coats: An Examination of Semantic Interference in Rhyming Assessments of Reading Readiness for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moreira, Sylvia; Hamilton, Maryellen

2006-01-01

Rhyming tests have historically been used in the education system to assess reading readiness. English language learners (ELLs) have consistently scored poorly on these assessment tools. The current article examines a possible reason for this poor performance by ELLs. Specifically, the authors examined the relationship between semantic…

The Relationship between Mathematics and Language: Academic Implications for Children with Specific Language Impairment and English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alt, Mary; Arizmendi, Genesis D.; Beal, Carole R.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The present study examined the relationship between mathematics and language to better understand the nature of the deficit and the academic implications associated with specific language impairment (SLI) and academic implications for English language learners (ELLs). Method: School-age children (N = 61; 20 SLI, 20 ELL, 21 native…

Accommodations for English Language Learners Taking Large-Scale Assessments: A Meta-Analysis on Effectiveness and Validity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.; Lesaux, Nonie K.; Rivera, Mabel; Francis, David J.

2009-01-01

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…

Learning Strategies in Alleviating English Writing Anxiety for English Language Learners (ELLs) with Limited English Proficiency (LEP)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wu, Chia-Pei; Lin, Huey-Ju

2016-01-01

This study utilized the Oxford Strategy Inventory for Language Learning (SILL) and an English writing anxiety scale to examine the relationship between learning strategies and English writing anxiety in 102 university-level English language learners (ELLs) with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) in a university in Taiwan. Kruskal Wallis Test…

Learning to Teach Inquiry: A Beginning Science Teacher of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortega, Irasema; Luft, Julie A.; Wong, Sissy S.

2013-01-01

Early career science teachers are often assigned to classrooms with high numbers of English language learners (ELLs). For the underprepared early career science teacher, these circumstances are challenging. This study examines the changes in beliefs and practices of an early career science teacher who taught high numbers of ELLs in an urban…

Nurturing Young Gifted English Language Learners: A Survival Guide for Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smutny, Joan F.

2012-01-01

For many young gifted English Language Learners (ELLs), going to an American school is like a trip to Mars. Everything and everyone looks strange. Many ELLs feel unsure of their abilities when they discover that their proficiency in English can sometimes hinder achievement. They wonder what the other kids think of their speech, their accents,…

Finding and Understanding Talent among Elementary English Language Learners: Beyond Project Hope

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pereira, Nielsen

2011-01-01

The under-identification and underrepresentation of English language learners (ELLs) in gifted programs remains a severe and pervasive problem in the field of gifted education (Yoon & Gentry, 2009, VanTassel-Baska & Stambaugh, 2007). This study focused on ELLs in grades K-5 from four elementary schools in Midwestern school districts (a) to…

An Analysis of State Assessment Policies Addressing the Accommodation of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rivera, Carlene; Collum, Eric

2004-01-01

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 English Language Learners (ELLs) and non-ELLs. Studies looked at one or…

ELLs' Perceptions of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Rachael M.

2017-01-01

This research investigated reading support and book preferences of fourth grade English language learners (ELLs) who were struggling readers. This qualitative research focused on three case studies. Interviews were conducted to explore ELLs' perceptions on reading motivation, reading programs, and types of support they received. Descriptions of…

ELLs' Perceptions of Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howard, Rachael M.

2012-01-01

This research investigated reading support and book preferences of fourth grade English language learners (ELLs) who were struggling readers. This qualitative research focused on three case studies. Interviews were conducted to explore ELLs' perceptions on reading motivation, reading programs, and types of support they received. Descriptions of…

The Effects of Dynamic Strategic Math on English Language Learners' Word Problem Solving

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orosco, Michael J.; Swanson, H. Lee; O'Connor, Rollanda; Lussier, Cathy

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) struggle with solving word problems for a number of reasons beyond math procedures or calculation challenges. As a result, ELLs may not only need math support but also reading and linguistic support. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a math comprehension strategy called Dynamic Strategic…

Identity Texts and Literacy Development among Preschool English Language Learners: Enhancing Learning Opportunities for Children at Risk for Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bernhard, Judith K.; Cummins, Jim; Campoy, F. Isabel; Ada, Alma Flor; Winsler, Adam; Bleiker, Charles

2006-01-01

There is little research on English language learners (ELLs) in relation to learning disability (LD) assessment and identification. More important, there is a scarcity of research on models and strategies that enhance learning opportunities and outcomes for ELLs prior to an LD diagnosis. We describe in this article an innovative language…

Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Conceptions of English Language Learners and Strategies to Support Them: An Examination of Two Professional Development Communities of Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Sarah Ann

2009-01-01

This study examined teachers' positioning of English language learners (ELLs) and instructional strategies to support them within the Problem Solving Cycle professional development program. Using a communities of practice lens (Wenger, 2000) and building on literature related to supporting ELLs in mathematics, Mathematics Knowledge for Teaching…

Reading Interventions for Elementary English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities: A Review

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Boon, Richard T.; Barbetta, Patricia M.

2017-01-01

This paper provides a review of the literature on reading interventions for English language learners (ELLs) with learning disabilities (LD) in the elementary grade levels (K-5). The goal of this review was to identify and evaluate reading interventions that have been used in the special education literature for ELLs with LD in the early grade…

Reading, Mathematics, and Science Instructional Strategies for English Language Learners with Disabilities: Insights from Educators Nationwide. ELLs with Disabilities Report 19

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrera, Manuel; Shyyan, Vitaliy; Liu, Kristi K.; Thurlow, Martha L.

