NCLB and English Language Learners: Challenges and Consequences
NCLB and English Language Learners: Challenges and Consequences
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NCLB 和英语学习者：挑战和后果
DOI：
10.1080/00405841003626619
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发表时间：
2010
影响因子：
3.2
通讯作者：
Kate Menken
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Kate Menken
本文重点介绍了围绕“不让一个孩子掉队”(NCLB) 针对英语语言学习者 (ELL) 的评估和问责要求的关键问题。该政策要求对 ELL 学生进行高风险的英语测试——根据定义，这些学生尚未掌握英语。在提供当前联邦教育立法的背景之后，本文分享了对实际全州考试的词频分析的结果。该分析表明，即使是学术内容测试在语言上也很复杂，使用 ELL 可能未知的单词，这阐明了为什么测试对这一学生群体构成了独特的挑战。还提供了对近期高风险测试中 ELL 表现数据的分析，其中记录了为什么这些学生和为他们服务的学校很可能根据法律要求受到处罚。本文最后挑战了 NCLB 对 ELL 指令核心的两个更有问题的假设。
This article highlights key issues surrounding the assessment and accountability mandates of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for English language learners (ELLs). The policy requires high-stakes testing of ELLs in English—a language that these students, by definition, have not yet mastered. After offering background on current federal education legislation, this article shares findings from a word frequency analysis of actual statewide exams. This analysis reveals that even academic content tests are linguistically complex, using words likely unknown by an ELL, which clarifies why testing poses unique challenges for this student population. Analyses of recent ELL performance data on high-stakes tests are also provided, which document why these students and the schools serving them are disproportionately likely to be penalized in accordance with the law's requirements. The article concludes by challenging two of the more problematic assumptions at the core of NCLB mandates for ELLs.