Here is a link to my embarrassingly primitive Webpage
I tried!
http://sites.google.com/a/mail.montclair.edu/danielle-s-ed-pages/
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
CIQ Abstract and Conclusions
Abstract
The purpose of this project was to examine the classroom experience of English Language Learners in New Jersey, both in the urban and suburban areas of Newark and Carteret, and how these issues relate to state testing and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Interviews were conducted with faculty members at East Side High School in Newark and Carteret High School in Carteret, NJ. Both schools were chosen due to the sizeable populations of ELL’s that both schools serve. ESHS is located in the Ironbound section of Newark and serves ELL’s who regularly experience language difficulty when transitioning between speaking native languages like Spanish and Portuguese to English. Carteret High serves a population of ESL students who speak mostly Spanish or Punjabi. The project findings suggest inequity in the NCLB system as students within the three levels of ESL are held accountable on state tests before they have a sufficient command of English. Consequently, these state examinations are the same tests that are used to predict AYP for the school and may push it towards a “failing” status. Therefore, it is increasingly important to make changes to the system that holds ELLs accountable for language knowledge before they are ready.
Conclusion
This project taught me an immense amount about teaching in an urban district as well as the kinds of issues students, teachers, administrators, and parents have. There is a lot of bureaucracy when it comes to urban education, especially as it relates to NCLB and the equity it sometimes fails to create for students. The project topic began on a hunch and ended with some definitive examples of inequality within NCLB and examples where the purpose of the initiative isn’t matching up. The process started with a review of literature on the topic. Through analyzing publications like Double the Work and others, I saw that the progress of those students still in ESL and those students who have left ESL is very important as it relates to state tests.
During my interviews, I learned that state testing is a point of frustration for ESL teachers. The task of preparing students without a core understanding of English for a far-reaching, all encompassing Language Arts and Reading component of a state test, especially one that may include a cultural bias, is a difficult one. The testing process for ELLs and their teachers is made even more frustrating because of the fact that the final outcome, the test score, often doesn’t reflect the work that is being done.
Often, the more I read, the more upset I became that the system appears to disadvantage a large population of learners. In talking with teachers in both districts, I learned that high school students have it worse than students who learn English early, but, at the high school level it is nearly impossible to show progress or acquisition of new language and reading skills. The gaps in the system make it possible for good students to fall through the cracks, all because they can’t prove their progress on a state test. Thus, the SRA process is the only way they can graduate high school.
If a newly certified teacher is planning on being able to serve all populations of students, especially those who from diverse communities, then he or she needs to consider language and its impact in the classroom and on state tests. Furthermore, as a future English teacher, I need to be aware of the role that language plays and plan accordingly. If I plan on being able to serve different populations of students and plan on being able to teach anywhere and in any environment, then I have to be prepared to teach ELLs the skills they need to succeed once they leave ESL and find themselves in a new classroom and using a new language. The project findings have opened up my eyes to NCLB and its effect on school systems and the education of ELLs in the state. This is all information I will likely use in my career as a teacher.
The purpose of this project was to examine the classroom experience of English Language Learners in New Jersey, both in the urban and suburban areas of Newark and Carteret, and how these issues relate to state testing and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). Interviews were conducted with faculty members at East Side High School in Newark and Carteret High School in Carteret, NJ. Both schools were chosen due to the sizeable populations of ELL’s that both schools serve. ESHS is located in the Ironbound section of Newark and serves ELL’s who regularly experience language difficulty when transitioning between speaking native languages like Spanish and Portuguese to English. Carteret High serves a population of ESL students who speak mostly Spanish or Punjabi. The project findings suggest inequity in the NCLB system as students within the three levels of ESL are held accountable on state tests before they have a sufficient command of English. Consequently, these state examinations are the same tests that are used to predict AYP for the school and may push it towards a “failing” status. Therefore, it is increasingly important to make changes to the system that holds ELLs accountable for language knowledge before they are ready.
Conclusion
This project taught me an immense amount about teaching in an urban district as well as the kinds of issues students, teachers, administrators, and parents have. There is a lot of bureaucracy when it comes to urban education, especially as it relates to NCLB and the equity it sometimes fails to create for students. The project topic began on a hunch and ended with some definitive examples of inequality within NCLB and examples where the purpose of the initiative isn’t matching up. The process started with a review of literature on the topic. Through analyzing publications like Double the Work and others, I saw that the progress of those students still in ESL and those students who have left ESL is very important as it relates to state tests.
During my interviews, I learned that state testing is a point of frustration for ESL teachers. The task of preparing students without a core understanding of English for a far-reaching, all encompassing Language Arts and Reading component of a state test, especially one that may include a cultural bias, is a difficult one. The testing process for ELLs and their teachers is made even more frustrating because of the fact that the final outcome, the test score, often doesn’t reflect the work that is being done.
Often, the more I read, the more upset I became that the system appears to disadvantage a large population of learners. In talking with teachers in both districts, I learned that high school students have it worse than students who learn English early, but, at the high school level it is nearly impossible to show progress or acquisition of new language and reading skills. The gaps in the system make it possible for good students to fall through the cracks, all because they can’t prove their progress on a state test. Thus, the SRA process is the only way they can graduate high school.
If a newly certified teacher is planning on being able to serve all populations of students, especially those who from diverse communities, then he or she needs to consider language and its impact in the classroom and on state tests. Furthermore, as a future English teacher, I need to be aware of the role that language plays and plan accordingly. If I plan on being able to serve different populations of students and plan on being able to teach anywhere and in any environment, then I have to be prepared to teach ELLs the skills they need to succeed once they leave ESL and find themselves in a new classroom and using a new language. The project findings have opened up my eyes to NCLB and its effect on school systems and the education of ELLs in the state. This is all information I will likely use in my career as a teacher.
