This dissertation proposal examines the reading achievement of third grade English learners in dual language and transitional bilingual education programs in Chicago Public Schools. The study aims to compare reading test scores and proficiency levels of students in these two program types to determine which is more effective. An extensive literature review discusses research on dual language education, transitional bilingual education, and the academic performance of English learners. The methodology section outlines the archival quantitative research design using reading data from 2010-2014. Statistical analysis, including independent samples t-tests, will compare scores on the ISAT and ACCESS for ELLs exams. The findings could have implications for bilingual education policy and practice.

1. Dissertation Proposal of
Shajaira P. López
Educational Leadership Doctoral Program
National Louis University
The
March 8, 2016

2. Reading Achievement Among Third
Grade English Learners in Dual
Language and Transitional Bilingual
Programs
Figure 1. Third Grade Student Reading (Cleveland Metro. Schools, 2016)

3. Introduction pp. 1-3
● A socio-political perspective of the education of at-risk students
○ Goals of the U.S. Dept. of Education
○ Percentage of 25-29 year-olds with a bachelor’s degree
○ Education critics’ perspective
○ U.S. Dept. of Education’s attempt to meet the needs of at-risk students
○ The revelation:
A 30-year-old
40%
Achievement
Gap between ELs
and Non-ELs
Figure 2. National Achievement Gap-ELs and Non-ELs (NAE, 2015)

4. Background of the Study pp. 3-5
● By 2025 ELs will become 25% of the U.S. student population. (NEA, 2015)
● Benefits of dual language education (DLE) programs:
○ DLE programs are closing this achievement gap (Collier & Thomas, 2004)
○ DLE yield higher test scores (Collier & Thomas, 2009)
● Benefit of transitional bilingual education (TBE) programs:
○ Achievement of ELs is notable at the elementary level, but because of the limited
use of native language instruction the effects are not notable at the secondary
levels (Baker, 2006; Gomez et al., 2005; Thomas & Collier, 2002)

5. Statement of the Problem pp. 5-6
40%
Reading Achievement
Gap between ELs
and Non-ELs in CPS
since 2012
This study addresses which of two programs is
more effective in countering the problem of the
underperformance of ELs in CPS by comparing
the reading achievement of ELs enrolled in dual
language education (DLE) programs to the
transitional bilingual education (TBE) in Chicago
Public Schools.
Figure 3. CPS Reading Achievement Gap. (ISBE, 2015)

6. Purpose of the Study pp. 6-7
The purpose of this archival quantitative study will be to compare the
reading achievement of third grade English learners enrolled in dual
language education programs with those enrolled in transitional bilingual
education programs in order to determine which program is more effective
in improving the reading proficiency of English learners in Chicago
Public Schools.

7. Research Questions p. 7
1. Is there a significant difference in the reading scores of English learners on the Illinois
Standards Achievement Test between those enrolled in third grade dual language
education programs and those enrolled in third grade transitional bilingual education
programs?
2. Is there a significant difference in the reading proficiency levels of English learners
on the ACCESS for ELLs between those enrolled in third grade dual language
education programs and those enrolled in third grade transitional bilingual education
programs?

8. Research Design p. 8
● Data:
○ 2010-2014 ISAT reading scaled scores
○ 2010-2014 ACCESS reading proficiency levels
● Independent variables: type of instructional programs (DLE and TBE)
● Dependent variables: student scores on ISAT and ACCESS for ELLs
● Independent sample t-tests will be used to compare data to determine statistical
significance:
○ 3rd grade DLE vs. 3rd grade TBE
○ P < 0.05 threshold for confidence

9. Definition of Terms pp. 8-9
Operational definitions
provided for:
1. Dual language education
2. English learners
3. English-proficient
students
4. Reading proficiency
5. Transitional bilingual
education
Research Questions:
1. Is there a significant difference in the reading scores of
English learners on the Illinois Standards Achievement
Test between those enrolled in third grade dual language
education programs and those enrolled in third grade
transitional bilingual education programs?
1. Is there a significant difference in the reading proficiency
levels of English learners on the ACCESS for ELLs
between those enrolled in third grade dual language
education programs and those enrolled in third grade
transitional bilingual education programs?

10. Definition of Terms pp. 8-9
1. Dual language education (DLE) is a type of language acquisition program that provides literacy and
content instruction to students with the use of two languages, with the goal of achieving bilingualism,
bilateralism, and multiculturalism (Howard et al., 2007).
2. English learners (ELs) refers to students whose first language is not English and who are in the process
of acquiring the English language—reading, writing, listening and speaking (Bardack, 2010).
3. English-proficient students refer to students that are competent in reading, speaking, listening, and
writing in the English language (WIDA, 2012).
4. Reading proficiency refers to a student’s competence in processing language through reading (WIDA,
2012).
5. Transitional bilingual education (TBE) programs provide English learners with initial instruction
through the use of their first language in order to provide content area support while teaching the
student English (Roberts, 1995). The use of the English learner’s first language diminishes as they
progress in their English proficiency. The only goal of these programs is for English learners to
become proficient in the English language—not bilingualism, biliteracy, or multiculturalism.

