Response to Jennifer’s Article Questions

Question#1
English is a complex language. Do you agree or disagree that ELLs are assessed and
misdiagnosed too frequently as having a learning disability? How can this affect their lives
as students?

I strongly agree that ELLs are assessed and misdiagnosed too frequently as having a learning
disability. According to the article, students being taught in a second language can sometimes
act similar to the behaviors of someone with a learning disability. It is no wonder they are being
mistakenly labeled for special education services. This mistake can create a negative impact on
these students’ lives- socially, emotionally, and academically. This situation should be looked
under a microscope. Educators should be more careful in distinguishing an ELLs with a LD
student. For this reason, learning disability assessments must take into consideration whether a
student is bilingual or a second language learner. However I do believe researchers Wagner,
Francis and Morris’ suggestion is more effective: “assessment in the native language may
provide a more accurate inventory of students’ knowledge and skills than assessment in
English”(p.3).

Question #2
How does assessing ELLs as proficient English language speakers affect them in their
learning process?

Each ELLs has a different level of proficiency in the English language, and a different learning
and thinking style. And yet the standardized test treats them as if they were all identical. I believe
these test can scar students for life. First of all, because students know that these tests scores
may affect their future lives, they get frustrated and stressed. They feel that they are in a “win”
or “loose” situation when taking a test. Students may also start to feel insecure and lose a sense
of their actual abilities. Second, since so much emphasis is placed on standardized tests results
these days, teachers are spending a considerable amount of time preparing for the test, and it is
taking away time from other areas of learning. It shuts out the possibility of learning about the
real world.
 Response to Loida’s Article Questions

Question #1: Based on the following statement from the article, do you think each state
should make their own tests or groups like Parcc that create tests for the Common Core
should make them? Please explain why
Statement: “Some states made the standardized tests so easy or set passing scores so low that
virtually all students were rated proficient even as they scored much lower on federal exams and
showed up for college requiring medial help”

Since the passage of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, all 50 states has adopted content
standards in the core subjects. Each state chooses its own test and standards of proficiency.
This has made it difficult for the state and education leaders to compare one state’s scores
directly with another state because each state uses its own test. According to the article, this
is exactly what happened- “Some states made the standardized tests so easy or set passing
scores so low that virtually all students were rated proficient even as they scored much lower on
federal exams and showed up for college requiring medial help” (Motoko, 2015).
If each state remains scoring and labeling differently, the education leader will continue to
grapple with the question of how high the standards should be. I believe all states must find a
way to interpret these test fairly. Unless this changes, educational quality will continue to vary
tremendously by state, which is what happened in the case of Ohio.

Question #2: Do you agree with Shanahan’s five steps to prepare students for reading
comprehension on PARCC and SBAC tests? Please explain why. Choose one of the five
steps (pages 187-188) and provide an activity or example of how you would apply it in your
classroom.

I strongly agree with Shanahan’s five steps to prepare students for reading comprehension on
PARCC and SBAC tests. Reading has the power to benefit students in a myriad of ways: it can
help students develop their language skills and it can also help them to listen; to develop their
imagination and creativity; and to improve spelling.
I would like to use step #5: Engage students in writing about text, not just in replying to
multiple-choice questions (p. 188). I really liked this step because it mentioned an activity I
always include in my lesson plans, which is summarizing. As mentioned in the article,
“Although writing text summaries and syntheses may not look like the tests students are being
prepared for, this kind of activity should provide the most powerful and productive kind of
preparation” (p. 188) I believe this skill can help the student monitor their own understanding of
the text. When students need to summarize they must decide how to organize information: what
to include and what to eliminate to ensure the summary is true to the original text. In all, I
always incorporate reading and summarizing in my classroom as much as I can because I think it
is an important academic skill. This is why I include Dr. Seuss quote as my classroom motto:
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more
places you'll go.”
 Response to Olga’s Article Questions
Question # 1:
Compare and Contrast the Every Student Succeeds Act with the No Child Left Behind Act and
Explain if you agree that the new act offers new opportunities for English - Language Learners.

We all know that the U.S. population has changed dramatically in the past years, as immigrants,
both authorized and unauthorized, have settled there seeking a better future for themselves and
their children. Today “minority students – Black, Hispanic, Asian-American and Native-
American students – make up a majority of our public school students.” (para. 1). Since “the
number of students learning English as a second language has grown dramatically in recent
decades.”, there has been some much-needed attention to the achievement gap of these ELL
students. (para. 1)
The No Child Left Behind recognizes that “ELLs are a heterogeneous and complex group of
students” that require this much- needed attention. The president signed a new law that focuses
in giving this attention as well, but it looks for major improvements in student achievement in all
schools not just to certain districts and states.
The Every Student Succeeds Act has largely replaced the No Child Left Behind Act. The Every
Students Succeed Act “presents a new opportunity for English-language learners, their families
and the educators that support them.” (para. 3) The main priority of this new law is “all schools
have to demonstrate that they are improving the English language proficiency of their English-
language learners” and they need to make sure that students who are struggling “get the right
kind of support.” (para. 4) However, the No Child Left Behind “treated English language
acquisition for English-language learners differently, creating a completely separate
accountability system that only applied to districts and states. This division created confusion
and sent the message that helping these students learn English was a secondary concern.”
(para. 4)

