SGER: Teacher-adapted versus linguistically simplified items in the testing of English language learners

本项目针对英语学习者(ELLS)的学业成就测量方法的有效性以及测试这些学生的有效方法的必要性进行了研究。在这项研究中，我们将检验两种形式的英语学生适应所产生的数学成就测量的可靠性：语言简化和教师适应。在前者中，一组专业人员修改试题的措辞，以减少他们对语言的要求；然后将一套修改后的试题发给ELL目标人群中的所有学生。在后者中，教师根据他们对所在社区使用的语言的知识修改措辞；然后向每个社区的学生提供改编后的项目的当地版本。虽然语言简化很有效，但在减少语言对英语考试成绩的影响方面只产生了有限的效果。教师适应的有效性研究才刚刚开始。到目前为止的证据表明，这种有希望的适应形式对语言造成的微妙但重要的变化很敏感。在这个项目中，我们将组装一个由30个数学项目组成的测试。根据这个原始版本的测试，我们将创建两个版本，语言简化和教师适应。所有以西班牙语为母语的学生将在这三个版本中的两个版本(原始和语言简化，原始和教师适应，或语言简化和教师适应)中选择相同的一套试题。我们将通过检查学生在语言简化和教师适应的测试版本上的平均分数，以及这些版本和测试的原始版本之间的差异来评估这两种形式的通融的有效性。此外，根据概括性(G)理论“测量误差理论”，我们将评估每个测试版本获得的分数的可靠性，以及每个测试版本所需的题数，以便能够对学生的领域知识进行有效的概括。

This project addresses the validity of academic achievement measures for English language learners (ELLs) and the need for effective approaches to testing these students. In this study, we will examine the dependability of measures of mathematics achievement produced by two forms of accommodation for ELL students: linguistic simplification and teacher adaptation. In the former, a team of professionals modifies the wording of the items with the intent to reduce their linguistic demands; then a single set of modified items is given to all students in the target population of ELLs. In the latter, teachers modify the wording based on their knowledge of the language used in their communities; then students from each community are given local versions of the adapted items. While effective, linguistic simplification has produced only modest results in reducing the impact of language on ELL performance on tests. The effectiveness of teacher adaptation has just begun to be investigated. Evidence thus far shows that this promising form of accommodation is sensitive to subtle but important variations due to language. In this project, we will assemble a test composed of 30 mathematics items. From this original version of the test, we will create two versions, linguistically simplified and teacher-adapted. ELL students who are native speakers of Spanish will take the same set of items in two of these three versions (original and linguistically simplified, original and teacher adapted, or linguistically simplified and teacher adapted). We will assess the effectiveness of the two forms of accommodation by examining the differences between the mean scores obtained by the students on the linguistically simplified and teacher-adapted test versions and between each of these versions and the original version of the test. Also, based on generalizability (G) theory "a theory of measurement error" we will assess the dependability of the scores obtained with each test version and the number of items that are needed with each test version in order to be able to make valid generalizations about the students' knowledge of the domain.