ELL-Focused Accommodations for Content Area

Assessments: An Introduction

The University of Central FloridaCocoa Campus

Jamal Abedi

University of California, Davis

July 7, 2011

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Accommodations for ELL StudentsAccommodations for ELL Students

1.1. What is an accommodation for ELL What is an accommodation for ELL students?students?

2.2. Why should ELL students be Why should ELL students be accommodated?accommodated?

3.3. Can the same accommodations used for Can the same accommodations used for students with disabilities be used for students with disabilities be used for ELLs?ELLs?

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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

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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.

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Performance Gap Between ELL and Non-ELL Students Reduces as the Level of Language Demand of Assessment Decreases

Reading Science Math M SD M SD M SD

Grade 10ELL 24.0 16.4 32.9 15.3 36.8 16.0ELL with disab 16.3 11.2 24.8 9.3 23.6 9.8Non-ELL/SWD 38.0 16.0 42.6 17.2 39.6 16.9

Grade 11ELL 22.5 16.1 28.4 14.4 45.5 18.2ELL with disab 15.5 12.7 26.1 20.1 25.1 13.0Non-ELL/SWD 38.4 18.3 39.6 18.8 45.2 21.1

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Performance/Reliability-Gaps Between ELL Performance/Reliability-Gaps Between ELL and non-ELL Studentsand non-ELL Students

Performance-GapPerformance-Gap Reliability-Reliability-GapGap

ReadingReading 20% - 60%20% - 60% 15% - 40%15% - 40%

Science/Social Science/Social SciencesSciences

10% - 40%10% - 40% 12% - 35%12% - 35%

Math Problem Math Problem SolvingSolving

8% - 25%8% - 25% 10% - 30%10% - 30%

Math ComputationMath Computation 0% - 10%0% - 10% 10 – 15%10 – 15%

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ELL Students’ Performance Outcomes ELL Students’ Performance Outcomes Suffer From Lower ReliabilitySuffer From Lower Reliability

Sub-scale (Items) English Only LEPReading , N= 181,202 52,720 Vocabulary (30) 0.835 0.666 Reading Comp (54) 0.916 0.833Average Reliability 0.876 0.750Math, N= 183,262 54,815 Total (48) 0.898 0.802Language, N= 180,743 52,863 Mechanics (24) 0.803 0.686 Expression (24) 0.812 0.680Average Reliability 0.813 0.683Science, N= 144,821 40,255 Total (40) 0.805 0.597Social Science, N= 181,078 53,925 Total (40) 0.805 0.530

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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Accommodations for ELLsAccommodations 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

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ConclusionConclusion

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.

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ConclusionConclusion

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)

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