AleESOLResearchSummaries

From LiteracyTentWiki

"The Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) produces free, easily accessible materials for teachers, local and state-level program administrators, researchers, policy makers, and the general public. These resources include briefs, which are short (approximately 2,500 words) documents that summarize current evidence-based informational on intructional practice related to the acquisition of English language oral and written skills by adult English language learners. The first CAELA brief (below) explains how teaching reading to adult English language learners differs from teaching reading to adult native speakers of English. " (From the CAELA Web site)

How Should Adult ESL Reading Instruction Differ from ABE Reading Instruction? (March 2005)

Using the ESL Program Standards to Evaluate and Improve Adult ESL Programs (May 2005)

http://cal.org/caela/briefs/index.html

Smith, Cristine, Harris, Kathryn and Reder, Stephen. Applying Research Findings to Instruction for Adult English Language Students National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) September 2005 http://www.cal.org/caela/esl_resources/briefs/research.html

Van Duzer, Carol and Berdan, Robert. "Perspectives on Assessment in Adult ESOL Instruction," in Review of Adult Learning and Literacy, Volume 1, Chapter Six. National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy. December 1999.

Spurling, Steven, Seymour, Sharon and Chisman, Forrest. PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES: TRACKING ESL STUDENT PERFORMANCE. The Council for Advancemnent of Adult Literacy. January 7, 2008. http://www.caalusa.org/pathways-outcomes/pathways-outcomesfull.pdf

[From a news release issued on 1.07.08 and posted to several National institute for Literacy discussion lists]

[This] is a longitudinal study of adult ESL services at the City College of San Francisco (CCSF), completing a trilogy by CAAL about adult ESL service in community colleges. Its primary aim is to help those who plan and design community college ESL programs assess and develop effective services. But it will also help those who offer adult ESL services in other institutional settings, and policymakers and funding organizations. The authors note that CCSF's ESL program has features in common with many other community college programs, and point to the model's importance because so many ESL professionals across the country consider it to be "exemplary." It is both "a typical case and a best case of adult education ESL in the United States.

Steven Spurling and Sharon Seymour of the City College of San Francisco, and CAAL's Forrest P. Chisman conducted the study. The report contains a wealth of highly detailed research information and analysis. It is groundbreaking in a number of respects. It may well be the most comprehensive, in-depth research ever conducted on any adult ESL program. It is based on College records tracking all students over a seven-year period who first enrolled in CCSF's credit and non-credit ESL programs in 1998, 1999, and 2000. More than 38,000 non-credit and some 6600 credit ESL students make up the "cohort" that was examined. The primary focus is on persistence, learning gains, and transition to credit studies, and on the success in credit courses of non-credit ESL students. Major attention is given to the various features of CCSF's ESL program that affected student outcomes and pathways -- such as terms and hours of attendance, and program design and policy. CCSF's substantial data on "stop-outs" is also presented and analyzed in depth.

As the authors explain, PATHWAYS & OUTCOMES can be used and navigated in many different ways. It is organized to serve the needs of various kinds of readers. For some, the short Executive Summary will suffice. For others, selected chapters will be sufficient. Others will want to read the entire document and may be motivated to conduct additional analyses on their own.

This study was made possible by CAAL discretionary funds; a considerable amount of pro bono CAAL staff time and resources; and staff time, data, and computer resources provided by City College of San Francisco. Forrest Chisman was responsible for overall project direction. Steven Spurling (Institutional Research Officer, Office of Research, Planning, and Grants, CCSF) conducted the data analysis and had primary responsibility for interpretation of that analysis. Sharon Seymour (former Chair, ESL Department, CCSF) was a key researcher in both of CAAL's prior ESL studies; she contributed to the study's design and interpretation of its findings. Her special insights into the College's ESL program helped shape findings about student performances and program features that influenced performance.

The report is available at no charge from the CAAL website (www.caalusa.org) as item ESL5 of the ESL section of the Publications page. It is optimized for printing and can be downloaded either as a single large document (212 pages) or in four smaller units. Bound copies of the publication can be purchased directly from CAAL (contact bheitner@caalusa.org for ordering instructions and price).

[The other two reports in this series are: "PASSING THE TORCH: Strategies for Innovation in Community College ESL" and "TORCHLIGHTS IN ESL: Five Community College Profiles." They are available from the CAAL website as items ESL2 and ESL4. Funding for the earlier reports came from the Hewlett Foundation, the Ford Foundation, CAAL discretionary funds from The McGraw-Hill Companies, and the Dollar General Corporation.]

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