11. Literature Review pp. 12-17
● The Condition of English Learners in Public Schools
○ Percentage of EL in schools in the US, Illinois, and CPS
○ Academic performance of ELs in the US, Illinois, and CPS
■ Focused on the achievement gap between CPS ELs and non-ELs
○ Bilingual education policy that apply to ELs in Illinois and CPS
○ Issues in the education of ELs encountered by the Office of Civil Rights in CPS

12. Literature Review pp. 17-27
● Dual Language Education
○ Definition of DLE
○ Four kinds of DLE programs (NDLC, 2011)
■ Two-way immersion programs
■ One-way immersion programs
■ Heritage language programs
■ Developmental bilingual programs
○ Rationale for DLE (theoretical framework)
■ Cummins’ (2000) Developmental Interdependence Hypothesis and Common
Underlying Proficiency
○ DLE program models: 50/50, 90/10 or 80/20, and The Gomez & Gomez dual
language education program
○ Research on DLE programs

13. Literature Review pp. 17-27
● Research on DLE programs
○ DLE programs are an effective way to address the linguistic and academic needs of students that benefit
both ELs and English-proficient students and can even increase the probability of students being
academically prepared to enroll and sustain themselves in college level courses (Lindholm-Leary, 2001;
Thomas & Collier, 2002; Howard, Christian, & Genesee, 2004; Garza-Reyna, 2012; Fuhriman-
Cleverly, 2014).
○ A large-scale study conducted by Lindholm-Leary (2001) found that DLE programs benefited both ELs
and English-proficient students enrolled in programs across California and Alaska.
○ Higher levels of bilingual proficiency in English and Spanish were associated with higher levels of
literacy in the two languages for both groups of students (Lindholm-Leary, 2001).
○ DLE programs are closing this achievement gap between ELs and non-ELs (Collier & Thomas, 2004)

14. Literature Review pp. 27-31
● Transitional Bilingual Education
○ Definition of TBE
○ Two major types of TBE programs
■ Early-exit
■ Late-exit
○ Focus on Lara-Alecio and Parker’s Transitional Bilingual Pedagogical Model over
theoretical framework
○ Research on TBE program

15. Literature Review pp. 27-31
● Research on TBE programs
○ A study conducted by Ramirez, Yuen, Ramsey, and Pasta (1991) compared the relative effectiveness of early-
exit TBE programs and Structured-English immersion programs, found that after four years of being in the
program, “there is no difference in the level of achievement or rate of growth in achievement between the
students” (p. 655).
○ Lara-Alecio, Mathes, Rodriguez, and Guerrero (2008) found that K-3 ELs in developmental bilingual
programs outperformed K-3 ELs in TBE programs in phonological processing, oral language, reading
fluency, reading comprehension, and decoding, but no difference was found in rapid letter naming.
○ The consensus among TBE researchers is as follows: While the achievement of ELs in TBE programs is
notable at the elementary level—because they provide instruction in the ELs native language—the native
language instruction integrated within this program is not enough to aid ELs in reaching higher cognitive
levels at secondary levels, where the difference between bilingual education programs is truly noted (Baker,
2006; Gomez et al., 2005; Thomas & Collier, 2002).

16. Methodology pp. 33-35
This archival quantitative study will be used in a comparative design in
order to compare the reading achievement of third grade English learners
enrolled in Chicago Public Schools dual language education programs to
those enrolled in transitional bilingual education programs to determine
which program is more effective in improving the reading proficiency of
third grade English learners.

17. Hypotheses pp. 34-35
1. There is a significantly higher reading score on the Illinois Standards Achievement
Test for English learners enrolled in third grade dual language education programs than
those enrolled in third grade transitional bilingual education programs.
2. There is a significantly higher score in the reading proficiency levels on the ACCESS
for ELLs for English learners enrolled in third grade dual language education programs
than those enrolled in third grade transitional bilingual education programs.

