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Experiencing the FCAT: A Study of how ELLs, Teachers, and Parents Responded to a State Mandated Test in Florida

Gjini, Xhuljeta
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293464366

Abstract Details

2011, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, EDU Teaching and Learning.
This study portrays the experience of English Language Learners (ELLs), their teachers and parents towards the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). The study sheds new light on the ecology of an examination like the FCAT by foregrounding the voices and experiences of the examination’s primary stakeholders and how this state mandated test was interrelated to the daily instruction, and what it meant to the teachers and parents of these children. A case study approach was chosen to match the purpose of the study aiming to examine the FCAT through the more personal lens of key stakeholders connected to the exam. Instead of analyzing the test itself, the study sought to add a human face to the exam by examining those most affected by it. The data for this research was gathered from multiple sources: classroom observations/field notes, individual interviews, students’ classroom work, teachers’ teaching materials (lesson plans, instructional materials, and activities), teachers’ checklist and statistics/testing reports from school and district documents. A purposive sampling was utilized. The criteria employed were: various genders, various L1 and cultural backgrounds, various levels of L2 proficiency, duration in U.S., and active placement in the ESOL program. The participants consisted of four teachers, four ELLs (3rd grade), and three parents. The data analysis method consisted of case analysis, content analysis, and cross-case analysis. Accordingly, an inductive analysis approach was employed to analyze data in order to help answer each research question that was posed in this study. The examination of meaning units was conducted from different angles and synthesized in order to lead to the identification of the patterns and themes that data revealed. During the coding process, as themes emerged, they were grouped into three categories: teachers, students, and parents. The study found that accountability is valued highly by the teachers. They believed FCAT was not a fair assessment tool for ELLs and did not provide an accurate report of their academic knowledge. FCAT is source of stress and frustration for teachers, students, and parents. It forces teachers to “teach to the test” instead of engaging in classroom instructional practices aimed enhancing student learning. There is a mismatch between what transpires in the classroom and what transpires on the FCAT. There is a mismatch between the ELLs’ existing L2 proficiency levels and the academic proficiency required to face a state mandated test like the FCAT. It assumes that ELLs own both general language proficiency and academic proficiency. The impact of NCLB legislation carries significant weight in pre-college education in the United States. It added more stress when promoting standards and assessments that serve nationally to show AYP. Teachers, students, and parents are at a disadvantage in such a climate of accountability. ELLs not achieving at grade level in state mandated tests is an ongoing problem in our educational system. Root of the problem: administering the same mandated test to ELLs as native speakers of English on assumption that they own their L2 at the same level as English speaking peers.
Alan Hirvela (Advisor)
Keiko Samimy (Committee Member)
Anna Soter (Committee Member)
285 p.
Education
State Mandated Test; FCAT; ELLs; Attitudes; Perceptions

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gjini, X. (2011). Experiencing the FCAT: A Study of how ELLs, Teachers, and Parents Responded to a State Mandated Test in Florida [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293464366

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gjini, Xhuljeta. Experiencing the FCAT: A Study of how ELLs, Teachers, and Parents Responded to a State Mandated Test in Florida. 2011. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293464366.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gjini, Xhuljeta. "Experiencing the FCAT: A Study of how ELLs, Teachers, and Parents Responded to a State Mandated Test in Florida." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2011. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1293464366

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

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© 2011, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.