STANDARDIZED TEST

AND ENGLISH

LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Conrado Gonzalez 6300.62

Dr. A. Herrera

Spring 2012

Project 4_05062012

The problem is that standardized tests, such as STAAR, are often not adequate in measuring K-12 English Language Learners‟ (ELLs) academic gains and performance.

Problem Statement

The purpose of this literature review was to

examine the research and what it reveals

about standardized tests and whether or

not they are adequate to measure K-12

ELLs academic progress.

PURPOSE

There is a need to investigate this problem,

especially in states, such as Texas with

large number of ELL students, in order to

establish the adequacy of standardize test

and how these can be improved to better

and fairly measure ELLs knowledge and

learning.

The Need

The studies included in this literature

synthesis are mostly qualitative, casual-

comparative research, and case studies.

Types of Research

Reviewing the Literature

“When English learners are included in state

assessments, their academic performance is

measured by tests that were designed for English-

speaking students and, as such, maybe culturally

and linguistically inappropriate for ELLs.”

(Honingsfeld & Giouroukakis 2011)

Reviewing the Literature

Pappamihiel and Walser (2009), argue that language

acquisition can be characterized as a complex

system and as such part of the problem stems from

NCLB‟s simple assessment solution to a complex

system .

Reviewing the Literature

NCLB allows for first year ELLs to be exempt from

Reading but not from Math. This according to Wright

& Li (2007) “is a major misconception” given that it is

based on the erroneous view that math requires less

linguistic proficiency than other subjects (p. 239).

Results

The research studies included in this synthesis found

that the „one-size-fits-all‟ assessment NCLB

mandates in the form of high-stakes test in English,

such as the STAAR, is often an invalid measure for

ELLs given that it doesn‟t accurately measure their

mastery of content but rather their language

proficiency.

Gaps in the Literature

• ELLs are varied and should not be treated as a

homogenous groups. They differ greatly in

socioeconomic status, knowledge of English and

content mastery in their native languages. This

makes it hard to generalize findings across all

ELLs.

• More research is needed to find the cause of the

gap between ELLs and their native-language

peers, as oppose as only confirming this fact.

Research points to the fact that often

times, high-stakes tests in English, are not

adequate for assessing ELLs

knowledge, especially as these students

are not given opportunities based on

research that would allow them to catch up

to their English-native speaker peers.

Conclusion

Honigsfeld, A., & Giouroukakis, V. (2011). High-Stakes Assessments and

English Language Learners. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 77(4), 6-10.

Pappamihiel, N., & Walser, T. M. (2009). English Language Learners and

Complexity Theory: Why Current Accountability Systems Do Not

Measure Up. Educational Forum, 73(2), 133-140.

Wright, W. E., & Li, X. (2008). High-Stakes Math Tests: How "No Child Left

Behind" Leaves Newcomer English Language Learners behind. Language

Policy, 7(3), 237-266.

Image by Conrado Gonzalez 2007.