Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners

A study by the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy finds that English language learners (ELLs), a rapidly growing percentage of the Commonwealth's student population, are qualifying for transition into mainstream classrooms at a much slower pace than originally expected. The report examines the evolution of policies and practices affecting ELLs since the passage of Question 2 in November 2002. Question 2 mandated English immersion as the primary means of instruction for most ELLs and compelled schools to expedite the transition of students to mainstream classes. While Question 2 sought to limit English learners' immersion experience to a "period not normally intended to exceed one school year," federal Civil Rights legislation trumped Question 2 and mandated that students could not be re-classified out of ELL status until they can "participate meaningfully" in English-only classes.The Rennie Center's report examines whether expectations for an expedited transition process have been met and explores the ways in which the state Department of Education and schools and districts have tried to make sense of the conflicting mandates on what constitutes an adequate amount of time for a student to become proficient in English.Data from the Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA), a test designed to gauge the progress of English language learners, shows that after one year of English immersion only 17% of ELLs score at levels indicating they are ready to transition to mainstream classrooms. Among ELLs who have been in Massachusetts' schools for five or more years, only slightly more than half score at the transitioning level. The report also found that schools throughout Massachusetts have developed diverse ways of interpreting and implementing sheltered English immersion.At a time of national debate about the status of immigrants and sharp increases in the numbers of non-English speakers in cities and towns across the Commonwealth and nation, it is critical that public schools focus greater attention on the issue of how best to meet the needs of English language learners. The report cites that while ten years ago only slightly more than half the school districts in Massachusetts enrolled ELLs, today that proportion has soared to nearly three-quarters. The number of districts enrolling one hundred or more English language learners has risen 37% in the past decade.As the number of English language learners continues to rise, their performance persistently lags far behind that of native English speakers. According to the Rennie Center's report, ELLs scored below the median at every grade level in every subject on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS). Further, ELLs are 57% less likely than their native English-speaking peers to earn the competency determination needed to graduate from high school. Both the No Child Left Behind legislation and the Massachusetts Education Reform Act require schools to ensure that ELLs meet the same performance standards as their native English-speaking counterparts. According to report authors, "That we are so woefully far from that goal should be cause for alarm and action."The Rennie Center's study seeks to shed light on this issue by providing an analysis of policies and practices affecting ELLs in Massachusetts over the past five years and examining the state role in promoting improved practice. The report includes case studies of three schools that are making significant strides with large populations of English language learners and highlights common elements that the three schools have utilized to successfully meet the needs of English language learners. For example, each school studied offered multiple types of programs to accommodate the needs of students at varying levels of English proficiency, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Case study schools also developed a staged transition process that provided vital support as students moved into mainstream classes.Next Steps at the State and District LevelsIn a series of recommended next steps, the report urges state policymakers to encourage flexibility and experimentation with innovative approaches to meet the needs of English language learners;offer opportunities for schools to share practices;get specific about when students should transition out of ELL status and to provide clear guidance to schools and districts;ensure a pipeline of leaders for ELL programs;require sheltered English immersion training in teacher preparation programs.And schools and districts to:consider staged transition processes;set goals and create incentives to get teachers trained;pool resources among districts with small ELL populations; andfocus more attention on reaching out to communicate with and provide guidance for the families of ELLs.The report, Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners, was released at a public event on May 31, 2007 in Marlborough, MA

A diglossic multi-dialectal language in the courtroom : the challenges for English-Arabic legal interpreters

