Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Transcription

1 ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS AND THEIR ACADEMIC AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION PROGRESS: Author: Aleksadr Sheyderma, Ed.D. October 2015 Research Services Office of Assessmet, Research, ad Data Aalysis 1450 NE 2 d Aveue, Suite 208, Miami, Florida (305) Fax (305)

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION...2 SECTION I Studets Demographic Characteristics...3 SECTION II ad 2015 Assessmet Results by ELL Status...4 SECTION III. Progress of ELL Studets i Eglish Laguage Acquisitio...7 1

3 INTRODUCTION This report is iteded to address the followig three areas. First, it describes the demographic characteristics of studets classified as Eglish Laguage Learers (ELL). Secod, it compares ad cotrasts the academic achievemet of studets i the Eglish for Speakers of Other Laguages (ESOL) program o the 2014 ad 2015 Ed-of Course (EOC) assessmets. Third, it describes the progress made by ELL studets i the area of Eglish proficiecy based o the results of the Comprehesive Eglish Laguage Learig Assessmet (CELLA) durig the period. Each of these three areas is described i a separate sectio of the report. Whe a studet erolls i Miami-Dade Couty Public Schools (M-DCPS) for the first time, a laguage survey iquirig about studet ad paret laguage use is completed. If the studet s or parets primary laguage is ot Eglish, the studet is tested to determie his/her Eglish proficiecy. Based o the results of this assessmet, the studet is either classified as a Eglish Laguage Learer (ELL) or deemed proficiet i Eglish. The Eglish proficiecy level for ELL studets ca rage from ESOL 1 (lowest) to ESOL 4 (highest). ELL studets are erolled i specific ESOL courses tailored to meet studets laguage eeds. The studets Eglish proficiecy levels are reassessed aually, ad the appropriate ESOL placemet is determied. Oce it is ascertaied that a studet has acquired Eglish proficiecy, the studet o loger participates i ay ESOL course ad is cosidered as havig exited the ESOL program. At this poit, the studet is classified as formerly ELL (ESOL level 5); durig the two-year period followig the exit from the ESOL program, the studet retais this status ad the studet s academic achievemet is moitored. I this report, the achievemet of studets i the ESOL program is disaggregated by grade ad ESOL level. For compariso purposes, formerly ELL ad o-ell categories are icluded i the report. The o-ell category icludes studets who have bee out of the ESOL program for two years or loger, as well as those who have ever bee classified as ELL studets. 2

4 SECTION I STUDENT DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS This sectio describes certai demographic characteristics of ELL ad o-ell studets i the District as of October Table 1 below exhibits demographic features for all K-12 studets i the District disaggregated by their ELL status, race/ethicity, free/reduced price luch (FRL) status, SPED status, ad studet laguage. Table Demographic Characteristics of Studets i Grades K-12 by ELL Status Race/ Ethicity FRL Status Studet Laguage SPED Status ELL ( = 74,224) Formerly ELL ( = 12,345) No-ELL ( = 251,143) Asia Black Hispaic White Other Free Reduced No-FRL Spaish Haitia Creole Other Gifted Specific Learig Disabled Other SPED No-SPED Note: The percetages show i Table 1 are those for subcategories of a particular demographic characteristic withi each of the three ELL groups: ELL, formerly ELL, or o-ell. Table 1 shows that ELL studets, as a group, differ from studets i the formerly ELL ad o- ELL groups o some importat characteristics. Overall, ELL studets are more likely to be eligible for the federal free/reduced price luch program (the eligibility for which is based o the household icome) tha studets i the o-ell group. I additio, ELL studets are much less likely to be classified as gifted tha are studets i the other two groups. 3

5 SECTION II 2014 AND 2015 ASSESSMENT RESULTS BY ELL STATUS This sectio compares ad cotrasts the academic achievemet of studets i the Eglish for Speakers of Other Laguages (ESOL) program o the 2014 ad 2015 statewide exams. It is separated ito several subsectios dealig with differet academic disciplies ad 2015 FCAT 2.0 Sciece Results This part of Sectio II describes studet academic performace o the sciece compoet of the 2014 ad 2015 FCAT 2.0. Table 2 shows studet performace o the sciece subtest disaggregated by studet ESOL/ELL classificatio status for each of the grade levels. Overall, oly 21% of curret ELL studets i Grade 5 scored withi achievemet levels 3-5 o the sciece compoet of the 2014 FCAT 2.0. I 2015, the correspodig figure decreased to about 16%. Approximately 12% of the 8 th grade ELL studets scored at or above achievemet level 3 i This percetage remaied approximately 12% i The results exhibited i Table 2 reveal that the percetages of studets at each grade level scorig 3 or higher icrease as studets gai Eglish proficiecy movig from oe ESOL level to the ext. Note that the table below exhibits the academic performace of differet groups of studets for two academic years. Table 2 Number ad Percetage of Studets Scorig at or above Achievemet Level 3 o the Sciece Compoet of the FCAT ad 2015 Grade 5 Grade ESOL/ELL Status ESOL ESOL ESOL ESOL Formerly ELL No-ELL ESOL ESOL ESOL ESOL Formerly ELL No-ELL