2008-01-01

This study, conducted in 2005-06, identified teacher-initiated instructional strategies currently preferred by practitioners who daily work with English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities. The findings generated in this study could potentially confirm strategies identified in the authors' earlier work (Thurlow et al., 2004) through the…

The Cost of Providing an Adequate Education to English Language Learners: A Review of the Literature

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez-Castellanos, Oscar; Topper, Amelia M.

2012-01-01

This article systematically reviews the cost study literature as it relates to the treatment of English language learners (ELLs). Despite the substantial number of costing out studies that have been conducted over the past several decades, the school finance literature has failed to focus on ELLs--the fastest growing segment of the school-age…

A Language-Based Approach to Content Instruction (LACI) for English Language Learners: Examples from Two Elementary Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Oliveira, Luciana C.

2016-01-01

The number of English language learners (ELLs) in the United States has increased dramatically. Given this increase it is vital for teacher education programs at the pre-service level and professional learning programs at eh in-service level to address the needs of ELLs. This article presents a teacher preparation model--"a language-based…

Developing Literacy in English Language Learners: Findings from a Review of the Experimental Research

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

August, Diane; McCardle, Peggy; Shanahan, Timothy

2014-01-01

In the past decade the proportion of school-aged children in the United States who are English language learners (ELLs) grew by 32%, compared with a 4.9% overall increase in U.S. school enrollment. This only heightens the already important challenge of providing effective, appropriate reading instruction for ELLs because all teachers can expect to…

Transnational English Language Learners Fighting on an Unlevel Playing Field: High School Exit Exams, Accommodations, and ESL Status

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alexander, Mariko Mizuno

2017-01-01

Though previous research addresses the negative impact of state-mandated high school exit exams on English language learners' (ELLs) educational experiences, less attention has been given to how college-oriented ELLs, especially those who attended school in their home countries before coming to the US, handle rigorous exams or gain access to…

Structuring Cooperative Learning in Teaching English Pronunciation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Hsuan-Yu; Goswami, Jaya S.

2011-01-01

Classrooms incorporating Cooperative Learning (CL) structures facilitate a supportive learning environment for English Language Learners (ELLs). Accurate pronunciation by ELLs is important for communication, and also benefits academic achievement. The known benefits of CL for ELLs make it a desirable learning environment to teach pronunciation…

Learning English: Accountability, Common Core and the College-for-All Movement Are Transforming Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jacobs, Joanne

2016-01-01

Ninety-five percent of students at Redwood City's Hoover School, in San Mateo County, California, come from low-income and working-class Latino families, and nearly all start school as English language learners (ELLs). The elementary and middle school piloted the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) program in 2009 in hopes of raising reading…

From Blueprint to Building: Lifting the Torch for Multilingual Students in New York State

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carnock, Janie Tankard

2016-01-01

Around 30 percent of families across New York State now speak a language other than English at home, resulting in 240,000 English language learners (ELLs) in the state's primary and secondary schools who speak nearly 200 different languages. This report looks at New York State's redesign of policies and practices to better support the education of…

State Implementation of NCLB Policies and Interpretation of the NAEP Performance of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duran, Richard P.

2006-01-01

This report outlines several critical issues that should be addressed in order to allow states to explore and understand relationships between the performance of ELL students on NAEP and on state assessments in this policy context. The results of this study can be useful to a variety of education stakeholders who are interested in improving the…

"I Was Bitten by a Scorpion": Reading in and out of School in a Refugee's Life

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sarroub, Loukia K.; Pernicek, Todd; Sweeney, Tracy

2007-01-01

This study examined the progress of Hayder, a high school student, in becoming a reader within an English language learner (ELL) reading program. The authors delve into the relationships between this young man's masculinity as a Yezidi Kurdish refugee, the reading instruction he received, his attempts to stay in school, and his successful literacy…

Developing a Culture of Resilience for Low-Income Immigrant Youth

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borrero, Noah; Lee, Diane Sookyoung; Padilla, Amado M.

2013-01-01

This study explores a story of success at a school where low-income, English language learners (ELLs) comprise a majority of its students. In this paper, we examine Bay Academy's teaching and organizational practices that make it a place where youth feel they belong and can succeed. Central to this description is its culture of college, community-…

Examining the Simple View of Reading Model for United States High School Spanish Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sparks, Richard; Patton, Jon

2016-01-01

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) model, which posits that reading comprehension is the product of word decoding and language comprehension that make independent contributions to reading skill, has been found to explain the acquisition of first language (L1) reading and second language (L2) reading in young English language learners (ELLs).…

Former English Language Learners: A Case Study of the Perceived Influence of Developmental English Programs on Academic Achievement and Retention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cigdem, Hayriye Nilgun

2017-01-01

The purpose of the study was to explore the perceptions of former ELL students on aspects of their learning community experiences in a New York City community college to better understand how participating in the learning community's one-semester developmental English program contributed to their increased academic achievement and persistence.…

Reading Achievement across Three Language Groups: Growth Estimates for Overall Reading and Reading Subskills Obtained with the Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roberts, Greg; Mohammed, Sarojani S.; Vaughn, Sharon

2010-01-01

This study estimated normative reading trajectories for the population of English-proficient language minority students attending U.S. public elementary schools. Achievement of English-language learners (ELLs) was evaluated in terms of native English speakers' progress, and estimates were adjusted for the effects of socioeconomic status (SES). The…

An Analysis of How Restrictive Language Policies Are Interpreted by Arizona's Department of Education and Three Individual School Districts' Websites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez-Silva, Margarita; Bernstein, Katie A.; Baca, Evelyn C.

