The Setting and Participants:
This study took place in The Alternative Preparatory High School (APHS) which is an alternative high school in the Bronx. The Bronx Preparation High School is a school that serves students from the ages 16 to 21 that have been unsuccessful at other high school or ELLs who arrived to United States being 16 years old or older without having enough high school credits. In this school students are able to complete 18 credits a year as compared to 11 credits students are able to obtain in traditional high schools. The school runs on a trimester scheduled, allowing the students to complete their credits requirements at the same time they are preparing to pass the regents exams in order to graduate. The school serves approximately 300 students in which 15 percent are ELLs.
The Focus place for my research study was in a beginner/low intermediate ESL classroom with 10 students and in an advanced ESL classroom with 19 students. The students are in 10-12 grades. Most of the students in the advanced ESL class are only missing the English regent to obtain a high school diploma. 3 of these students had taken the English regents more than once. There are two students that had already reached the age limit (21 years) to be in high school; therefore January 2014 is their the last chance on take and to pass the test in order to obtain a high school diploma.
Methods of Data Collection:
This study utilized qualitative research methods. The data were collected using four methods: ESL classrooms observation where I sat and walked around the classrooms , I conducted semi structure Interviews, I had informal conversation with students in the classroom, collected the lesson activity handouts, students sample work,...
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...is is seriously boring, I have been doing this since two years ago, I just need 5 more credits, and I will be out here, this is tortured” (Leonardo, personal communication , October 30, 2013).
Leonardo demonstrated to be frustrated to be in this advance ESL class. He does not see any benefit of being in this class, he believe that through this class he is not learning new materials. He does not feel that this ESL class in helping him with his English development. Leonardo considered this class to be a waste of time for him. On the other hand according to Ms. O., the APHS administrators believe that this advance ELLs class will not only help with the English regents but it will also help them develop their English proficiency. These ESL class will keep students practicing essay allowing them to become more prepare for college. (personal communication on 10/30/2013)
Much research was completed for the making of this article. It was found that ELL’s need time to develop oral English proficiency, teachers need to use ongoing authentic formative assessments throughout the year due to
Thornton Fractional South High School represents a diverse school building in the South Suburbs of Chicago, Illinois. We consist of a traditional 9th through 12th grade building with the exception of busing students to the District 215 Tech Center for vocational classes. We share these resources with our sister school TF North. Although we consistently outperform TFN, we are behind the state averages on both the ACT and the PSAE. On the ACT, we are below the state average on the composite score as well as on all three recorded sub-categories. We were closest to the state average in Science and the furthest in Reading. As for the PSAE test to measure those students meeting and exceeding standards, we are again behind the state average. TFS averaged 40.5% of students tested to meet or exceed standards. Meanwhile, the State of Illinois average was 53%. Currently, we are on the Academic Watch Status year 2. We were unable to meet the Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) or the Safe Harbor Target Goal for Reading and Mathematics which are the two target areas. Our goal as a school is to reach the AYP and attempt to reach and exceed the state averages on the ACT and PSAE.
In conclusion, the Academic Achievement has been fueled by society's presets, minority students' lack of effort, and the failures of the schooling system in America. There has been some challenging setbacks, but the Gap can be fixed to create a common ground for all prospective members of America's society to excel on equally. By realizing that change can be achieved, there are little to no limits for minority students to create a better mindset towards education. Students, parents, and teachers have to be willing to work together, as well as tackle obstacles upheld by society, and the economic deficiencies that effect schools across America. This will, in turn, take America one step closer to closing the Academic Achievement Gap in America.
There are several key ideas that are crucial to understanding the best way to teach young, ELL students. The first idea is the importance of recognizing ELL’s feelings of isolation and alienation. When a teacher recognizes this, they are more capable of helping the student feel a part of the class. The student will struggle to participate if they do not feel like they belong with the other students. There is not only a language barrier, but also sociocultural differences that prohibit them from feeling accepted. Tiffany emphasizes the importance of acknowledging this problem and being aware during classroom activities. She suggests that you get a deep understanding of their cultural background, not just a “touristy” one.
Every year, the number of immigrants in the U.S. has grown “significantly.” Chen predicts that by the year of 2020, public schools will have at least 50 percent of students that are non-English speakers (¶5). This shows that it is important that public schools have a successful ESL program. The purpose of ESL programs is “to enhance” ESL students learning, to help students’ “emotional well-being”, and to accelerate students’ ability to learn the new language. According to Chen, some district schools have failed to support ESL students’ learning. For example, Chen stated that “...[some] school districts [have been] accused of not meeting t...
...odel minority stereotype contributed to Keltner and Lily struggle with schooling by heightening parental “education fever” and increase academic as well as emotional burdens on Keltner and Lily who were already struggling with learning. Lily and Keltner stories suggest that each family or child should be understood in their specific learning contexts. Educators need to understand an individual child’s lived experiences and addresshis/her psychological and educational needs so that they can achieve his/her own success. Schools and policy maker can help educator to do so by developing appropriate curriculum that is oriented to ESL students, rather than using mainstream curriculum that does not fit the needs of ESL learners. Training teachers to implement classroom strategies that aim to understand students’ individual needs and foster students’ school home connection.
