(1985). Meeting the Educational Needs of Limited English Proficient Students: Policy Issues and Perspectives. Teacher Training Monograph No. 1. Teacher Training Project for Bilingual & English to Speakers of Other Languages Teachers. This teacher training monograph examines education and policy issues as they relate to the education of limited English proficient (LEP) students. Federal involvement in educational policy on behalf of both handicapped and linguistically different children is traced from the 1960s to the present. Litigation influencing legislation on behalf of these students and issues of educational services is examined, and four cases involving the rights of LEP students are discussed. Major legislation covering LEP, minority, and handicapped students is described. The responsibilities of school districts with LEP students are outlined. These include: (1) taking steps to locate the students; (2) testing for special education placement in students' native language; (3) using placement teams with persons coversant in the students' native language; (4) meeting the language needs of LEP parents; (5) altering programs to meet LEP student needs. (CG)… [PDF]
(1982). An Assessment of the 50/50 Programme in the English Sector Schools. Student achievement in grades kindergarten through four in the partial immersion program of the Ottawa Roman Catholic Separate School Board was investigated. Achievement in English and French language arts, mathematics, social studies, and science was assessed using instruments referenced to learning objectives. Student and teacher background questionnaires were also developed and used in the study. The results are reported and compared to those of students in unilingual programs. The overall results show that the partial immersion students are performing satisfactorily and comparably to students in other programs. A more detailed analysis of the results reveals ways in which the instructional emphases limit students' learning and performance. Program objectives that emphasize applications to real-life situations are among the least taught in the program. Therefore, performance is weakest in these areas and strongest in the most passive skill areas such as listening. Recommendations…
(1982). Use of Item Dimensionality to Reduce Test Burden in Title I Projects. A few multi-dimensional items were found to be more efficient than a larger number of uni-dimensional items in tests for participant selection and evaluation of such compensatory educational programs as Title I. A multi-dimensional scaling technique is described which derives scores for each item on three dimensions, and allows multiple scores to be derived from the same set of test items. A 35-item English language test was administered to first- and second-grade bilingual students and an inter-item correlation matrix was computed. In an analysis by the INDSCAL program, a three dimensional configuration of pronoun use, object identification and word-endings pronunciation was found. The scale scores, intercorrelations among nine score variables, and degrees of item saliences on the dimensions were calculated. Five items were classified as multi-dimensional (appearing in all three clusters of items based on dimensions) and seven were identified as uni-dimensional. The possibility of… [PDF]
(1981). Compulsory School Leavers in 1979 with Home Languages Other than Swedish. Interim Report 1. The Swedish National Board of Education studied 7,095 youth (mostly immigrants) who were in grade 9 of compulsory school in 1978-79 and who spoke a language other than Swedish at home. The part of the study reported on here focused on the concern that young immigrants leaving compulsory school tend less frequently than Swedish pupils to go on to (voluntary) upper secondary school. In 1979, study results indicated an average of 69% of pupils with other home languages (compared with 80% of Swedish home speakers) went straight on to upper secondary school. Pupils with other home languages who nontheless had a strong command of Swedish went on to upper secondary school with nearly the same frequency as Swedish home speakers, but pupils with less of a command of Swedish had lower average marks when applying for upper secondary school. However, those not having a command of Swedish comparable to Swedish pupils' represented a minor proportion (17%) of all pupils with other than home…
(1982). Policies for Minority Education. A Comparative Study of Britain and Sweden. Studies in Comparative and International Education, No. 7. This document examines and compares how policies for minority education in Great Britain and Sweden have developed over the last 25 years. The term "policy" is used here broadly and includes not only central but also regional decisions, and written documents as well as administration, interpretation, and application of policies. The research shows that during the initial stage the authorities in both countries encouraged immigration and only later realized the implications for the education systems. Both countries have emphasized the acquisition of the majority language by the minorities. In Sweden, the role of the mother tongue in education is a major issue and all children are entitled to mother tongue teaching. In Great Britain, however, the mother tongues of the minorities have normally not been included in the curriculum, although some projects have started during the last few years. Multicultural aspects of education for all children have been more emphasized in…
