Language Development for Language Development for English Language LearnersEnglish Language Learners

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DemographicsDemographics

Frequent terms used in the literatureFrequent terms used in the literature Language Minority Student (LM)

a child who hears and/or speaks a language other than English in the home

Limited English Proficient (LEP) Term used by federal government to identify LM students whose

limited command of English prevents independent participation in instruction

English Language Learner (ELL) an LM student designated locally (i.e., by the state) as limited English

Proficient the English Language Learner term is often preferred over Limited

English Proficient as it highlights accomplishments rather than deficits

Who areWho areEnglish Language Learners (ELLs)?English Language Learners (ELLs)?

National-origin minority students who have limited proficiency of English

Membership defined by limited proficiency in English language use, which directly affects learning and assessment results

Group membership is expected to be temporary

One of the fastest-growing groups among the school-aged population in this nation Of over 9 million LM students, roughly 5.5 million are classified as

Limited English Proficient (LEP/ELL)

Within the ELL population the largest and fastest growing segments are: Students who immigrated before Kindergarten U.S. born children of immigrants (native-born)

K-8: 76% 9-12: 56%

ELLs form a large, growing populationELLs form a large, growing population

By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are expected to be 30% of the school-aged population.expected to be 30% of the school-aged population.

(Capps, Fix, Murray, Ost, Passel, & Herwantoro 2005)

By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are By 2015, second generation children of immigrants are expected to be 30% of the school-aged population.expected to be 30% of the school-aged population.

(Capps, Fix, Murray, Ost, Passel, & Herwantoro 2005)

Number of LEP StudentsNumber of LEP Students

U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2006

Density of LEP StudentsDensity of LEP Students

U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2006

Growth in LEP StudentsGrowth in LEP Students

U.S. Department of Education, NCELA, 2006

A heterogeneous populationA heterogeneous populationLanguagesLanguages Over 460 different home languages are represented

nationally Most common languages are:

Spanish (79%) Vietnamese (2%) Hmong (1.6%) Cantonese (1%) Korean (1%) Other 455 languages (15.4%)

Native language(s)

Level of native language/literacy skills

Level of English language/literacy skills

Age of arrival

Previous schooling experience

Familiarity with school routines

Content area knowledge

Parental education

Other Characteristics of this Other Characteristics of this Heterogeneous PopulationHeterogeneous Population

Definitions: At school entryDefinitions: At school entry

Identification Home survey Language

proficiency tests Other input (e.g.,

teachers)

Monitoring Language – Title III Achievement – Title I

ELLs(or LEP)

IFEP(fluent)

Langu

age P

rof.

Test

s

IFEP = Initially Fluent English Proficient

Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

Definitions: Over timeDefinitions: Over time

RFEP = Reclassified Fluent English Proficient

ELLs(or LEP)

RFEP(reclassified)Language Prof.

Tests

IFEP

Slide courtesy of N. Lesaux and M. Kieffer, Harvard Graduate School of Education

ELL Performance OutcomesELL Performance Outcomes Some states have begun to look at the performance

of ELLs on state tests after they have gained proficiency in English

Although some reclassified ELLs do well, many students who have lost the formal LEP designation continue to struggle with: listening, speaking, reading, and writing that involves

academic language access to content-area knowledge

Learning challengesLearning challenges

ELLs face a unique set of learning challenges: to develop the content-related knowledge and

skills defined by state standards while simultaneously acquiring a second (or third)

language for young children, this is a time when their first

language is not fully developed

to demonstrate their learning on an assessment in English

Language DevelopmentLanguage Development

What is Language?What is Language? Is a written or oral system of communication

made up of symbols with rules that govern their use

Is the gateway for learning

Enables us to communicate

1.1. PhonologyPhonology the patterns of basic speech units and the accepted rules of pronunciation

2.2. MorphologyMorphology smallest meaningful units of speech

3.3. SyntaxSyntax how individual words and basic meaningful units are combined

4.4. SemanticsSemantics the ways in which a language conveys meaning

5.5. PragmaticsPragmatics the appropriate use of language

Language ComponentsLanguage Components

First Language Development MilestonesFirst Language Development Milestones There are many theories of how we develop

language Language and speech development vary across

children Milestones serve as a guide to normal development Language development is cumulative

Simple skills are mastered before more complex ones

On average, children pass through different periods of language development at a certain age and time

Language Acquisition TheoriesLanguage Acquisition Theories Nativist theories

Propose that children are born with specific abilities that facilitate language learning

Linguists Chomsky

Universal Grammar

Lenneberg Critical Period for language acquisition

DeKeyser Role of language aptitude opposed to the Critical Period

Interactionist theories Theorize that adults play an important part in

children’s language acquisition Theorists: Snow; Bates; Tomasello

Language learning results from general cognitive abilities and the interactions between learners and their environment

Language Acquisition TheoriesLanguage Acquisition Theories

Some languages are easier to learn than others Some languages are easier to learn than others depending on the complexity of their depending on the complexity of their symbol symbol systemsystem and the degree of and the degree of transferabilitytransferability from from

the first language.the first language.

