INADEQUATE TESTING FOR ESL STUDENTS 1

Inadequate Testing for ESL Students Harms Academic Growth

Abigail J. Mattson

Arizona State University

TEL 410: Leadership and Advocacy in Education

Paula Tseunis

October 31, 2017

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Inadequate Testing for English as a Second Language Students Harms Academic Growth

In the 2014-15 academic school year, there were 4.6 million students in the United

States public school system who were English Language Learners. ELLs, as they are called,

are students who speak a language other than English as their first language. They may

have come to the United States as immigrants or refugees, or they may grow up in a family

that prefers to speak a language other than English in their home.

This number of students in the United States is a significant percentage of the total

number of students in grades K-12 in our country. According to the National Center for

Education Statistics, 4.6 million students is 9.4 percent of the total population of students

for that school year (nces.ed.gov). Since such a large amount of the population of young

people in our country fits into this category of learners, it is important that we as educators

ensure the academic support and success of every student who is an ELL.

Unfortunately, ELL students may not always receive the help and support they need

in order to successfully learn English. In order to be successful socially, economically, and

financially in the United States, one must know English fluently. Some ELLs may fall victim

to a failing education system that does not use accurate testing methods to measure their

growth and progress. If better methods were used, these students would be able to learn at

a must faster pace, and could grow academically a great deal more than they are able to

within the limits of inadequate testing methods. The purpose of this literature review is to

describe the limitations and current inadequacies of testing methods for English as a Second

Language curriculum in American public schools.

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Literature Review

Overview

My advocacy focus is to identify English as a Second Language classrooms in my

local school district where the teachers are not given efficient and adequate testing

materials for their students. My advocacy project will include teacher interviews, a review

of testing methods, strategies, and goals, and a letter to the local school district

superintendent to request that additional materials be given to local English as a Second

Language teachers. I have identified that this topic is an issue for local teachers, and would

like to support those teachers in creating a supportive environment for their students.

Servant Leadership

According to an article by Sarah Tahtinen-Pacheco, servant leadership in the field of

English as a Second Language requires that an educator focus on the development of the

whole person rather than just on a persons academic growth. Ms. Tahtinen-Pacheco writes

that there must be a respect for the dignity of all human beings (Tahtinen-Pacheco, 2017,

p. 1) in this field of education. She goes on to describe the ten characteristics of servant

leadership that were identified by Robert Greenleaf, and writes about strategies that

teachers can use to incorporate these characteristics in their classrooms.

In order to include listening, empathy, awareness, commitment to the growth of

people, and the other ten characteristics of servant leadership in my classroom, I will enter

each classroom with an awareness of the lifestyle transitions that the students there have

been through. All English-Learning students may experience a lack of confidence as they

transition to a new environment where everyone else speaks a different language, and they

may need someone to understand what they are going through. They will need someone

who is patient and who takes the time to listen as they practice new words. During my
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advocacy project, I will need to have empathy for the teachers I interview, who may not

receive the correct testing materials they need from their school districts or administrative

personnel. I will also need to carefully consider how my actions will impact other people,

and use foresight to determine the best decisions to make to empower my future students.

Leadership Styles

According to a research article about the impact that teacher leadership styles can

have on the learning outcomes of 8th-graders in Istanbul, Turkey, multiple discriminant

analysis indicated that teacher leadership style was the main factor affecting academic

performance (Yildirim et. al., 2007, p. 73). There are many leadership styles that a teacher

can use in the classroom, and each one has an impact on the students. In fact, any

educators leadership style can have a great effect on student learning outcomes and

academic growth and development. For example, Suleiman Bello and his colleagues

conducted a research study on principals administrative styles and the correlations

between student academic performance in Nigeria. Bello and his fellow researchers studied

initiative leaders, participatory leaders, and considerate leaders in the Taraba State

Secondary Schools in Nigeria. Surprisingly, they found that among the three leadership

styles, none is the best predictor of students academic performance (Bello et. al., 2016, p.