(1976). Chinese (Cantonese) as a Second Language Reader. Level II. Student's Workbook. This workbook accompanies the "Chinese (Cantonese) as a Second Language Reader." It contains a variety of exercises such as reading, translation, arranging words in order by number of strokes, changing from singular to plural, answering questions, copying, changing verbs to participle forms, and making statements negative or interrogative. Instructions for the writing of 160 Chinese characters are included. (CFM)… [PDF]
(1981). Developing Written Communication Skills in the Jackson Township Bilingual Program. This study reports on ways student under-achievement is being dealt with in the Bilingual Program of Jackson, New Jersey in grades 1-5. The study is limited to students in one school and was carried out during one 12-month period. It focuses on the following issues: (1) teaching methods which are best suited to solve the problems of student under-achievement in the area of written communication; (2) how general language development is related to the development of written communication; (3) the nature of the relationship between self-image development of written communication skills; and (4) children's reactions to methods developed in the course of the study. The researcher developed classroom techniques from literature on written communication and worked with 12 children in small groups or individually. Activities and techniques included reading aloud to the students, eliciting responses verbally or through art, tutoring, home visits, interpretation at parent conferences, and…
(1981). Effects of Kindergarten Experience on Academic Progress in French Immersion Programs. Review and Evaluation Bulletins, v2 n6. An examination of existing data was conducted to determine the effects of different kindergarten options on subsequent academic achievement in French immersion programs. It was concluded that there was no evidence for any superiority in outcomes for full-day bilingual as compared to half-day French kindergarten. No clear trends emerged in the comparison of full-day bilingual vs. half-day English groups at the grade 1 level, although differences in French skills were apparent between these two groups in grades 2 and 3. These trends are interpreted as tentative evidence that exposure to French in kindergarten influences subsequent performance in French. Analysis of further studies confirmed this interpretation, although several studies indicated the possibility of students who did not experience French kindergarten closing the gap in French skills. Virtually no data were found that considered possible differential effects on half-day vs. full-day kindergartens on students with… [PDF]
(1981). Variation in Language Use Patterns in Two Bilingual Second-Grade Classrooms. Information on language use patterns in bilingual classrooms is presented and analyzed in relation to the types of grouping decisions commonly made by teachers. The data were collected from two bilingual elementary classrooms and obtained through audio-recording and observation. Group setting contrasts of group size and instructional mode were established. The variables selected to measure language use were amount of talk, complexity of speech, and language functions, for which a speech act category system was adapted. It was concluded that group setting affects language use. Findings include: (1) the effect of group setting on language use is mediated by teaching style; (2) small group settings provide a highly favorable context for language use, (3) the range of speech acts was broader during individual work than during teacher-directed instruction, (4) the weaker language of all students was infrequently used in the classroom for natural communication, and (5) the weaker language… [PDF]
(1978). The Well of Time. Teacher's Handbook. This handbook, designed to accompany the anthology of the same name, contains: (1) a questionnaire to evaluate a student's exposure to the stories, and the insights acquired or developed by the student, which have relevance to his or her bilingual/multicultural background; (2) a self-evaluation check-list for the teacher of the short story; (3) "In the Workshop of Time and Tide," by N.V.M. Gonzalez, a brief introduction to the Filipino storyteller's art in general and the Philippine short story in particular; (4) "The Brother, the Grandfather, and the Maid: Three Readings," and an explication of them, intended to serve as models of what a teacher can do to further the development of the student's discovery skills through the study of fiction; and (5) study guides for the 18 stories in the student's anthology. (Author/AMH)… [PDF]
