The Accuracy of Teacher Ratings of Working Memory in Elementary Students Who Are English Learners

• In Event: Hilton Roundtable Session 6
  In Roundtable Session: Investigating Teachers' Understanding and Use of Assessment Data

Abstract

English learners (ELs) are currently the most rapidly growing demographic segment in U.S. public schools (Aud et al., 2011). Working memory (WM) has been identified as a strong predictor of academic achievement (Swanson, Orosco, & Lussier, 2014). Research has indicated that children with low WM capacity have difficulty with cognitively demanding activities (Gathercole, Durling, Evans, Jeffcock, & Stone, 2008; Lamont & Alloway, 2006). Identifying these children within the classroom context could be a powerful tool in beginning to close the academic achievement gap between monolingual and EL students. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between teacher observations of students’ WM and students’ actual WM performance.

Authors

• Jennifer Kong, Chapman University

• Christy Yan, California State University Fullerton

• Lee Swanson, The University of New Mexico

• Harpreet Uppal, North Orange Continuing Education