In the first report, dated August 1991, assessment of three language tests is reported. The tests... more In the first report, dated August 1991, assessment of three language tests is reported. The tests were developed and are used as part of a Los Angeles Unified School District (California) program to teach mainstream American English (MAE) to speakers of African American Language (AAL). The tests include a writing assessment (grades 3-6) and two instruments for evaluating oral skills (grades K-6), all designed to help assess program effectiveness. Test development, including pilot testing and revision, is described and conclusions and recommendations are presented. Appended materials include directions for written test administration, writing test topics, student writing samples (with scoring), writing assessment forms, notes on pretest error patterns, directions for oral test administration (both structured task and free production), scoring sheets, and sample responses (transcribed). The second report, dated December 1992, describes test modifications made in the project's second year. First, changes in the two prototype speaking tests are discussed, including development of a new prompting format for the free production test and pilot testing and revision processes and results. Creation of new writing test prompts is then described. Appended materials include examples of the 10 features of difference between MAE and AAL being tested, test administration directions, forms, and visual prompts. (MSE)
This report summr-izes the work conducted for the Artificial Intelligence Measurement System (AIM... more This report summr-izes the work conducted for the Artificial Intelligence Measurement System (AIMS) Project which was undertaken as an exploration of methodology to consider how the effects of artificial intelligence systems could be compared to human performance. The research covered four areas of inquiry: (1) natural language processing and understanding; (2) expert systems; (3) machine vision and visual perception; and (4) technology assessment and evaluation. The four areas are discussed in turn with information provided regarding the goals of individual research efforts within each area. Comparative tests between human and computer performances are noted. A list of 31 project reports and 12 technical reports is included in the document. Names of project staff and consultants and a distribution list are appended. (DB)
Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency ... more Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency (AELP), linguistic analyses of standards, classroom discourse, and textbooks have led to specifications for assessment of AELP. The test development process described here is novel due to the emphasis on using linguistic profiles to inform the creation of test specifications and guide the writing of draft tasks. In this report, we outline the test development process we have adopted and provide the results of studies designed to turn the drafted tasks into illustrative prototypes (i.e., tried out tasks) of AELP for the 5th grade. The tasks use the reading modality; however, they were drafted to measure the academic language construct and not reading comprehension per se. That is, the tasks isolate specific language features (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, language functions) occurring in different content areas (e.g., mathematics, science and social studies texts). Taken together these features are necessary for reading comprehension in the content areas. Indeed, students will need to control all these features in order to comprehend information presented in their textbooks. By focusing on the individual language features, rather than the subject matter or overall meaning of a text, the AELP tasks are designed to help determine whether a student has sufficient antecedent knowledge of English language features to be able to comprehend the content of a text. The work reported here is the third and final stage of an iterative test development process. In previous CRESST work, we conducted a series of studies to develop specifications and create tasks of AELP. Specifically, we first specified the construct by synthesizing evidence from linguistic analyses of ELD and content standards, textbooks (mathematics, science, and social studies), and teacher talk in classrooms, resulting in 1 We would like to thank the following for their role in the preparation of this report: Christine Ong for thorough research assistance, Amy Dray for data collection assistance, Joan Herman for insightful comments on an earlier draft, Erna Aridzanyan for administrative assistance, and Yasmin Damshenas for final editing.
The work we report focuses on utilizing linguistic profiles of mathematics, science and social st... more The work we report focuses on utilizing linguistic profiles of mathematics, science and social studies textbook selections for the creation of reading test specifications. Once we determined that a text and associated tasks fit within the parameters established in Butler et al. (2004), they underwent both internal and external review by language experts and content-area teachers. The external review provided data based on background questionnaires, text and item reviews used to judge representative aspects of topics and linguistic characteristics, and group interviews. Based on this information, the texts were either retained or rejected and items were retained, rejected or reserved for future modification. In the future, retained texts and items can be further analyzed for fit with empirically established text profiles. Part I: Introduction As specified in the abstract, the purpose of this report is to apply the information acquired from comprehensive linguistic analyses of fifth-grade texts previously conducted (Butler, Bailey, Stevens, Huang, & Lord, 2004) to the development of standards-informed academic language items. The work described 1 Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the following for their role in the preparation of this work: the teachers who took part in the review and discussion of the texts and reading items developed here, administrative assistance from Soo Dennison and Morgan Joeck at the early stages of the work, Joan Herman for valuable feedback on an earlier draft of this report, and Fred Moss and Wade Contreras for the final formatting.