(1979). Literacy: A Tool for Assisting the Hispanic Inmate. Excerpts from transcribed tape recordings of conversations between two reading specialists and 23 Hispanic inmates at a New Jersey correctional institution reveal that many of these inmates believe that a lack of functional literacy was partly responsible for their present condition. Literacy, then, might be a valuable tool for preventing recidivism among these and similar inmates. Because traditional methods of reading instruction have not been successful with the student-inmate, a new approach is necessary. One such approach is Easy Steps to Reading Improvement (ESTRI), a method of teaching decoding skills and vocabulary development ESTRI teaches one systematic approach to word decoding and teaches no exceptions to the rules. It holds that word decoding is not a part of the reading process itself, since no one reads for the purpose of decoding words. ESTRI capitalizes on the listening abilities of learners and leads them to mastery of the decoding process, an essential adjunct to…
(1974). Modular Sequence: Teaching Reading to Bilingual Learners. TTP 002.03; What Is Reading? Teacher Corps Bilingual Project. Upon completion of this teaching module on reading, participants should be able to (a) define the process of reading, (b) define reading readiness, (c) describe the sight method of teaching, (d) list steps in the teaching of reading, (e) delineate one modification in an existing school reading program which can improve it, and (f) translate the module information into a viable form for teaching a child to read. Participants complete a preassessment test, choose tasks from a list of alternatives, and conclude the module with a postassessment test. (PB)… [PDF]
(1969). Community School at Rough Rock. The objective of the evaluation of Rough Rock Demonstration School (RRDS) on the Navajo Reservation was to examine, in terms of its own stated objectives, the school's organizational and social system as a whole. Chapters in the 1969 evaluation report are "What We Did and Why,""The Schools That Were Compared,""Community Relationships,""The Dormitories,""Programs of Instruction,""Teacher Characteristics and Concerns,""Pupil Attitude and Achievement,""Harbingers of Change," and "General Conclusions." Schools included in the comparative study with RRDS are Rock Point Boarding School, Chinle Boarding School, and Chinle Public Elementary School. As stated, the main comparisons relate to a carefully selected sample of pupils in each school (pupil criteria are given for all 4 schools). The report provides results of interviews held with teachers, parents, school staff, and other community members in… [PDF]
(1973). The Effects of the Bilingual Spanish/English Television Series "Carrascolendas" on the Oral Language Skills of Selected Primary Children. The purpose of this study was to measure the learning effects of "Carrascolendas," a Spanish/English television series, on selected primary school children in Pueblo, Colorado. The subjects, 160 randomly selected children, were tested with two criterion referenced tests, one in Spanish and one in English. Ten weeks after viewing the series, 128 of the same children were posttested. To test the null hypotheses, posttest scores were analyzed (1) between children who viewed the series and children who did not, (2) between Mexican-American and non-Mexican-American children, and (3) among kindergarten, first, second, and third grade levels. The experimental group consisted of 48 Mexican-American and 48 non-Mexican-American children. The control group consisted of 16 Mexican-American and 16 non-Mexican-American children. The results suggested that viewing "Carrascolendas" helped the achievement of primary children, especially Mexican-American children at the first…
(1969). Evaluation of the Bilingual Project of Harlandale Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas, in the First, Second, and Third Grades of Four Elementary Schools During 1968-69 School Year. The document is an evaluation of the Bilingual Instructional Project in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades of 4 elementary schools in the Harlandale Independent School District, San Antonio, Texas, during the 1968-69 school term. Evaluation of the 1st grade included a mental ability and readiness test–pretest and posttest. At the 2nd grade level, the Science Research Associates Achievement Test in Reading was given as a pretest and the Inter-American Series was given as a posttest. For the 3rd grade, the Science Research Associated Achievement Test in Reading was given as a pretest and posttest. Eight conclusions are given–e.g., there was no discernible difference in language achievement by 2nd and 3rd grade pupils between the bilingual and the control groups as measured by reading tests in English. The 11 recommendations encourage better organization, better planning, leadership that is more readily available, closer support by the principals, and more materials. A closer evaluator… [PDF]