“Math test accommodations
for English Language Learners in kindergarten” is my chosen topic for our
current simulation.
I chose this area for simulation, as the KMRA testing instrument
is currently used in kindergarten students in the district where I teach. This
instrument is blind to language ability, yet requires each child to describe
and explain math processes with specific vocabulary. There are seven tasks that
each child must master.
Each child must explain the elements of the tasks, explain the
actions of the tasks, and use the required vocabulary of the task.
Other topics considered were too broad in scope
Completing the research chart on a given study highlighted the
process of forming a “purpose” of a simulated study. The research chart also
allowed for a narrowing of the participants of a simulated study. For purposes
of my particular simulation, I would use all students in my kindergarten class.
Those who are not English Language Learners, as classified by the parent report
measure at registration, would be used as a control group.
As a first step, I have begun an exhaustive search in regards to language acquisition, receptive and expressive language,
and English Language Learners. Due to the assessment requirement of using
language and vocabulary during the KMRA testing process, understanding language
acquisition processes are critical. Below is a concise charts
highlighting the basic tenants these constructs.
Hill & Miller (2013). I will continue compiling current research in order to plan.
References
Hill, J. D., & Miller, K. B. (2013). Classroom
instruction that works with English language
learners. ASCD.
learners. ASCD.
I really like how you have already laid out what you do in order to do the research simulation. I definitely think that your idea is really good especially because it seems like it is a very relevant topic. Just out of curiosity, what were the other topics that you were looking at possibly doing for this simulation if you had not chosen what you did?
ReplyDeleteI think your topic is an important topic. My son struggles in processing. He has a 405 plan for dyspraxia. He does great in math and reading but struggles when it comes to writing and punctuation. Many times he is deducted on a math paper for grammar mistakes because spelling and punctuation is so hard for him. I feel that if his language acquisition was taken into account then his math scores would reflect a more accurate score for math. Thanks for sharing your research idea.
ReplyDeleteChristina I was considering.."The second subtopic for possible research consideration is the how the use of retesting affects the validity of the testing instrument. The final subtopic for consideration is determining the effectiveness of assessment instruments when the process is completed in isolation and may cause the student nervousness or anxiety.:
ReplyDeleteSee, I knew a variety of factors could effect performance! Grammar should not impact math scores..Math is math is math! If a child can demonstrate it, should they really need to write about it and talk extensively about it when there are 405 plans in place? or when the child is an English Language Learner?? I say No!!!
ReplyDeleteYour topic is very interesting and seems to be relevant to your life. It is exciting to have found such a great topic. I have struggled finding a topic that is narrowed and concise. You have made a lot of progress in your simulation. I look forward to hearing more about your topic and sharing experiences.
ReplyDeleteDear Juliana
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the sharing. Wow, you have already done so much works. I still have a lot to catchup as I am still at a concept stage trying to define the subtopics and make it more specific and narrower. Anyway, thankyou for sharing this as we can learn from you so that I know what I should do for my part. It is really helpful. I like your topics. Maths is one of the key concepts the children have to learn to equip themselves successfully in the future. For Chinese parents, they always want to drill their children with good mathematics concepts and skills. It is good that the concepts are broken into seven tasks that children have to learn. I am a parent and I never know about this. I don’t think most parents know too.
In fact, I came across another paper about mathematics for early childhood education. It talks about the disparity between the knowledge and curriculum of maths for early childhood education. You may find it interesting and useful in your simulation, I hope. It is from Amy Claessens, assistant professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy. Her research finding is that there is disparity between curriculum and knowledge that the children have about mathematics (Claessens, 2014). She found that children were already acquainted with those concepts in the curriculum that she would teach. So teachers were just repeating what the children already learnt before the pre-schools. She found that lack of complex materials and repeated review led to lower math scores in the first year of school (Mordfin, 2014). It was also discovered that mathematics knowledge and skills children acquired before the schools are key to success in the future schools. Furthermore, it is concluded that classroom content has much more impact on children mathematics score than teachers’ experiences and effectiveness. She also further commented on the implications for teachers. Hope this is helpful to you.
Reference:
Mordfin R., (2014). Research finds disparity between kindergarten math curriculum and knowledge, University of Chicago, extracted from http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/news-and-events/features/faculty-research/research-finds-disparity-between-kindergarten-math-curricu