Integrating Academic Language and
ELL Instructional Needs into Opportunity To Learn
Measures
Christy Kim Boscardin & Barbara Jones
Zenaida Aguirre-Muñoz
CRESST Conference 2005
UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information StudiesCenter for the Study of Evaluation
National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing
Background
Focus on Academic Language
• Analysis of student writing
• Background on academic language
• Functional Linguistic Approach
Functional Linguistics
Serving dual purposes
• Building teacher capacity
• Impact on student writing
Defining academic language within Functional Linguistics Framework
• Provides general framework for examining language
• Examines discourse patterns associated with the context and genre of writing
ELL Sensitive Instruction
Sheltered Content Instruction
Scaffolded Instruction
Instructional Conversations
Extended Discourse
Teacher Expertise & Experience
1. Preparation and Training
2. Years teaching
3. Knowledge of content & associated academic language
Content Exposure
1. Content & Language Objectives
2. Content Coverage (e.g., literary analysis)
3. Academic Language (e.g., field, tenor, mode)
Access & Development1. Delivery Format
2. ELL Process Strategies (e.g., scaffolded, direct, an individualized instruction)
3. Second Language Acquisition (e.g., modified input, rate of speech)
4. Feedback & Assessment
ELL OTL Indicators
Current Study
What is the impact of academic language and other OTL indicators on ELL and non-ELL language arts performance?
Teacher Training:
• 4 day workshop
• 2 day follow-up training
Sample:
• 32 teachers – 21 trained
• 1,606 middle school students – about 50% ELLs
Method
Instruments
LAPA
Survey
Classroom Observations
Teacher Interviews
Capturing OTL in Classrooms
Content Coverage: Academic Language• Teachers with knowledge of academic language structures,
specifically functional grammar, were better able to identify and articulate areas of instructional need and more likely to provide detailed instructional plans to address these needs.
Content Coverage: Literary Analysis & Writing Process• A great majority of teachers conducted instruction on literary
analysis after reading text, and utilized a process oriented approach to writing.
Capturing OTL in Classrooms
Access & Development: Delivery Format • Direct instruction appeared to be the preferred method
of delivery with whole group instruction as the most frequently used process strategy.
Access & Development: ELL Process Strategies
• Most teachers indicated that they scaffolded instruction using techniques such as think alouds and procedural scaffolding thru explicit teaching, graphic displays (organizers and visuals), and modeling.
Capturing OTL in Classrooms
Access & Development: Second Language Acquisition
• Few teachers indicated the use of second language acquisition strategies, though modified speech was the most regularly observed.
Access & Development: Feedback & Assessment (operationalized as instruction during the LAPA)
• Non-trained teachers mainly indicated instructing students on surface qualities of writing.
• Approximately two thirds of the trained teachers provided more systematic and in-depth support, especially regarding functional grammar.
OTL and Student Performance
Positive effect of functional grammar implementation
Gender difference
Proportion of ELL negatively associated with outcome
No achievement gap between ELL & EO
Conclusions
Academic Language (ELL content coverage)
General Process Strategies
ELL Process Strategies
Assessment Practices & Preparation
Discussion
Academic Language in other content areas
Triangulation
Development of ELL sensitive OTL measures
Performance Assessment Prompt
In a work of literature, a heroic character is often someone with extraordinary courage or ability who performs noble deeds or makes sacrifices. However, an ordinary person who faces extraordinary challenges can also be a heroic character.
Select a heroic character from a literary work you have read in class this year. Using specific details from the text, explain why you think this character is heroic. Some of the things you can write about are the character’s:
• physical and personality traits
• impact on the story
• thoughts and motivations
• actions and relationships with other characters
INSTRUMENTS
Teacher OTL Survey
teacher content expertise
standard content coverage
ELL content coverage
ELL process strategies,
classroom assessment practices
INSTRUMENTS
Building Background
Comprehensible Input
Strategies
Interaction
Practice/application
Lesson Delivery
Classroom Observation
INSTRUMENTS
Interview Protocol
Teacher background
Implementations status of academic language
ELL specific processes
INSTRUMENTS
Functional Grammar Implementation
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Functional Grammar Implementation
Prob
OTL & STDT PERF