Author(s)

    • Menken, Kate

Bibliographic Information

English learners left behind : standardized testing as language policy

Kate Menken

(Bilingual education and bilingualism / series editors, Colin Baker and Nancy Hornberger, 65)

Multilingual Matters, c2008

  • : hbk
  • : pbk

Available at  / 25 libraries

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Note

Bibliography: p. 191-203

Includes indexes

Description and Table of Contents

Volume

: pbk ISBN 9781853599972

Description

In the wake of recent federal legislation entitled No Child Left Behind, high-stakes standardized testing for accountability purposes is being emphasized in educational systems across the U.S. for all students - including English Language Learners (ELLs). Yet language proficiency mediates test performance, so ELLs typically receive scores far below those of other students. This book explores how tests have become de facto language policy in schools, shaping what is taught in school, how it is taught, and in what language(s) it is taught. In New York City, while most schools responded to testing by increasing the amount of English instruction offered to ELLs, a few schools have preserved native language instruction instead. Moreover, this research documents how tests are a defining force in the daily lives of ELLs and the educators who serve them.

Table of Contents

Content Acknowledgement PART I: Language Policy Context 1. Introduction 2. Language Policy, Federal Education Legislation, and English Language Learners in the United States 3. The New York Case: The Local Implementation of a National Policy PART II: Standardized Tests in Daily School Life 4. Tongue-Tied: The Linguistic Challenges that Standardized Tests Pose for English Language Learners 5. The Ones Left Behind: How High-Stakes Tests Impact the Lives and Schooling Experiences of ELL Students 6. "Teaching to the Test" as Language Policy: The Focus on Test Preparation in Curriculum and Instruction for ELLs PART III: Expansion & Recommendations 7. Higher Expectations vs. Language as Liability: Why the Drawbacks of Accountability Outweigh the Benefits for English Language Learners 8. High-Stakes Testing and Language Un-Planning: Theoretical Implications of Testing as Language Policy 9. Moving Forward: Embracing Multilingual Language Policies from the Top-Down to the Bottom-Up
Volume

: hbk ISBN 9781853599989

Description

In the wake of recent federal legislation entitled No Child Left Behind, high-stakes standardized testing for accountability purposes is being emphasized in educational systems across the U.S. for all students – including English Language Learners (ELLs). Yet language proficiency mediates test performance, so ELLs typically receive scores far below those of other students. This book explores how tests have become de facto language policy in schools, shaping what is taught in school, how it is taught, and in what language(s) it is taught. In New York City, while most schools responded to testing by increasing the amount of English instruction offered to ELLs, a few schools have preserved native language instruction instead. Moreover, this research documents how tests are a defining force in the daily lives of ELLs and the educators who serve them.

Table of Contents

Content Acknowledgement PART I: Language Policy Context 1. Introduction 2. Language Policy, Federal Education Legislation, and English Language Learners in the United States 3. The New York Case: The Local Implementation of a National Policy PART II: Standardized Tests in Daily School Life 4. Tongue-Tied: The Linguistic Challenges that Standardized Tests Pose for English Language Learners 5. The Ones Left Behind: How High-Stakes Tests Impact the Lives and Schooling Experiences of ELL Students 6. “Teaching to the Test” as Language Policy: The Focus on Test Preparation in Curriculum and Instruction for ELLs PART III: Expansion & Recommendations 7. Higher Expectations vs. Language as Liability: Why the Drawbacks of Accountability Outweigh the Benefits for English Language Learners 8. High-Stakes Testing and Language Un-Planning: Theoretical Implications of Testing as Language Policy 9. Moving Forward: Embracing Multilingual Language Policies from the Top-Down to the Bottom-Up

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