Language Alignment in ELL Curriculum Study

1. Surveys of Enacted Curriculum for English Language Learner Instruction, Standards, and Assessments: Evaluating Language Demands and Language Complexity Edynn Sato, WestEd John Smithson, WCER Jaime Usma, WCER Peter Worth, WestEd Enhanced Assessment Grant: SEC-ELL Coding Washington, DC May 5-7, 2008

2. Training Goals • Introduce ELL components of study • Language demands • Language complexity • Training and calibration in SEC-ELL coding protocol

3. Agenda • Introducing the linguistic analysis aspect of the study • Components of linguistic analysis • Coding procedures • Coding practice • Questions

4. Study Goals • Improve methods of aligning instruction to standards and assessments for English language learners. • Analyze relationship of alignment to student achievement.

5. What is the nature of the language that students need to meaningfully engage with and achieve academic content?

6. Content and Academic Language What is the relationship? Content Academic Language Content Academic Language Content Academic Language

7. Interacting Dimensions of Content and Language • Content/Topics • Cognitive Demands • Language Demands—Academic English Language Functions • Language Complexity

8. Given the expected student outcome (content, learning), how do we expect students to use (receive, produce) language to acquire/demonstrate understanding of the content?

9. Content Mean, median, mode Operations Multiply decimals Language Description Inquiring Example The average weight of 50 prize-winning tomatoes is 2.36 pounds. What is the combined weight, in pounds, of these 50 tomatoes? (Multiple-choice math item)

10. Content Main idea(s), key concepts Language Inquiring Description Summarization Example Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

11. Content Geometric concepts Language Identify Classify Compare/Contrast Define Analyze Generalize Evaluate Variation in: Length Amount of detail Level of abstraction Vocabulary Sentence structure Discourse style Example

12. Components to be analyzed • Focus • Mode • Mode category • Language demand • Language complexity • Density • Construction • Overall complexity

13. Example Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

14. Focus • Is the language in this standard/item academic or social/functional? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

15. Mode • Is the language required of the student in this standard/item receptive or productive? Or both? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

16. Mode Category • Specifically, does the standard/item require the student to listen or read? Speak or write? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

17. Language Demand • What function(s) does academic language in each mode serve in this standard/item? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

18. Language Demands 2008

19. Language Complexity—Density • Is the density of the minimum amount of academic language required to achieve this standard/item low or high? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

20. Language Complexity—Density

21. Language Complexity—Construction • Is the construction of the minimum amount of academic language required to achieve this standard/item simple or complex? Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

22. Language Complexity—Construction

23. Overall complexity • What is the overall complexity of the academic language in the standard/item? (1-4) Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

24. Coding Procedures Rater: Document: Date: Page # of

25. Coding Sample Which sentence best sums up the selection? • Two Presidents gave Jesse Owens important awards for his achievements. • Jesse Owens set a new Olympic record in the long jump. • Talent and hard work helped Jesse Owens become a great runner.

26. Decision Rules Guidelines that help ensure standardization and reliability of the coding process. Examples: Grades 11-12 Written and Oral Language Conventions standard 1.2 is understood to address only producing one's own writing, not correcting other authors' writing. In grades 11-12 Reading standard 2.1, the phrase “public documents” was interpreted as including editorials, commentaries and opinion pieces on topics of public concern.

27. Coding Standards • Work in groups of 3 or 4 • Code standard for each component • Not a consensus model • Ensure intra-rater consistency

28. Coding a Standard ELL Standard I (Grades 3–6) Standard: Listening—Comprehend and interpret the spoken language of others. Objective: Listen to others to clarify, question, and extend. Expectation: Mark or write a response that shows comprehension of evidence or conclusions in a selection.

29. Expectation: Mark or write a response that shows comprehension of evidence or conclusions in a selection.

30. Algebra (Grade 4) 4.1 Generate algebraic rules and use all four operations to describe patterns, including nonnumeric growing or repeating patterns.

31. Algebra 4.1 Generate algebraic rules and use all four operations to describe patterns, including nonnumeric growing or repeating patterns.

32. Reading (Grades Nine and Ten) 2.1 Analyze the structure and format of functional workplace documents, including the graphics and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.

33. Reading (Grades Nine and Ten) 2.1 Analyze the structure and format of functional workplace documents, including the graphics and headers, and explain how authors use the features to achieve their purposes.

34. ELL Standard I (Grades 3–6) Standard : Listening – comprehend and interpret the spoken language of others. Objective: Listen to others to clarify, question, and extend. Expectation: Create a picture or mark a correct response that shows comprehension of evidence or conclusions in a selection.

35. Expectation: Create a picture or mark a correct response that shows comprehension of evidence or conclusions in a selection.

36. Algebra (Grade 4) 2.4 Compare and order decimals and estimate fraction and decimal amounts in real-world problems.

37. Algebra 2.4 Compare and order decimals and estimate fraction and decimal amounts in real-world problems.

38. Geometry (High School) 2.0 Students write geometric proofs, including proofs by contradiction.

39. Geometry 2.0 Students write geometric proofs, including proofs by contradiction.

40. Reading (Grades Nine and Ten) 3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.

41. Reading (Grades Nine and Ten) 3.9 Explain how voice, persona, and the choice of a narrator affect characterization and the tone, plot, and credibility of a text.

42. Reminders • Code up to six language demands for each mode • Consider complexity of the minimum language required to achieve the standard • Use decision rules to record interpretations

43. Questions

44. If you have questions or would like additional information, please contact Edynn Sato, Ph.D. esato@wested.org