2016-01-01

Restrictive language policies for education have been passed in several states in the United States. In 1998, 2000, and 2002, California, Arizona, and Massachusetts passed the most restrictive of these policies, impacting 4.4 million students classified as English language learners (ELLs). This study examines how these policies are currently…

A Correlational Study of Graphic Organizers and Science Achievement of English Language Learners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clarke, William Gordon

English language learners (ELLs) demonstrate lower academic performance and have lower graduation and higher dropout rates than their non-ELL peers. The primary purpose of this correlational quantitative study was to investigate the relationship between the use of graphic organizer-infused science instruction and science learning of high school ELLs. Another objective was to determine if the method of instruction, socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and English language proficiency (ELP) were predictors of academic achievement of high school ELLs. Data were gathered from a New York City (NYC) high school fall 2012-2013 archival records of 145 ninth-grade ELLs who had received biology instruction in freestanding English as a second language (ESL) classes, followed by a test of their learning of the material. Fifty-four (37.2%) of these records were of students who had learned science by the conventional textbook method, and 91 (62.8%) by using graphic organizers. Data analysis employed the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software for multiple regression analysis, which found graphic organizer use to be a significant predictor of New York State Regents Living Environment (NYSRLE) test scores (p < .01). One significant regression model was returned whereby, when combined, the four predictor variables (method of instruction, SES, gender, and ELP) explained 36% of the variance of the NYSRLE score. Implications of the study findings noted graphic organizer use as advantageous for ELL science achievement. Recommendations made for practice were for (a) the adoption of graphic organizer infused-instruction, (b) establishment of a protocol for the implementation of graphic organizer-infused instruction, and (c) increased length of graphic organizer instructional time. Recommendations made for future research were (a) a replication quantitative correlational study in two or more high schools, (b) a quantitative quasi-experimental quantitative study to determine the influence of graphic organizer instructional intervention and ELL science achievement, (c) a quantitative quasi-experimental study to determine the effect of teacher-based factors on graphic organizer-infused instruction, and (c) a causal comparative study to determine the efficacy of graphic organizer use in testing modifications for high school ELL science.

The cross-linguistic transfer of early literacy skills: the role of initial L1 and L2 skills and language of instruction.

PubMed

Cárdenas-Hagan, Elsa; Carlson, Coleen D; Pollard-Durodola, Sharolyn D

2007-07-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of initial first and second language proficiencies as well as the language of instruction that a student receives on the relationship between native language ability of students who are English language learners (ELLs) and their development of early literacy skills and the second language. This study investigated the development of early language and literacy skills among Spanish-speaking students in 2 large urban school districts, 1 middle-size urban district, and 1 border district. A total of 1,016 ELLs in kindergarten participated in the study. Students were administered a comprehensive battery of tests in English and Spanish, and classroom observations provided information regarding the Spanish or English language use of the teacher. Findings from this study suggest that Spanish-speaking students with high Spanish letter name and sound knowledge tend to show high levels of English letter name and sound knowledge. ELLs with low Spanish and English letter name and sound knowledge tend to show high levels of English letter name and sound knowledge when they are instructed in English. Letter name and sound identification skills are fairly highly positively correlated across languages in the beginning of the kindergarten year. In addition, phonological awareness skills appear to be the area with the most significant and direct transfer of knowledge, and language skills do not appear to be a factor in the development of phonological awareness. Finally, the relationship between oral language skills across languages was low, suggesting little relationship between oral language skills across languages at the beginning of the kindergarten year. Results from this study suggest that pedagogical decisions for ELLs should not only consider effective instructional literacy strategies but also acknowledge that the language of instruction for Spanish-speaking ELLs may produce varying results for different students.

A Math Intervention for Third Grade Latino English Language Learners at Risk for Math Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Orosco, Michael J.

2014-01-01

Word problems for English language learners (ELLs) at risk for math disabilities are challenging in terms of the constant need to develop precise math language and comprehension knowledge. As a result of this, ELLs may not only need math support but also reading and linguistic support. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of a…

A Phenomenological Study: The Impacts of Developing Phonetic Awareness through Technological Resources on English Language Learners' (ELL) Communicative Competences

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fabre-Merchán, Paolo; Torres-Jara, Gabriela; Andrade-Dominguez, Francisco; Ortiz-Zurita, Ma. José; Alvarez-Muñoz, Patricio

2017-01-01

Throughout our experience within the English Language Teaching (ELT) field and while acquiring a second language in English a Foreign Language (EFL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) settings, we have noticed that one of the main perceived challenges for English Language Learners (ELLs) is to effectively communicate. Most of the time, this…

A Formative Study Investigating the Acquisition of Early Reading Skills among High School English Language Learners Beginning to Read English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bell, Athene Cooper

2012-01-01

A formative design experiment methodology was employed to investigate the acquisition of early reading skills for high school English language learners (ELLs) beginning to read English. A fundamental challenge facing high school ELLs entering schools in the United States for the first time is learning how to read. While there is considerable…

Research-Based Recommendations for the Use of Accommodations in Large-Scale Assessments: 2012 Update. Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners. Book 4

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kieffer, Michael J.; Rivera, Mabel; Francis, David J.

