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Second Language Acquisition And Standardized Assessment Practices, Hal Scott Schmeisser

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

Throughout the history of the United States, tests have been utilized as a means to exclude and marginalize immigrant and minority populations, and in the absence of a national language policy have served as de facto language policy. English Learners (ELs) have been among the fastest-growing student populations in the United States, comprising a heterogeneous group with different cultural and linguistic backgrounds. Research findings concerning the assessment of ELs highlight a significant difference in the academic performance of these students from that of their native English speaking classmates. ELs face a substantial hurdle in learning both English and academic content …