What is the Alphabetic Principle?What is the Alphabetic Principle?

The idea that letters and letter patterns represent the sounds of spoken language

What is an Alphabetic Language?What is an Alphabetic Language? A language that uses symbols to represent sounds in speech

and print. Examples: English, Spanish, Greek, Russian Alphabetic languages differ in how they present a single sound in

print.

Orthography (defines the set of symbols used and the rules about how to write these symbols) Transparent

Languages that allow a few or just one association between symbols and sounds

Opaque Languages that allow:

many ways to represent the same sound and a given symbol; or combination of symbols to represent sounds

Alphabetic LanguagesAlphabetic Languages English is considered to have an opaque

orthography due to its many combinations of symbols to a particular sound. Ex: English:

“f” and “ph” in fantasy and pharmacy; “ee”, “ei” and “ea” in need, receive, and read

“u” for umbrella or Utah

Whereas Spanish is considered to have a transparent orthography because of generally a 1:1 correspondence between letters and sounds.

What is Second Language Acquisition?What is Second Language Acquisition? The process of learning a language in addition to a

native or “first” language. Debate: how long does it take to become fully

proficient? Little empirical data to inform an answer to this question Factors that influence second language proficiency

Age of first contact with new language Level of proficiency in first language (L1) Language-learning ability Intensity of instruction and opportunities-to-learn

Assessment Assessment

Challenges in Assessing Challenges in Assessing ELLs’ Content KnowledgeELLs’ Content Knowledge Content area knowledge and language proficiency

challenges;

ELLs need to devote more cognitive resources than their monolingual peers to process the language of English assessments;

Fewer cognitive resources to attend content; and

Language demands of the tests

Francis, 2006

Language ProficiencyLanguage Proficiency Students considered fully proficient

communicate effectively and understand the meaning that others are trying to relay

Components of language proficiency oral (listening and speaking) skills written (reading and writing) skills academic and non-academic language

Language Proficiency TestsLanguage Proficiency Tests The purpose of using Language Proficiency

Tests with ELLs is threefold: To determine placement in language programs To monitor students’ progress while in these

programs To guide decisions about when students should

exit the program

(August & Hakuta, 1997)

Language Language of of AssessmentAssessment

In what language should ELLs be assessed?

Native Language

may give more accurate inventory of student’s knowledge and skills

may be less predictive of English skills than a English assessment, depending upon schooling history

English

may be more predictive of English skills than a native language assessment

may reflect misunderstanding of assessment directions more than actual skill level

may also reflect the ELL’s schooling experiences in English

Testing in both languages Provides a clear picture of knowledge, skills, abilities, and instructional

needs Ideally, instructions even for English assessments, should be given in

the student’s first language (L1) for ELLs who are indeed bilingual and biliterate

Challenges Difficult to find comparable assessments in L1 and English Technically and financially demanding Dialects Many skills being assessed are dependent upon instruction, but much

instruction is only in English

Language of AssessmentLanguage of Assessment

ReferencesReferences August, D., & Hakuta., K. (1997). Improving schooling for language minority children: A

research agenda. Washington, DC National Academy Press.

Capps, R., Fix, M., Murray, J., Ost, J., Passel, J, & Herwantoro, S. (2005). The New Demography of America’s Schools: Immigration and the No Child Left Behind Act. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.

Francis, D.J. (2003, October) Identification of learning disabilities in Spanish-Speaking English language learners. Paper presented to the OELA/OSERS/NICHD Symposium on Learning Disabilities in English Language Learners. Washington, DC.

Hakuta, K. (2001). A critical period for second language acquisition? In D. B. Bailey, J. T. Bruer, F. J., Symons, & J. W. Lichtman (Eds.). Critical Thinking about Critical

Periods. Baltimore, MD: Paul Brookes Publishing Company.

National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language. (2006). Growing numbers of limited English proficient students: 1995/96 – 2005/06. Retrieved June 25, 2008, from

http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/policy/states/reports/statedata/2005LEP/GrowingLEP_0506.pdf