This document summarizes a research article that analyzes the challenges faced by English Language Learners (ELLs) in Texas public schools and the implications for the rest of the nation. It discusses 8 key issues: 1) ELLs have not achieved the same standards as native English speakers; 2) the positive and negative impacts ("washback") of high-stakes standardized tests on ELLs; 3) concerns around using the National Assessment of Educational Progress as a federal testing program; 4) the 4 key accountability elements of the No Child Left Behind Act; 5) increased demands for public school accountability; 6) the Act's focus on measuring achievement in core subjects; 7) analyzing learning outcomes through standardized test scores;
Dr. Kritsonis Recognized as Distinguished Alumnus
In 2004, Dr. Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Education Briefing Series K-12 Student Achievement Testing
Applied Analysis has been asked by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to examine various aspects of Nevada’s system of elementary and secondary education in public schools (“K-12”). Among the relevant issues is student achievement, as measured by various forms of testing required under federal and state laws. Although the vigorous debate over student achievement has been widely publicized in general terms, the labyrinth of reporting requirements and testing instruments is not well understood outside the K-12 education community. The ongoing controversy among educators as to the usefulness and accuracy of various tests in measuring desired skills and abilities is not treated here. Rather, this paper simply provides some recent historical background for today’s continuing interest in student proficiency at both state and federal levels, a brief description of several of the tests prominently discussed in Nevada today, and, where available, comparisons among states and among Nevada school districts.
Dr. Kritsonis Recognized as Distinguished Alumnus
In 2004, Dr. Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Education Briefing Series K-12 Student Achievement Testing
Applied Analysis has been asked by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce to examine various aspects of Nevada’s system of elementary and secondary education in public schools (“K-12”). Among the relevant issues is student achievement, as measured by various forms of testing required under federal and state laws. Although the vigorous debate over student achievement has been widely publicized in general terms, the labyrinth of reporting requirements and testing instruments is not well understood outside the K-12 education community. The ongoing controversy among educators as to the usefulness and accuracy of various tests in measuring desired skills and abilities is not treated here. Rather, this paper simply provides some recent historical background for today’s continuing interest in student proficiency at both state and federal levels, a brief description of several of the tests prominently discussed in Nevada today, and, where available, comparisons among states and among Nevada school districts.
Clarence Johnson, PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense, Dr. William Allan Kritso...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Clarence Johnson (CJ), PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Dissertation Defense, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Dr. Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Dr. Kritsonis has traveled and lectured extensively throughout the United States and world-wide. Some international travels include Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo, England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Switzerland, Grand Cayman, Haiti, St. Maarten, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Freeport, Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, Canada, Curacao, Costa Rico, Aruba, Venezuela, Panama, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Latvia, Spain, Honduras, and many more. He has been invited to lecture and serve as a guest professor at many universities across the nation and abroad.
Hemmer, lynn a cross case state analysis ijobe v2 n1 2014William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
Lipe, david the impact of a program specific orientation course focus v7 n1 2013William Kritsonis
Dr. Kritsonis has traveled and lectured extensively throughout the United States and world-wide. Some international travels include Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo, England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Switzerland, Grand Cayman, Haiti, St. Maarten, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Freeport, Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, Canada, Curacao, Costa Rico, Aruba, Venezuela, Panama, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Latvia, Spain, Honduras, and many more. He has been invited to lecture and serve as a guest professor at many universities across the nation and abroad.
Hetty Dekkers, Roel Bosker & Geert Driessen (2000) ERE Complex Inequalities o...Driessen Research
Complex Inequalities of Educational Opportunities
A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on the Relation
Between Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity and School Success
Clarence Johnson, PhD Dissertation Proposal Defense, Dr. William Allan Kritso...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Clarence Johnson (CJ), PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Dissertation Defense, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Dr. Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Dr. Kritsonis has traveled and lectured extensively throughout the United States and world-wide. Some international travels include Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo, England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Switzerland, Grand Cayman, Haiti, St. Maarten, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Freeport, Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, Canada, Curacao, Costa Rico, Aruba, Venezuela, Panama, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Latvia, Spain, Honduras, and many more. He has been invited to lecture and serve as a guest professor at many universities across the nation and abroad.