ABSTRACT This study expands on previous National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, an... more ABSTRACT This study expands on previous National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) work that has undertaken the articulation of the academic language construct for broad educational purposes. The primary goal was to describe the language of textbook selections in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and organization of discourse for test development. Specifically, the work reported here has focused on the academic English used in fifth-grade mathematics, science, and social studies textbooks and will contribute to the conceptual discussion of the nature of academic language, and will provide concrete guidelines for test development. The vocabulary analyses included measures of lexical diversity, word frequency, and frequency of multisyllabic and derived words, as well as variety of clause connectors and frequency of nominalizations. In addition, academic vocabulary was identified as specialized (within a discipline) and general (across disciplines). The grammatical analyses included the following features: sentence type, clause type, passive verb forms, prepositional phrases, noun phrases, and participial modifiers. The discourse analyses captured the organizational features of the selections on three levels: rhetorical mode (e.g., exposition and persuasion) and both dominant and supporting text features (e.g., description, classification, and paraphrase). The analyses of textbook language reported here have provided the bases for a profile of typical texts in each subject at the fifth grade that will be part of the foundation for developing academic language proficiency tests. We conclude by illustrating how these profiles can be used in the creation of test specifications. (Contains 13 appendices.)
... Frances A. Butler, Eva L. Baker, Tine Falk, Howard Herl, Younghee Jang, Patricia Mutch Center... more ... Frances A. Butler, Eva L. Baker, Tine Falk, Howard Herl, Younghee Jang, Patricia Mutch Center for Technology Assessment UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation ... 4 Q: Where did the slithy toves gimbal? Joe and Fred drove in Joe's car to Fred's cabin on Lake Minnetonka. ...
Page 1. Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms ... more Page 1. Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms CSE Report 621 Alison L. Bailey, Frances A. Butler, Charmien LaFramenta, & Christine Ong CRESST/University of California, Los Angeles February 2004 ...
Data from a large public school district (referred to as Site 1 from this point on) for Grades 2 ... more Data from a large public school district (referred to as Site 1 from this point on) for Grades 2 through 8 for the 1999 student population were analyzed for all students including English language learners (ELLs). The data included student responses to the reading and mathematics subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills 2 (ITBS) and student background data such as race, gender, birth date, and number of years of participation in a bilingual education program (number of years of bilingual service). Descriptive statistics and the percent of over-achievement of non-ELL students over ELL students were computed and compared across the different subtest content areas. In multiple regression analyses, student English learning status was related to student test scores and background variables. A state department of education (referred to as Site 2 from this point on) provided us with student background data and item-level data on the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Ninth Edition (Stanford 9) 3 for all students in Grades 2 through 11 who were enrolled in the public schools statewide for the 1997-1998 academic year. Descriptive statistics compared ELL and non-ELL student performance by subgroup and across the different content areas. In a canonical correlation model the relationship between student language proficiency level, parent education, and family socioeconomic status (SES) (the Set 2 variables) and Stanford 9 performance (the Set 1 variables) was examined.
A communicative competence orientation was taken to study the validity of testscore inferences de... more A communicative competence orientation was taken to study the validity of testscore inferences derived from the revised Test of Spoken English (TSE). To implement the approach, a sample of undergraduate students, primarily native speakers of English, provided a variety of reactions to, and judgements of, the test responses of a sample of TSE examinees. The TSE scores of these examinees, previously determined by official TSE raters, spanned the full range of TSE score levels. Undergraduate students were selected as 'evaluators' because they, more than most other groups, are likely to interact with TSE examinees, many of whom become teaching assistants. Student evaluations were captured by devising and administering a secondary listening test (SLT) to assess students' understanding of TSE examinees' speech, as represented by their taped responses to tasks on the TSE. The objective was to determine the degree to which official TSE scores are predictive of listeners' ability to understand the messages conveyed by TSE examinees. Analyses revealed a strong association between TSE score levels and the judgements, reactions and understanding of listeners. This finding applied to all TSE tasks and to nearly all of the several different kinds of evaluations made by listeners. Along with other information, the evidence gathered here should help the TSE program meet professional standards for test validation. The procedures may also prove useful in future test-development efforts as a way of determining the difficulty of speaking tasks (and possibly writing tasks).