I agree that the new act offers new opportunities for English - Language Learners. In the past
years the U.S. has been looking for “resources and supports” to make English-language learners
succeed. (para. 10). For example, Florida and California has had a growing demand to recruit
bilingual teachers due to the increase of Spanish-speaking public school students. As the number
of ELL students grow in the U.S., “many more states will have to make significant changes in
order to incorporate English language proficiency going forward.” (para. 8)
Question #2:
Do you agree with assessment accommodation for former LEPS or ELLS? Explain Why or Why
not? If so, which accommodation would you use if you had a student like Diego.

In Texas, how well ELL students perform on standardized tests can affect their educational paths
and the rest of their lives. In addition, ELL students' performances on statewide assessments will
affect their schools due to the No Child Left Behind Act. To alleviate the difficulty of not being
able to understand English proficiently, various testing accommodations can be given. Five
testing accommodations were given to ELL students or former LEP students. According to the
article an accommodation is defined as “a modification to the test that does not change validity
or reliability of the test’s results”. (Page 5 para. 2) However, these accommodations have
brought various issues of validity by members of the measurement community. The
accommodations with their issues are the following:
1. “a student may receive extended time to finish an assessment if she has a reading
disability that makes it challenging to complete an assessment in the standard time
allotment” (Page 5 para. 3)
Accommodation Issue: “interaction between the student characteristics and the
accommodation; interactions that are unknown and thus may impact the reliability of
the test score.” (Page 5 para. 3)
2. “changes to the language of either the directions or the test items.” (Page 6 para. 1)
Accommodation Issue:” From a conceptual perspective, translating test items may
impact the reliability and validity of the interpretation of the test score. The translated
test may be more difficult or create unforeseen challenges in measuring the target
skill.” (Page 6 para. 1)

3. “modification of the linguistic complexity of test items, or simplifying the words and
syntax of the test items.” (Page 6 para. 2)
Accommodation Issue: “alter the English reading level of the test item.” (Page 6 para.
2)

4. “inclusion of visual images with the test items.” (Page 6 para 3)

Accommodation Issue: “Images are typically non-verbal in content and can provide
additional information or context about the item without relying on a student’s
English skills” (Page 6 para 3)

5. “the use of dictionaries or glossaries during the assessment” (Page 6 para. 4)

Accommodation Issue: “Some concern may arise if the purpose of the test item is
to test student’s knowledge of vocabulary; if dictionaries provide definitions, it
 could reduce the validity of a correct score; From a practical perspective, this
accommodation would likely need to be used in addition to extended time (see
next section on Scheduling Accommodations) because of the extra steps involved
in looking up concepts while reading test items.” (Page 6 para. 4)

Students are being given accommodations depending on many contributing factors such as age,
grade level, English proficiency, native language literacy, and time in US schools. Therefore, I
do not agree with assessment accommodation for former LEPS or ELLS in the state of Texas
because it seems likely that more research on testing accommodations will be needed to enable
valid test interpretations for ELL students and former LEP students in particular. I also do not
find it fair how after three years the system automatically exempts an ELL student from its LEP
status and have to take the statewide assessment as other regular students. In addition, students
who enter the school system at a later grade often do not have access to a bilingual education
model, regardless of their actual English language proficiency. The lack of quality programs
“may partially explain the lower achievement rates and higher high school dropout rates for
students who are LEP of former-LEP” (Page 3 para. 3). I believe this has caused a gap between
ELL and non-ELL students in higher grade levels.
I have never taught in the U.S. but I am an English teacher at a bilingual school. I have made
accommodations for my students who are struggling in the English Language. This year I had a
Mexican student just like Diego who had no knowledge of the English Language. During
classwork and assessments I have offered accommodations which include simplifying the words
and syntax of the test items, and extended time, all were given individually (one- to-one). My
student has shown great progress. However, this is because he is in a kindergarten level and kids
at this age are fast learners and can learn a second language better than kids at a higher grade
level. I have also had students like Diego in second grade and it has been completely the
opposite. The higher the grade level the more challenging it is for a student to acquire English
proficiency. Therefore, why does Texas exempt students of their LEP status after three years of
being in the United States? I believe students need to continue receiving a bilingual program
until they are at level with the rest of the class. This is why, I do not agree with the
accommodations the state of Texas is offering ELL students. As mentioned above, more
research on testing accommodations will be needed. Without it, assessments will likely
underestimate the knowledge and skills of former-LEPs (page 7 para. 4)
 Response to Joaritza’s Article Questions
Questions #1
Do you agree with the four critical issues the article presents? If you could change at least
one of them according to your experience which one would it be and why?
Yes, I agree with the four critical issues that Abedi and Dietel present in this article.
However, if I could change one of the factors it would be the third one: “The ELL population as
a subgroup is highly transient; many high-performing ELLs leave the group (Giouroukakis and
Honigsfeld, 2011, p. 6). These tests are often unfair to ELLs and cannot be relied on to provide
an accurate assessment of an English language learner’s abilities in content areas. Therefore, it is
leading to unfair interpretations of low test scores (issue #1) and assessment discrimination. All
students, regardless of language, must be given equal opportunity to achieve.