Hemmer, lynn a cross case state analysis ijobe v2 n1 2014William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
Lipe, david the impact of a program specific orientation course focus v7 n1 2013William Kritsonis
Dr. Kritsonis has traveled and lectured extensively throughout the United States and world-wide. Some international travels include Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Monte Carlo, England, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Mexico, Switzerland, Grand Cayman, Haiti, St. Maarten, St. John, St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Lucia, Puerto Rico, Nassau, Freeport, Jamaica, Barbados, Martinique, Canada, Curacao, Costa Rico, Aruba, Venezuela, Panama, Bora Bora, Tahiti, Latvia, Spain, Honduras, and many more. He has been invited to lecture and serve as a guest professor at many universities across the nation and abroad.
Hetty Dekkers, Roel Bosker & Geert Driessen (2000) ERE Complex Inequalities o...Driessen Research
Complex Inequalities of Educational Opportunities
A Large-Scale Longitudinal Study on the Relation
Between Gender, Social Class, Ethnicity and School Success
Arthur L. Petterway, PhD Proposal Dissertation Defense, Dr. William Allan Kri...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Committe for Arthur L. Petterway, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis & Steven Norfleetguestfa49ec
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis & Steven Norfleet
In 2004, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Kritsonis was nominated by alumni, former students, friends, faculty, and staff. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have made a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Dissertation Chair Dr. William Allan Kritsonis & Steven Norfleetguestfa49ec
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis & Steven Norfleet
In 2004, Dr. William Allan Kritsonis was recognized as the Central Washington University Alumni Association Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies. Dr. Kritsonis was nominated by alumni, former students, friends, faculty, and staff. Final selection was made by the Alumni Association Board of Directors. Recipients are CWU graduates of 20 years or more and are recognized for achievement in their professional field and have made a positive contribution to society. For the second consecutive year, U.S. News and World Report placed Central Washington University among the top elite public institutions in the west. CWU was 12th on the list in the 2006 On-Line Education of “America’s Best Colleges.”
Dr. Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Dissertation Defense, Dr. William Allan Krits...William Kritsonis
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD Dissertation Chair for Dr. Michelle Annette Cloud, PhD Program in Educational Leadership, PVAMU, Member of the Texas A&M University System.
Assessments for ELLsRead Chapter 7.5 of your textbook, Issues o.docxrosemaryralphs52525
Assessments for ELLs
Read Chapter 7.5 of your textbook, “Issues of Assessments for ELLs.” While academic standards and proficiency can be assessed through formal tests and assessments for all students, English language learners need additional assessment opportunities in order for teachers to assess their language proficiency skills. Watch the webcast, Assessment of English Language Learners http://www.colorincolorado.org/webcast/assessment-english-language-learners, featuring Dr. Lorraine Valdez Pierce. There is also a PowerPoint presentation to accompany this video that may be beneficial (located directly below the video link). After watching the video and reading the chapter, respond to the following questions:
How can current assessments (such as standardized testing) be biased against students who are not native speakers of English?
Suppose you were teaching a unit on the water cycle. The unit focused on teaching the students the parts of the water cycle which include: precipitation, evaporation, and condensation. Describe one way that you may evaluate your ELLs using a formative and a performance-based assessment in the classroom based on this lesson topic and how these assessments can provide greater opportunities for ELLs to show their acquired knowledge with minimal interference due to a language barrier. Also, explain how your formative assessment can be used to guide your instruction while teaching the unit. Be specific.
Look at Table 7.2: TESOL Language Proficiency Standards in your text and describe how these assessments align with Standard 4. Provide at least two reasons.
7.5 Issues of Assessments for ELLs
In many ways, language proficiency standards work hand in hand with assessments to help ELL teachers measure student progress. However, student assessment has been a complex and often controversial topic in education: Required assessments may carry a lot of weight and could result in long-lasting impacts on students' lives. Sandberg and Reschly (2011) noted that
the purpose of assessment is to provide information that may be used to describe performance and make decisions about students—students meeting standards, those at risk for later failure, those who qualify for talented and gifted education programs, and so forth. (p. 145)
It is thus important that assessments be fair, equitable, valid, reliable, and appropriate. As Staehr Fenner (2013) and Hauck, Wolf, and Mislevy (2013) noted, there are critical reasons for this when it comes to ELLs: First, valid and reliable assessment measures ensure educators correctly identify, classify, place, and reclassify ELLs based on their language proficiency levels. Second, meaningful and accurate assessment data ensure effective instruction. With such data, both general education and ESL/ELD teachers can plan more effective lessons, differentiate instruction more successfully, and integrate content and language development opportunities. Finally, accurate data help hold schools, di.
