The Language Policy of Placement Tests for Newcomer English Learners

Autor/inn/en	King, Kendall; Bigelow, Martha
Titel	The Language Policy of Placement Tests for Newcomer English Learners
Quelle	In: Educational Policy, 32 (2018) 7, S.936-968 (33 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0895-9048
DOI	10.1177/0895904816681527
Schlagwörter	English Language Learners; Student Placement; Eligibility; Educational Policy; English (Second Language); Second Language Learning; Testing; Language Tests; Discourse Analysis; High Stakes Tests; Screening Tests; Literacy; Educational Background; Educational Experience; Prior Learning; Instructional Design; Code Switching (Language); Immigrants; Emergent Literacy; Second Language Instruction; Urban Areas + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Schülerpraktikum; Eignung; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Testdurchführung; Testen; Language test; Sprachtest; Diskursanalyse; Screening-Verfahren; Alphabetisierung; Schreib- und Lesefähigkeit; Vorbildung; Bildungserfahrung; Vorkenntnisse; Lesson concept; Lessonplan; Unterrichtsentwurf; Immigrant; Immigrantin; Immigranten; Frühleseunterricht; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Urban area; Stadtregion
Abstract	U.S. public schools are required to establish policies ensuring that English language learners have equal access to "meaningful education." This demands that districts put into place mechanisms to determine student eligibility for specialized English language services. For the most states, this federal requirement is fulfilled through the local administration of the WIDA--Access Placement Test (W-APT), arguably the most widely used, yet under-studied, English language assessment in the country. Through intensive participant observation at one, urban new student intake center, and detailed qualitative, discursive analysis of test administration and interaction, we demonstrate how the W-APT works as a high-stakes assessment, screener, and sorter, and how test takers and test administrators locally negotiate this test and enact this federal and state policy. Our analysis indicates that the W-APT is problematic in several respects, most importantly because the test does not differentiate adequately across students with widely different literacy skills and formal schooling experiences. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01