Tech. Project Handout

Technology Project Title: Non-Native Children Left Behind: Second Language Learners and Standardized Assessments

Your Name: Tara Kelly

Your Email Address: xrxt@iup.edu

Date: June 23, 2015

Technology Project Web Address: http://tarajaynekelly.wix.com/mskellyesl

Technology Project Overview: I have been a K-12 ELL teacher for five years now. My interest in the validity of standardized assessments regarding ELLs comes from the large amount of time I have spent either “teaching to the test” or proctoring the actual test. When the testing window opens, my instructional time is often taken away and replaced with proctoring ELL testing for about a month. The stress on some children including crying and obvious anxiety is apparent. Students will be sent home sick due to the strains of test anxiety and the pressures to do well. Often these children come from successful academic backgrounds and want to show their knowledge, but just are not able to in English. My students will often stare at the computer screen or pick random choices in an effort to just get the assessment done. I don’t feel that the state administrators who choose these assessments and regulations factor in our growing multilingual population. I am passionate about further researching this topic because it has been heartbreaking for me to witness some students struggle with standardized assessments and fail in a language that they are labeled as learning.

Technology Project Audience: This project is for fellow educators as well as my secondary students to give them an example of a research project with citations.

List Key Features of the Technology Project: Background information (paper attachment), personal interest, videos on standardized assessment, Smarter Balanced, Language Assessments, and References

3 Primary References:

Abedi, J., & Gándara, P. (2006). Performance of English Language Learners as a subgroup in large-scale assessment: Interaction of research and policy. Educational Measurement: Issues & Practice, 25(4), 36–46. doi:10.1111/j.1745-3992.2006.00077.x

Huang, J., Turgay, H., & Schnapp, K. (2012). Do high-stakes test really address English Language Learners' learning needs? - A discussion of issues, concerns, and implications. International Journal of Learning & Development, 2(1), 499-508. doi:10.5296/ijld.v2i1.1472

Shohamy, E. (2001). Democratic assessment as an alternative. Language Testing, 18(4), 373–391.