2012-01-01

This report presents results from a new quantitative synthesis of research on the effectiveness and validity of test accommodations for English language learners (ELLs) taking large-scale assessments. In 2006, the Center on Instruction published a review of the literature on test accommodations for ELLs titled "Practical Guidelines for the…

Factors that contribute to Hispanic English Language Learners' high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas: A multicase study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elizondo, Antonio

The purpose of this multicase study was to discover factors that contribute to Hispanic English language learners' (ELL) high academic performance in high school science in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. Participants were high school seniors enrolled in college-level classes who had scored commended on the science exit-level Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills and ranked toward the top of their class. One student from each of four different high schools in south Texas were selected to participate. Schools identified students meeting the participant criteria and provided consent documents. In this qualitative research study, students were interviewed on three different dates. Administrators and science teachers were also interviewed for triangulation. Significant findings showed that intrinsic qualities were mainly responsible for factors contributing to high academic performance. Hispanic ELL students need meaningful responsibilities to internalize self-esteem and self-efficacy to realize high academic performance. Self-motivation, a contributing factor, provides students with a positive outlook on high academic performance and the ability to defer more immediate undermining rewards. Students expect to contribute to society by helping others. This helps their self-esteem as well as their self-worth and supports high academic performance. Parental and teacher support are critical for high academic performance. Low socioeconomic status alone is not a causal factor for poor academic performance. School administrations should assign willing and enthusiastic teachers as mentors to target students and provide skills to parents that promote, inspire, and motivate students' intrinsic qualities. Future studies should examine different leadership styles that maximize teachers' ability to influence students' high academic performance. Finally, students should be given guidance in setting career goals and demonstrating that high academic achievement is attainable and beneficial for all students.

Targeted Observation of ELL Instruction as a Tool in the Preparation of School Leaders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baecher, Laura; Knoll, Marcia; Patti, Janet

2016-01-01

Preparing school administrators to promote effective instruction of English language learners (ELLs) is an important dimension of today's educational leadership programs, requiring innovative program activities. This study explores school leadership candidates' use of an observation tool targeted to ELL instruction that incorporated guided video…

Universally Designed Assessments for ELLs with Disabilities: What We've Learned So Far

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnstone, Christopher J.; Anderson, Michael E.; Thompson, Sandra J.

2006-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) with disabilities are an emerging population in the U.S. and therefore command special attention in assessment systems. Research has demonstrated that "universal design of assessment" approaches are effective in helping to make assessments more accessible for ELLs with disabilities. Special education…

Informed Additive Literacy Instruction for ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bauer, Eurydice Bouchereau

2009-01-01

There are numerous reasons why schools struggle to provide English-language learners (ELLs) with additive literacy instruction. One reason for this is the lack of available trained bilingual teachers, mainstream teachers who have not received adequate training on how to teach ELLs, and the current political climate that appears to support an…

Guiding Preservice Teachers to Adapt Mathematics Word Problems through Interactions with ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurz, Terri L.; Gómez, Conrado; Jimenez-Silva, Margarita

2017-01-01

In this article, the authors present a framework for guiding elementary preservice teachers in adapting mathematics word problems to better meet English language learners' (ELLs) needs. They analyze preservice teachers' ELL adaptations implemented in a one-on-one setting. Through qualitative methods, four themes regarding implemented adaptations…

Flipping Math in a Secondary Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graziano, Kevin J.; Hall, John D.

2017-01-01

Research on flipped instruction with K-12 English Language Learners (ELLs) is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the academic performance of ELLs who received flipped instruction in an algebra course at a newcomer high school, and to investigate ELLs' perceptions of flipped learning. Results indicate flipped instruction engaged…

Examining the Relationship between Math Scores and English Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Denfield L.

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) at a south Florida elementary school have consistently struggled with the mathematics segment of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Examining the relationship between ELLs' mathematics scores and English proficiency might provide local educators with ideas for reversing a downward trend in ELLs' mathematics…

Deaf/hard-of-hearing and other postsecondary learners' retention of STEM content with tablet computer-based notes.

PubMed

Stinson, Michael S; Elliot, Lisa B; Easton, Donna

2014-04-01

Four groups of postsecondary students, 25 who were deaf/hard of hearing (D/HH), 25 with a learning disability, 25 who were English language learners (ELLs), and 25 without an identified disability studied notes that included text and graphical information based on a physics or a marine biology lecture. The latter 3 groups were normally hearing. All groups had higher scores on post- than on pretests for each lecture, with each group showing generally similar gains in amount of material learned from the pretest to the posttest. For each lecture, the D/HH students scored lower on the pre- and posttests than the other 3 groups of participants. Results indicated that students acquired measurable amounts of information from studying these types of notes for relatively short periods and that the notes have equal potential to support the acquisition of information by each of these groups of students.

Assessment of Young English Language Learners in Arizona: Questioning the Validity of the State Measure of English Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Garcia, Eugene E.; Lawton, Kerry; Diniz de Figueiredo, Eduardo H.

2010-01-01

This study analyzes the Arizona policy of utilizing a single assessment of English proficiency to determine if students should be exited from the ELL program, which is ostensibly designed to make it possible for them to succeed in the mainstream classroom without any further language support. The study examines the predictive validity of this…

Building the Bridge as You Walk on It: Didactic Behaviors of Elementary Teachers in a Dual Language Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ray, Juliet M.

2008-01-01

While there is evidence that the dual language model has the potential to raise the academic achievement of English language learners (ELLs), the policies mandated through the No Child Left Behind Act do not support maintenance of the student's heritage language which is an integral part of the model. Using symbolic interactionism as a framework,…

US Urban Elementary Teachers' Knowledge and Practices in Teaching Science to English Language Learners: Results from the First Year of a Professional Development Intervention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Santau, Alexandra O.; Secada, Walter; Maerten-Rivera, Jaime; Cone, Neporcha; Lee, Okhee

2010-01-01

The study examined US elementary teachers' knowledge and practices in four key domains of science instruction with English language learning (ELL) students. The four domains included: (1) teachers' knowledge of science content, (2) teaching practices to promote scientific understanding, (3) teaching practices to promote scientific inquiry, and (4)…

Creating Schools That Support Success for English Language Learners. Lessons Learned. Volume 1, Issue 2

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stepanek, Jennifer; Raphael, Jacqueline

2010-01-01

The past two decades have brought the second largest wave of immigration in U.S. history. This has led to a rapid and unprecedented influx of immigrants to the Pacific Northwest as well as a rise in the number of English language learners (ELLs) in schools. Between 2002-2003 and 2007-2008, the Northwest's annual growth in ELL enrollment was nearly…

