Module 3: Inclusion of ELLs in School Accountability Programs

In order to benefit from educational reforms, ELLs “must be included in mainstream large-scale academic testing and must be provided with the optimum quality of teaching and other educational resources to meet challenging standards” (Kopriva, 2000, p. 11). The results of high-stakes achievement tests such as the Florida Standards Assessments (FSA), are integral to accountability programs and requirements.

In addition, they are used to measure student learning and progress, to identify students in need of more help, and to provide information to improve instruction. Testing accommodations such as flexible timing, flexible setting, flexible scheduling, limited assistance in the heritage language, and bilingual dictionaries are provided to ELLs during high-stakes assessments such as the FCAT. Bias reviews of test items are conducted during FCAT development to eliminate potential bias. A Bias Review Committee of Florida educators looks for potential bias in the following areas: gender, racial/ethnic, linguistic, religious, geographic, and socioeconomic. Statistical analyses of differential item functioning are also examined for all FCAT items (Florida Department of Education, 2005).

Second Language Acquisition

A student’s heritage or native language is usually acquired naturally, but learning a second language is more complex (Wilen, 2004). ELLs go through predictable stages when acquiring a second language. A summary of these stages of second language acquisition, characteristics of each stage, an approximate time frame, and teacher prompts that can be used in the instruction and assessment process appear below.

Second Language Acquisition Stages for ELLs

Source: Adapted from Krashen and Terrell as cited in Hill & Flynn (2006, p.15)