In this paper, we report on a study that compares state, national, and international assessment programs as to the characteristics and functions of the illustrations used in their science test items. We used our conceptual framework for examining the characteristics of illustrations in science items (Solano-Flores & Wang, 2009, 2011) to code the illustrations of samples of items.
STEM ELL Publications
This list of ELL resources is a working document prepared by CADRE for the ELL Working Group. New resources will be added as they are identified. This list includes the citation and the article abstract. Please do not circulate or quote this list of resources. Sources are organized alphabetically by STEM Content area (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), and by the general education topic explored in the paper (assessment, curriculum, instruction, language, professional development, system/policy, technology, and writing).
Mathematics teachers of English language learners (ELLs) are increasingly expected to help ELLs learn academic language. This session focuses on the question, What knowledge do teachers of mathematics need in order to support the learning of ELLs?
To investigate the contribution of the DR K‐12 portfolio to the knowledge base on math and sciencelearning among ELLs, CADRE designed a study to explore the ELL work that is being conducted in theDR K‐12 projects. This paper summarizes the work of this study. It begins with a description of themethodology employed, followed by a presentation of the findings, and finally a discussion of theconclusions drawn from this work.
This paper reports preliminary results from an investigation, still in progress, on the use of verbal protocols among native Spanish-speaking, English language learners (ELLs) of various proficiency levels and background characteristics. We focus on language use among ELLs during various stages of a cognitive interview designed to probe whether and how students
In this exploratory, cross-cultural study, we examined students’ interpretations of graphic devise-based illustrations used in science tests. Graphic devices are visual components (e.g., arrows, dotted lines) intended to ensure proper understanding of the scientific processes or phenomena represented by the illustrations. We address cultural differences in terms of the interaction of two factors, students’ country of origin and items’ country of origin.
This paper introduces a coding system used to compare the ways English language learners (ELLs) and mainstream students make sense of multiple-choice science items administered in English. Thirty-nine native Spanish-speaking ELLs and thirty-nine monolingual, mainstream students participated in cognitive interviews in which they were asked to report their thinking during and after responding to science items. The coding system was developed based on the analysis of the transcriptions invoking theories of bilingualism, sociolinguistics, and reading comprehension.
This paper presents a framework and a procedure for developing vignette illustrations as a form of testing accommodation for English language learners (ELLs). Vignette illustrations are defined as illustrations added to test items originally created without illustrations, with the intent to provide a visual support for ELLs that increases their chances of accessing the content of those test items.
We present a conceptual framework for designing and analyzing illustrations used in science assessment. This conceptual framework is intended to help test developers to systematically create and examine illustrations used in science test items. Unlike previous approaches to examining illustrations, which rely on the use of vague or polysemic terms