ED423715 - Test Development Plan with Specifications for Placement Instruments Anchored to the Mo... more ED423715 - Test Development Plan with Specifications for Placement Instruments Anchored to the Model Standards. Adult English-as-a-Second-Language Assessment Project.
ED423713 - Adult ESL Placement Procedures in California: A Summary of Survey Results. Adult ESL A... more ED423713 - Adult ESL Placement Procedures in California: A Summary of Survey Results. Adult ESL Assessment Project.
This paper was prepared based on an initial overall framework paper developed for the TOEFL 2000 ... more This paper was prepared based on an initial overall framework paper developed for the TOEFL 2000 project by Jamieson, Jones, Kirsch, Mosenthal, and Taylor (2000). The paper applies concepts advanced in the overall paper to the modality of speaking. In doing so, this document presents an initial framework for research and development activities for the speaking component of the TOEFL 2000 test. The paper should be viewed as a work-in-progress, as research activities presently underway for TOEFL 2000 will undoubtedly bring about refinements to the contents of this document. The paper is made up of six parts. Part 1 provides an introduction to the overall document. In Part 2, oral discourse is discussed from a sociological perspective as well as in terms of speech act theory. Part 3 discusses the details of the speaking framework for the TOEFL 2000 test. Identification of the test domain and relevant task characteristics and variables is discussed, along with some of the factors suspected to influence the difficulty of speaking tasks. In Part 4, some of the technical issues involved in eliciting and capturing speech samples are discussed. Part 5 contains a list of relevant research activities that should be pursued as the project progresses. The final part considers ways in which the new TOEFL 2000 speaking component will improve upon the current version of the TOEFL test and the Test of Spoken English (TSE).
Under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act ([NCLB], 2001b) every state needs to show linkage... more Under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act ([NCLB], 2001b) every state needs to show linkage between state content standards and state English language development (ELD) standards as input to the development of state English proficiency tests. This paper argues that Title III presents a unique opportunity to explore how different content standards can be linked on a common dimension. The paper focuses on evaluating the degree to which content standards, such as English language arts (ELA) and science standards, overlap with ELD standards in terms of implicit and explicit language demands placed on students. This helps ensure that language learners are exposed to types of language that will assist them in being successful in academic contexts.
Four categories of multiple-choice (MC) cloze items were examined in relation to the TOEFL. The o... more Four categories of multiple-choice (MC) cloze items were examined in relation to the TOEFL. The object was to assess the factor structure of the TOEFL and the potential of distinguishing MC cloze items aimed at reading comprehension (defined in terms of textual constraints ranging across clauses) as contrasted with knowledge of grammar (short-range surface syntax and morphology) or vocabulary. Since it is impossible in principle to distinguish such skills absolutely at any given point in a text, a compromise was to identify items whose difficulty seemed to be based primarily on one level of processing and secondarily on another. The pivotal category was reading comprehension. In all, 50 MC cloze items over three texts were used in four subsets: ones for which reading comprehension seemed to be the primary source of difficulty, and (1) grammar secondary or (2) vocabulary secondary (nine and 14 items respec tively) ; and ones for which either (3) grammar or (4) vocabulary was the main...
Los Angeles: CRESST/University of California, 2003
An earlier version of this design document (July 2002) provided the basis for discussion for an i... more An earlier version of this design document (July 2002) provided the basis for discussion for an invitational meeting of experts on K-12 language education hosted by the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA on July 22, 2002. The goal of the meeting was for the participants to react to the CRESST research plan for operationalizing academic language and provide feedback and guidance for refining the plan. The participants at the meeting brought a wide range of expertise to bear on the issue and were articulate in emphasizing the critical nature of the work given the current national educational climate under the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). Participant comments and suggestions have been incorporated in this final deliverable. Colleagues from CRESST/UCLA also attended the meeting. Below is a complete list of the participants and their affiliations. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to all participants for a productive and highly engaging exchange of ideas. We also thank the participants in the session Measuring and Supporting English Language Learning in Schools at the 2002 Annual CRESST Conference for their comments and suggestions following the presentation based on this work.