Dr. William Allan Kritsonis, PhD - Editor-in-Chief, NATIONAL FORUM JOURNALS (Established 1982). Dr. Kritsonis earned his PhD from The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; M.Ed., Seattle Pacific University; Seattle, Washington; BA Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington. He was also named as the Distinguished Alumnus for the College of Education and Professional Studies at Central Washington University.
Welcome to TechSoup New Member Orientation and Q&A (May 2024).pdfTechSoup
In this webinar you will learn how your organization can access TechSoup's wide variety of product discount and donation programs. From hardware to software, we'll give you a tour of the tools available to help your nonprofit with productivity, collaboration, financial management, donor tracking, security, and more.
Palestine last event orientationfvgnh .pptxRaedMohamed3
An EFL lesson about the current events in Palestine. It is intended to be for intermediate students who wish to increase their listening skills through a short lesson in power point.
The Art Pastor's Guide to Sabbath | Steve ThomasonSteve Thomason
What is the purpose of the Sabbath Law in the Torah. It is interesting to compare how the context of the law shifts from Exodus to Deuteronomy. Who gets to rest, and why?
How to Split Bills in the Odoo 17 POS ModuleCeline George
Bills have a main role in point of sale procedure. It will help to track sales, handling payments and giving receipts to customers. Bill splitting also has an important role in POS. For example, If some friends come together for dinner and if they want to divide the bill then it is possible by POS bill splitting. This slide will show how to split bills in odoo 17 POS.
Operation “Blue Star” is the only event in the history of Independent India where the state went into war with its own people. Even after about 40 years it is not clear if it was culmination of states anger over people of the region, a political game of power or start of dictatorial chapter in the democratic setup.
The people of Punjab felt alienated from main stream due to denial of their just demands during a long democratic struggle since independence. As it happen all over the word, it led to militant struggle with great loss of lives of military, police and civilian personnel. Killing of Indira Gandhi and massacre of innocent Sikhs in Delhi and other India cities was also associated with this movement.
Model Attribute Check Company Auto PropertyCeline George
In Odoo, the multi-company feature allows you to manage multiple companies within a single Odoo database instance. Each company can have its own configurations while still sharing common resources such as products, customers, and suppliers.
2024.06.01 Introducing a competency framework for languag learning materials ...Sandy Millin
http://sandymillin.wordpress.com/iateflwebinar2024
Published classroom materials form the basis of syllabuses, drive teacher professional development, and have a potentially huge influence on learners, teachers and education systems. All teachers also create their own materials, whether a few sentences on a blackboard, a highly-structured fully-realised online course, or anything in between. Despite this, the knowledge and skills needed to create effective language learning materials are rarely part of teacher training, and are mostly learnt by trial and error.
Knowledge and skills frameworks, generally called competency frameworks, for ELT teachers, trainers and managers have existed for a few years now. However, until I created one for my MA dissertation, there wasn’t one drawing together what we need to know and do to be able to effectively produce language learning materials.
This webinar will introduce you to my framework, highlighting the key competencies I identified from my research. It will also show how anybody involved in language teaching (any language, not just English!), teacher training, managing schools or developing language learning materials can benefit from using the framework.
Ethnobotany and Ethnopharmacology:
Ethnobotany in herbal drug evaluation,
Impact of Ethnobotany in traditional medicine,
New development in herbals,
Bio-prospecting tools for drug discovery,
Role of Ethnopharmacology in drug evaluation,
Reverse Pharmacology.
We all have good and bad thoughts from time to time and situation to situation. We are bombarded daily with spiraling thoughts(both negative and positive) creating all-consuming feel , making us difficult to manage with associated suffering. Good thoughts are like our Mob Signal (Positive thought) amidst noise(negative thought) in the atmosphere. Negative thoughts like noise outweigh positive thoughts. These thoughts often create unwanted confusion, trouble, stress and frustration in our mind as well as chaos in our physical world. Negative thoughts are also known as “distorted thinking”.
