Improving Second Language Learning Through Performance-Based Assessment Practices

<p>From the time of the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) to the present day, standardized testing has become the benchmark measure for student assessment and school accountability in the United States. Multilingual learners are a vulnerable population with more testing and accountability requirements than mainstream students. Not only are they required to learn a second language, but they are also assessed within the same standardized testing paradigms as their peers - native speakers of the English language. This study aimed to examine and evaluate the benefits of instructional practices and assessments that provide multilingual students and teachers prompt and meaningful feedback where the data inform further instruction. The context of the study assesses the multilingual student population in K-8 with the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State for English Language Learners (ACCESS) test. For this study, the researcher used a mixed methodology research design. The researcher surveyed and interviewed teachers with experience working with the multilingual student population, and interviewed parents of children receiving bilingual services in combination with reflective memos. The research findings concluded that assessment data is essential for planning future instruction and providing measures to assist students. However, the ACCESS data is not immediate, lacks specificity, and yearly testing depletes the opportunities for interventions to assess multilingual learners' progress and language development adequately. Therefore, the researcher recommends using performance-based instructional practices and assessments that ignite student learning, curiosity, and relevancy.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D. Doctor of Education

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation - Public Access

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Postsecondary Teaching and Instructional Leadership

Year dc:date.available

2023

Author dc:creator

• Granados, Maria

Contributors dc:contributor

• Elizabeth Minor
• Stuart Carrier
• Jason Stegemoller

• bilingual
• assessment
• multilingual education
• performance-based
• ESL
• middle-school
• Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research
• Educational Leadership
• Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching
• Language and Literacy Education
• Teacher Education and Professional Development

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/772

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.nl.edu:diss-1826