Teacher Use of Brain-Based Research, Response to Intervention, and Teacher Efficacy in Elementary Schools with High and Low Individual Education Plan Growth for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fernandez, Nicole

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to explore the possible causes that might contribute to the disproportionate percentage of English language learners ELLs with special education individual education plans (IEPs). Elementary school classroom teachers from school districts that exhibited high growth in the percentage of ELLs with IEPs during 2007-2010…

An Evaluation of the Relationship among State Accountability Reading Test Scores and Levels of Language Proficiency of English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Greene, Dana Huffman

2015-01-01

Growing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in the United States have become a trend in recent years; and North Carolina, including the region of this study, is no exception to this trend. As a result of the national rise in ELLs, NCLB was enacted with the goal of increasing academic achievement and closing the achievement gap between…

Teacher Self-Efficacy and Cultural Proficiency: Program Evaluation for EL MAR Professional Development

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Davis, Catherine Hofius

2014-01-01

Many classroom teachers across the United States struggle to teach English language learners (ELLs) effectively, despite professional development in ELL strategies. This national problem is reflected in a rural middle school, the focus of this study. To address the academic needs of low-performing ELLs, the professional development model,…

The Bridge of Knowledge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yu Ren

2014-01-01

Although many English language learners (ELLs) in the United States have knowledge gaps that make it hard for them to master high-level content and skills, ELLs also often have background knowledge relevant to school learning that teachers neglect to access, this author argues. In the Common Core era, with ELLs being the fastest growing population…

Hopefulness for Teachers of ELLs in the Era of NCLB

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colombo, Michaela; McMakin, Deborah; Jacobs, Cynthia; Shestok, Carol

2013-01-01

In this article the authors explore the role of critical hope as an essential quality in teachers' preparation to teach English Language Learners (ELLs) in the era of No Child Left Behind. The authors found that high stakes testing with inappropriate measures combined with teachers' lack of preparation to teach ELLs resulted in a downward spiral…

"The Biggest Problem": School Leaders' Covert Construction of Latino ELL Families--Institutional Racism in a Neoliberal Schooling Context

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Briscoe, Felecia M.

2014-01-01

This critical discourse analysis focuses upon the discursive construction of Latino English language learners (ELL) identity within a Texas neoliberal schooling context. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine the construction of Latino ELL identities in the discourses of Texas school leaders practicing under the aegis of neoliberal…

Systematic Professional Development Training and Its Impact on Teachers' Attitudes toward ELLs: SIOP and Guided Coaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Song, Kim Hyunsook

2016-01-01

This study examined systematic professional development (PD) training and its impact on teachers' roles for and attitudes toward English language learners (ELLs). Systematic PD should compensate for theories and pedagogies not obtained during teacher education programs yet needed for content teachers with ELLs. A study was conducted to examine…

Tapping into English Language Learners' (ELLs') Prior Knowledge in Social Studies Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dong, Yu Ren

2017-01-01

Second language research and Culturally Relevant Pedagogy have shown a consensus that ELLs who have studied social studies in their home countries will have a better chance of understanding social studies concepts and quickly catching up to their native English-speaking peers. This article discusses strategies to make good use of ELLs' prior…

Success with ELLs: Working with English Language Learners--Looking Back, Moving Forward

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DelliCarpini, Margo; Alonso, Orlando

2013-01-01

In the years since 2008, when the "Success with ELLs" column started, these authors have seen many changes to the educational landscape, not dealing specifically with ELLs, but having implications for their education. Probably, the most significant change has been the adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), which have no…

Increasing ELL Parental Involvement in Our Schools: Learning from the Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Panferov, Suzanne

2010-01-01

Engaging parents as advocates for school success in the home is particularly important for English Language Learners (ELL). Tapping into the experiences of ELL parents in their own lives about schooling and literacy is a resource educators can use to increase parental involvement. This article describes the stories of two parents and compares…

Beyond Compliance: ESL Faculty's Perspectives on Preparing General Education Faculty for ESL Infusion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Jong, Ester J.; Naranjo, Cindy; Li, Shuzhan; Ouzia, ­Aicha

2018-01-01

The trend of placing English language learners (ELLs) in mainstream classrooms has teacher education programs developing their capacity to prepare all teachers to educate ELLs. This study examined how universities in Florida implement a professional development requirement to help faculty infuse ELL content into their courses. Our findings suggest…

Understanding the Development of a Hybrid Practice of Inquiry-Based Science Instruction and Language Development: A Case Study of One Teacher's Journey through Reflections on Classroom Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Capitelli, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Rankin, Lynn; Austin, Marilyn; Caven, Gennifer

2016-01-01

This qualitative case study looks closely at an elementary teacher who participated in professional development experiences that helped her develop a hybrid practice of using inquiry-based science to teach both science content and English language development (ELD) to her students, many of whom are English language learners (ELLs). This case study…

A Capstone Project Using the Gap Analysis Model: Closing the College Readiness Gap for Latino English Language Learners with a Focus on School Support and School Counseling Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jimenez, Evelyn

2013-01-01

This capstone project applied Clark and Estes' (2008) gap analysis framework to identify performance gaps, develop perceived root causes, validate the causes, and formulate research-based solutions to present to Trojan High School. The purpose was to examine ways to increase the academic achievement of ELL students, specifically Latinos, by…

A Preliminary Study on the Use of Mind Mapping as a Visual-Learning Strategy in General Education Science Classes for Arabic Speakers in the United Arab Emirates

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Kenesha; Copeland-Solas, Eddia; Guthrie-Dixon, Natalie

2016-01-01

Mind mapping was introduced as a culturally relevant pedagogy aimed at enhancing the teaching and learning experience in a general education, Environmental Science class for mostly Emirati English Language Learners (ELL). Anecdotal evidence suggests that the students are very artistic and visual and enjoy group-based activities. It was decided to…

The language growth of spanish-speaking English language learners.