6 2014 ad 2015 Ed of Course Assessmet Results Biology Studets i grades 8-12 participated i the Biology EOC assessmet durig both ad school years. However, the umbers of ELL studets participatig i the test were small i all grades other tha grade 10. Cosequetly, oly the results of studets i Grades 10 who participated i the sprig assessmets are reported i Table 3 below. Table 3 Number ad Percetage of Studets Scorig at or above Achievemet Level 3 o the 2014 ad 2015 Biology EOC Assessmet Grade ESOL/ELL Status ESOL ESOL ESOL ESOL Formerly ELL No-ELL Of the curret 10 th grade ELL studets, approximately 21% scored withi achievemet levels 3-5 o the 2014 Biology EOC. I 2015, this figure remaied approximately 21%. US History Studets i grades 9-12 participated i the US History EOC assessmet durig both ad school years. However, the umbers of studets participatig i the test were small i all grades other tha grade 11. Cosequetly, oly the results of studets i Grade 11 who participated i the sprig assessmet are reported i Table 4 below. Table 4 Number ad Percetage of Studets Scorig at or above Achievemet Level 3 o the 2014 ad 2015 US History EOC Assessmet Grade ESOL/ELL Status ESOL ESOL ESOL ESOL Formerly ELL No-ELL

7 Of the curret 11 th grade ELL studets, approximately 20% scored withi achievemet levels 3-5 o the 2014 US History EOC. I 2015, this figure decreased to approximately 16%. Civics The results of studets i Grade 7 who participated i the sprig assessmet by their ELL status are reported i Table 5. Table 5 Number ad Percetage of Studets Scorig at or above Achievemet Level 3 o the 2014 ad 2015 Civics EOC Assessmet Grade ESOL/ELL Status ESOL ESOL ESOL ESOL Formerly ELL No-ELL Of the curret 7 th grade ELL studets, approximately 19% scored withi achievemet levels 3-5 o the 2014 Civics EOC. I 2015, this figure icreased to approximately 21%. 6

8 SECTION III PROGRESS OF ELL STUDENTS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACQUISITION This sectio illustrates the progress i acquirig Eglish proficiecy made by studets erolled i the ESOL program, as measured by the Comprehesive Eglish Laguage Learig Assessmet (CELLA). The CELLA outcomes are reported i three areas: Listeig/Speakig, Readig, ad Writig. I each of these three areas both the scale scores ad proficiecy levels are reported. CELLA uses four proficiecy levels: Begiig, Low Itermediate, High Itermediate, ad Proficiet. Table 6 shows the umbers ad percetages of ELL studets who made progress i each of the three CELLA areas. Makig progress is defied as earig a higher proficiecy level or stayig withi the Proficiet level. Oly the results of those studets classified as ELL i 2014 ad had relevat CELLA scores i both 2014 ad 2015 are icluded i the calculatios. Table 6 Numbers ad Percetages of Studets Makig Progress i Eglish Laguage Acquisitio Betwee 2014 ad 2015 Listeig/Speakig Readig Writig 2015 Grade Made progress Made progress Made progress OVERALL The drop i the percetage of studets makig progress from 2014 to 2015 show for Grades 3, 6, ad 9 studets i Readig ad Writig ad to a smaller degree i Listeig/Speakig is likely explaied by the fact that proficiecy level stadards are defied for grade clusters K-2, 3-5, 6-8, ad 9-12, but ot for idividual grades. This meas that the stadards are likely to be geared toward a studet i the middle of the grade spa of each cluster: a 1 st grader for the K-2 cluster, ad a 4 th grader i the 3-5 cluster. Cosequetly, proficiecy stadards are likely to be easier to achieve for a average ELL studet i the highest grade of a grade cluster tha for a studet i the lowest grade level of the ext grade cluster. 7

9 For example, proficiecy stadards are likely to be easier for a 2 d grader tha they are for a 3 rd grader. As a result, may studets i grade 3 i 2015 who were at a particular proficiecy level i 2014 as grade 2 studets did ot meet the higher proficiecy stadards for the ext level, thus failig to make progress. Table 7 shows the 2014 ad 2015 umbers ad percetages of ELL studets who scored withi the Proficiet category i each of the three CELLA areas ad i all three areas. The results are disaggregated by grade level. 8

10 ELL Report Table 7 Numbers ad Percetages of ELL Studets Scorig i the Proficiet Category o the 2014 ad 2015 CELLA Grade Listeig/Speakig Readig Proficiet Proficiet Proficiet Proficiet K K Grade Writig All Modalities Proficiet Proficiet Proficiet Proficiet K K

11 ELL Report Table 7 shows that the combied K-12 percetages of studets scorig proficiet icreased from 49% to 51% i Listeig/Speakig, decreased from 30% i 2014 to 29% i 2015 i Readig, ad decreased from 30% to 27% i the Writig modality. The percetage of ELL studets who scored proficiet i all three modalities remaied 18% i Table 8 compares ESOL exit rates for ad The colum labeled refers to the umber of ELLs as of February of a give school year. The figures show i the ext two colums reflect those who exited the ESOL program by the ed of the school year. It should be oted that the rules for exitig studets from the ESOL program used i required a studet i additio to scorig proficiet i all modalities of CELLA to score at or above achievemet level 3 o the readig compoet of the FCAT 2.0 for studets i grades 3-9 or to satisfy a graduatio requiremet i readig for studets i grades However, i , the readig achievemet data were ot available from the State, so the ESOL exit decisios were made by ELL committees based o the 2015 CELLA data ad other sources of studet iformatio. Therefore, the percetages exhibited i Table 8 for 2014 ad for 2015 are ot fully comparable. Table 8 Numbers ad Percetages of Studets Exitig the ESOL Program i ad Grade Exited ESOL Exited ESOL K K Table 8 shows that the ESOL exit rates for were higher tha those i for most grade levels. The overall ESOL exit rate icreased from 14% i to 23% i