Standards and Assessment

Research and Best Practices: High Stakes Assessment

LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS: Increasing Participation in State and Local Assessments through Accommodations by Charlene Rivera and Charles W. Stansfield The Case of Casey Martin Casey Martin is a 25-year-old professional golfer who was a member of the same Stanford University golf team as Tiger Woods. Martin has suffered since birth from a rare and debilitating circulatory disease. Because of the disease, little blood goes into his lower right leg. As a result, the bones in his leg are less than half the normal thickness. If he walks a long distance, he risks breaking the bones; if they broke, his leg would have to be amputated since poor circulation would prevent healing. While a member of the Stanford golf team, he was allowed to use a golf cart, although other golf team members walked. In 1996, he asked the Professional Golfers Association (PGA) to accommodate his disability by allowing him to use an electric golf cart to get from hole to hole. However, the PGA denied his request for this accommodation, based on the premise that accommodations should not be allowed in professional sports. Casey Martin sued in federal court under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Following a week-long hearing, U.S. Magistrate Thomas Coffin ruled that Casey Martin must be allowed to use a cart. In his decision, Judge Coffin stated that Martin had the skills to play on the professional tour, while the PGA failed to show that the use of a cart would give him an advantage over players who walk. In short, the judge's decision concluded that using a golf cart did not alter the objectives of the game or his final score, only his ability to move between holes. The judge's ruling on an accommodation for an athlete has more than a little relevance for English language learners (ELLs)1 who are required to take state and district assessments. ELLs are not disabled like Martin, because the condition of not being able to take a test in English is temporary rather than permanent. However, while ELLs are learning English, their limited English proficiency may need to be accommodated in order for them to be able to adequately demonstrate what they know and can do on state and district assessments. In Martin's case, as in the case of ELLs, the central issues are: 1) readiness to benefit from participation; and 2) score comparability. In this chapter, we make the case that ELLs should be included in state and district assessment programs. We propose criteria that should be considered when decisions are being made about their inclusion. We also make a case for using appropriate test accommodations with ELLs to ensure that they have access to instruction and tests and to ensure that states and schools are accountable for them just as they are for other students. We outline a process to follow in establishing accommodation policies and describe types of appropriate accommodations for ELLs. Throughout the chapter, we also propose structures and processes for making and implementing decisions regarding the inclusion and accommodation of ELLs in formal assessment programs. The Case for Including ELLS in State and Local Assessment Programs The Process of Deciding on Inclusion or Exemption Participation-Exemption Criteria The Case for Using Test Accommodations Test Preparation as an Accommodation Other Useful Accommodations Summary and References