Accountability

If you answered "YES" to this question, how do you know these programs work? This is a common question asked by parents, principals, teachers, superintendents, school board members, legislators, community members and journalists. Few educators and parents are willing to support a program based on a hunch that it might work. They want proof—data—that the program is successful.

Thus, one major reason for evaluation is accountability. This issue tends to permeate discussions at the local, state and national levels in the current era of rigorous standards and escalating pressure to demonstrate the academic competencies of students. Added to the dialogue on school accountability is a political climate that is not receptive to bilingual education in some parts of the country. In this politically charged climate, we must be able to demonstrate that dual language programs work—and that they work for all student participants: English language learners (ELLs), native English speakers, students of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, and special needs students.

In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) requires the establishment of measurable objectives for all students, includingELLs, and enforces accountability requirements. The rationale for including ELLs in high-stakes tests is to hold them to the same high standards as their peers and to ensure that their needs are not overlooked. The NCLB accountability system requires that schools assess all students (with certain exceptions) at most grade levels, but it does not charge schools with collecting data that is relevant to dual language programs, such as the progress of English language learners and native English speakers in:

oral proficiency in the non-English language,
language arts (reading and writing) in the non-English language,
academic achievement in challenging subject matter demonstrated through a non-English language,
cultural, social, or affective arenas.

5. Evaluator's Toolkit

Section 1: Why Evaluate?

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