Initial ELL Reflection
Jillian Shay
California University of Pennsylvania
Initial ELL Reflection As a school psychologist intern at Seneca Valley School District (SVSD), I have learned about ELL students and some of the challenges they face in American schools. While I am familiar with the literature regarding best practice recommendations for conducting psychoeducational evaluations of ELL students, my overall knowledge base is limited outside the testing arena. In formulating my opinions related to ELL students, I have largely drawn upon my internship experience. The following discussion details my individual thoughts and perspectives regarding language learning, mainstreaming ELL students, and counting ELL students in standardized testing.
Based on my personal experience of attempting to learn a second language, in addition to information shared with me by teachers at SVSD, I think learning a language is difficult. I took Spanish for five years during my secondary studies and minored in Spanish at Gannon University. Although some elements of Spanish were easier to master than others (e.g., learning the alphabet and
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As certain types of funding for public schools are based on students meeting academic proficiency standards, I think it is illogical to make funding contingent on all students (including ELL students) meeting one-size-fits-all standards that do not consider their unique needs. Therefore, even though I think ELL students should be required to meet standards, I think modifying standards for performance is appropriate. I also believe an alternative assessment may be in order, one that has been normed for administration with ELL
Rocio describes her classes being very basic and taught in Spanish which made her feel very comfortable. But after realized that she wished the system would have challenged her in English so she could be prepared for further education instead of simple catering her language. She hopes they challenge other students because, in the long run, it’s worth
Everyone should know a second language, but some schools do not push to include this program. The Board of Education
By including a personal example of a bilingual student in the South, Carsen proves that his research is credible as the title of the article is “Bilingual education in the South.” In addition to his interview with a student, Carsen also interviews an English as a Second Language (ESL) specialist and a worker of the state education department to gather different viewpoints on the matter. Incorporating interviews with specialists in foreign language and education adds to Carsen’s credibility because his argument revolves around these two elements. Carsen also includes his
Because all students should have the right to an equal education, ELL’s should have equal access to the same resources that other students have. The whole school should be on board with welcoming, supporting, and making the ELL student’s transition easier (Rance-Roney, 34). Teachers can also make a global community classroom, by doing so, it will create a culture rich environment inviting ELL’s and educating their peers on other cultures. Teachers can also adopt a dual curriculum for the ELL students that support their second language development but also teaches them the required standards (Rance-Roney,
In summary, as Latino’s English language learner students lag in communication skills and in science vocabulary, it is vital that educators are knowledgeable on how to prepare the students to compete in the 21st century economy. Poplin and Phillips (1993) argued that often students are wrongfully labeled as “learning disabled” due to what some educators thought as a language difference in Latino English language learners, and inadequately recognizing the relationship between vocabulary knowledge and comprehension of text. On the contrary, Campos, Delgado and Huerta (2013) suggested that educators need to recognize the misconception about English language learners and provide accommodations to support their teaching and learning in the classroom,
It has been proven that it is much easier to learn a language when you are younger, but practice makes perfect. In order to do well in the class, I had to study frequently to help understand and remember words, which is normal. I think learning Spanish helped me understand the culture. In class, we learned about holidays they celebrated, such as, Cinco De Mayo and the Day of the Dead. This helped me understand what they valued.
This is occurring in a school district that is located on the “wrong” (east) side of El Paso and serves a student population that is 88.1 percent Hispanic and 73.4 percent economically disadvantaged. Dual language has helped liberate its students from the grim statistical reality that half of the Hispanic students in Texas will become dropouts: Ysleta boasts a graduation rate of 84 percent, well above both the Dallas and Houston school districts. A pioneer in dual language, Del Valle in 2005 graduated the first class to begin the program in elementary school. Instead of leaving Spanish behind for all-English classes, students were taught core subjects like algebra and world history in both Spanish and English. - See more at:
Ajayi, L. (2015). Vocabulary instruction and Mexican–American bilingual students: how two high school teachers integrate multiple strategies to build word consciousness in English language arts classrooms. International Journal Of Bilingual Education & Bilingualism, 18(4), 463-484. doi:10.1080/13670050.2014.924475 Ajayi notes that the combined issues of an increasingly diverse student population in American high schools joined with the demands of high stakes testing and lack of evidence-based, scaffolded instruction for bilingual students are compounding the numerous problems of effective English Language Arts (ELA) instruction for these students.
They were forced at a young age to forget Spanish and only know English. I have learned that this is not the appropriate way to go about teaching children English. Spanish is a big part of their lives, it makes up who they are so we should not get rid of their Spanish. Bilingual children do well in school so as educators it is important to teach children English but not let them forget their
It is a difficult language to master, he said, first in Spanish and then in English” (Diaz 124). In fact, this
The parent’s perspective towards bilingual education was like the student’s opinions because both individuals felt immersion classrooms benefit the students and the parents. The father of Jason was proud his son was the first in his family to read, write, and speak in English. Jason’s father knew his son would have many career opportunities by learning English at school. Learning the English academic language was not the only proud language Jason’s father encouraged for Jason to learn but also the Spanish language as well. Jason’s father only speaks Spanish so if his son was to lose his home language, a language barrier would form between father and son.
Growing up in a Spanish speaking household, I was an ELL student when I was in elementary school. My mom only speaks Spanish, and my dad speaks both English and Spanish, but his fluency in English came many years later. My first language was Spanish, but I learned English soon after I learned Spanish. As a result, I clearly remember having to take the CELDT test, which is a test that is given to any student who does not speak English at home and is used to measure the student’s proficiency in English. Science is a unique subject in and of itself because the real challenge arises when the science teachers aim to make the science content comprehensible for students first language is not English.
It is a hard journey for both the students, families, and the teachers. But, their journey is not taken alone since there are about 5 million English language learners in the United State. ELL, or English
Learners are placed on different levels and they can progress to English as a Second Language programs at different ESL colleges. LINC classes are offered at different locations and this assessment is designed for a class of fifteen learners in a school located in a community
They also described the differences between one-way and two-way bilingual education; one-way education is when students who speak one language receive education in two different languages, and two-way education is when there are students who speak different languages, who learn the other language through their peers. The United States showed favorability towards two-way education. This was because they had such a diverse student population, and students showed better retention when taught this way. The piece also described the careful planning that teachers must go through in order to make sure that the students will understand concepts in both languages. In closing they describe that even the most gifted and talented native English students are challenged in immersion programs, this showing that immersion is the key to learning for all students, not just English learners (Collier & Thomas,