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Jay-jay Wong's List: ELL and state test

  • Feb 22, 09

    www.ascd.org/...English_Language_Learners.aspx ELL Adolescent

    • Adolescent ELLs differ from native English-speaking students in the dual challenge they face: They must learn to speak, read, and write in English and master complex academic content at the same time. Aside from this common characteristic, however, adolescent ELLs come to the classroom with widely diverse education backgrounds and socioeconomic circumstances. Some are recent immigrants who received effective schooling in their countries of origin, are literate in their native language, and have excellent content knowledge even though they lack English skills. Others came to the United States as refugees fleeing violence, have attended school only intermittently or not at all, and lack basic literacy skills. Some are undocumented, which can affect both their socioeconomic status and, in some states, their postsecondary education opportunities. The largest group of adolescent ELLs (57 percent) were born in the United States but have not developed academic literacy in English for various reasons, such as high mobility.

      • The report recommends the following policy responses to strengthen instruction for adolescent ELLs: 

           
        • Set common criteria for identifying these learners and tracking their performance.
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        • Develop new and improved assessments of their native language abilities, English language development, and content-knowledge learning.
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        • Build capacity among preservice and current educators to instruct ELLs effectively.
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        • Design appropriate and flexible secondary school programs that offer time and coursework that account for the second-language development process.
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        • Use research-based instructional practices more widely and consistently.
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        • Fund and conduct more short-term and long-term research on new and existing interventions and programs and on the academic performance of adolescent ELLs.
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        The U.S. education system is committed to ensuring appropriate educational opportunities for all students, write Short and Fitzsimmons. “By helping ELLs learn and perform more effectively in the nation's schools, America's educational system and society as a whole will be strengthened and enriched.”

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