Test-Based Education for Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners: The Impact of Assessment Pressures on Educational Planning

Abstract

The article presents a longitudinal study of an urban charter middle school to examine the impact testing pressures can have on the education of students with disabilities and English language learners, and how this may lead to a narrowing of the content they are taught. The study examines various sources of data, including the school's evolving language, literacy, and math programs, high-stakes test results, school improvement plans, and written IEP goals. Over several years, as low test scores and failure to make AYP had an increasing impact on school life, skills specifically targeted on annual state tests became the guide for how math and literacy and language development were addressed. In effect, instruction in these areas became equated with test preparation. As ranges in proficiency led to ability grouping in pertinent courses, there was a narrowing of skills addressed in the lower-level classes that were entirely populated by students categorized as limited-English proficient and/or having a disability. In effect, this turned test preparation into the math and literacy curricula for these students, which in turn affected decisions regarding which skills would be addressed in students’ IEPs. Implications for schools, policy, and further research are suggested.

Leaders’ Negotiation of Teacher Evaluation Policy in Immigrant-Serving Schools

“…Too often, accountability pressures are taken for granted in the lives of EL teachers, leading to burnout and a decreased status in many schools (Liggett, 2010; Martin, 2016). In this context, we argue that it is essential for leaders to critically analyze how policy mandates are experienced within the professional communities of their schools and in turn, by their students.…”

“…A few scholars have explored how the teachers of ELs experience the negative effects of accountability policies both in terms of how these teachers are evaluated and the pressures to prepare EL students for high stakes tests that are not developmentally appropriate (Hakuta, 2011; Gichiru, 2014; Martin, 2016). In addition to facing increased test pressures in comparison to teachers who serve native English-speaking students, teachers of immigrant ELs are more likely to be isolated within the professional communities of schools (Harper et al, 2008; Hamann & Reeves, 2013; Liggett, 2010) and without ongoing support to sustain reform efforts.…”

“…1 At the heart of these accountability policies is the assumption that the threat of sanctions or the promise of rewards will motivate educators and schools to become more effective in addressing the needs of marginalized students. However, researchers have documented how current systems of teacher evaluation fail to recognize the strengths and challenges of students designated as English Learners 2 (ELs), thereby creating negative consequences for teachers of EL students (Darling-Hammond & Cook-Harvey, 2018; Fenner et al, 2014; Martin, 2016). This article explores the ways that school leaders can disrupt these negative consequences by negotiating policy mandates to envision forms of teacher evaluation that respond to the needs and knowledge of teachers and their immigrant EL students.…”

“…Much has been written about how school-based accountability policies that utilize high stakes testing punish schools and teachers that serve these students (Jaffe-Walter, 2008). In addition, accountability pressures—to meet adequate yearly progress and avoid poor school ratings, for example—have led to the push-out and drop-out of immigrant ELs and the marginalization of teachers of EL students (Berliner, 2011; Dabach, 2015; Darling-Hammond & Cook-Harvey, 2018; Gichiru, 2014; Hakuta, 2011; Martin, 2016; Sunderman et al, 2005).…”

Mapping choice: A critical GIS analysis of English learner enrollment

“…This is particularly true for English learners. After being in English language development classes for only one year, ELs are required to take the same standardized test as native English speakers (Martin, 2016). Rather than an accurate assessment of content knowledge, these tests actually measure English proficiency (García & Morales, 2016;Martin, 2016;Menken, 2010).…”