Helping ELLs Meet the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in Science: The Impact of an Instructional Intervention Focused on Academic Language

Abstract

The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an intervention—Quality English and Science Teaching 2—designed to help English language learners (ELLs) and their English proficient classmates develop academic language in science, as required by the Common Core State Standards. The intervention consisted of supplementary instructional materials and professional development. Participants included 1,309 students, of whom 353 were ELLs. Sixty sections taught by 15 teachers in seven middle schools were randomized within teacher to the intervention or the control condition. Treatment effects were tested separately for academic language and science knowledge. For the whole group, results indicated posttest differences favoring the treatment group sections were statistically significant for academic language and science. For ELLs however, posttest differences favored the treatment group for academic language only. Follow-up analyses investigating implementation found that treatment fidelity was related to gains in both academic language and science knowledge for the group as a whole and for ELLs. Effect sizes suggest the intervention was promising in promoting the academic language in science of both ELLs and their English proficient classmates.

Keywords:

• English language learners
• middle school
• science instruction
• academic language

Notes

In 2009, the NCES reported that 18% of all ELLs were excluded from the reading assessment. Of the remaining 82% who took the reading assessment, 58% took it without accommodations and 25% took it with accommodations (NCES, 2011a). Ten percent of ELLs were excluded from the science assessment. Of the ELLs who took the science assessment, 57% took it without accommodations and 33% took it with accommodations (NCES, 2011b).

The analysis did not compare gains for students receiving the intervention to gains for students who did not receive the intervention. Pre–post gains cannot be unambiguously attributed to treatment per se and potentially reflect effects of the intervention, maturation, history, and other possible events that might have occurred between the pretest and posttest.

Although all demographic groups of students (including ELLs) in the treatment group consistently performed better than their counterparts on the measurement strand of the Florida Math test, the difference was not statistically significant.

At the middle grades level, a “section” is a classroom of students. In this district, middle grades teachers were generally assigned six sections of students per day.

Biological Science Curriculum Study is a nonprofit corporation that endeavors to improve students’ understanding of science and technology by developing curricular materials, providing professional development, and conducting research and evaluation studies.