1. The Lamar University - Electronic Journal of Student Research
Spring 2006
THE IMPACT OF HIGH STAKES TESTING ON
THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT OF ENGLISH
LANGUAGE LEARNERS IN TEXAS PUBLIC
EDUCATION: NATIONAL IMPLICATIONS
Authur L. Petterway William Allan Kritsonis, PhD
PhD Program Student in Educational Professor
Leadership PhD Program in Educational Leadership
Prairie View A & M University Prairie View A & M University
Assistant Principal Distinguished Alumnus (2004)
Houston Independent School District Central Washington University
Houston, Texas College of Education and Professional Studies
Visiting Lecturer (2005)
Oxford Round Table
University of Oxford, Oxford, England
ACRL- Harvard Leadership Institute (2006)
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Harvard University, Cambridge MA
David Herrington, PhD
Assistant Professor
Department of Educational Leadership & Counseling
Prairie View A&M University
Member of the Texas A&M University System
2. ________________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACT
The purpose of this article is to analyze the issues and challenges faced by
English Language Learners (ELLs) and the public schools that absorb them. Ample
research has been conducted on the intrinsic validity of standardized assessments,
and separately, on the factors affecting the assimilation and integration of ELLs.
However, the reliability of these assessments as a universally applied tool to measure
student learning, and as a basis for determining school performance needs to be
more closely examined. Quantitative data for this research will be gathered from ten
(10) high schools in the major urban independent school districts located in Texas.
Qualitative data will be derived from an on-line questionnaire focusing on
respondents’ views and opinions about the varied ways in which standardized
assessments impact English Language Learners.
________________________________________________________________________
The purpose of this article is to discuss eight issues and related challenges faced
by English Language Learners (ELLs) and the public schools they attend.
1. For years English language learners (ELLs) have been subjected to educational
systems that did not expect them to achieve to the same standards as their native English
speaking peers (Winograd, 2002). While we know that it can take several years to acquire
the second language skills needed to be successful in school (Collier, 1989), too often
English language learners who were born in the U.S. were still in English as a second
language (ESL) classes and far behind grade level in the content areas by the time they
reached high school (Freeman & Freeman, 2002).
One aspect that should be considered for this failure to reach grade level
requirements is that language may be viewed as a factor of identity. It is possible that
minority groups are insistent on retaining their ethnic language, as their “first”, and hold
English proficiency more as an elective instead of an indispensable learning tool, which
might render life in the adopted society only as slightly more convenient. If this is the
case, schools are being held accountable for the consequences of a socio-cultural
phenomenon which is beyond their limited powers to address.
2. High stakes assessment systems are meant to bring attention to the needs of
ELLs, among others, who are most at risk of not reaching the educational goals set for
them (Anderson, 2004). But what results do statewide accountability tests really produce
for ELLs (Anderson, 2004)? Assessment systems usually produce both positive and
negative consequences (Anderson, 2004). The positive and negative consequences of
assessments are what is called ‘washback’ (Alderson & Wall, 1993), or how the results of
an assessment affect the stakeholders taking the test (Anderson, 2004).
While quantifiable washback effects such as increased dropout rates or increased
referral to Special Education have been researched, assessment washback is more
complicated than numbers alone can tell us (Anderson, 2004). Students who qualify for
Special Education may be allowed to take alternative assessments in lieu of the Texas
3. Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). It is interesting to note that while the
number of African-American students and Hispanic students are over-present in Special
Education, about eight to nine percent of ELLs are identified as receiving Special
Education services in the United States (D’Emilio, 2003; June; Zehler, Fleischman,
Hopstock, Pendzick, & Stepherson, 2003). While these assessments are not on grade
level, schools are expected to demonstrate that, based on students’ scores on alternative
assessments, improvement in academic performance is taking place. Data are needed that
tell us more about the full range of intended and unintended consequences occurring in
schools today (Anderson, 2004). Since school rankings affect student and faculty morale,
they serve more as a force for the preservation of the status quo, than a force that drive
improvement in student performance. Thus a school that works hard to ensure that
learning occurs, and that their students progress academically, but which has a large
proportion of ELLs, will risk being ranked as underperforming because the measure used
to evaluate its performance is blind to this important demographic fact.
3. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) was initiated as a
federal testing program at about the same time when ESEA came into existence. NAEP
was tasked to report how the nation’s students were performing on selected items at the
three grade levels --- 4th, 8th and 12th. Brennan (2004) reported that there were fears that
the NAEP might become a “high-stakes federal testing program” found in some
European countries. He explained that, “to help preclude that possibility, it was written
into law that NAEP could not report scores for individual students” (p.2). The NAEP
evolved through the 1980s and early 1990s from a reporting of item scores to test scores
and then, on a trial basis, to a reporting of scores that addressed achievement levels
(below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced). It is currently used to confirm state NCLB
testing results which, according to Brennan, “is the de facto elevation of NAEP to a
federally-mandated high-stakes testing program” (p.9).
4. There are four key elements in the NCLB Act (Rosenbusch, 2005):
(a) Accountability. States are required to establish a definition of student
proficiency in the core academic subjects of Reading/Language Arts,
Mathematics and Science through prescribed indicators and set a timetable to
bring all students in all subgroups up to the defined levels of proficiency by 2013-
2014. The school must report to parents their child’s progress in each targeted
academic subject annually, and the state is required to report the results of
students’ performance on the annual tests for every public school to parents and
the community. Schools that fail to meet state-defined Adequate Yearly Progress
(AYP) toward their defined goals for two years are identified as needing
improvement. Schools that have not met AYP after four years are subject to
restructuring or reconstitution.
(b) Testing. States must develop and administer annual tests that define the
proficiency that all students are expected to reach in Reading/Language Arts,
Mathematics, and Science. States also must include a sample of students in fourth
4. and eighth grades in a biennial NAEP in Mathematics and Reading to verify state
assessments.
NCLB requires that by School Year (SY) 2005-2006, each state must measure
every child’s progress in Reading and Math in each of grades 3 through 8 and at
least once during grades 10 through 12. In the meantime, each state must meet the
requirements of the previous law reauthorizing ESEA (the Improving America’s
Schools act of 1994) for assessments in Reading and Math at three grade spans (3-
5; 6-9; and 10-12). By SY 2007-2008, states must also have in place Science
assessments to be administered at least once during grades 3-5; grades 6-9; and
grades 10-12. Furthermore, states must ensure that districts administer test of
English proficiency to measure oral language, reading and writing skills in
English to all limited English proficient students, as of SY 2002-2003. Students
may still undergo state assessments in other subject areas (i.e., History,
Geography, and Writing skills), if and when the state requires it. NCLB requires
assessments only in the areas of Reading/Language Arts, Math, and Science.
(c) Teacher Quality. Public elementary and secondary school teachers who teach
core content areas are required to be ‘highly qualified”, which is defined as
having full state certification (maybe attained through alternate routes specified
by the state), holding a bachelor’s degree, and having demonstrated subject matter
competency as determined by the state under NCLB guidelines. States are
required to develop a plan by the end of 2005-2006 to ensure that every teacher is
highly qualified to teach in his or her core content area.
(d) Scientifically-Based Research. The NCLB Act requires that all educational
decisions be informed by scientifically-based research as defined in the
legislation. The NCLB Act funds for Reading First Grants, for example, are to be
used for methods of reading instruction backed by scientifically-based research.
5. Public schools are under close scrutiny. Since they are supported by public
funds, there is an increasing demand for accountability. The No Child Left Behind Act
(NCLB) now requires all students to be accounted for in any state’s assessment system,
although that has not always been the case (Abedi, 2004). School districts are now
required to clearly demonstrate that they deserve, and effectively utilize public funding.
In itself, this is not a disturbing trend. Institutions that are wholly or partly supported by
tax money should be accountable to the public that they have been created to serve. This
is essentially a consequence of democracy. A government that is created by, and for the
people, is so unlike an aristocracy that is not required to serve a constituency beyond the
guarantee of protection from marauders or invading armies. The system of government
that we have empowers the government to undertake measures that guarantee the
common good. This goes beyond the guarantee of physical safety, since the term
“common good” has a wider application, and implies a calculated sensitivity to every
citizen’s pursuit of happiness. Thus, while education is not categorized as a fundamental
right, it is perceived as primary among a bundle of values essential for every person’s
quest for fulfillment and happiness. This explains why there is little argument about
5. whether the government should be involved in education at all, and whether this is an
endeavor better left to the private sector.
