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1. Assessing without Proficiency: The Impact of Standardized Testing on English Learners in Massachusetts

Author

Berardino, Michael

Abstract

For the past 20 years Massachusetts has used a high-stakes, test-based accountability system for the state's public schools. The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) are standardized tests administered in Grades 3-10 which account for the majority of district and school accountability measures, and the Grade 10 tests serve as an individual graduation requirement. The MCAS are given to all public school students in the Commonwealth, including English Learners (ELs)--students whose first language is not English and who do not have sufficient language proficiency to perform ordinary classroom work in English. The MCAS, administered solely in English and with limited accommodations, has from its inception carried disproportionately high failure rates for ELs. I explore the impact that failing the MCAS has on ELs, focusing on the purportedly "low-stakes" MCAS testing administered before high school. Proponents argue that failure on these tests is a benefit to students, providing incentive for students to improve study habits and further serving as important diagnostic information for educators to improve instruction. Through the theories of subtractive schooling, stereotype threat, and learned helplessness, I argue that instead of providing motivation or incentives to improve study habits, repeatedly failing the MCAS causes ELs to disengage academically. To understand the impact that failing the tests has on students, I utilize a Regression Discontinuity design to compare subsequent educational outcomes of students scoring right below the failing threshold to the outcomes of students scoring right above this threshold. I use four outcome measures to understand the reaction to failing the tests: MCAS scores, suspension, chronic absenteeism, and retention. I found that failing the tests is not associated with any positive outcomes for students and in fact receiving a failing label on the MCAS is associated with significantly lower subsequent MCAS scores. There was no evidence that failing the MCAS had any impact, positive or negative, on the other outcomes. These findings were similar when looking at all student groups in the district including ELs. These findings add to the research critiquing the use of high-stakes tests, demonstrating the dangers in standardized tests, even those considered low-stakes by the state. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]

Published
2022

2. Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools

Author

Center for Collaborative Education, University of Massachusetts Boston, Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, Uriarte, Miren, Karp, Faye, Gagnon, Laurie, Tung, Rosann, Rustan, Sarah, Chen, Jie, Berardino, Michael, and Stazesky, Pamela

Abstract

"Identifying Success in Schools and Programs for English Language Learners in Boston Public Schools," of which this report is one part, is a project commissioned by the Boston Public Schools as part of this process of change set in motion by the intervention of the state and the federal governments on behalf of Boston's English language learners. The project is being conducted at the request of the Office for English Language Learners and is a collaboration among this Office, the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston. The research aspect of this project entails two parts. The first, contained in this report, is a quantitative analysis of enrollment and educational outcomes for Boston's ELLs in SY2009 (with selected analyses of trends between SY2006 and SY2009). This analysis supports aspects of the required monitoring of English language learner programs and provides the district with the 2009 baseline that will support its ongoing assessment of programmatic strengths and weaknesses as it undertakes the brisk process of improvement in the programs offered to English language learners. The project also entails a close, qualitative examination of the practices at four BPS schools which are "beating the odds" in educating ELLs. Detailed case studies of the four schools were conducted: two of the schools performed substantially above the level that would be predicted by their demographic characteristics alone and two showed recent, steady improvement in outcomes controlling for any changes in student demographics. These case studies appear in a companion report entitled "Learning from Consistently High Performing and Improving Schools for English Language Learners in Boston Public Schools." This report begins with an explanation of the approach taken to conduct the quantitative analysis, followed by its findings regarding the enrollment and demographics of students in different types of programs and schools of different characteristics. This is followed by a discussion of the educational outcomes of LEP students that considers their demographic characteristics, the characteristics of the schools in which they are enrolled, and the types of programs in which they participate. Appended are: (1) Methods; (2) Additional Tables for Chapters III to VIII; (3) Characteristics and Outcomes of LEP Students with Disabilities; and (4) Additional HLM Results. Individual chapters contain endnotes. (Contains 15 figures and 75 tables.) [This paper was written with Eileen de los Reyes and Antonieta Bolomey. For "Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools. Executive Summary," see ED540996.

Published
2011

3. Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools. Executive Summary

Author

Center for Collaborative Education, University of Massachusetts Boston, Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, Uriarte, Miren, Karp, Faye, Gagnon, Laurie, Tung, Rosann, Rustan, Sarah, Chen, Jie, Berardino, Michael, and Stazesky, Pamela

Abstract

English language learners (ELLs), their teachers, and the schools and programs where they are enrolled face a triple challenge: (1) students must be taught and learn English at a level of proficiency high enough to allow them access to academic content; (2) students must be taught and learn academic content at a level comparable to that of English proficient students; and (3) students must actively engage with learning and schools and programs must effectively engage students so that they graduate from high school. "Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools" seeks to assess the academic performance of English language learners in Boston Public Schools in relation to these three challenges. It compares the achievement of ELLs with that of other BPS populations defined by English proficiency and assesses the outcomes of ELLs enrolled in different programs and types of schools. This study was commissioned by the Boston Public Schools as part of a process of change set in motion by the intervention of the state and the federal governments on behalf of Boston's English language learners in 2009 and 2010 (MDESE, 2008a; U.S. Department of Justice, 2010). The project was conducted at the request of the Office for English Language Learners (OELL) and is a collaboration among this Office, the Mauricio Gaston Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and the Center for Collaborative Education in Boston. The study addresses the following areas: (1) the enrollment patterns of ELLs in Boston between SY2006 and SY2009; (2) the engagement and academic outcomes of ELLs compared to those of other BPS student populations; (3) the engagement and academic outcomes of ELLs in different types of programs and schools of different characteristics; and (4) the analysis of the individual- and school-level factors most relevant to the outcomes of ELLs. In order to address these questions, the study uses a dataset compiled from several data sources and merged especially for this project which includes (1) demographic and enrollment information from the Student Information Management System (SIMS) on each BPS student enrolled for each school year (SY2006 to SY2009); (2) testing data from the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) and for students of limited English proficiency, the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA); (3) school level variables downloaded from the appropriate MDESE websites and merged with the student level SIMS and testing data in order to conduct analyses at the school level; and (4) program enrollment data available through SIMS and through BPS' OELL. (Contains 10 tables, 2 figures and 19 notes.) [This paper was written with Eileen de los Reyes and Antonieta Bolomey. For the full report, "Improving Educational Outcomes of English Language Learners in Schools and Programs in Boston Public Schools," see ED540995.]

Published
2011

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