Some Thoughts About the Big, Important Stuff!

Alisha Das, ESL Lead Teacher

Harnett County Schools

adas@harnett.l2.nc.us

Retentions

 

1) In Finland (the country with the highest literacy rate), students do not start school until 7 years of age.

 

2) The brains of most (not all) boys are not developmentally ready to learn to read and write until the age of 6/7. Their brains are focused on developing motor skills (running, jumping, moving, handling things)!

 

3) A quote from Kathie F. Nunley:

 

"Another significant issue is that we allow for a wide variation in normal development in all aspects of human development, except academics. We allow for a large range of "normal" development for things like learning to speak clearly, learning to walk, entering puberty, natural death, etc. however, when it comes to academics, we forget that differences in readiness exist. And sometimes these differences can be significant.

THERE IS NO RESEARCH TO SUPPORT THE PRACTICE OF TEACHING READING TO ALL 6 YEAR OLDS. Not all 6 year old brains are ready to read. Many were ready much earlier [some are ready much later]. But because our schools have become large institutions, with all the restrictions attached, we ask all students regardless of background, gender, or cortex development to learn to read at age 6. And what happens to the little brain whose window is open in another year or two or three (age 7 or 8 or 9)? By then, they're in the third grade and the curriculum has moved on. We never go back and catch the child when they, personally [developmentally] are ready to read. And so they are left behind."

 

4) A quote from Dr. Mel Levine of All Kinds of Minds (www.allkindsofminds.org): "Retention in a grade has to qualify as one of the most malignant setbacks for a student. It has been demonstrated in many studies that this archaic practice is ineffective; it does not help kids improve in school, especially when implemented after first grade. There is some evidence that kindergarten or first-grade retention may work sometimes and isn't as "lethal." I've read psychiatric case studies that portray adults in their mid-forties who still endure bad dreams about having been retained in fourth or fifth grade. Many studies have revealed that most dropouts are kids who've been held back in a grade. Nothing can leave a deeper scar on a young ego more than having to ride the bus in September with your little sister, who is now in the same grade you are. Since the punitive practice of grade retention doesn't help kids achieve and inflicts harm, it should cease. It is malignant in another serious respect: it often communicates to a child that her problematic school performance is entirely her own fault. How ironic, since in most cases it's the fault of the school for not understanding and meeting the educational needs of that child, for never having uncovered the obstructing neurodevelopmental dysfunctions." [A Mind At a Time, by Dr. Mel Levine, pp. 318-19].

 

5) I (Alisha) used to think..."if we are going to ever retain an ESL student, it should be in the 1st grade so that they have a fighting chance to learn to read." So in my second year of teaching ESL, I taught two little boys who were "very playful", "not focused", and "very young for their age." I tried everything GOOD KNOWN TO MAN to motivate, stimulate, encourage and "trick" these boys to learn to read. They made very little progress (however, they did make progress). And so, with my heart and my "naiveté," I thought to myself, let me help them "catch up" and "learn to read" by agreeing with the teacher to a retention in 1st grade. "Adequate progress" we deemed had not been met. AND SO the boys were retained. Of the 10 students that I had in the class with the 2 boys, all have been successful in school---except those 2---YES, they learned to read, but their self-esteem, focus, engagement issues are still a huge problem. It appears the retention DID NOTHING FOR THEM!!!!!! And they are "suffering" in school without their "age-appropriate" peers, without their first best friends, and that breaks my heart and leaves me with some sleepless nights.

 

SO---My thought (at 9:15, Wednesday, April 27) is that, as ESL teachers, one of the biggest responsibilities we have to our children is to figure out their minds, learning styles, areas of strengths and weaknesses, INTERESTS, traumas, backgrounds, GIFTS---and---to the best of our abilities---provide this information to their teachers and parents--provide "interventions" (not remediation) that actually motivate, encourage, build self-esteem, make connections, give students real and "genuine purposes" to learn and to become engaged, and ACCELERATE their literacy and learning!!!! (And those intervention strategies do exist!!!!!!) As ESL teachers, we should fight for the right of the child to stay with his/her "age-appropriate" peers FOREVER, WHILE WE are helping classroom teachers MEET his/her academic NEEDS. I believe we would therefore CEASE to be a REASON for the students' failures and BECOME a CAUSE for their SUCCESS!!!!!!!! The student must learn and acquire BECAUSE of us, NOT INSPITE of us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

}  Excellent Web Articles!

http://www.ncschoolpsy.org/SASBackgroundPaper.htm

http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/1998_08/Natriello.htm

http://books.nap.edu/openbook/0309062802/html/index.html

http://www.sharingsuccess.org/code/bv/socprom.html

http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/pubs/retention.html

http://www.theteachersguide.com/ParentGuide2Retention.html

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~pir/Retention_Brief.pdf

Promotion and Retention of English Language Learners

 

How long will it take an English Language Learner (ELL) to perform at grade level?

