Bridging the Gap for SIFE
Dr. Elaine C. Klein and Dr. Gita Martohardjono
Research Institute for the Study of Language in Urban Society (RISLUS), CUNY Graduate Center
Email: [email protected]
March 11, 2008
2
Who are SIFE?
Subgroup of English Language Learners (ELLs)
Recent arrivals to the US Low literacy Gaps in prior schooling (2 yrs +)
3
Some Facts about ‘SIFE’
Schools struggling to identify SIFE
Schools struggling to meet SIFE needs
SIFE graduation rates far lower than those of other ELLs
4
Some Facts about ‘SIFE’ in NYC Schools*
Approximately 15,000 “new” and existing SIFE comprise 11% of ELL population
Highest % of new SIFE enter 8th, 9th and 10th grades: Approximately 4700 in 2006-7.
SIFE evenly distributed in 4 boroughs 59% of SIFE: Spanish native language
*Bilingual Education Student Information Survey (BESIS) 2006-2007: NYC DOE Office of English Language Learners. 2007.
SIFE-Related Research
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Short, Boyson, & Coltrane (2003)
Examined selected “newcomer” programs nation-wide to “identify, document, analyze … effective program approaches to literacy development and assessment.”
7
Short et al. Conclusions
“Many programs find that [the assessment instruments they use for SIFE] are inadequate…, particularly for those with no literacy skills in English.”
“…A relatively new and unresearched program option, … we have much more to learn about the most effective ways to deliver instruction…” [to SIFE].
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“adequate assessments are essential for gauging individual strengths and weaknesses…”
August & Shanahan (2006)
“[Develop] new and improved assessments of the adolescent ELLs’ native language abilities, English language development and content knowledge learning.”
Short & Fitzsimmons (2007)
Additional Studies
9
Previous Research: SUMMARY
Inadequate Assessment Inadequate Placement Inadequate Instruction
The SIFE Research Project
Phase I: 2005-2006
Phase II: 2006-2008
11
Overall Goals
Characterize SIFE backgrounds
Assess SIFE academic competencies Observe SIFE instructional settings
Track SIFE academic progress
Determine SIFE needs for HS graduation
Develop “pathway programs” to college
Make instructional recommendations
12
Our Research Questions
How do we identify SIFE? What are the characteristics of this population? How do SIFE differ from other ELLs?
What academic competencies do SIFE bring to school in the US? What are their native language (NL) literacy
skills? What is their academic knowledge?
What are the academic needs of SIFE?
The SIFE Project: Phase IReview
14
Overview of Method
Participants: 12 new SIFE in 9th grade 2 high schools Native language: Spanish
Materials: Batería III Woodcock Muñoz : Individual Assessment of Literacy
and Content Knowledge Questionnaire Classroom Observations
Methods: Individual case studies Group data
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Phase I: Summary of Results
Average Reading comprehension: 3rd grade
Average Math: 3rd – 4th grade
Average Science and Social Science: 1st – 2nd grade
Some students have no gaps in schooling
Students respond better in sheltered classes
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Phase I: Conclusions
SIFE differ from other ELLs
In addition to mastery of English, SIFE need foundational skills in their native language to take them to grade level:
Reading skills
Content area knowledge
17
Phase I: Recommendations
Use SIFE diagnostics system-wide
Include “gaps in NL foundational skills”
Increase native language support
Provide intensive ESL from beginning
Use sheltered classes
The SIFE Project: Phase IIIn Progress
19
Current Research Plan
18 month Longitudinal Study
Participants: 103 students identified as SIFE 9th and 10th grade Native language: Spanish
Schools: 5 NYC high schools Varying types of programs and instruction
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Data Collection
Quantitative: Intake and exit questionnaire (Spanish) Versant (Oral Spanish and English) Basic Syntax Comprehension (Spanish and English
typical language development) Diagnostics (Spanish and English reading and content) Benchmark comparisons (State and city-mandated tests)
Qualitative: Classroom observations Teacher and student interviews Student work samples
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Oral Questionnaire
Intake Personal and Language Information Family and Home Background Education History Language and Literacy Practices Transition to School in US
Exit Experience in School
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Questionnaire Results: Gaps in Schooling
67%
27%
6%
No gaps 2 years or less More Than 2 years
Years of Gaps in Schooling
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Stu
de
nts
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Questionnaire Results: Goals and Aspirations
6%
33%
61%
Social Non-Professional Professional
Type of goal
Pe
rce
nta
ge
of
Stu
de
nts
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Other Questionnaire Results
Most are from the Dominican Republic, Mexico or Honduras.
Most live in the U.S. with only one parent and have family members in their country of origin.
Most report high school as highest level of education among family members in U.S.
Language, Literacy and Content
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Oral Language: Versant
Measures Vocabulary Sentence Mastery Fluency
Examples: repetition of sentences, story recall, answering questions
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72%
79%80%
84%
Sentence Mastery Vocabulary Fluency Pronunciation
Mea
n P
erce
nt
Co
rrec
t
Versant Results by Component
Overall Mean % Correct = 79, SD = 16
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Basic Syntax Comprehension
Sentence: The bear tells the monkey to dance, and he does. Oración: El oso le ordena al mono bailar, y así lo hace.
