How Fair are Tests for English Language Learners?

ISBN-13: 9783838315928 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 144 str.

Brown, Clara Lee

Opis

In todays new era of heightened accountability, English language learners (ELLs) are now included in the "teach-and-test" accountability system. Full inclusion of ELLs in accountability measures, however, does not necessarily mean more equity. Based on data-analysis of language-based assessment, this book shows how the socio-economic status (SES) factor affects groups differently. Regardless of English proficiency, SES matters less for low- achieving students. The impact of SES was greater, however, among high-achieving students. This suggests that the true ability of High SES ELLs is masked by their less developed academic-language proficiency in English, compared to their more English-proficient fluent counterparts. The results of this study show that tests developed for native speakers of English severely undermine educational equity for ELLs, and it raises the issue of the meaningfulness of such an educational policy that claims to provide accountability.

O autorze

Clara Lee Brown, Ed.D., is Associate Professor in ESL Education at The University of Tennessee. She studies Bilingual Special Education at The George Washington University. She is a former ESL teacher and teachers content-bsed ESL methods, assessment, and bilingualism. she was a U.S. Department of Education, OELA (then OBEMLA) Fellow.