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LTELL Presentation at AERA

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This document summarizes a study on long-term English language learners (LTELLs) in New York City schools. It finds that most LTELLs fell into categories of transnational students or experiencing inconsistent schooling. LTELLs showed strong oral bilingualism but limited academic literacy skills. The study conducted further research in two schools, finding subtractive schooling models decreased Spanish literacy and many LTELLs resisted academic Spanish. Programs are needed to explicitly teach literacy across subjects and improve both English and Spanish academic skills for LTELLs.

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From Deficiency to Biliteracy: Meeting the Needs of Long Term English Language Learners Presenter: Nelson Flores CUNY Graduate Center [email_address] Principal Investigator: Kate Menken CUNY Graduate Center & Queens College [email_address] with Tatyana Kleyn—City University of New York Laura Ascenzi-Moreno, Nabin Chae, Alexander Funk – CUNY Graduate Center AERA Conference 2010 Denver, CO
LTELLs by Grade in New York City, 2007-2008 Source: NYCDOE, 2008 Grade Number % of ELLs 7 2,839 32.5 8 2,365 28.6 9 4,120 29.8 10 3,411 25.6 11 1,825 24.4 12 2,270 35.4
Overview of Phase I Pilot study to identify defining characteristics of LTELLs Data collected over the 2007-2008 school year. Interviews were conducted with 29 students designated as LTELLs and 9 educators across 3 schools.
Findings of Phase I T he students feel into 2 overlapping categories: 1) Transnational Students : Those who move back and forth between the U.S. and their family’s country of origin (though primarily U.S.-educated) 2) Inconsistent U.S. Schooling : Students who – while attending U.S. schools – have moved in and out of bilingual education, ESL, and mainstream classrooms with no language support programming. LTELLs have Strong oral bilingualism for social purposes, limited academic literacy skills Different needs from new arrivals Few, if any, educational programs exist for them
Programming Sequence Content-Area Courses Programming for Long-Term English Language Learners Spanish Language & Literacy Development Advanced Placement Spanish Language Course Spanish as a Native Language (4 semesters) Advanced Placement Spanish Literature Course ESL Course Sequence ESL for LTELLs (4 semesters) Exit ELL Status Content Courses infused with explicit literacy strategies
Phase II Overview Quantitative Data Collection Pre and post test on the Academic Language and Literacy Diagnostic at 2 treatment schools and 1 control school. Test scores on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) at 2 treatment schools and 1 control school. Writing assessments at the treatment schools. Demographic data at the treatment schools. Qualitative Data Collection Classroom observations Student interviews and focus groups Teacher and administrator interviews
Overview of Phase II Student Participants 18 Latino students designated as LTELLs were interviewed across the two treatment schools. All 18 students were primarily educated in the US. 12 of the students were exclusively educated in the US (11 were US born).
Hybrid Language Use Researcher : Do you text, email, visit internet sites, or IM in English or Spanish? Celia : Both… Researcher : Are there times when you mix English and Spanish? Celia : On Myspace and AIM… Researcher : Why is that? Celia : Because sometimes it just comes out. (Celia, LTELL Student, School 2, Interview Transcript)
Preference for English in Academic Setting Researcher : Do you feel more comfortable reading and writing in English or Spanish, or both equally? Yulia : English. ‘Cause like I am used to reading in English, like there are some words in Spanish like even though I know Spanish and I have my family speaks Spanish in my house but it’s not like proper Spanish. I speak our language in Spanish…like ghetto ‘cuz in proper Spanish they talk in big words. (LTELL Interview, School 2, Interview Transcript)
Resistance toward Academic Spanish Armando : I really don’t like it because the work that we do it’s like easy. And sometimes I don’t understand it, so I feel like I am here for nothing so I just don’t do the work. I don’t feel like doing little kids’ work. Researcher: So how are you doing in this class? Armando: I am failing because I don’t come. Researcher : You said it’s easy, but you also said there’s some things you don’t understand, what don’t you understand? Armando: Sometimes she gives us things to do but there’s like words that I don’t understand and then sometimes she gives it to us for homework so I can’t do it sometimes. (LTELL Interview, School 1, Interview Transcript)
A Third Category of LTELLs Most of the students in this phase of the study did not fit into the two categories identified in the first phase. Consistent subtractive schooling —students enrolled in subtractive models of bilingual education and/or ESL throughout their schooling career oftentimes within the traditional elementary, middle, and high school progression that all students go through.
Effects of Subtractive Schooling Researcher: Is Spanish important? Nuria: I don’t know if it is. I don’t really know if it’s important because, like, nobody has told me. Like, I live in the United States and for me it’s just that the important language over here is English. So I don’t really know if it’s important. I don’t know if Spanish is important. (Nuria, LTELL Student, School 1, Interview Transcript)
Academic Performance School GPA School 1 64% School 2 71% Average GPA 67.5% R: How are you doing in school? Mina: Okay. R: You’re doing okay. What kind of grades do you get? M: Umm, I get 75 to 58.
Program Outcomes in English
Program Outcomes in Spanish
Implications for Educating LTELLs Implications for accountability in elementary school: We can likely decrease the numbers of high school students who become LTELLs by offering at the earlier grades: Greater coherency in school language policies Programs that develop native language literacy skills (e.g., through ‘strong’ bilingual education programs such as dual language programs) Implication for accountability in high school : We recommend that high schools create programs for LTELLs, which: 1) teach literacy explicitly across the content areas, 2) have focused ESL classes that develop their academic literacy skills, and 3) offer classes to improve students’ native language literacy skills.
A Final Reminder Researcher: Do you feel like you are English Language Learners? Why or why not? Yulia : I don’t feel that way….Because we live in the USA and because we have to know. Celia : For most of us, it’s like our first language, I mean our main language. Researcher : Is there a better label to describe who you are? What label would you describe yourself as? Gullermo : Guillermo. (students all laugh) (LTELL Student Focus Group, School 2, Focus Group Transcript)
For further information… The CUNY Graduate Center RISLUS LTELL website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/dept/lingu/rislus/ projects/LTELL/index.html