18. Setting and Participants pp. 35-37
● The participants in this study were students enrolled in Chicago Public Schools (CPS)
from 2010-2014
● CPS was selected for the study because it is the third largest school district in the U.S.
(ISBE, 2015), its demographic trends mimic the trends seen nationwide, and it is the
district with the largest population of English learners (ELs) in Illinois.
● A total of eight CPS schools were selected (four DLE and four TBE) based on the
following criteria:
○ Identified as being in level 1+ or level 1, according to CPS School Quality Rating
Policy
○ Had a DLE or TBE program that was active during 2010-2014 for grades K-3
○ Had at least 10 EL students in grade 3

19. Instrumentation pp. 37-40
● The data in this study are from the reading achievement results from the Illinois
Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) and Assessing Comprehension and
Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS
for ELLs).
○ The ISAT was a standardized test given to grades 3-8 students (ELs and non-ELs)
in Illinois from 2006-2014 to measure student achievement in relation to the
Illinois Learning Standards (ISBE, 2011 & 2014)
○ ACCESS for ELLs is a “large-scale English language proficiency assessment
given to Kindergarten through 12th graders who have been identified as ELs”
(WIDA, 2015). It was administered annually in WIDA Consortium member
states, such as Illinois, in order to monitor student progress in acquiring academic
English; in Illinois it was used exclusively to measure ELs’ English proficiency on
a yearly basis during 2006-2014 (ISBE, 2015).

20. Procedures pp. 40-41
1. Freedom of Information Act request submitted to ISBE in order to obtain student data
2. Organize data in a spreadsheet
3. Convert data to Statistical Analysis System in order to be analyzed
4. Conduct data analysis

21. Data Analysis p. 41
● Independent samples t-tests will be used to determine significant differences between
the performance of English learners by program type: 3rd grade DLE vs. 3rd grade
TBE.
● A 5% chance (P < 0.05) threshold for confidence will be utilized.

22. Limitations and Delimitations pp. 41-42
1. Only the reading achievement scores of ELs in two program types will be compared: DLE and TBE; other
bilingual education programs will not be considered.
2. The instructional components for each DLE and TBE program will not be determined.
3. The data that will be collected will not indicate whether all sample participants were enrolled in either a DLE or
TBE program upon entry into the school district, or if the participants were enrolled continuously from
kindergarten to third grade.
4. Data from only Chicago Public Schools will be collected. This will limit the generalizations to students who
attend other schools in CPS and to other districts in Illinois that are comparable in demographics and have
implemented DLE and TBE programs.
5. Other limitations include that the confounding variables of teacher qualifications and experience (or lack thereof),
quality of instruction, professional development, living arrangements of participants, parental involvement, among
others, are not taken into account.
6. This study will be delimited to ELs chosen based on the following criteria: enrolled in Chicago Public Schools
from 2010-2014, third grade students, and in DLE programs and TBE programs that have similar demographics
and are located in similar neighborhoods.

23. Next Steps
1. Run data analysis
2. Analyze findings
3. Discuss findings and implications
4. Revisions
5. Professional editing
6. Dissertation defense
Figure 4. Students Reading (ESC Region 13, 2012)

24. References
● Baker, C. (2006). Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (4th ed.). Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
● Bardack, S. (2010, April). Common ELL terms and definitions. American Institute for Research. Retrieved from http://www.air.org/sites/default/files/downloads/report/NEW_-
_Common_ELL_TERMS_AND_DEFINITIONS_6_22_10_0.pdf
● Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (2004). The astounding effectiveness of dual language education for all. NABE Journal of Research and Practice, 2:1. Retrieved from
http://hillcrest.wacoisd.org/UserFiles/Servers/Server_345/File/Publications/ELL/Dual%20language%20survey.pdf
● Collier, V. P., & Thomas, W. P. (2009). Educating English learners for a transformed world. Albuquerque, NM: Dual Language Education of New Mexico, Fuente Press.
● Cummins, J. (2000) Language, power and pedagogy: Bilingual children in the crossfire. Clevedon, UK: Multilingual Matters.
● Fuhriman-Cleverly, V. (2014). The academic and linguistic effectiveness of a dual language program: A comparison of student achievement within one district. Retrieved from ProQuest LLC (UMI Number: 3643020).
● Garza-Reyna, G. L. (2012). The effects of transitional bilingual and dual language education programs on the college readiness of English language learners in a south Texas school district. Retrieved on ProQuest LLC
(UMI 3549006).
● Genesee, F., Lindholm-Leary, K., Saunders, W., Christian, D. (2006). Educating English language learners a synthesis of research evidence. New York: Cambridge University Press.
● Gomez, L., Freeman, Y., & Freeman, D. (2005). Dual language education: A promising 50-50 dual language model. Retrieved from http://dlti.us/doc/PROMISING_MODEL_2005.pdf
● Howard, E. R., Christian, D., & Genesee, F. (2004). The development of bilingualism and biliteracy from grade 3 to 5: A summary of findings from the CAL/CREDE study of two-way immersion education (Research Report
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● Howard, E., Sugarman, J., Christian, D., Lindholm-Leary, K. J., & Rogers, D. (2007). Guiding principles for dual language education (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. Retrieved from
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● Illinois State Board of Education. (2014). Illinois Standardized Achievement Test 2014 technical manual. Retrieved from http://www.isbe.net/assessment/pdfs/isat_tech_2014.pdf
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