Schooling Begins Before Adolescence: The Case of Manuel and Limited Opportunities to Learn

• In Event: New Approaches to Academic Literacies for Adolescent English Language Learners

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to first provide several definitions of academic literacy and then compare these definitions to language learners’ actual opportunities to develop said academic literacies. The paper argues that current educational programs provide few real opportunities for English language learners to develop academic literacies.

The conceptual framework in this paper is based on early work in the Standards Based Educational Movement (McLaughlin and Shepard, 1995; Berliner & Biddle, 1995; Amrein & Berliner, 2002), and more recent work on closing the opportunity gap (Carter & Welner, 2013). The standards based educational movement should have three components: (a) content standards; (b) assessment or performance standards; and (c) opportunities to learn the standards. Research in this area has concluded that content and assessment standards have been developed and implemented, but virtually no states have implemented opportunity to learn standards. Content and assessment standards define the academic literacies that students need to develop, and performance standards define how the attainment of these standards will be measured. However, there are no standards to ensure that students have opportunities to learn the standards. According to Carter and Welner (2013), the achievement gap is in reality an “opportunity gap.” Improving schooling, especially schooling for poor students, students of color and English language learners should thus include improved opportunities to learn.

This paper examines opportunities to learn academic literacies via an in-depth case study of one language learner (Manuel) from grades K-8. The case study also presents evidence of how Manuel is representative of students in his school, district, and the nation.

Data collected included outcomes on formal and informal measures of achievement for Manuel, his school, and district; classroom observations; interviews with teachers and administrators; and an examination of school curricula, resources and teachers. Data were collected over 4 years.

By comparing the definitions of academic literacy to school programs and curricula, I illustrate that Manuel had few opportunities to develop academic literacy. Rather than being robust, the curricula were generally quite limiting for Manuel and others like him. For instance, in order to try to accelerate the math and reading progress of language learners in this school (who were the majority of students), multiple reading and math interventions replaced social studies and science. Further, the reading program was limited to phonics instruction and decoding.

This study is significant as the United States and its territories implement the new college and career readiness standards, which purport to raise the expectations for academic literacy development. It has been argued that these standards are devoid of any attention to opportunities to learn and have not accounted for the 12 million English language learners. This paper is significant because it draws attention to the critical need to ensure that students have access to high standards and academic literacy. Without attention to opportunities to learn, it is unlikely that the college and career readiness standards will benefit children such as Manuel and the millions of students like him.

Author

• Kathy Escamilla, University of Colorado - Boulder