In the first report, dated August 1991, assessment of three language tests is reported. The tests... more In the first report, dated August 1991, assessment of three language tests is reported. The tests were developed and are used as part of a Los Angeles Unified School District (California) program to teach mainstream American English (MAE) to speakers of African American Language (AAL). The tests include a writing assessment (grades 3-6) and two instruments for evaluating oral skills (grades K-6), all designed to help assess program effectiveness. Test development, including pilot testing and revision, is described and conclusions and recommendations are presented. Appended materials include directions for written test administration, writing test topics, student writing samples (with scoring), writing assessment forms, notes on pretest error patterns, directions for oral test administration (both structured task and free production), scoring sheets, and sample responses (transcribed). The second report, dated December 1992, describes test modifications made in the project's second year. First, changes in the two prototype speaking tests are discussed, including development of a new prompting format for the free production test and pilot testing and revision processes and results. Creation of new writing test prompts is then described. Appended materials include examples of the 10 features of difference between MAE and AAL being tested, test administration directions, forms, and visual prompts. (MSE)
This report summr-izes the work conducted for the Artificial Intelligence Measurement System (AIM... more This report summr-izes the work conducted for the Artificial Intelligence Measurement System (AIMS) Project which was undertaken as an exploration of methodology to consider how the effects of artificial intelligence systems could be compared to human performance. The research covered four areas of inquiry: (1) natural language processing and understanding; (2) expert systems; (3) machine vision and visual perception; and (4) technology assessment and evaluation. The four areas are discussed in turn with information provided regarding the goals of individual research efforts within each area. Comparative tests between human and computer performances are noted. A list of 31 project reports and 12 technical reports is included in the document. Names of project staff and consultants and a distribution list are appended. (DB)
Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency ... more Within an evidentiary framework for operationally defining academic English language proficiency (AELP), linguistic analyses of standards, classroom discourse, and textbooks have led to specifications for assessment of AELP. The test development process described here is novel due to the emphasis on using linguistic profiles to inform the creation of test specifications and guide the writing of draft tasks. In this report, we outline the test development process we have adopted and provide the results of studies designed to turn the drafted tasks into illustrative prototypes (i.e., tried out tasks) of AELP for the 5th grade. The tasks use the reading modality; however, they were drafted to measure the academic language construct and not reading comprehension per se. That is, the tasks isolate specific language features (e.g., vocabulary, grammar, language functions) occurring in different content areas (e.g., mathematics, science and social studies texts). Taken together these features are necessary for reading comprehension in the content areas. Indeed, students will need to control all these features in order to comprehend information presented in their textbooks. By focusing on the individual language features, rather than the subject matter or overall meaning of a text, the AELP tasks are designed to help determine whether a student has sufficient antecedent knowledge of English language features to be able to comprehend the content of a text. The work reported here is the third and final stage of an iterative test development process. In previous CRESST work, we conducted a series of studies to develop specifications and create tasks of AELP. Specifically, we first specified the construct by synthesizing evidence from linguistic analyses of ELD and content standards, textbooks (mathematics, science, and social studies), and teacher talk in classrooms, resulting in 1 We would like to thank the following for their role in the preparation of this report: Christine Ong for thorough research assistance, Amy Dray for data collection assistance, Joan Herman for insightful comments on an earlier draft, Erna Aridzanyan for administrative assistance, and Yasmin Damshenas for final editing.
The work we report focuses on utilizing linguistic profiles of mathematics, science and social st... more The work we report focuses on utilizing linguistic profiles of mathematics, science and social studies textbook selections for the creation of reading test specifications. Once we determined that a text and associated tasks fit within the parameters established in Butler et al. (2004), they underwent both internal and external review by language experts and content-area teachers. The external review provided data based on background questionnaires, text and item reviews used to judge representative aspects of topics and linguistic characteristics, and group interviews. Based on this information, the texts were either retained or rejected and items were retained, rejected or reserved for future modification. In the future, retained texts and items can be further analyzed for fit with empirically established text profiles. Part I: Introduction As specified in the abstract, the purpose of this report is to apply the information acquired from comprehensive linguistic analyses of fifth-grade texts previously conducted (Butler, Bailey, Stevens, Huang, & Lord, 2004) to the development of standards-informed academic language items. The work described 1 Acknowledgments: We would like to thank the following for their role in the preparation of this work: the teachers who took part in the review and discussion of the texts and reading items developed here, administrative assistance from Soo Dennison and Morgan Joeck at the early stages of the work, Joan Herman for valuable feedback on an earlier draft of this report, and Fred Moss and Wade Contreras for the final formatting.
