Volume 1 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal for K-12 Educational Leadership - Page 38

36 ited in the 2013-2014 academic school year. The findings agreed with the results of Alt et al. (2014) who found a pos - itive relationship between language proficiencies and math performance of English Language Learners. Implications These findings suggest there is an academic link be - tween the TELPAS assessment score and the mathematics STAAR assessment score, and the results of the current study supported a relationship between language and mathemat - ics (Abedi and Lord, 2001). The TELPAS assessment score is comprised of four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and the TELPAS assessment is aligned with the ELPS. The mathematics STAAR assessment is aligned with the TEKS. Since there is a relationship between the TELPAS assessment score and mathematics STAAR assess- ment score, educators can utilize the ELPS with the TEKS through lesson plans, instruction, formative assessment, and summative assessment to improve mathematics perfor- mance among ELLs. The District implemented a new K-12 mathematics cur - riculum in the 2013-2014 school year, and mathematics ed- ucators, administrators, technology specialists, and district coordinators of the District developed the new curriculum. The current curriculum has suggestions and interventions for ELLs, but there is not a separate mathematics curriculum for ELLs. Since there was a significant relationship found between the TELPAS assessment and mathematics STAAR assessment, the District could develop a separate K-12 math- ematics curriculum. The curriculum could align the ELPS with the four English language proficiency domains of the TELPAS—listening, speaking, reading, and writing, along with the TEKS. Abedi and Lord (2001) found ELLs bene - fited on the mathematics assessment more than the profi - cient speakers of English when there were language mod - ifications on mathematics assessments. The proposed K-12 mathematics curriculum could embed language modifica - tions not normally used in mathematics classes to enhance an ELL student’s mathematics performance. Since there was no significant relationship between the 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 percent score, the findings indicat - ed the validation or reliability of the calculation to convert the raw score to the percent score needs to be investigat - ed. The Texas commissioner of education determined the TELPAS reading proficiency cut score (Texas Education Agency, 2014d) and the STAAR assessment cut score (Weis, 2014). The cut score of any assessment is the passing mark of the test (Weis, 2014). The cut score was based on a subjective measure of what the students are supposed to know (Weis, 2014) where the raw score is the number of correct questions on the assessment (Texas Education Agency, 2015b). In 2010, Brooks and Thurston indicated that the best strategy to work with ELL students was in small groups and pairs. Their study found that academic language produc- tion had a positive probability of occurring during small group and one-to-one instruction (Brooks and Thurston, 2010). From the beginning of the school year, teachers can intentionally pair and group ELLs based on their predict- ed mathematics scores. Students achieved at a higher level with purposeful grouping based on students’ ability and readiness (Tomlinson, Brighton, Hertberg, Callahan, Moon, Brimijoin, Conover, and Reynolds, 2004). In small groups, the teacher can focus the mathematics instruction based on each groups’ math skills, readiness, and predicted mathe- matics score. Any fifth or eighth grade student who does not meet satisfactory performance on the mathematics, reading, or both assessments after each of the three administrations is required to receive accelerated instruction (Texas Education Agency, 2014c). Instructional interventions can be used between school years to plan and develop accelerated in - struction plans for those students who were predicted to not meet satisfactory performance on the mathematics STAAR assessment. The ELL students could receive mathematics instruction based on previous years STAAR expectations The current study found a relationship between the TELPAS and the mathematics STAAR assessment as well as that the TELPAS was a predictor of the mathematics STAAR assessment among ELLs. The District consisted of an ELL population of almost 40% in 2013, and a non-ELL popula- tion over 60% in 2013. There have been many implications suggested of ELL students, but the findings from the study have implications on non-ELLs as well. Texas school dis - tricts could develop an English language proficiency as - Nathan S. Frymark, Ed.D.