6. Through the NCLB Act, policymakers in Washington seek to raise academic
achievement in the nation by requiring schools to assess all students on specified content
areas and report their progress toward proficiency. Focus of NCLB is on core academic
subjects as defined in the law: “The term ‘core academic subjects’ means English,
reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign language, civics, and government,
economics, arts, history, and geography” (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).
The premise of NCLB is that our nation’s schools are failing, and therefore is
necessary. To raise the achievement of all students in the nation and eliminate the
achievement gap seen among students differentiated by race, ethnicity, poverty,
disability, and English proficiency is the purpose of NCLB. Since this act redefines, the
federal role in education policy which has traditionally been a state responsibility, it
merits the attention of educators, parents and citizens. Also, because the NCLB Act has
an impact on the teaching and the learning of the core content areas, including languages,
language educators need to be informed about it.
7. The government’s involvement in the serious business of education opens a
wide avenue for the analysis and evaluation of results. In today’s world, it is not enough
that public schools have adequate facilities, although this constitutes one level of
analysis. It is important that schools are safe and teachers are qualified, although in the
hierarchy of priorities considered for evaluating schools, these outcomes are not standard.
Schools are judged principally based on the amount of learning that takes place in their
classrooms, and being an internal act, the evidence of learning is analyzed from scores
students obtain on standardized assessments.
Institutions are now facing an ever-increasing demand for accountability. Public
schools have not been spared this trend, and there is pressure from every conceivable
corner to make public schools accountable to their stakeholders. This means that it is not
enough for students to learn in school. It is equally important that learning should occur
in ways that are measurable. If students are unable to demonstrate what they have
learned, it is presumed that no learning took place at all. The time when public schools
are allowed to operate without proven success is over. Thus, it is appropriate to inquire
about the valid manifestations of success and learning, and how they may actually be
measured. Cultural construct renders school rankings flawed to a certain extent since they
become less accurate as a measure of the faculty and administration’s performance.
Instead, they become unintended indicators of the ethnicity of the students to which
schools cater.
8. NCLB is a demanding law. The achievement goals are ambitious, and the burden
on states and districts of declaring schools in need of improvement and then imposing
sanctions on them is high. To try to meet these demands, states have a strong incentive to
keep the numbers of schools and districts not making AYP as low as possible. Unable to
change the fundamental requirements written into the law, states are using administrative
methods to lessen the numbers of schools and districts not making the AYP – confidence
intervals, indexing, and other techniques.
6. In conclusion, the mandates and key elements of the NCLB are geared towards
improving the achievement of students in the different public schools of the United
States. The measure of adherence is channeled through the AYP which the different
schools and districts of the different states monitor and report. High-stakes testing
becomes the measuring stick which gauges the achievement of students in the different
core subject areas. Issues and concerns were centered on the ELLs regarding the different
moves and accommodations given to this special subgroup of learners. Feedback
regarding the issues and concerns of the different studies and researches include both
positive and negative dimensions. In some areas, recommendations were given to
possibly improve a certain strategy or action.
References
Abedi, J. (2004). The No Child Left Behind Act and English Language
Learners: Assessment and Accountability Issues. Educational Researcher, 33(1),
4-14.
Anderson, M. E. (2004). Intended and Unintended Consequences of
Statewide Testing for ESL Curriculum and Instruction. (UMI No. 3137152).
Brennan, R.L. (2004). Revolutions and Evolutions in Current Educational
Testing. Center for Advanced Studies in Measurement and Assessment: CASM
Research Report #6.
Collier, V.P. (1989). How Long? A Synthesis of Research on Academic Achievement in
a Second Language. TESOL Quarterly, 23(3), 509-531.
D’Emilio, T. E. (2003). LEP Student Participation in Special Education:
Over or Under-Representation? Paper Presented at the CCSSO Conference on
Large-Scale Assessment, San Antonio, Texas
Freeman, Y.S., & Freeman, D., E. 2002). Closing the Achievement Gap: How to Reach
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Formatted by Dr. Mary Alice Kritsonis, National Research and Manuscript Editor,
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