ABSTRACT This study expands on previous National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, an... more ABSTRACT This study expands on previous National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) work that has undertaken the articulation of the academic language construct for broad educational purposes. The primary goal was to describe the language of textbook selections in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and organization of discourse for test development. Specifically, the work reported here has focused on the academic English used in fifth-grade mathematics, science, and social studies textbooks and will contribute to the conceptual discussion of the nature of academic language, and will provide concrete guidelines for test development. The vocabulary analyses included measures of lexical diversity, word frequency, and frequency of multisyllabic and derived words, as well as variety of clause connectors and frequency of nominalizations. In addition, academic vocabulary was identified as specialized (within a discipline) and general (across disciplines). The grammatical analyses included the following features: sentence type, clause type, passive verb forms, prepositional phrases, noun phrases, and participial modifiers. The discourse analyses captured the organizational features of the selections on three levels: rhetorical mode (e.g., exposition and persuasion) and both dominant and supporting text features (e.g., description, classification, and paraphrase). The analyses of textbook language reported here have provided the bases for a profile of typical texts in each subject at the fifth grade that will be part of the foundation for developing academic language proficiency tests. We conclude by illustrating how these profiles can be used in the creation of test specifications. (Contains 13 appendices.)
... Frances A. Butler, Eva L. Baker, Tine Falk, Howard Herl, Younghee Jang, Patricia Mutch Center... more ... Frances A. Butler, Eva L. Baker, Tine Falk, Howard Herl, Younghee Jang, Patricia Mutch Center for Technology Assessment UCLA Center for the Study of Evaluation ... 4 Q: Where did the slithy toves gimbal? Joe and Fred drove in Joe's car to Fred's cabin on Lake Minnetonka. ...
Page 1. Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms ... more Page 1. Towards the Characterization of Academic Language in Upper Elementary Science Classrooms CSE Report 621 Alison L. Bailey, Frances A. Butler, Charmien LaFramenta, & Christine Ong CRESST/University of California, Los Angeles February 2004 ...
Data from a large public school district (referred to as Site 1 from this point on) for Grades 2 ... more Data from a large public school district (referred to as Site 1 from this point on) for Grades 2 through 8 for the 1999 student population were analyzed for all students including English language learners (ELLs). The data included student responses to the reading and mathematics subtests of the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills 2 (ITBS) and student background data such as race, gender, birth date, and number of years of participation in a bilingual education program (number of years of bilingual service). Descriptive statistics and the percent of over-achievement of non-ELL students over ELL students were computed and compared across the different subtest content areas. In multiple regression analyses, student English learning status was related to student test scores and background variables. A state department of education (referred to as Site 2 from this point on) provided us with student background data and item-level data on the Stanford Achievement Test Series, Ninth Edition (Stanford 9) 3 for all students in Grades 2 through 11 who were enrolled in the public schools statewide for the 1997-1998 academic year. Descriptive statistics compared ELL and non-ELL student performance by subgroup and across the different content areas. In a canonical correlation model the relationship between student language proficiency level, parent education, and family socioeconomic status (SES) (the Set 2 variables) and Stanford 9 performance (the Set 1 variables) was examined.
A communicative competence orientation was taken to study the validity of testscore inferences de... more A communicative competence orientation was taken to study the validity of testscore inferences derived from the revised Test of Spoken English (TSE). To implement the approach, a sample of undergraduate students, primarily native speakers of English, provided a variety of reactions to, and judgements of, the test responses of a sample of TSE examinees. The TSE scores of these examinees, previously determined by official TSE raters, spanned the full range of TSE score levels. Undergraduate students were selected as 'evaluators' because they, more than most other groups, are likely to interact with TSE examinees, many of whom become teaching assistants. Student evaluations were captured by devising and administering a secondary listening test (SLT) to assess students' understanding of TSE examinees' speech, as represented by their taped responses to tasks on the TSE. The objective was to determine the degree to which official TSE scores are predictive of listeners' ability to understand the messages conveyed by TSE examinees. Analyses revealed a strong association between TSE score levels and the judgements, reactions and understanding of listeners. This finding applied to all TSE tasks and to nearly all of the several different kinds of evaluations made by listeners. Along with other information, the evidence gathered here should help the TSE program meet professional standards for test validation. The procedures may also prove useful in future test-development efforts as a way of determining the difficulty of speaking tasks (and possibly writing tasks).