The increasing mobility around the world in recent decades has meant a rise in the need for interpreting services. Coupled with the premise that no court client should be disadvantaged due to a language barrier, that has triggered an interest in research in legal interpreting, and in particular, courtroom interpreting. While literature presents studies on the topic in many languages, little research has been published on the English-Arabic language pair. Considering that the legal setting is particularly sensitive to language use and that Arabic -- one of the key languages spoken at home in Australia -- is charecterised by diglossia and dialectal diversity, this study aims to investigate the setting where the two phenomena intersect, i.e., the challenges in legal interpreting that are related to Arabic language varieties. The study was conducted empirically and primarily qualitatively. Questionnaires and interviews were utilised, and a focus group forum was convened to collect data from interpreters and legal professionals who have participated in English-Arabic legal encounters. The study has found that Arabic varieties pose challenges in the English-Arabic legal setting and that the relevant stakeholders (other than interpreters) do not have adequate awareness of the issue. It has also found that the particular variant of Arabic referred to as Educated Spoken Arabic (ESA) -- a relaxed version of Modern Standard Arabic (MSA) -- is in most cases the optimal solution to the challenges associated with Arabic varieties. The study recommends making practice on the key Arabic dialects spoken in Australia part of interpreting academic and training programs. It also recommends that clear guidelines be outlined toward a common understanding and collaborative approach in dealing with the issue on the part of the relevant parties. Stakeholders and potential beneficiaries of the study include Arabic-speaking court clients, English-Arabic legal interpreters, and judicial officers. By investigating legal interpreting in a key language pair, this study will ultimately be of benefit for the administration of justice in Australia

Bilingual Authorization Program Standards Content Analysis White Paper

This white paper was developed in consultation with the Bilingual Authorization Working Group and reviews the 2009 California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) Bilingual Authorization Program Standards (BAPS). The analysis included current research in the field of bilingualism, equity, and dual language education. This Working Paper was presented to the CTC to influence and support efforts to update the BAPS. For each of the first set of five program standards, the authors offer: (1) descriptions of key elements within the standard; (2) recommended revisions; and (3) implications related to assessment, policy, and practice. The authors accepted standard 6 as written. Key recommendations included addressing the absence of field work and clinical experience. This paper includes a glossary of terms as well as an extended reference list across a variety topics in bilingual education.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/whitepapersandstatements/1001/thumbnail.jp

Quality assurance within non-professional translation teams : action research in the non-profit sector