Mean % Correct = 89, SD = 12
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Literacy and Content Diagnostic
Cumulative assessment from 1st to 7th grade Basic literacy
Word level reading Literacy
Language, vocabulary and reading comprehension Math
Procedures and problem solving Science and Social Science
NOTE: Items carefully selected for appropriateness
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Basic Literacy Results
First Grade Phonological & Orthographic Awareness Word Reading Simple Sentence Comprehension
Mean % Correct = 96, SD = 4.5
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Language Components
Language Mechanics Capitalization Usage Punctuation
Language Expression Sentence Structure Prewriting Content and Organization
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Language Example
Grade level 4: Language mechanics - usage
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Results: Language
Language: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
60%
6%
34%
< Grade 3
Grade 3
Grade 4
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Reading Vocabulary
Synonyms - recognize a synonym for a printed word
Multiple-meaning words - determine the meaning of words with multiple meanings in a given context
Context Clues - use context clues to assign meaning to an unknown word
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Reading Vocabulary Example
Grade 4: Context Clues
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Results: Reading Vocabulary
Vocabulary: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
17%
27%
18%
8%
9%
21% < Grade 3
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
Grade 6
Grade 7
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Reading Comprehension
Basic Understanding: Recall factual information Identify relevance
Thinking Skills (Inferencing): Analysis and synthesis Classification and sequencing Comparison and contrast Cause and effect, fact and opinion, implied relevance Conclusions, predictions, and hypotheses
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Reading Comprehension: Excerpt from 5th Grade Passage
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Reading Comprehension Example
Grade Level 5: Thinking Skills
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Results: Reading Comprehension
Reading Comprehension: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
6%
36%
11%
42%
5%
< Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 3
Grade 4
Grade 5
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Reading Vocabulary – Reading Comprehension Relationship
significant positive correlation between reading vocabulary and reading comprehension
r = .578, p < .001
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Results: Content Areas
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Results: Math
Math: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
44%
25%
9%
23%
< grade 3
grade 3
grade 4
grade 5
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Results: Science
Science: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
42%
20%
12%
12%< grade 4
grade 4
grade 5
grade 6
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Results: Social Science
Social Science: Percentage of Students Scoring at Each Grade Level
20%
16%
34%
16%
< grade 4
grade 4
grade 5
grade 6
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Summary of Diagnostics
LITERACY Students seem to have word level reading
skills
BUT are not at grade level in higher level reading skills: Typical reading vocabulary level: 5th – 7th grade Typical reading comprehension level: 3rd grade
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Summary of Diagnostics
CONTENT Students Lack Academic Content
Knowledge Typical math level: 3rd grade and below Typical science level: below lowest grade tested Typical social science: below lowest grade tested
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Correlation between length of gap and total score
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Range of Performance for Students with No Gap in Schooling
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Comparison Groups
Native English Speaker Groups: 9th and 10th Graders Community College West Indian English and AAVE
speakers
Regular ELLs Group: 9th-12th Graders
Spanish-English Bilingual Group: “Pathway Program” in a Community College
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Literacy in Native Language
Average Grade Level Score on Reading Comprehension Assessment
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
High School Native EnglishSpeakers
SIFE
Gra
de
Lev
el
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Conclusions
Academic abilities of students identified as SIFE in NYC range from 2nd to 5th grade (at least 4 grades below grade level in native language reading and content knowledge)
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How to Bridge the Gap?
• Use unified and systematic SIFE diagnostics across NYC schools–Academic Literacy and Language
Diagnostic (ALLD)• Use assessment information to inform
instructional programs
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How to Bridge the Gap?
Using ALLD scores comparatively:
Average SIFE Performance Across All SchoolsVocabulary Reading Comprehension Math
Grade 5 Grade 3 Grade 3
Average SIFE Performance in Your SchoolVocabulary Reading Comprehension Math
Grade 7 Grade 5 Grade 3
Performance of SIFE Student XVocabulary Reading Comprehension Math
Grade 7 Grade 6 Grade 4
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How to Bridge the Gap?
Use assessment information to build student competency profile
• Reading Comprehension (Grade 6)– Basic Understanding HIGH– Strategies HIGH– Interpretation MED– Critical Analysis LOW
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How to Bridge the Gap?
PROGRAMMATIC SOLUTIONS Increase native language support Intensive ESL instruction from beginning Transitional Program
Two extra years Rigorous curriculum with technological support Focus on foundational skills
Intensive academic literacy instruction Content knowledge taught in native language
THANK YOU!
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Acknowledgements
Participating schools and SIFE liaisons
Participating community colleges All participants and teachers RISLUS Research Team
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Current Plans Compare SIFE progress under different
instructional conditions Identify best practices Make recommendations for
programming and instruction Transadaptation of SIFE diagnostics
into Haitian-Creole, French, Chinese, Urdu, Bengali and Russian
The SIFE Research Team
Project Coordinators: Michele de Goeas-Malone & Leigh Garrison-Fletcher
Research Assistants: Carolina Barrera-Tobón, Xuân-Nga Cao-Kam, Rebecca Curinga, Teresa Fredericks, Katie Hawkland, Ingrid Heidrick, Rocio Raña Risso, Cynthia Ribadeneira, Edmund O’Neill, Olga Ward
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Math Example
Grade Level 5
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Science Example
Grade Level 4
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