The Effectiveness of an English Language Learner Center for Elementary Students

Abstract

This mixed methods study took place in the Independence School District inIndependence, Missouri, using data from 2011 to 2016. Students’ language proficiencydata and state assessment data, as well as teacher focus group perceptions, were analyzedto determine the effectiveness of two models of ELL instruction in the district’selementary schools. At the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, the districttransitioned from an ELL pull-out model of instruction to a full-day proficiency-basedELL center that students attended once each week. Composite scores on the ACCESSfor ELLs for students in grades 1-5, the number of students who exited the ELL program,and ELA MAP proficiency scores in grades 3-5 were used to determine the differences.The researcher also conducted teacher focus group interviews to gather teachers’perceptions of the effectiveness, positives, and negatives of the two models of ELLinstruction. The results of the data analysis indicated statistically significant differences;students who attended the ELL center scored higher on the ACCESS, exited the programat a proportionately higher rate, and scored proportionately more at proficient oradvanced level on the ELA MAP than did the students who participated in the pull-outprogram. Teacher perceptions revealed that there were pros and cons to the ELL center;teachers in primary grades saw more disadvantages of the ELL center, and teachers inupper grades were indifferent or saw more advantages. The researcher suggestedimplications for action based on the results of the study that may improve the currentELL model in the ISD, such as a gradual attendance model for first graders, and ideas toincrease communication between the ELL center and the home school. Future researchin large school districts completing studies surrounding best practices in ELL instruction could replicate or extend the current study by focusing on middle and high schoolstudents, using different measures of achievement such as the ACT or End of Courseexams. The study could also be replicated in an urban or rural setting in different statesacross the nation. Results from future studies might show different outcomes if focusgroups included parents and students in addition to teachers.