Entry 3: Interview with an ELL Teacher

According to Wright (2015), the program Mr. Hernandez describes seems to be an In-Class English Second Language Instruction model. Wright (2015) claims that students in middle grades typically have one or two course periods of ESL which must be taught by a certified ESL instructor. This aligns to the program Mr. Hernandez described at his school. Since Mr. Hernandez mentions that a majority of his students are Hispanic and he is able to translate to in Spanish for them when needed, I can see why it is ideal for him to implement this method of ESL instruction in his classroom. For his Vietnamese student, it may be a little more challenging to follow along, but he still has accommodations in place within the content area classroom to support his learning and understanding of both the content and the English language. I recall stories shared in my peer's interviews with English language learners who learned English in the public school system. Those who spoke less common languages, like Mr. Hernandez's Vietnamese student, were not always able to have a translator or an aid who spoke their native language.

Mr. Hernandez goes on to mention that high stakes testing can inaccurately measure students knowledge and skills of mathematical content since there are language and vocabulary gaps among ELLs and native English language speakers. Wright (2015, p. 125) mentions that tests can be "unreliable measuring instruments because test scores can be affected by a wide variety of factors that have nothing to do with what the test is attempting to measure." Although Mr. Hernandez mentions that content area high stakes testing can be unreliable in measuring students' skills, he claims that high stakes tests like the TELPAS actually motivate students to learn English and move into English only classes.