62). In this research study, however, the researchers noted that there was a need for

improved student performance, so the administrators and principals they had identified

should seek other methods of leadership that would impact their students in a greater way.

Another study was completed to determine how important leadership training

actually is for educators in a school district in Ghana. Some of the teachers in the study had

no formal leadership training at all. The researchers found that unless the headmasters are

well-equipped with knowledge and skills in leadership they would not know if they have
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any influence on their schools and on their academic work (Gyasi et. al., 2016, p. 8). The

article also discussed the impact that leadership training had on teachers, and included

definitions of several kinds of leadership styles. Among these styles of leadership were

autocratic, laissez-faire, and democratic leaders, and the article discussed how each style

affects students when educators apply these styles to run a classroom or school.

It is important to note that servant leadership and the styles of leadership can be

closely correlated. According to three researchers from Troy University, parallels have

been drawn between transformational leadership and servant leadership (Hannay et. al.,

n.d., p. 4). Maureen Hannay and her colleagues discuss the similarities between a

transformational leadership style and those who live as servant leaders, and prove that

leaders can have a huge influence on the people who look up to them.

My Leadership Style

All of these articles are related to my advocacy topic because they discuss leadership

styles in cross-cultural school districts and education settings. An English as a Second

Language classroom can have any number of cultures, religions, socioeconomic statuses,

abilities, or languages represented within the group. An ESL instructor must be prepared to

lead and support students from many different lifestyles.

My leadership style for this project will be considerate, in that I hope to learn a lot

through interviews and through observation time. In my future English as a Second

Language classroom, I will use a servant leadership or transformative leadership style in

order to have the most positive impact on the students I will work with in the future. I hope

to use the ten characteristics of a servant leader to empower my future students to grow as

learners and as citizens of our country, so that they can reach their full potentials.
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Conclusion

A significant percentage of the population of American school children is an English

Language Learner. All of these students need the opportunity to learn and grow with

adequate support from their teachers. An educators leadership style can have a strong

impact on students, especially in terms of advocacy. A leader who is genuinely concerned

about their students will want to advocate for better testing materials or for an improved

curriculum. Studies have shown that strong leadership, or a lack thereof, can impact

students academic performance and can affect their learning outcomes. Servant leaders or

transformative leaders are effective in English as a Second Language classrooms because

they use empathy, awareness, and understanding to influence their students lives.
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References

Bello, S., Baba Ibi, M., & Bukar, I.B. (2016). Principals administrative styles and students

academic performance in Taraba State Secondary Schools, Nigeria. Journal of

Education and Practice, 7(18). Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1105873.pdf

Conti, G.J. (1985). The relationship between teaching style and adult student learning. Adult

Education Quarterly. Retrieved from

http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0001848185035004004

English Language Learners in Public Schools (2017). National Center for Education Statistics.

Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cgf.asp

Gyasi, R.S., Xi, W. B., Owusu-Ampomah, Y. (2016). The effect of leadership styles on learners

performance, the case of Asonomaso Nkwanta in the Kwabre District Assembly of

Ashanti Region in Ghana. Journal of Education and Practice, 7(29). Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1118870.pdf

Hannay, M., Kitahara, R., & Fretwell, C. (n.d.). Student-focused strategies for the modern

classroom. Journal of Instructional Pedagogies. Retrieved from

http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1056390.pdf

Tahtinen-Pacheco, S. (2017). Servant leadership: Making a difference in university TESL

programs. Journal of International Christian Community for Teacher Education.

Retrieved from https://icctejournal.org/issues/v8i2/v8i2-tahtinen-pacheco/

Yildirim, O., Acar, A.C., Bull, S., & Sevinc, L. (2007). Relationships between teachers

perceived leadership style, students learning style, and academic achievement: a

study on high school students. An International Journal of Experimental Educational

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Psychology, 28(1), 73-81. Retrieved from

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/01443410701417945?scroll=top&

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