EDU6185 Week 4

According to Chapter 71A of the Massachusetts General Laws, which of the following statements accurately describes current state educational policy regarding the education of English learners in public schools?

• A. English learners should be educated through SEI programs; other approved language programs, such as transitional bilingual education or dual language, are also allowed.

• B. English learners should receive instruction in all subjects in English only, although they may receive support in SEI settings for one complete school year before being transferred to general education settings.

• C. English learners of the same age should be placed in the same classrooms, regardless of their first language or level of English language proficiency, in order to promote development of social skills and bonds.

• D. English learners who are entering kindergarten should be placed in general education classrooms, while English learners entering other grade levels should be placed in an SEI program.

The Alternate ACCESS for ELLs™ is an English language proficiency (ELP) assessment that monitors students' progress in acquiring academic English and was designed specifically to meet federal accountability requirements for the assessment of English learners who fall into which of the following categories?

• A. English learners who are students with limited or interrupted formal education (SLIFE)

• B. English learners who have significant cognitive disabilities that prevent them from participating in the state ELP assessment, even with accommodations

• C. English learners who are enrolled in a public prekindergarten or kindergarten program

• D. English learners whose discrepancy between their Oral Language and Literacy scores on the state ELP assessment is greater than three levels, even taking into account their scaled scores

The federal law known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes which of the following mandates with respect to English learners?

• A. Materials and procedures used to instruct English learners must include translations or transcriptions in a student's first language.

• B. English learners must meet the same academic content and student achievement standards that all students are expected to meet.

• C. Assessments that are used to determine an English learner's eligibility for special education must be administered in the student's dominant language.

• D. English learners must be provided with peer mentors who can communicate in the students' first language as well as in English.

Massachusetts public school educators are required by state law to take which of the following actions with respect to the education of English learners?

• A. providing English learners with instructional materials in the core content areas that have been modified or customized to align with students' levels of English language proficiency

• B. offering English learners content-area instruction in their first languages until they have acquired sufficient English language proficiency to be able to benefit from content instruction in English

• C. ensuring that English learners become proficient in English through general education content classes taught solely in English

• D. teaching English learners according to the same academic standards and curriculum frameworks as all students, regardless of the type of program (e.g., SEI, bilingual, ESL)

In which of the following situations is the student most likely exhibiting a language-based exceptionality or language-based disability rather than a factor or factors related to language development?

• A. An English learner's language patterns are unique to the student and unlike those of other students from the same cultural and linguistic group.

• B. An English learner periodically shifts from the first language to English and then back to the first language.

• C. An English learner was unable to attend school in the country of origin and has limited literacy development.

• D. An English learner has had limited opportunities to hear/access and use academic language in the first language (L1) and has limited L1 vocabulary development.

6A fifth-grade SEI class includes students from several different cultural backgrounds and with different levels of English proficiency. The teacher would like to create a classroom climate characterized by inclusion, cultural sensitivity, and cultural appreciation. Which of the following teacher strategies is likely to be most effective in accomplishing this goal?

• A. periodically asking students to openly share aspects of their personal lives and experiences related to their cultural identities and backgrounds

• B. displaying visual materials in the classroom, such as photographs and illustrations, that depict a wide variety of cultures and cultural practices

• C. reminding students to be respectful, patient, and courteous during class discussions, and regularly calling on students representing each culture

• D. incorporating the cultural backgrounds of students into instruction through a variety of examples in areas such as art, geography, literature, and games

A middle school newly arrived English learner has a solid educational background in the first language and is at the developing level of English language proficiency. She performs well academically, but she frequently gets up and moves around the classroom during lessons and sometimes makes up short chants or songs related to the material. Which of the following explanations for the student's behavior should the teacher consider first in this situation?

• A. The student may not know how to study academic subject matter.

• B. The student may be used to different educational practices and is demonstrating culturally influenced approaches to learning.

• C. The student may have very limited academic English language skills.

• D. The student may have a social or behavioral disorder that is affecting her ability to be aware of and sensitive to the social context.

At the beginning of the school year, an elementary school SEI teacher is planning informal, individual meetings with the parents/guardians of the English learners with whom the teacher will be working. The families are from various countries and cultures, and the teacher wants to build a trusting, productive relationship with each family. The teacher could most effectively begin to accomplish this goal by using the initial meeting primarily to:

• A. provide family members with instructional resources and help them develop a plan for supporting their child's educational program.

• B. increase the teacher's understanding of each family's belief system and aspirations for their child.

• C. discuss different approaches to problem solving and arrive at a consensus for managing any issues that might arise.

• D. guide each family in developing a vision for their child's education that is aligned with the school culture.

A first-grade SEI teacher sometimes hears the parents/guardians of English learners express concern about the fact that they can only read with their child in the family's first language. When this occurs, the SEI teacher reassures the parents/guardians that listening to their child read in either the first language or English, as well as reading to the child, talking about stories, and encouraging the child to talk about his or her learning in the first language, are all very important endeavors. This response best demonstrates the teacher's understanding that these types of family interactions:

• A. support children's learning and English literacy development and communicate that education is valued by the family.

• B. help establish strong school-home partnerships and promote collaboration between a child's family and teacher.

• C. allow adult family members to develop some English academic language skills along with their children.

• D. encourage children to analyze consciously the similarities and differences between their first language and English.

An SEI teacher notices that English learners who share similar linguistic backgrounds often talk together before and after class, mostly in English, but with periodic insertions of words and phrases from their shared first language. Which of the following statements best describes the most likely rationale for the students' routine use of the two languages in these conversations?

• A. The students are expressing a sense of shared sociocultural identity with other members of the group.

• B. The students are emphasizing important points by using the first language rather than English or nonverbal cues.

• C. The students are compensating for a member of the group who is at a low level of English language proficiency.

• D. The students are trying to improve their translation skills by using words and phrases they know in both languages.