English-language learners (ELLs) are those students who do not speak English or speak with limitations that prevent full class participation. Most ELLs are taught in all-English language classrooms, and we know very little about what features of those classrooms are associated with higher levels of ELL achievement. This is a significant policy issue given the growing number of ELLs in the nation’s schools. The research team will use this grant to improve a classroom observation protocol designed to assess the Classroom Quality for English Language Learners (CQELL). The CQELL protocol consists of 11 dimensions of classroom processes believed to support academic achievement for English-language learners. Trained observers use CQELL to rate each of these elements according to its prominence in the classroom environment. The proposed study includes observations of 2nd and 5th grade classrooms in northern and southern California over two years, as researchers attempt to determine what features of the CQELL predict ELLs’ speaking, listening, reading, and writing abilities, and whether or not features of classroom environments that predict ELLs’ achievement differ from features that predict English speakers’ achievement. Student outcome data will come from standardized tests and writing assessments.
Most English-language learners (ELLs) are taught in all-English language classrooms, and we know very little about what features of those classrooms are associated with higher levels of ELL achievement.
