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English as a second language and assessments to assist pupil learning Katharine Bailey

English as a second language and assessments to assist pupil learning Katharine Bailey. CEM assessments. Approach depends on intended use of data Accommodations permitted Developed ability measures. Scores Charts. IPRs (Individual Pupil Record Sheets).

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English as a second language and assessments to assist pupil learning Katharine Bailey

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  1. English as a second language and assessments to assist pupil learning Katharine Bailey

  2. CEM assessments Approach depends on intended use of data Accommodations permitted Developed ability measures

  3. Scores Charts

  4. IPRs (Individual Pupil Record Sheets) Look for sections that are inconsistent Also available based on MidYIS, Alis, SOSCA & INSIGHT scores

  5. Achievement gap Studies from the US and the UK have shown English Language Learners (ELLs) to have lower scores than their native English speaking peers It is not a white vs black issue It is not entirely a socio-economic issue Most studies based on high-stakes assessment

  6. Research • Coleman report 1966 • Verbal and non-verbal reasoning, reading and maths • Swann report 1985 • West Indian children underachieving, IQ not significant factor • Harvard meta-analysis • 11 studies with 23,000 participants • ELLs have lower scores in maths and science

  7. Research • Department for Education, 2010 • On average, children of any black background achieved below the national level in reading, writing, mathematics and science at KS1 and KS2 • TIMSS 2008 • Children whose parents are both born in the UK were likely to score higher in maths • Children who always or almost always spoke language of the test generally more able

  8. Effect size • Means and standard deviations calculated for the two groups • Effect size reports the magnitude of the difference in achievement between the two groups

  9. International schools • Lack of large scale research into ELL issues in international schools • Why? • Perception of the problem • Strategic perspective/accountability • Difficulties of classification

  10. CEM research • Assessments developed in the UK • Stage by stage approach to looking at how the assessments work for international students • First evidence comes from • Vocabulary assessment • Reading assessment • For 5-11 year olds

  11. Participants • UK-based sample • Sample from group of international schools in East-Asia

  12. Analysis • Compared the responses of each sample to each question in the test • Differential item functioning analysis used to see whether items were easier for one group or another

  13. Vocabulary Drenched Daffodil Saxophone Aquarium Lantern Transport Luggage

  14. Reading – Word recognition

  15. Reading – Word decoding

  16. Reading – Spelling

  17. What does this tell us? • The East Asia sample find some questions harder to answer than others • Roughly the same number of questions are easier for the East Asia sample • The sections of CEM assessments analysed do not appear to advantage non-ELL pupils

  18. What can the US studies tell us? • Various accommodations have been suggested to level the playing field • Making specific changes to the test format or test conditions • Varying degrees of success • Findings must be: • Effective • Valid

  19. What worked? 0.15 – a small effect  • Simplified English • English dictionaries or glossaries • Bilingual dictionaries or glossaries • Tests written in native language • Dual language test booklets • Dual language questions for English passages • Extra time       Kieffer, Lesaux, Rivera and Frances, 2009

  20. Findings • Only English language dictionaries or glossaries was found to have a positive and significant effect • Practical impact of use of English dictionaries or glossaries might be reduction of achievement gap by between 10% and 25% • The accommodation was found to be valid as it did not improve the non-ELL scores • This was true for a homogenous group of students • Not controlled for other variables e.g. non-verbal ability

  21. Other recommendations • Reduce language load – helps all students • Include graphical or visual support • Include local and situated perspectives in test development • Provide alternative norms • Test preparation support • Not violating ethical norms • Should not increase scores without corresponding increase in mastery of the curriculum Fairbairn and Fox, 2009

  22. Way forward • Further analysis of item level data in different subjects • Gather more detail through questionnaire or interview • Details of language use at home, with family and with friends • Literacy experiences • Level of parental education • History of education experiences • Age of arrival • Re-contextualisation of assessment information

  23. More information • Fairbairn, 2009. Inclusive achievement testing for linguistically and culturally diverse test takers • Kieffer, Lesaux, Rivera and Frances, 2009. Accommodations for English Language Learners Taking Large-Scale Assessments: A Meta-Analysis on Effectiveness and Validity. • 2005 National Assessment of Educational Progress, National Center for Education Statistics • Jamal Abedi, Professor of Education, Vanderbilt University, Tennessee • AERA (American Educational Research Association) • BERA (British Educational Research Association)

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