Examples: Avoid Using Synonyms in Problems An issue that can create difficulties is to use a synonym for a word somewhere in the problem. Consider the following variants of the same problem. Version 1:Janet plants lillies in her garden. She plants them 6 inches apart. How many flowers will she plant if her garden is 9 feet long? Version 2:Janet plants lillies in her garden. She plants them 6 inches apart. How many lillies will she plant if her garden is 9 feet long? What can cause a problem for ELLs?

Answer: Although there is only one word that is different (flowers was changed to lilies in the question), that one word can influence students' ability to understand the problem and be successful. In the first version, students must recognize that flowers is used as a synonym for lilies; if students don't make this connection, then they may not be able to determine how to proceed. In contrast, in the second version, the question relates directly to the initial statement of the problem. So, the focus can be on the mathematics needed to solve the problem and undue barriers related to the English language can be avoided.

Examples: Modify Questions to Reduce Language Complexity At times, teachers may need to modify the complexity of the language in problems. For example, for students at the very earliest stages of language proficiency (particularly pre-production), problems might be rewritten in a visual form. Consider the lilies problem from earlier in this chapter. We might restructure this problem with minimal English.

Comment: At times, it may not be necessary to minimize English as much as in Version 3. But we may still need to consider simplifying the complexity of a word problem. Now consider the following:

Problem A:The department store was having its annual Fall Clearance. Everything was marked 50% off. John wanted to buy a shirt that originally cost $25 and a pair of pants that cost $30. How much would he pay on sale, without sales tax? Problem B: John is buying a shirt that costs $25 and a pair of pants that cost $30. They are on sale for 50% off. What is the cost without tax?

Answer: Problem B does not lessen the cognitive demand of the problem or the mathematics that is required. However, the first sentence, while interesting, is not essential. Also, the question is put in present tense rather than past. There is less language that students need to address in order to solve the problem. Problem B could be made even more accessible by including a picture of the shirt and pants with the cost attached and a 50% off sale. The picture would then support the language in the problem

Another Strategy: Make a transparency of the word problems. Spend a few minutes in class reading through the problems and helping students sort essential from non-essential information. Cross out sentences and words that are included in the problem but are not really needed to understand the problem. Think back to problem A earlier; by striking through the non-essential parts of the problem, we lower the language demands on our ELL students and make it easier for them to focus on the essential mathematics. The department store was having its annual Fall Clearance. Everything was marked 50% off. John wanted to buy a shirt that originally cost $25 and a pair of pants that cost $30. How much would he pay on sale, without sales tax?

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Replace unfamiliar or infrequently used words with words that are either more familiar or are ones that students are likely to encounter frequently. Such a change recognizes that the vocabulary of students, including ELLs, at various stages differs. In other words, the vocabulary of a typical 8 th grade student is likely different from that of a college educated adult. Original: Sally purchased a smock for $75. Revision: Sally paid $75 for a coat.

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Replace passive verbs with active verbs Original: A sample of 85 batteries was selected for closer examination. Revision: He selected a sample of 85 batteries to examine.

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Reduce or limit the number nominal (a word or group of words that function as a noun) that are used. In particular, reducing the use of complex compound phrases that include modifiers Original: The Company’s former chief executive officer decided to … Revision: Bill decided to … Original: The man on the boat from Colorado purchased a book. Revision: The man purchased a book.

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Replace or change the order of conditional clauses (e.g., if – then) Original: If two toys in the sample were found to be broken … Revisions: He found two broken toys in the sample.

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Remove or recast relative clauses (i.e., a phrase that refers to and provided additional information that usually begins with words such as “who”, “which” or “that”). The revision simplifies the sentence by taking pertinent information from the relative clause. Original: Find the total number of books that James sold in 10 days Revision: How many books did James sell in 10 days?

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Revise complex question structures to simplify them — Original: “At which of the following times” Revison: “When….” Original: “Which is the best approximation of the number” Revision: “ approximately how many”

Further ways to linguistically adjust tests:  Make abstract or impersonal presentations more concrete Original: “The weights of three objects were compared using a pan balance. Two comparisons were made”. Revision: “Sandra compared the weights of three

And Research says: Researchers have investigated the effect of using modified assessments for both ELLs and non-ELLs. The research results indicate the following: Both ELLs and non-ELLs benefit from test accommodations (Abedi, Lord, Hofstetter, & Baker 2000).  There is a high correlation between mathematics and reading scores (Brown, 2005).  ELLs typically found the linguistically modified items (i.e., simpler language and less complex language structures) easier to comprehend (Abedi & Lord, 2001).  ELLs who took the modified version of a test performed better and had higher test scores than those who took the original version of the exam (Abedi & Lord, 2001; Abedi, Lord Hofstetter & Baker, 2000; Kiplinger, Huag, & Abedi, 2000).

And Research says: Researchers have investigated the effect of using modified assessments for both ELLs and non-ELLs. The research results indicate the following: The percentage improvement on the modified assessment was higher for ELLs than for non-ELLs (Abedi & Lord, 2001).  ELLs’ performance on mathematics tests with a high number of word problems was strongly related to their reading abilities in English (Kiplinger, Haug, & Abedi, 2000).  The performance of ELLs and non-ELLs improved when they were permitted to use a glossary that explained unfamiliar or difficult words and were given extra time (Abedi, Lord, Hofstetter, & Baker, 2000).  The higher the level of linguistic complexity in the test item, the higher was the performance gap between ELLs and non- ELLs (Abedi & Hejri, 2004).

And Now YOU 1)With the test that you have…..use the strategies and assessment accommodations outlined in this powerpoint to modify your test 2)Share with your neighbour and critically appraise your neighbour’s modified test