La traduction bénévole et collaborative, sous ses diverses formes telles que l’initiative Wikipedia, croît de jour en jour et requiert d’être encadrée pour garantir un contrôle de qualité. Et pourtant, la traduction non professionnelle est un domaine encore peu exploré. Dans le milieu de la traduction professionnelle, des critères assez sévères existent en ce qui concerne la formation et l’expérience du traducteur, l’assurance-qualité, les délais, et les droits d’auteur. Néanmoins, dans le cadre de la traduction qui implique la collaboration en ligne et des centaines de traducteurs (souvent bénévoles), ces aspects sont nettement plus flous. Ce projet de recherche aborde la question centrale de l’assurance qualité au sein des équipes de traducteurs non professionnels. Cela se fait sous l’angle de la recherche-action effectuée dans le secteur sans but lucratif, précisément avec le groupe des Traducteurs du Roi que j’ai formé en 2011 pour combler le manque de documentation en français au sein de notre confession religieuse. Il me semblait que nous ne pouvions simplement appliquer à notre équipe les normes et méthodes de la traduction professionnelle pour assurer la qualité. La nature de la traduction non professionnelle exige une approche personnalisée. J’ai décidé d’effectuer des recherches à l’intérieur des Traducteurs du Roi pour élaborer un système d’assurance qualité conçu spécifiquement pour la traduction non professionnelle. En adaptant des modèles professionnels au contexte non professionnel, j’ai été en mesure de créer un processus approprié de sélection des traducteurs, un processus global de révision des traductions et un processus ciblé de formation des traducteurs. Les critères de sélection comprennent les compétences et les traits de caractère qui favorisent la réussite au sein du système d’assurance qualité. Des processus spécifiques de révision sont jumelés aux niveaux de qualité souhaités en fonction de l’objet des documents. La composante de formation se concentre sur les changements de paradigmes encapsulés dans un ensemble de meilleures pratiques pour les traducteurs non professionnels. Ces trois éléments, la sélection, la révision et la formation, se complètent dans un système efficace d’assurance qualité. D’autres équipes de traducteurs non professionnels peuvent intégrer ce système, puisqu’il est spécifiquement adapté aux défis de travailler avec des traducteurs bénévoles et n’est pas spécifique à certaines langues. Mon projet apporte une importante contribution à la traductologie, premièrement en valorisant le domaine de la traduction non professionnelle et en soulignant le besoin d’une approche différente de celle de la traduction professionnelle. Je démontre que l’assurance qualité est possible au sein d’un groupe de traducteurs non professionnels et fournit un système efficace pour y arriver. Plus largement, mes recherches visent à sensibiliser les traductologues à deux idées importantes. D'abord, l'apparition inévitable de nouvelles pratiques de traduction différentes des pratiques traditionnelles, pratiques qu'il conviendra de prendre de plus en plus en compte et dont les leçons pourront être tirées. En outre, les chercheurs pourraient s’efforcer davantage d'assurer que les concepts, les normes et le métalangage de la traductologie soient compréhensibles et applicables dans des contextes non traditionnels.Volunteer and collaborative translation in diverse forms, such as the Wikipedia initiative, is growing daily and needs direction in order to guarantee quality. And yet, non-professional translation is a field that remains largely unexplored. In the realm of professional translation, there are strict criteria related to translator training and experience, quality assurance, deadlines, and copyrights. However, in a context that involves online collaboration and hundreds of translators (often volunteers), these aspects are much less defined. This research project addresses the crucial issue of quality assurance within non-professional translation teams. This is done through the lens of action research carried out in the non-profit sector, specifically with a group called The King’s Translators which I formed in November 2011 to meet the need for French resources within our church denomination. It was apparent to me that we could not simply apply professional translation norms and methods within our team in order to ensure quality. The nature of non-professional translation requires a customized approach. I decided to conduct research from within The King’s Translators to develop a quality assurance system designed specifically for non-professional translation. By adapting professional models to the non-professional environment, I was able to create processes for appropriate translator selection, comprehensive translation revision/editing, and focused translator training. The criteria for translator selection include skills and character traits that enable a team member to succeed within the quality assurance system. Specific translation revision/editing processes are matched to desired quality levels based on the purpose of the translated documents. The translator training component concentrates on paradigm shifts encapsulated in a set of best practices for non-professional translators. These three elements of translator selection, translation revision/editing, and translator training harmonize in an effective quality assurance system. This system can be implemented by other non-professional translation teams, as it is specifically adapted to the challenges of working with volunteer translators and is not language specific. This project makes an important contribution to Translation Studies, first by highlighting the field of non-professional translation and emphasizing the need of an approach different than what is used for professional translation. I demonstrate how quality assurance is possible within a team of non-professional translators and provide an effective system for achieving it. On a broader level, my research aims to make Translation Studies scholars more aware that while new translation practices running counter to traditional mindsets will inevitably emerge, this should not prevent us from investigating and learning from them. In addition, researchers could make a greater effort to ensure that Translation Studies concepts, norms, and metalanguage are understandable and applicable in non-traditional contexts

Liaison interpreting from theory to practice: a project to help students develop their interpreting skills

The aim of this thesis is that of discussing the studies of scholars and researchers in the field of interpreting, first through an analysis of the definitions that they have given of ‘interpreting’, followed by an analysis of the different modes of interpreting and the skills and competences an interpreter should possess in order to become a professional in this field. Finally, the role of the liaison interpreter is analysed and the specific challenges he/she has to deal with. Then the thesis explores how interpreting training involves the development of language competence, focusing therefore on the description of the four basic skills of a language, namely speaking, writing, listening and reading. The theoretical part will be followed by a final practical part which consists in a project aimed at helping students practicing some liaison interpreting dialogues in order to improve their skills in interpreting.The aim of this thesis is that of discussing the studies of scholars and researchers in the field of interpreting, first through an analysis of the definitions that they have given of ‘interpreting’, followed by an analysis of the different modes of interpreting and the skills and competences an interpreter should possess in order to become a professional in this field. Finally, the role of the liaison interpreter is analysed and the specific challenges he/she has to deal with. Then the thesis explores how interpreting training involves the development of language competence, focusing therefore on the description of the four basic skills of a language, namely speaking, writing, listening and reading. The theoretical part will be followed by a final practical part which consists in a project aimed at helping students practicing some liaison interpreting dialogues in order to improve their skills in interpreting

Uplifting the Perspectives and Preferences of the Families of English Learners in Los Angeles Unified School District and Charter Schools: Findings from a Representative Poll

