ELL-Focused Accommodations for Content Area Assessments: An Introduction The University of Central Florida Cocoa Campus Jamal Abedi University of California, Davis July 7,
Accommodations for ELL Students 1.What is an accommodation for ELL students? 2.Why should ELL students be accommodated? 3.Can the same accommodations used for students with disabilities be used for ELLs? 2
1. What is an accommodation for ELL students? Accommodations are changes in the test administration or in the test itself as long as those changes do not impact the focal construct Accommodations are provided to ELL students to level the playing field, i. e., making assessments accessible for these students A distinction is made between accommodations and modifications 3
2. Why Should English Language Learners be Accommodated? Their possible English language deficiency may interfere with their content knowledge learning and performance. Assessment tools may be culturally and linguistically biased for these students. Linguistic complexity of the assessment tools may be a source of measurement error which may negatively impact reliability of the assessments for ELLs. Language factors may be a source of construct irrelevant variance and affects validity of assessments for ELLs. 4
Performance/Reliability-Gaps Between ELL and non-ELL Students Performance-Gap Reliability- Gap Reading 20% - 60% 15% - 40% Science/Social Sciences 10% - 40% 12% - 35% Math Problem Solving 8% - 25% 10% - 30% Math Computation 0% - 10% 10 – 15% 5
There are 73 Accommodations Listed 47 (64%) are not related 7 (10%) are remotely related 8 (11%) are moderately related 11 (15%) are highly related Rivera. (2003). State assessment policies for English language learners. Presented at the 2003 Large-Scale Assessment Conference 6
Samples of Accommodations Used for ELL Students that may not be Relevant Test-taker marks answers in a test booklet Copying assistance provided between drafts Test-taker indicates answers by pointing or other similar method Paper is secured to work area with tape/magnet 7
Samples of Accommodations Used for ELL Students Enlarged answer sheets Providing breaks Tests administered individually Tests administered in small groups Tests administered in a location with minimal distractions 8
Evidence Many states are aware of the validity concerns regarding accommodations that may alter the construct. Thus, accommodations are grouped into two distinct categories: (1) Accommodations and (2) Modifications. Accommodations are changes in test format, directions, etc. that do not alter the construct. Modifications, however, are changes that alter the construct. The main question, however, is whether the categorization of accommodations is based on credible research evidence. 9
Accommodations for ELLs 1.Bilingual Version of the Tests (Native Language Assessment) 2.English/Bilingual Glossary 3.Customized English/Bilingual Dictionary 4.English/Bilingual Commercial Dictionary 5.Linguistically Modified Assessment 6.Computer Accommodation with dictionary and pop-up glossary 10
Conclusion There is not enough research to support many of the accommodations that are currently used in national and state assessments. The only way to make judgments about the efficiency and validity of these accommodations is to use them in experimentally controlled situations with both ELL and non-ELL students and examine their validity and effectiveness under randomized experimental design. The results of studies nationwide, have provided support for some of the accommodations used for ELL students. 11
Conclusion Examples of research-supported accommodations: Providing a customized dictionary is a viable alternative to providing traditional dictionaries. The linguistic modification of test items that reduce unnecessary linguistic burdens on students is among the accommodations that help ELL students without affecting the validity of assessments. Computer testing with added extra time and glossary was shown to be a very effective, yet valid accommodation (Abedi, Courtney, Leon and Goldberg, 2003) 12