MEASURING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY OF STUDENTS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL

MEASURING THE ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE
PROFICIENCY OF STUDENTS AT THE SECONDARY LEVEL
BY
Jessica R. Wille

A Research Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Education Specialist
With a Major in
School Psychology
Approved: 6 Semester Credits

Thesis Committee Members:

The Graduate School
University of Wisconsin - Stout
May 2006

English Language Proficiency

2

The Graduate School
University of Wisconsin - Stout
Menomonie, WI 5475 1

ABSTRACT

(Writer)

Wille
Jessica
(Last Name) (First)

R
(Initial)

Measuring the Academic Achievement and English Language Proficiency of Students at the
(Title)
Secondary Level
School Psychology
(Graduate Major)

Jacalyn W. Weissenburger, Ph.D.
(Research Advisor)

(May12006)
(MonthIYear)

52
(No. of pages)

American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual: Fifth Edition
(Name of Style Manual Used in this Study)

With the increase in English language learner populations, the extent of ELL programming, and the need to increase retention, it is important to use appropriate assessment tools to determine the need for programming and to measure progress for ELL students. The purpose of this study was to determine the connection between English language proficiency as measured by the Language Assessment Scales (LAS) and academic success measured by grade point average and the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examination (WKCE). Further, this research sought to determine the utility of the LAS for measuring growth over time.
Participants (n

= 29) were

enrolled in a north central Wisconsin school district. Data was

collected for 8thand 10" grade students during the 2002-2003 school year. Separate correlational analyses were computed to determine relations between language proficiency and WKCE and

English Language Proficiency grade point average. Further, dependent t-test analyses were conducted to

References: Adams, D., Astone, B., Nunez-Wormack, E., Smodlaka, I. (1994). Predicting the academic achievement of Puerto Rican and Mexican-American ninth grade students Ballard, W. S., Tighe, P. L., & Dalton, E. F. (1979, 1982, 1984, & 1991a). Examiner 's manual IPTI, Oral grades K-6, Forms A, B, C, and D English Bers, T. (1994). English proficiency, course patterns, and academic achievements of limitedEnglish-proficient community college students. Research in Higher Education, 35 (2), 209-234. Burnett, G. (1993). The assessment andplacement of language minority students. New York, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Urban Education No. ED357131). California State Department of Education. (1989). /4 handbook on California educationfor language minorityparents: Japanese/English edition Carpenter, C.D. (1995). Review of the Language Assessment Scales, Reading and Writing. In J.Conoley and J Castaneda v Pickard, 648 F. 2nd989 (5th Circuit, 1981). Center for Language Minority Education & Research. (1996). Comprehensive services for secondary immigrant students demonstration project outcomes report Civil Rights Act of 1964,42 U.S.C. Sec 2000d, 200d-1 (1976). Clements, B., Lara, J., & Cheung, 0 . (1992). Limited English proficiency: Recommendations for improving the assessment and monitoring of students Collier, V. P. (1995). Acquiring a second language for school. Directions in Language and Education, 1, 4. Crisostomo, M., & Dee, J. R. (2001). Immigrants in US. colleges: m a t contributes to their academic success? Paper presented at the 26thAnnual meeting of the Association for the Curnrnins, J. (1984). Wanted: A theoretical framewlork for relating language proficiency to academic achievement among bilingual studlents C u m i n s , J. (1989). A theoretical framework for bilingual special education. Exceptional Children, 56(2), 111- 119. De Avila, E. (1990). Assessment of language, minority students: Political, technical,practical and moral imperatives Proficient Student Issues. OBEMLA, 1990. De George, G. (1988). Assessment and placement of language minority students: Procedures for mainstreaming Del Vecchio, A. & Guerrero, M. (1995). Handbook of English language proficiency tests. Duncan, S.E. & DeAvila, E.W. (1988). Language Assessment Scales Reading and Writing Examiner 's Manual Garcia-Vazquez, E., Vazquez, L. A., & Lopez, I. C. (1997). Language proficiency and academic success: relationships between proficiency in two languages and achievement among Ginsburg, A.L. (1992). Improving bilingual educatilonprograms through evaluation. Guyette, T.W. (1995). Review of the Language Assessment Scales, Reading and Writing. In J.Conoley and J Hernandez-Gantes, V. M. (1995). What influences eighth-grade Hispanic students ' academic achievement? A structural equation analysis the American Educational Research Association. San Francisco, CA, April 18-22, 1995. Lau v. Nichols, 414 U.S. 563,94 S.Ct. 786 (1974).