Two recent reports on NCLB and English Language Learners.

Two recent reports on NCLB and English Language Learners. I'm concerned, in particular, by the language dependent nature of the exam, a problem that plagues the testing of English language learners even if 100 percent of them are tested. Moreover, for ELL youth who have been under-schooled in their own countries, offering it in Spanish still not fully beneficial (and most especially if it remains a translated version of the exam). We need more robust, comprehensive measures of student achievement that take the full menu of students' accomplishments into account. Growth measures are also helpful at the school level since the kids begin at different starting points yet schools and districts are evaluated as if a level playing field existed. -Angela

Challenges in the No Child Left Behind Act for English Language Learners

Jamal Abedi is a CRESST senior researcher and a faculty member at the UCLA Graduate School of Education & Information Studies. His recent studies have focused on the impact of linguistic factors and accommodations for English language learners.

The second author, Ron Dietel is the CRESST assistant director for research use and communications.

National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST)/UCLA
You may access the report at this link.
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Improving Assessment and Accountability for English Language Learners in the No Child Left Behind Act

The second is an issue brief by Melissa Lazarin. You may access the report at this link.