ED423715 - Test Development Plan with Specifications for Placement Instruments Anchored to the Mo... more ED423715 - Test Development Plan with Specifications for Placement Instruments Anchored to the Model Standards. Adult English-as-a-Second-Language Assessment Project.
ED423713 - Adult ESL Placement Procedures in California: A Summary of Survey Results. Adult ESL A... more ED423713 - Adult ESL Placement Procedures in California: A Summary of Survey Results. Adult ESL Assessment Project.
This paper was prepared based on an initial overall framework paper developed for the TOEFL 2000 ... more This paper was prepared based on an initial overall framework paper developed for the TOEFL 2000 project by Jamieson, Jones, Kirsch, Mosenthal, and Taylor (2000). The paper applies concepts advanced in the overall paper to the modality of speaking. In doing so, this document presents an initial framework for research and development activities for the speaking component of the TOEFL 2000 test. The paper should be viewed as a work-in-progress, as research activities presently underway for TOEFL 2000 will undoubtedly bring about refinements to the contents of this document. The paper is made up of six parts. Part 1 provides an introduction to the overall document. In Part 2, oral discourse is discussed from a sociological perspective as well as in terms of speech act theory. Part 3 discusses the details of the speaking framework for the TOEFL 2000 test. Identification of the test domain and relevant task characteristics and variables is discussed, along with some of the factors suspected to influence the difficulty of speaking tasks. In Part 4, some of the technical issues involved in eliciting and capturing speech samples are discussed. Part 5 contains a list of relevant research activities that should be pursued as the project progresses. The final part considers ways in which the new TOEFL 2000 speaking component will improve upon the current version of the TOEFL test and the Test of Spoken English (TSE).
Under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act ([NCLB], 2001b) every state needs to show linkage... more Under Title III of the No Child Left Behind Act ([NCLB], 2001b) every state needs to show linkage between state content standards and state English language development (ELD) standards as input to the development of state English proficiency tests. This paper argues that Title III presents a unique opportunity to explore how different content standards can be linked on a common dimension. The paper focuses on evaluating the degree to which content standards, such as English language arts (ELA) and science standards, overlap with ELD standards in terms of implicit and explicit language demands placed on students. This helps ensure that language learners are exposed to types of language that will assist them in being successful in academic contexts.
Four categories of multiple-choice (MC) cloze items were examined in relation to the TOEFL. The o... more Four categories of multiple-choice (MC) cloze items were examined in relation to the TOEFL. The object was to assess the factor structure of the TOEFL and the potential of distinguishing MC cloze items aimed at reading comprehension (defined in terms of textual constraints ranging across clauses) as contrasted with knowledge of grammar (short-range surface syntax and morphology) or vocabulary. Since it is impossible in principle to distinguish such skills absolutely at any given point in a text, a compromise was to identify items whose difficulty seemed to be based primarily on one level of processing and secondarily on another. The pivotal category was reading comprehension. In all, 50 MC cloze items over three texts were used in four subsets: ones for which reading comprehension seemed to be the primary source of difficulty, and (1) grammar secondary or (2) vocabulary secondary (nine and 14 items respec tively) ; and ones for which either (3) grammar or (4) vocabulary was the main...
Los Angeles: CRESST/University of California, 2003
An earlier version of this design document (July 2002) provided the basis for discussion for an i... more An earlier version of this design document (July 2002) provided the basis for discussion for an invitational meeting of experts on K-12 language education hosted by the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST) at UCLA on July 22, 2002. The goal of the meeting was for the participants to react to the CRESST research plan for operationalizing academic language and provide feedback and guidance for refining the plan. The participants at the meeting brought a wide range of expertise to bear on the issue and were articulate in emphasizing the critical nature of the work given the current national educational climate under the No Child Left Behind Act (2001). Participant comments and suggestions have been incorporated in this final deliverable. Colleagues from CRESST/UCLA also attended the meeting. Below is a complete list of the participants and their affiliations. We wish to express our sincere appreciation to all participants for a productive and highly engaging exchange of ideas. We also thank the participants in the session Measuring and Supporting English Language Learning in Schools at the 2002 Annual CRESST Conference for their comments and suggestions following the presentation based on this work.
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