More Related Content

LTELL Presentation at AERA

  • 1. From Deficiency to Biliteracy: Meeting the Needs of Long Term English Language Learners Presenter: Nelson Flores CUNY Graduate Center [email_address] Principal Investigator: Kate Menken CUNY Graduate Center & Queens College [email_address] with Tatyana Kleyn—City University of New York Laura Ascenzi-Moreno, Nabin Chae, Alexander Funk – CUNY Graduate Center AERA Conference 2010 Denver, CO
  • 2. LTELLs by Grade in New York City, 2007-2008 Source: NYCDOE, 2008 Grade Number % of ELLs 7 2,839 32.5 8 2,365 28.6 9 4,120 29.8 10 3,411 25.6 11 1,825 24.4 12 2,270 35.4
  • 3. Overview of Phase I Pilot study to identify defining characteristics of LTELLs Data collected over the 2007-2008 school year. Interviews were conducted with 29 students designated as LTELLs and 9 educators across 3 schools.
  • 4. Findings of Phase I T he students feel into 2 overlapping categories: 1) Transnational Students : Those who move back and forth between the U.S. and their family’s country of origin (though primarily U.S.-educated) 2) Inconsistent U.S. Schooling : Students who – while attending U.S. schools – have moved in and out of bilingual education, ESL, and mainstream classrooms with no language support programming. LTELLs have Strong oral bilingualism for social purposes, limited academic literacy skills Different needs from new arrivals Few, if any, educational programs exist for them
  • 5. Programming Sequence Content-Area Courses Programming for Long-Term English Language Learners Spanish Language & Literacy Development Advanced Placement Spanish Language Course Spanish as a Native Language (4 semesters) Advanced Placement Spanish Literature Course ESL Course Sequence ESL for LTELLs (4 semesters) Exit ELL Status Content Courses infused with explicit literacy strategies
  • 6. Phase II Overview Quantitative Data Collection Pre and post test on the Academic Language and Literacy Diagnostic at 2 treatment schools and 1 control school. Test scores on the New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) at 2 treatment schools and 1 control school. Writing assessments at the treatment schools. Demographic data at the treatment schools. Qualitative Data Collection Classroom observations Student interviews and focus groups Teacher and administrator interviews
  • 7. Overview of Phase II Student Participants 18 Latino students designated as LTELLs were interviewed across the two treatment schools. All 18 students were primarily educated in the US. 12 of the students were exclusively educated in the US (11 were US born).
  • 8. Hybrid Language Use Researcher : Do you text, email, visit internet sites, or IM in English or Spanish? Celia : Both… Researcher : Are there times when you mix English and Spanish? Celia : On Myspace and AIM… Researcher : Why is that? Celia : Because sometimes it just comes out. (Celia, LTELL Student, School 2, Interview Transcript)
  • 9. Preference for English in Academic Setting Researcher : Do you feel more comfortable reading and writing in English or Spanish, or both equally? Yulia : English. ‘Cause like I am used to reading in English, like there are some words in Spanish like even though I know Spanish and I have my family speaks Spanish in my house but it’s not like proper Spanish. I speak our language in Spanish…like ghetto ‘cuz in proper Spanish they talk in big words. (LTELL Interview, School 2, Interview Transcript)
  • 10. Resistance toward Academic Spanish Armando : I really don’t like it because the work that we do it’s like easy. And sometimes I don’t understand it, so I feel like I am here for nothing so I just don’t do the work. I don’t feel like doing little kids’ work. Researcher: So how are you doing in this class? Armando: I am failing because I don’t come. Researcher : You said it’s easy, but you also said there’s some things you don’t understand, what don’t you understand? Armando: Sometimes she gives us things to do but there’s like words that I don’t understand and then sometimes she gives it to us for homework so I can’t do it sometimes. (LTELL Interview, School 1, Interview Transcript)