Questions #2
How can you relate your experiences from teaching ESL or being an ESL student to what
the article discussed about assessment?

Currently the public system has been under attack. We are living in a time where
standardized tests have become a monster and have been wanting to take down the schools. Of
course testing has its uses-it is one of the most helpful tools in finding out whether a student
needs more time in understanding a concept- but nowadays they see test scores as a goal of
learning, rather than as an instrument for assessing student understanding. Test scores are not
being used for diagnostic purposes but as a way to evaluate and penalize students, teachers, and
schools; which is precisely what the state education commissioner, John B. King Jr., is doing at
New York City schools.
My experience as an ESL student was back in first grade at State College, Pennsylvania. I
remember being taken out of the classroom for an hour each day to learn the English language
at another room with my ESL teacher, Mr. Barton. Thanks to him, I learned to understand,
comprehend and use the language. With this said, I believe if proper funding is provided,
schools can acquire certified teachers to give language lessons to ELLs-a topic which Mr. King
has far failed to address.
 Response to Veronica’s Article Questions

Question #1

“…a growing body of research shows that incoming students are actually more ready than
community colleges have recognized” (Hern, 2015).
Do you think this is also true for community colleges in Puerto Rico (or in a state you had lived
in)? Explain your answer and provide examples to prove your point.

I was completely unaware that colleges at California “don’t review student transcripts, or assess
samples of student writing” (para. 5). Most students work so hard during their high school years
and yet colleges are not taking their grades into consideration during the application process.
Instead, students take placement test and those who score below a certain level are being labeled
as “not college ready” and placed under remedial courses. It is no surprise these students are
“less likely to reach their goals.”(para. 9)
I don’t have any experience in a community college in Puerto Rico. I can only talk about my
years as a graduate student at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez. When I was accepted
into the program, I was told I needed to take 4 deficiencies. According to them I was “under-
prepared” upon entry. So I began to ask my classmates if they also had deficiencies. At least 8
out of 10 students had between 3 to 4 deficiencies to take. I found it extremely unfair for those
students who had completed their BA in UPR at Mayaguez and still had to take deficiencies. I
thought they had giving me these courses because I came from different UPR campus but this
was not the case. It seems the department gives deficiencies to everyone regardless of what
university students came from. I realized these deficiencies would add an additional year to
complete my master’s degree. For this reason, I ended dropping out. This is exactly what is
happening in California colleges. Students are definitely loosing motivation when placed under
remedial courses. Because of this, there has been a decrease in student completion. (para. 7). If
they continue to rely on these test, community colleges will underestimate the abilities of many
students and consequently lower their motivation to complete their studies. (para. 7). I am glad
California community colleges will begin piloting a new “common assessment” system (para.
11) and accepting high school transcript measures instead of their scores on placement test.

Question #2
“…it is feasible in that the problem lies not with unequal language facility but with unequal
examination ability. This assumes that expressing learning through essay/report type assignments is
more trans-culturally homogeneous and/or more easily learned by international students than
expressing learning through timed, closed book examinations” (Smith, 2011, p. 21).
Do you agree with this statement? Support your answer by providing a past experience as an
ESL student and/or teacher.
I agree with the statement. Time is definitely a complicating factor for ESLs during
examinations. When ESL students are “under the pressure of time they are handicapped
compared to their EPL classmates by their comparative lack of English language skills.” (Smith,
2011, p. 20) However, in coursework assignment, the results are different. During assignments,
ESL students “have time to adequately express their thinking in their second language and can
have their outputs edited and word processed” (Smith, 2011, p. 20)
As a teacher, I have observed how learning to be a proficient reader and writer in a second
language can be a demanding task for most of my ESL students. For my ESL students, acquiring
these skills are challenging enough, nevertheless, compounded by the necessity to complete
timed examinations as they pursue their academic goals. For example, when I assign my students
to compose a journal entry on an X topic; most of them hand in a great journal entry with
complete sentences because they have time to revise and edit their own work in class. However,
during a test, some of my ESL students demonstrate to have poor writing skills. This
contradiction is due to the fact that they cannot do this process (revise and edit) during a timed-
test environment. This assumes that timed examinations might not be a reliable indicator of a
student’s true ability and can consequently have a “negative impact on the final grades” (Smith,
2011, p. 20)