This research and policy brief uplifts findings from a 2021 poll of 129 LAUSD and affiliate charter school English Learner families. The poll covers a broad range of topics including families’ pandemic experiences in and outside of school, communication with schools, levels of engagement and representation in school-based decisions, and expectations of schools for the future. Findings indicate that: (1) a majority of EL families are engaged and report that they attend school activities; (2) EL families report feeling heard at their school sites and would like more personalized communication like home visits and calls; (3) EL families want more information about their child’s academic and English language development; and (4) EL Families want schools to rethink how they educate students, including more one-on-one academic support and wrap-around services. Based on these findings, the authors make both short- and long-term recommendations for policy and practice. This brief is intended to be used as a supplement to the full report—a joint effort by Great Public Schools Now, Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Equity for English Learners, and Families in Schools which captures perspectives of 500 English learner and non-English learner families.https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/ceel_education_policybriefs/1011/thumbnail.jp

Life After the EL Label: Conversations About Identity, Language, and Race

Currently, the English Learner (EL) label is found in every facet of education concerning learners with home languages other than English. While the EL label is designated to objectively identify students who are indeed learning English, it also brings with it an unintentional, outward forced identity that institutes an unwillingness among peers and teachers to socially and academically engage with EL-labeled students. Not only has the label warranted inequitable academic opportunities, wide graduation gaps, and a consistently wide achievement gap, it has also perpetuated a deficit model and negative perceptions of the learners, especially with the racialized rhetoric that has accompanied English Only movements. Presently, numerous studies narrate academic achievement statistics regarding the EL-labeled population; however, a review of the literature revealed a gap in research on how the label affects individuals on a social-psychological level. Given that Latinx communities are currently surrounded with an anti-immigrant, anti-Spanish rhetoric, along with historically racialized English Only movements that still play a role in today’s classrooms, this study sought to elucidate the narratives of previously labeled Latinx students regarding identity and self-concept and being stereotyped and stigmatized as a Latinx person as well as an “English Learner.” Thirteen Latinx individuals participated in this study. Eight one-on-one interviews and two focus groups composed the qualitative data. The data were analyzed through the conceptual theoretical lens of critical race theory (specifically, critical language and race theory and Latino critical theory) and the modified labeling theory. The data revealed that Latinx adults who were labeled as ELs during their primary and/or secondary education not only experience social psychological internalizations related to the EL label, but they also manifest these internalizations in various ways and in multiple spaces of their lives beyond high school. This study concluded that the stigma and stereotypes associated with the EL label do not end at the moment of redesignation or at the end of high school. On the contrary, individuals who were subjected to the label form internalizations about identity, language, and race that can be maintained beyond the label marker for an indeterminate amount of time. However, through various experiences, the social-psychological internalizations can change between positive and negative associations under certain circumstances

Chapter 7 Ensuring Consistency and Accuracy of Legal Terms in Institutional Translation

Terminological consistency and accuracy are key indicators of institutional translation quality and a condition for semantic univocity and certainty with regard to legal terms translated at international organizations. They are accordingly important guiding principles in institutional terminology management. This chapter examines variations of consistency and accuracy levels in the translations of three selected terms that are representative of different degrees of legal asymmetry in English-Spanish translation, as well as the congruity of these translations with the recommendations found in the corresponding institutional terminological resources in three settings: the European Union, the United Nations and the World Trade Organization. The corpora compiled for diachronic comparison include all occurrences of the selected terms (“prima facie evidence,” “tort” and “magistrates’ court”) in two periods: 2005–2015 and 2016–2019. The findings suggest significant correlations between legal asymmetry and translation accuracy levels, and between intertextual consistency and accuracy fluctuations. They also reveal low adherence to the (limited) guidance of institutional terminological resources on legal system-specific terms. Additional qualitative insights are offered regarding the most significant cases of terminological harmonization and on the determining role of translation precedents

Career Development Program for Refugee and Migrant Youth

The Career Guidance for Refugee and Migrant Young People project is an initiative of the South Metropolitan Migrant Resource Centre funded by the Department of Education and Training. It aims to develop, pilot and evaluate a career development and planning program that specifically meets the learning levels and needs of refugee youth with low levels of education, cultural life skills and English language ability