  • 11. A Third Category of LTELLs Most of the students in this phase of the study did not fit into the two categories identified in the first phase. Consistent subtractive schooling —students enrolled in subtractive models of bilingual education and/or ESL throughout their schooling career oftentimes within the traditional elementary, middle, and high school progression that all students go through.
  • 12. Effects of Subtractive Schooling Researcher: Is Spanish important? Nuria: I don’t know if it is. I don’t really know if it’s important because, like, nobody has told me. Like, I live in the United States and for me it’s just that the important language over here is English. So I don’t really know if it’s important. I don’t know if Spanish is important. (Nuria, LTELL Student, School 1, Interview Transcript)
  • 13. Academic Performance School GPA School 1 64% School 2 71% Average GPA 67.5% R: How are you doing in school? Mina: Okay. R: You’re doing okay. What kind of grades do you get? M: Umm, I get 75 to 58.
  • 16. Implications for Educating LTELLs Implications for accountability in elementary school: We can likely decrease the numbers of high school students who become LTELLs by offering at the earlier grades: Greater coherency in school language policies Programs that develop native language literacy skills (e.g., through ‘strong’ bilingual education programs such as dual language programs) Implication for accountability in high school : We recommend that high schools create programs for LTELLs, which: 1) teach literacy explicitly across the content areas, 2) have focused ESL classes that develop their academic literacy skills, and 3) offer classes to improve students’ native language literacy skills.
  • 17. A Final Reminder Researcher: Do you feel like you are English Language Learners? Why or why not? Yulia : I don’t feel that way….Because we live in the USA and because we have to know. Celia : For most of us, it’s like our first language, I mean our main language. Researcher : Is there a better label to describe who you are? What label would you describe yourself as? Gullermo : Guillermo. (students all laugh) (LTELL Student Focus Group, School 2, Focus Group Transcript)
  • 18. For further information… The CUNY Graduate Center RISLUS LTELL website: http://web.gc.cuny.edu/dept/lingu/rislus/ projects/LTELL/index.html

Editor's Notes

  1. Limited literacy skills in English and their native language, in combination with strong oral skills for social purposes, are defining characteristics ALLD Pre-Test indicates that EBs read on average three grades below level in English and three and one-half grades below level in Spanish (though with a wide range, particularly in Spanish)
  2. This slide presents a visual model of the programmatic structure implemented at the two study sites. The program incorporates the previous points of a focus on literacy development in both English and Spanish language, academic literacy across content areas, and consistency in programming across the school. This visual model also presents the programming across time – students will take Spanish for 4 semesters eventually taking the Spanish regents – which underlines the program’s emphasis on academic language. These students will take an ESL course which is separate from the needs of newcomers – acknowledging their oral skills but weaknesses in literacy.
  3. The second phase of a 3 year study. The first phase included interviews with
  4. English ALLD Performance & Gain These scores are determined by ANOVA and measured by grade levels below. Both schools showed improvement in average grade level. School 3, the control school, showed a loss.
  5. Spanish ALLD Performance & Gains By the end of the study, students in School 1 performed significantly better. Student performance at school 2 remained relatively flat (did not experience language loss) School 3, the control school, experienced loss in performance.