Ovando, C. J., Combs, M.C., & Collier, V.P. (2006) Bilingual & ESL classrooms: Teaching multicultural contexts. New York, NY. McGraw-Hill
Many students entering college may discover that they are not prepared for college curriculum courses. These students enter college courses facing a major issue. They find that high school has not adequately prepared them for the difficulty of college level courses. These students lacked the sufficient basis in being well equipped for advanced careers and college entry. These students have suffered a great inequality prevalent throughout high schools since several high schools do not receive equivalent aid. The unequal funding in high schools prevents students from attaining the same education that other students in different areas may receive. Unequal school funding in secondary schools causes inadequate preparation for students wanting to attend a post-secondary institution.
Also, one of my English teachers told me I had a lot of work to do, but never took the initiative to explain my mistakes. They assumed I would just understand like the other students. Truth be told, ELL learn differently than native speakers. Today, all new hires are required to get an ESL endorsement at the district I graduated from and currently work in. ELL are also very diverse. Our school is using some of the same strategies used to teach Spanish students in Arizona and believe it will work on Arabic students who are significantly different. The Spanish and Arabic culture/ languages are too different to use the same strategies. A surprising fact I learned was the increasing presence of ELL in all U.S. states. I’m excited to see where education for ELL goes in the near future. I expect more attention than what we see, today. As an ELL myself, I have an easier time understanding my student. My experience has been a great tool in the classroom and comes to my aid when students have any concerns or struggles. Articles like this remind me of my past and refresh my perspective on helping students
Some of the “implementation features may need to be adjusted to accommodate the high school context” (Flannery & Sugai, 2009, p.18).Some examples of those areas include “organizational differences, variations in purpose, development considerations, competing initiatives and priorities” (Flannery & Sugai, p.18).At this level it requires more time to correctly implement the system, and requires attention in areas beyond those at the elementary and middle school levels. Those important areas of implementation can be “facilitated by attending to educationally important outcomes for students, data for decision making, evidence-based practices, and active and formal support systems for implementation integrity” (Flannery & Sugai, p.18). The BPSS should be “linked to outcomes that are important to the high school mission” (Flannery & Sugai, p. 18). Where high school greatly differs from elementary and middle school is the “emphasis on postsecondary outcomes”, such as “dropout prevention, diploma achievement, career planning, etc.” (Flannery & Sugai,
The article I chose to reflect upon is one that was both provided by Dr. Scarcelli and one I found to be the most interesting. This article addresses the issues and frequent questions administrators, board members, and classroom teachers have on second-language acquisition skills for ELL students (specifically, social and academic language). The article primarily focuses on statements/questions that are often made or asked concerning the acquisition of these two language skills and responds to said statements/questions in detail.
In the summary that follows will be the main points including the techniques demonstrated by the teachers, the designs and arrangements of their classrooms as well as the special methods used by the “Exceptional Student Education” teachers and the “English for Speakers of Other Languages” instructors, that stood out to me as I did the fifteen hours of observations. The fifteen hours was disected into many different classes over many differnt days. Also, nine hours of the fifteen were spent in Exceptional Student Education and English for Speakers of Other Languages classes. This summary / reflection will be a synopsis based on the total fifteen hours as a whole instead of it 's individual pieces.
At Mrs. McGraw’s class room, the environment was welcoming, this setting motivates students to be engage in the instructions that are being presented to them, and the teacher uses various resources to demonstrate the lesson taught. The classroom is formed of twenty-six students, fourteen boys and eight of twelve of them are Ells, with their primary language being Spanish, Vietnamese, and Asian. Mrs. McGraw (kindergarten teacher) has been instructing ELLs for many years, therefore, it is evident that all students feel comfortable and happy to participate on the lesson being taught by the professor. As well as the students engaging in the lesson that is being presented to them, the teacher uses various resources to demonstrate the lesson taught. The classroom is well organized and has many visual aides to help students with their brain development as well as the teacher’s use of the right tone of voice which is essential to capture the students’ interest. The teacher rewards students with stickers after completing the activity, this motivates them because if the students has all 5
A study performed in 1992, reported approximately 3,400,000 youth had failed to complete high school and were not enrolled in high school (Starr 1998). This statistic is based on the United States where job competition has greatly increased due to technology. Many of these student lacked the support and training necessary to succeed in today’s society. Currently in every high school across the nation, there is a person responsible for offering support and training to the youth of America. Available for all students is a guidance counselor. Counselors within the high school setting play an influential role in the forming of post high school goals through the planning of numerous activities.
As a future teacher, it feels intimidating thinking about having English language learners in a classroom full of English speaking students. I have never thought about having students who do not speak English in a classroom until recently because of our class discussions and the reading assignments. Therefore, since I am going to be an educator, I am glad to be aware that having ELL students in my future classroom is a possibility. I want to be a successful teacher for every student who walks into my classroom, rather they speak English or not. Chapters one, two, and three in Working with English Language Learners, written by Stephen Cary, are influential and have marvelous ideas on how to assess non-English speaking students, how to gain background knowledge about the students and