Factors Associated With Differential Performance of English Learners on Science Assessments: The Role of Cognitive Complexity

• In Event: Roundtable Session 21
  In Roundtable Session: Equity Issues in Education Policy

Abstract

This paper reports on the development and validation of measures that were used to score the cognitive complexity of test items used in a study of factors related to the differential performance of English Learners (ELs) on science assessments compared to native English speakers. The measures were used to analyze the cognitive complexity of 476 middle school assessment items previously developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). In another part of the study not reported on here, we focus on the development, validation, and reliability of measures of linguistic complexity and the results of applying these measures to the same set of test items.

Authors

• George E. DeBoer, American Association for the Advancement of Science

• Cari F. Herrmann-Abell, American Association for the Advancement of Science

• Sarah Glassman, American Association for the Advancement of Science