PubMed

Rojas, Raúl; Iglesias, Aquiles

2013-01-01

Although the research literature regarding language growth trajectories is burgeoning, the shape and direction of English Language Learners' (ELLs) language growth trajectories are largely not known. This study used growth curve modeling to determine the shape of ELLs' language growth trajectories across 12,248 oral narrative language samples (6,516 Spanish; 5,732 English) produced by 1,723 ELLs during the first 3 years of formal schooling (M age at first observation = 5 years 7 months). Results indicated distinct trajectories of language growth over time for each language differentially impacted by summer vacation and gender, significant intra- and interindividual differences in initial status and growth rates across both languages, and language-specific relations between language growth and initial status. Implications of ELLs' language growth are discussed. © 2012 The Authors. Child Development © 2012 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

English Language Learners and English-Only Learners' Response to Direct Vocabulary Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crevecoeur, Yvel C.; Coyne, Michael D.; McCoach, D. Betsy

2014-01-01

We examined data from an 18-week kindergarten vocabulary intervention study to determine whether treatment outcomes had differential effects that favored English language learners (ELLs) or English-only learners (EOLs) and whether the relationship between initial English general receptive vocabulary knowledge and response to vocabulary…

Self-Concept and Native Language Background: A Study of Measurement Invariance and Cross-Group Comparisons in Third Grade

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehaus, Kate; Adelson, Jill L.

2013-01-01

This study examined the measurement and interpretation of self-concept among the growing population of children who are English Language Learners (ELLs). More specifically, a 3-group analysis was conducted comparing native English-speaking children, Spanish-speaking ELLs, and ELLs from Asian language backgrounds. Data were drawn from the Early…

Investigating Bilingual/ESL Teachers' Knowledge and Professional Development Opportunities in a Large Suburban School District in Texas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Franco-Fuenmayor, Susana E.; Padrón, Yolanda N.; Waxman, Hersh C.

2015-01-01

Despite the fact that the population of English Language Learners (ELLs) is rapidly increasing, there is ample evidence that indicates that most teachers can benefit from training for teaching ELLs effectively. The purpose of this study is to examine teachers' knowledge of instructional practices for ELLs, research on bilingual programs,…

The Use of Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Language Skills (DIBELS) and Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) to Compare Reading Proficiency in Native English Speakers and English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellett, Ryan

2014-01-01

This study compares native English, Spanish, Lao, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Arabic, and all other ELL students over one, two, three, and four-year spans to determine if certain groups appear to face more difficulties in developing early reading mastery by third grade. This study also examines whether socio-economic status impacts the…

Intervention Provided to Linguistically Diverse Middle School Students with Severe Reading Difficulties

PubMed Central

Denton, Carolyn A.; Wexler, Jade; Vaughn, Sharon; Bryan, Deanna

2012-01-01

This study investigated the effectiveness of a multicomponent reading intervention implemented with middle school students with severe reading difficulties, all of whom had received remedial and/or special education for several years with minimal response to intervention. Participants were 38 students in grades 6–8 who had severe deficits in word reading, reading fluency, and reading comprehension. Most were Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) with identified disabilities. Nearly all demonstrated severely limited oral vocabularies in English and, for ELLs, in both English and Spanish. Students were randomly assigned to receive the research intervention (n = 20) or typical instruction provided in their school’s remedial reading or special education classes (n = 18). Students in the treatment group received daily explicit and systematic small-group intervention for 40 minutes over 13 weeks, consisting of a modified version of a phonics-based remedial program augmented with English as a Second Language practices and instruction in vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension strategies. Results indicated that treatment students did not demonstrate significantly higher outcomes in word recognition, comprehension, or fluency than students who received the school’s typical instruction and that neither group demonstrated significant growth over the course of the study. Significant correlations were found between scores on teachers’ ratings of students’ social skills and problem behaviors and posttest decoding and spelling scores, and between English oral vocabulary scores and scores in word identification and comprehension. The researchers hypothesize that middle school students with the most severe reading difficulties, particularly those who are ELLs and those with limited oral vocabularies, may require intervention of considerably greater intensity than that provided in this study. Further research directly addressing features of effective remediation for these students is needed. PMID:22736893

English Language Learners' Nonword Repetition Performance: The Influence of Age, L2 Vocabulary Size, Length of L2 Exposure, and L1 Phonology.

PubMed

Duncan, Tamara Sorenson; Paradis, Johanne

2016-02-01

This study examined individual differences in English language learners' (ELLs) nonword repetition (NWR) accuracy, focusing on the effects of age, English vocabulary size, length of exposure to English, and first-language (L1) phonology. Participants were 75 typically developing ELLs (mean age 5;8 [years;months]) whose exposure to English began on average at age 4;4. Children spoke either a Chinese language or South Asian language as an L1 and were given English standardized tests for NWR and receptive vocabulary. Although the majority of ELLs scored within or above the monolingual normal range (71%), 29% scored below. Mixed logistic regression modeling revealed that a larger English vocabulary, longer English exposure, South Asian L1, and older age all had significant and positive effects on ELLs' NWR accuracy. Error analyses revealed the following L1 effect: onset consonants were produced more accurately than codas overall, but this effect was stronger for the Chinese group whose L1s have a more limited coda inventory compared with English. ELLs' NWR performance is influenced by a number of factors. Consideration of these factors is important in deciding whether monolingual norm referencing is appropriate for ELL children.

