DESE English Language Learner Programs 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which program model provides instruction entirely in English with no native language support and relies on context clues and immersion for language acquisition?
- Late-exit transitional bilingual
- Submersion (sink or swim) (Correct answer)
- Early-exit transitional bilingual
- Dual language immersion
Correct answer: Submersion (sink or swim)
Submersion, often called 'sink or swim,' places ELLs in mainstream English-only classrooms without language support, a practice considered legally insufficient under Lau v. Nichols.
Question 2: An ELL student who scored 'Expanding' on the ACCESS for ELLs assessment would be best described as able to:
- Communicate only with gestures and single words
- Understand and use grade-appropriate academic language with some support (Correct answer)
- Communicate in social settings but not in academic contexts
- Function fully independently in all academic language tasks
Correct answer: Understand and use grade-appropriate academic language with some support
At the Expanding level (Level 4), students can use academic language across content areas with some support, bridging social and academic English.
Question 3: Which document must a Massachusetts district provide to parents of newly identified ELL students within 30 days of identification?
- A completed IEP
- A written notice of ELL identification, program placement, and parent rights (Correct answer)
- A bilingual report card
- A request for the student's prior school records
Correct answer: A written notice of ELL identification, program placement, and parent rights
Massachusetts regulations require districts to send parents a written notification explaining the ELL identification, the instructional program, and the family's rights within 30 days.
Question 4: Formative assessment for ELL students should primarily focus on:
- Penalizing grammatical errors in English to encourage accuracy
- Monitoring content understanding while accounting for developing English proficiency (Correct answer)
- Withholding grades until students reach intermediate proficiency
- Assessing only listening and speaking in early grades
Correct answer: Monitoring content understanding while accounting for developing English proficiency
Formative assessment for ELLs should reveal content understanding while recognizing that language errors are a normal part of acquisition and should not obscure content knowledge.
Question 5: In the context of ELL instruction, 'translanguaging' refers to:
- Translating every English sentence into the student's home language
- Strategically drawing on all of a student's linguistic resources to deepen understanding (Correct answer)
- Teaching exclusively in the target language to accelerate acquisition
- Using machine translation tools for written assignments
Correct answer: Strategically drawing on all of a student's linguistic resources to deepen understanding
Translanguaging is a pedagogy that views a multilingual student's full linguistic repertoire as a resource, strategically deploying languages to support comprehension and learning.
Question 6: Which criterion is typically NOT used to determine eligibility for reclassification from ELL status?
- English language proficiency assessment score
- Academic performance on standardized content assessments
- Teacher and parent input
- Country of birth or national origin (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Country of birth or national origin
Reclassification decisions are based on ELP assessment scores, academic performance, and educator/parent input—not on a student's national origin or country of birth.
Question 7: Under the Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA) of 1974, school districts are prohibited from:
- Offering bilingual education without parental consent
- Failing to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by students (Correct answer)
- Placing ELL students in gifted programs without additional testing
- Using standardized assessments for reclassification purposes
Correct answer: Failing to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by students
The EEOA requires districts to take affirmative steps to remove language barriers that prevent ELL students from meaningfully participating in educational programs.
DESE English Language Learner Programs 5
Which program model provides instruction entirely in English with no native language support and relies on context clues and immersion for language acquisition?