Project Findings
My project centered on ESL programs and issues facing ELLs in the state, especially in regard to state testing and accountability through NCLB. In the beginning of my research, I saw that there was a definite issue in preparing ELLs, or English Language Learners, for the same state examinations that students take who already have a command of English. As per the NCLB requirement, students who are in ESL have to show that they are showing progress in the acquisition of English. I learned from the head of ESL in Newark that a lot of the ESL students are asked to state tests before they reach level 3 for ESL, which means they can't write a full sentence or read and understand the material. These tests then predict AYP for the school and can designate whether or not it is deemed a "failing" school.
Through the data presented in my project, I have found that primary language and language ability is an integral issue for ELLs attending East Side High School and Carteret High School. These programs are tailored to the specific needs of English Language Learners in its classrooms. However, with regard to NCLB and making AYP goals, One teacher I interviewed at ESHS believes that the school will always be at a disadvantage because of the fact that the ESL students in the school are held accountable on the state tests. She said, “Somebody needs to help these kids. Nobody sees what we do. The state requirements don’t reflect all the work we’re doing. We’re putting in the work and we’re being penalized for it.”
Some issues associated with urban education, namely primary language in the home and parental involvement with school, do have an impact on an ELL and his or her ability to learn English. Often times the parents do not speak English and cannot help with the work. Also, students in Newark work as many as 20 to 30 hours a week. It is extremely difficult when one considers the fact that some of these students are asked to take, and pass, a state test when they can’t write a sentence in English. It’s even harder to imagine that these scores then allow the school and its teachers to be held accountable.
Also, the teachers commented that many students slip into speaking their primary language in their content area classrooms as well as outside of school, both socially and in work environments. The Ironbound section of Newark, for example, lends itself more towards a Spanish speaking culture than an English speaking one. The culture within the community next to East Side High is palpable. The school also employs people who are able to dealThe tendency to speak Spanish and to spend less time learning a new language could certainly be a factor as to why the ELLs progress on state tests is less than that of other students.
The project discovered that certain elements of NCLB disadvantaged a group of learners simply because of the testing element. From the interviews I conducted with teachers who were brave enough to be completely forthcoming, I learned that this is true. I learned that the system, fundamentally, is unfair to ELLs. It asks them to acquire knowledge of a new language in a shorter amount of time than is needed and then asks them to produce an understanding of English when classroom time hasn’t afforded them the possibility of having a command of a single sentence.
As seen from the data regarding primary language and the racial background of residents in the Ironbound district, language is a huge part of a student’s everyday life in his or her primary surroundings. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken on the streets surrounding Independence Park, where people go to meet up with friends and family. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants, cafes, clubs, and businesses are all main fixtures within the community, drawing in outside influences as well as maintaining inside influences. The students are a reflection of their community, and the school system responds to the community in which the student’s live.
Tutoring services, community resources, secretarial staff, guidance staff, and teachers all aim to understand the community and the languages used as a means of integrating themselves into Ironbound as well as integrating students into the English speaking world. However, in Carteret, ESL teachers were the students’ sole source of language help and understanding of language difficulty. One teachers adds, “I know because they tell me their problems.”
Through the data presented in my project, I have found that primary language and language ability is an integral issue for ELLs attending East Side High School and Carteret High School. These programs are tailored to the specific needs of English Language Learners in its classrooms. However, with regard to NCLB and making AYP goals, One teacher I interviewed at ESHS believes that the school will always be at a disadvantage because of the fact that the ESL students in the school are held accountable on the state tests. She said, “Somebody needs to help these kids. Nobody sees what we do. The state requirements don’t reflect all the work we’re doing. We’re putting in the work and we’re being penalized for it.”
Some issues associated with urban education, namely primary language in the home and parental involvement with school, do have an impact on an ELL and his or her ability to learn English. Often times the parents do not speak English and cannot help with the work. Also, students in Newark work as many as 20 to 30 hours a week. It is extremely difficult when one considers the fact that some of these students are asked to take, and pass, a state test when they can’t write a sentence in English. It’s even harder to imagine that these scores then allow the school and its teachers to be held accountable.
Also, the teachers commented that many students slip into speaking their primary language in their content area classrooms as well as outside of school, both socially and in work environments. The Ironbound section of Newark, for example, lends itself more towards a Spanish speaking culture than an English speaking one. The culture within the community next to East Side High is palpable. The school also employs people who are able to dealThe tendency to speak Spanish and to spend less time learning a new language could certainly be a factor as to why the ELLs progress on state tests is less than that of other students.
The project discovered that certain elements of NCLB disadvantaged a group of learners simply because of the testing element. From the interviews I conducted with teachers who were brave enough to be completely forthcoming, I learned that this is true. I learned that the system, fundamentally, is unfair to ELLs. It asks them to acquire knowledge of a new language in a shorter amount of time than is needed and then asks them to produce an understanding of English when classroom time hasn’t afforded them the possibility of having a command of a single sentence.
As seen from the data regarding primary language and the racial background of residents in the Ironbound district, language is a huge part of a student’s everyday life in his or her primary surroundings. Spanish and Portuguese are spoken on the streets surrounding Independence Park, where people go to meet up with friends and family. Spanish and Portuguese restaurants, cafes, clubs, and businesses are all main fixtures within the community, drawing in outside influences as well as maintaining inside influences. The students are a reflection of their community, and the school system responds to the community in which the student’s live.
Tutoring services, community resources, secretarial staff, guidance staff, and teachers all aim to understand the community and the languages used as a means of integrating themselves into Ironbound as well as integrating students into the English speaking world. However, in Carteret, ESL teachers were the students’ sole source of language help and understanding of language difficulty. One teachers adds, “I know because they tell me their problems.”
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