Press Releases

For Immediate Release: 26 January 2009

English Reading, Writing Scores on Language Exam a Stronger Predictor than Oral Skills of English Language Learners’ Performance on State-Level Content Tests

Boston, Mass. — An Issues & Answers Report published this week by the Institute of Education Sciences finds that fifth- and eighth-grade English language learners’ (ELLs) scores in reading and writing on an English-language proficiency exam predict their performance on state assessments of reading, writing, and math. The findings suggest that English literacy appears to be a stronger predictor than English listening and speaking skills of ELLs’ performance on state-level subject matter tests.

“New Measures of English Language Proficiency and Their Relationship to Performance on Large-Scale Content Assessments,” a study undertaken by the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI), analyzes the scores of fifth- and eighth-grade ELLs in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont on the 2006 ACCESS for ELLs proficiency exam and the 2006 NECAP (New England Common Assessment Program) state-level assessment. ACCESS (Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State) and NECAP are new research-based, large-scale assessments designed to maximize the reliability of student performance outcomes.

Education officials in the three states requested the analysis to inform their efforts to meet the learning needs of ELL students. ELLs consistently score lower on state content assessments than do students for whom English is their first language. No Child Left Behind requires states to reduce achievement gaps and bring ELL students, along with other traditionally underserved student subgroups, to proficiency on statewide exams.

ACCESS for ELLs measures students’ English proficiency in the four language domains: reading and writing (literacy skills) and listening and speaking (oral skills). The report analyzes students’ scores in all four domains and, after accounting for student and school characteristics, concludes that ACCESS measures of English literacy were significantly stronger predictors of NECAP outcomes than were ACCESS measures of oral proficiency. Specifically, the report finds that:

• NECAP reading, writing, and mathematics scores in fifth and eighth grades were significantly and positively predicted by ACCESS reading and writing scores, after accounting for student and school characteristics.
• ACCESS reading and writing scores (literacy) were stronger predictors of NECAP reading, writing, and mathematics scores in the fifth and eighth grades than were ACCESS speaking and listening scores (oral proficiency).

“This report finds a positive relationship between performance on the reading and writing portions of ACCESS and performance on NECAP reading, writing and mathematics,” said lead researcher Caroline Parker at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), which administers REL-NEI. “It is particularly interesting to have found similar relationships for mathematics as for reading and writing. Scores on NECAP mathematics were positively predicted by ACCESS reading and writing scores in both fifth and eighth grades.”

The report describes the multilevel regression models used to analyze the test scores. It also discusses study limitations and areas for future research. The authors caution that the findings are correlational and that readers should not draw causal conclusions from the report. They also suggest further research into the role of English-language proficiency in mathematics performance.

The report was written by Parker and Josephine Louie at EDC and Laura O’Dwyer at Boston College. It is available online at ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/projects/.

For more information about this report, contact Ashley Gaddis: agaddis@edc.org.

The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) is run by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and WestEd’s Learning Innovations program. REL-NEI is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. REL-NEI provides rigorous research that is relevant to national education priorities, responsive to local needs, and usable for policy and practice. Visit www.relnei.org.

This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract Number ED-06-CO-0025. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. Celebrating its 50th year, EDC manages more than 300 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.