The Relations among L1 (Spanish) Literacy Skills, L2 (English) Language, L2 Text Reading Fluency, and L2 Reading Comprehension for Spanish-Speaking ELL First Grade Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Young-Suk

2012-01-01

We investigated the relations of L2 (i.e., English) oral reading fluency, silent reading fluency, word reading automaticity, oral language skills, and L1 literacy skills (i.e., Spanish) to L2 reading comprehension for Spanish-speaking English language learners in the first grade (N = 150). An analysis was conducted for the entire sample as well as…

Listening to middle-school Spanish-speaking English language learners: A qualitative study of their perspectives of science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Ferrao, Julio E.

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the understanding and explanation of the science achievement gap between Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) and their mainstream peers. The sample of purposefully selected participants (N = 23) included students representing eight Spanish-speaking countries who attended three middle schools (grades 6th-8th), 11 boys and 12 girls, with different years of schooling in the United States, English proficiency levels, and science achievement levels. Data gathering strategies included individual interviews with participants, classroom observations, and analysis of secondary data sources on students' English language proficiency and science achievement. Data interpretation strategies using a critical-interpretive perspective consisted of coding and narrative analysis, including analyses of excerpts and case studies. Two major findings emerge from the study: (1) An inverse relation between participants' number of years of exposure to science learning in an English-only learning environment and their science achievement levels; and (2) specific participant-identified problems, such as learning the science vocabulary, writing in science, the use of mathematics in science, and the lack of sense making in the science classroom. Key recommendations comprise: (1) Acknowledging the value of dual language education; (2) supporting the science-literacy connection; (3) ensuring high-quality science through research-informed instructional strategies; and (4) assessing ELLs' science achievement.

ELL Spoken Here

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starkman, Neal

2008-01-01

Online resources and educator networks are providing teachers of English language learners with a support system they do not often get within their own school districts. Catherine Collier's Cross Cultural Developmental Education Services, based in Ferndale, WA., has been providing professional development and teaching materials to ELL teachers.…

Seeing the Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vaughn, Meredith Houle; Gatling, Anne

2013-01-01

English language learners (ELLs) bring a wealth of knowledge to science classrooms, yet often that knowledge is untapped by traditional instruction and assessment. As classrooms become increasingly diverse, it is critical to recognize the depth of understandings ELLs bring to classrooms to explain the scientific world around them. English language…

Tensions in Prioritizing Adult English Language Learners' Literacy Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haworth, Penny

2014-01-01

Despite increasing ethnic diversity globally, there has been little research into meeting the further education needs of these learners (Bidgood, Saebi, & May, 2006). In particular, the international literature provides scant understanding of how organizations go about meeting the literacy needs of adult English language learners (ELLs). It is…

Issues and Concerns of Assessment for English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pichardo, Blanca

2014-01-01

Limited research has been accomplished within the past few years regarding issues and concerns of assessment for English Language Learners (ELL) with Learning Disabilities (LD). The increasing number of this unique population throughout schools has raised many concerns for professionals in education. English Language Learners with Learning…

Promising Instructional Practices for English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Prince, Johanna

2018-01-01

Aim/Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory case study was to understand how teachers, working with English Language Learners (ELLs), expanded their knowledge and instructional practices as they implemented a one-to-one iPad® program. Background: English Language Learners experience linguistic, cultural, and cognitive shifts that can be…

Examining the Relationship between Math Scores and English Language Proficiency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Henry, Denfield L.; Nistor, Nicolae; Baltes, Beate

2016-01-01

Multiple studies propose that English proficiency dictates English language learners' (ELLs) performances on mathematics assessments. The current study investigates the predictive power of English proficiency on mathematics scores, while controlling for gender, socioeconomic status (SES), and grade level among ELLs at a south Florida elementary…

ELL Shadowing as a Catalyst for Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Soto, Ivannia

2012-01-01

What if you could barely understand what your teacher was saying? Imagine working mostly independently and silently, with limited opportunities to interact with others. ELL shadowing helps teachers better understand the classroom experience from an English language learner's point of view. The author describes how to implement this easily…

Getting to Know ELLs' Families

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Breiseth, Lydia

2016-01-01

Most English language learners are from families that have recently immigrated to the United States-and many of those families traveled here at tremendous risk to seek better education for their children. It's important for classroom teachers to make building relationships with the families of ELLs a priority. Breiseth asserts that the most…

Literacy Programs with Parent Involvement

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Joel R.

2008-01-01

The purpose of this working paper is to review current literature on literacy programs for parents of English language learners (ELLs). The paper includes a summary of five literacy programs for ELL parents throughout the United States of America. Four of these were system-wide interventions affecting more than one school or classroom. Each…

ELL to Go

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Demski, Jennifer

2011-01-01

Township High School District 214 in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and Comal Independent School District (ISD) in New Braunfels, Texas, are pioneers in the incorporation of mobile devices such as the iPad and iPod Touch in the English language learner (ELL) classroom. Though it's too soon to collect significant quantitative data regarding the…

Leveling Up

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bautista, Nazan

2014-01-01

A national survey reports that 42% of mainstream teachers have English language learners (ELLs) in their classrooms, but only 12.5% say they have been prepared to work with them (National Center for Education Statistics 2002). This article supplies a framework to address the cognitive demands of ELLs with varying proficiency levels, guided by the…

Exploration of the Elements of Human Capital, Social Capital and Instructional Tools and Routines Used in a School That Served English Language Learners in Rural Southwest New Mexico

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tolar, Trinidad Uribe

2011-01-01

As a nation, we should be committed to providing quality education to all of our students. However, only five percent of over 450 schools in New Mexico with a large ELL population met the AMAOs during the 2007-2008, and 2008-2009 school years (Title III AMAO Results, 2007-2008, and 2008-2009). The AMAOs are: 1) Making Progress in English, 2)…

Video-Mediated Teacher Collaborative Inquiry: Focus on English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baecher, Laura; Rorimer, Sarah; Smith, Leonore

2012-01-01

High school teachers today work in challenging, high-accountability instructional environments, striving to meet the needs of upwards of 100 learners per day. Rapidly growing numbers of English-language learners (ELLs) in U.S. classrooms have added to these pressures. Rather than using collaborative structures to face these challenges, the…

Elementary Teachers' Science Knowledge and Instructional Practices: Impact of an Intervention Focused on English Language Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Okhee; Llosa, Lorena; Jiang, Feng; Haas, Alison; O'Connor, Corey; Van Booven, Christopher D.

