Abstract
Indiana English learners (ELs) constitute a rapidly growing portion of the state’s school-aged population, and those classified as limited English proficient are low performers on the state test. The purpose of this embedded mixed methods study was to understand how school personnel respond to accountability mandates, interpret test scores, and make decisions on behalf of ELs. Interviews were conducted with four administrators and three EL teachers from a rural Indiana school corporation (i.e., school district) with one of the state’s largest EL populations. In addition, four years of student test scores from the corporation were analyzed. Findings indicate that in response to accountability mandates, school personnel implemented numerous changes, including working together to collectively analyze student test scores and ending sheltered English instruction in two schools. This study illustrates the importance of examining both student test scores and the experiences of educational professionals to understand the intended and unintended results of educational policies.
Recommended Citation
Burke, April M.
(2015)
"The Impact of Educational Policy on English Learners in a Rural Indiana School Corporation,"
Mid-Western Educational Researcher: Vol. 27:
Iss.
4, Article 4.
Available at:
https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/mwer/vol27/iss4/4