Students with little to no English must not be placed in short term programs of only one to three years.  In all research studies following limited English proficient (LEP) students, the minimum length of time it takes to reach grade-level performance in English is four years.

Furthermore, only LEP students with at least four years of primary language schooling reach grade level performance in four years.  Students with no primary language schooling either in the home country or in the host country are not able to reach grade level performance in English within four years and may take up to ten years. (Wrigley, 2003)

 

What are some important characteristics of second language acquisition?

When ELLs are acquiring English language, it has been theorized that they first acquire basic communication skills or BICS, and later acquire cognitive academic skills, or CALP. (Cummins, 1976).

ELLs are constantly advancing in their English language proficiency, and acquire language skills more rapidly when they are taught appropriately.

 

Facts:

1) Retention is often seen as a form of remediation.

Remediation in the usual sense, is not helpful to ELLs.  Remediation presumes that students had the necessary means to learn, but did not learn the first time. Remediation assumes that language is not an issue and that students have the language ability to comprehend what has been taught.

2) ELLs are learning in three major areas:

  - BICs

  - CALP

 - Culture

Important facts to know about ELLs:

1)      Writing is the last skill to come for ELLs AT ALL GRADE LEVELS.

2)      Receptive language is stronger than the ability to produce language in written form.

3)  Many students are learning a different alphabet from their native language.

Thus writing in particular forms (narrative, descriptive, and other forms) will come much later.

4)  The first step is learning the English sound system through phonemic awareness.

5)  The second step is converting those sounds into written form.

(Conventions (mechanics) come much later.)

6)      Students learning a second language are usually older than when they   learned their first language; therefore, they are more cognitively developed than first language learners. (Richard –Amato, 1996)

7) ELLs are a moving target and are in a constant state of acquiring language that unlocks meaning and enables them to learn specific skills.

 

What are some facts about retention?(Falmer,1989)

1) Because retention is often considered to be the treatment, there may be no additional effort to correct the lack of teaching and learning that occurred the first time.

2)  Only nine of sixty-three studies on retention showed positive results. Benefits diminish over time.

3) Drop outs are five times more likely to have repeated a grade.

4) Students who repeat two grade levels have a nearly 100% chance of dropping out.**

5) Children perceive retention as a punishment.

6) Retained students do poorly on follow-up measures of social adjustment, attitude toward school and attendance.*

7) Retention is often used as remediation.

 

What are the alternatives to grade retention?

1)      Remedial help

2)      After school programs

3)      Summer school

4)      Use of instructional aides within the regular classroom (not ESL)

5)      Peer tutoring

6)      Cross-age tutoring

7)      Place in next grade with an educational plan designed for them (ISSP)

8)      Build on what a student CAN do. ( “students of/at promise”)

9)      Alternatives to regular classroom assessment are a must for ELLs.

10)   Intense training of regular classroom teachers in language acquisition and appropriate instructional techniques specific to ELLs.

 

What is the rationale for authentic retention?

    Lack of English proficiency was not the reason for failure to meet standards.

 

Note:

*A child should never be retained twice.

**Appropriate age placement is mandatory for ELLs.

English as a Second Language | ESL Handbook – NC DPI

Limited English Proficient Students and the Performance Standards (Gateways)

Students of Limited English Proficiency

Students of limited English proficiency shall meet the same standards as all students. However, in accordance with federal law, English language proficiency cannot be the factor that determines that a student has not met performance standards at each gateway. Therefore, the following guidelines must be used:

1. Students who are exempt from statewide testing in accordance with the Guidelines for Testing Students with Limited English Proficiency shall also be exempt from the test standard for passage through each of the gateways. Instead, an instructional portfolio containing documentation of the students' English language proficiency and progress in all academic areas shall be submitted to a local committee of teachers and administrators to determine if students are ready to be promoted to the next level.

2. Gateways 1, 2, and 3. Once limited English proficient students are no longer eligible for exemption from statewide testing, they may be eligible for a waiver up to two additional years. They may receive a waiver from the test standard at the gateway students first encounter if their English language proficiency is below "superior" in reading and writing. (See Guidelines for Testing Students with Limited English Proficiency.) A local committee of teachers and administrators shall examine the students' instructional portfolios to determine that:

a. the students' English language proficiency is the cause of their inability to perform at grade level on the required test

b. documentation indicates that the students are making adequate progress in all academic areas to be promoted to the next level

3. High School Graduation Requirements. Limited English proficient students shall meet the same standards as all students for high school graduation.

4. School districts shall provide focused intervention for these students until they have met statewide promotion standards and high school graduation requirements (up to age 21). This intervention shall involve extended, supplemental instructional opportunities which include assistance in the development of English language proficiency. These students shall have personalized education plans with the following components:
diagnostic evaluation
intervention strategies
monitoring strategies