2016-01-01

As part of a three-year curricular and professional development intervention focused on English language learners (ELLs), this study examined the intervention's effect on teachers' science knowledge and instructional practices after one year of implementation. The P-SELL (Promoting Science Among English Language Learners) intervention comprised…

ECS and National Experts Examine: State-Level English Language Learner Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wixom, Micah Ann

2015-01-01

Most state policy and education leaders are keenly aware that the number of English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in the United States' public schools has increased significantly over the past several years and will likely continue to increase. States with historically large populations of English language learners--like California and New…

Instructional Materials for English Language Learners in Urban Public Schools, 2012-2013

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council of the Great City Schools, 2013

2013-01-01

The purpose of this report, "Instructional Materials for English Language Learners in Urban Public Schools," is to examine how district- and school-level staff members acquire and use instructional materials for English Language Learners (ELLs). The report also answers questions regarding the preparedness of district and school staff members to…

The Impact of Misspelled Words on Automated Computer Scoring: A Case Study of Scientific Explanations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ha, Minsu; Nehm, Ross H.

2016-06-01

Automated computerized scoring systems (ACSSs) are being increasingly used to analyze text in many educational settings. Nevertheless, the impact of misspelled words (MSW) on scoring accuracy remains to be investigated in many domains, particularly jargon-rich disciplines such as the life sciences. Empirical studies confirm that MSW are a pervasive feature of human-generated text and that despite improvements, spell-check and auto-replace programs continue to be characterized by significant errors. Our study explored four research questions relating to MSW and text-based computer assessments: (1) Do English language learners (ELLs) produce equivalent magnitudes and types of spelling errors as non-ELLs? (2) To what degree do MSW impact concept-specific computer scoring rules? (3) What impact do MSW have on computer scoring accuracy? and (4) Are MSW more likely to impact false-positive or false-negative feedback to students? We found that although ELLs produced twice as many MSW as non-ELLs, MSW were relatively uncommon in our corpora. The MSW in the corpora were found to be important features of the computer scoring models. Although MSW did not significantly or meaningfully impact computer scoring efficacy across nine different computer scoring models, MSW had a greater impact on the scoring algorithms for naïve ideas than key concepts. Linguistic and concept redundancy in student responses explains the weak connection between MSW and scoring accuracy. Lastly, we found that MSW tend to have a greater impact on false-positive feedback. We discuss the implications of these findings for the development of next-generation science assessments.

Calif. Puts Spotlight on Long-Term ELLs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maxwell, Lesli A.

2012-01-01

California is poised to become the first state to unmask the extent to which English-language learners (ELLs) languish in public schools for years without ever reaching fluency. Under a measure that received broad, bipartisan support from the legislature, the state education department would be required to break out and report data annually on…

Multimodal Analysis of Language Learning in World of Warcraft Play: Languaging as Values-Realizing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Dongping; Newgarden, Kristi; Young, Michael F.

2012-01-01

Applying Communicative Project theory (Linell, 2009), we identify and distinguish between the different coordination and language activities that emerged during an episode of "World of Warcraft" ("WoW") gameplay involving English Language learners (ELLs). We further investigate ELLs' coordinations between killing and caring, self and others, in…

Lexical Organization in Second Language Acquisition: Does the Critical Period Matter?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cardimona, Kimberly; Smith, Pamela; Roberts, Lauren Sones

2016-01-01

This study examined lexical organization in English language learners (ELLs) who acquired their second language (L2) either during or after the period of maximal sensitivity related to the critical period hypothesis. Twenty-three native-Spanish-speaking ELLs completed psycholinguistic tasks to examine age effects in bilingual lexical organization.…

Merging a Metalinguistic Grammar Approach with L2 Academic Process Writing: ELLs in Community College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Camhi, Paul J.; Ebsworth, Miriam Eisenstein

2008-01-01

This action research study evaluates a classroom approach incorporating a reflective, metacognitive component within a second language process-oriented writing environment. Inspired by the literature and developed by the first author, this approach seeks to provide English language learners (ELLs) with a command of metalinguistic principles…

Dialogs for Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wong, Sissy S.; Ortega, Irasema

2015-01-01

Teachers often start their careers in schools with large populations of English language learners (ELLs), whose enrollment in U.S. public schools reached some 4.4 million in 2012 (Kena et al. 2014). To serve these ELLs, new science teachers must develop skills to not only teach the content and language of science but also academic English. Proper…

Marginalizing TESOL: Preservice Teacher Training in Arizona

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diniz de Figueiredo, Eduardo H.; Hammill, Matthew J.; Fredricks, Daisy E.

2011-01-01

This pilot study investigated the attitudes of preservice teachers at a major university in Arizona concerning the Structured English Immersion (SEI) program that is now being used with English language learners (ELLs). Using a survey, we examined how preservice teachers feel about potentially working with ELLs in this SEI context. We focused on…