Closing the Achievement Gap in a Foreign Language Classroom

by

Stephanie B. Weltz

A Proposal for Change Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements of

ED5504 Strategies for Eliminating the Achievement Gap

January, 2009

2208 Southside Blvd. Apt. 8

Port Royal, SC 29935
843-441-2231

Stephanie.weltz @beaufort.k12.sc.us

Instructor: Marge Tye Zuba

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Introduction to the Proposal for Change

The current reality in my Spanish classroom is to do just enough to get by without

failing. Many students struggle to complete the minimum requirements, and even when
the standards are lowered, some students do not put forth the extra effort to really
excel. The achievement gap in my classroom stems from several factors, but the most
apparent factor is a weakness in English grammar. I propose that focusing on English
grammar will strengthen their ability to produce Spanish at a higher level. By spending
more time emphasizing grammar concepts in English, (10 to 15 minutes per grammar
concept) and teaching students how to use graphic organizers while reading, writing
and producing Spanish, students will be more willing to move beyond their comfort zone
and excel in Spanish.

Background

At Battery Creek High School, there is a definite achievement gap between

African American students, English Language Learners and Caucasian students. In my
Spanish classes, it seems there is a direct correlation between reading scores on the
MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) standardized test and HSAP (South Carolina
High School Assessment Program) standardized test to student success in Spanish.
Battery Creek is located in Beaufort, South Carolina, a part of the Beaufort-Hilton Head
micropolitan area. According to our High School Report Card, with 63% of our students
being of African American descent, and 61% of our students qualifying for a free or
reduced lunch, it can be said that our students are beginning with a disadvantage. Our
goal is to create a school where all children meet high standards and feel that their
education is on track for their personal learning goals.

Assessment of Circumstances/Problem Statement

Within my Spanish classes, there are many students scoring a basic or below
basic reading score on both the HSAP (exit exam) and the MAP test, which is given to
9th graders. The minimum passing score on the HSAP is proficient. Of my 181 students
this semester, there are 94 that have scored basic or below basic. Our community

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includes three military instillations: Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, Marine
Corps Air Station Beaufort and Beaufort Naval Hospital, and 15 of my children have not
been tested due to their parents being reassigned to these bases. Of these 94
students, 14 are involved in some sort of Special Education, either having an IEP or a
504 plan. These children receive regular assistance, be it through a resource class, or
through the 21st Century After-School Program. This program is available through an
application process, and seats often fill quickly. That leaves 80 students who are
subject to pull-outs during the spring semester that will be missing valuable class time in
order to do remedial work in their English classes.
Although it is necessary for students to pass the HASP in order to graduate from
high school, missing regular class time has a negative effect on those students. During
the fall semester, pull outs occurred for Seniors who had not passed the HSAP in order
to remediate them. Those five seniors missed approximately 5 class periods (the
equivalent of 2 weeks) of Spanish, and saw a reduction of at least 2 letter grades as a
result. Although Spanish is not required for graduation from high school in South
Carolina, it is required for any four year university.
It was explained to me that these students were not college bound. I began to
wonder why they were placed in Spanish in the first place. Then I personally asked
these students what their plans were for after high school. Some did intend on taking
some college courses, either being from a technical school or from the local community
college.
As a result, I feel that change is needed to improve reading scores and therefore
improve the scores in Spanish. Students struggle with grammar concepts, which stems
from weakness in their native language grammar knowledge and use. There is also an
increase in the Hispanic population, which calls for more bilingual people in the work
force. This could mean more income for families that are currently below the poverty
level. The appeal for Spanish often wanes as a result of students feeling overwhelmed,
which in turn decreases their opportunities to obtain jobs requiring a person to be
bilingual.
In order to frame the problem, I will need to research individual HSAP and MAP
test scores for my students over their high school career.
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Self-Assessment

For each grammar concept that is taught in class, I will provide students with
instruction about how the grammar item works in English. Then the students will be
asked to produce examples in the grammar section of their notebook. The examples
may vary from writing sentences, completing a worksheet, or identifying problems from
an overhead transparency. From this point, I will begin to teach the corresponding
grammar concept in Spanish. Students will be quizzed at the end of each period in both
Spanish and English to isolate problems. The next class I will address any issues.

Also, once a week I would like to focus on a reading strategy in Spanish that could
help the students with reading in English. The South Carolina standards for Spanish
require the introduction of authentic literary works, be it from a magazine, book or
website. It is important to make the learning experience authentic to the students. I will
use graphic organizers and worksheets to introduce these authentic literary works. I
have worked with some of this in the past, however, not to this extent. I will differentiate
instruction at this point and group students by reading level to have them focus on
needed areas, while taking into account lexile scores and ability in Spanish.

Purpose and Rationale

The purpose for this change is two-fold. Because students are weak in grammar
and composition, it is necessary to identify the problems with English grammar first
before moving on to a Spanish concept. If a student has problems identifying a subject
pronoun in English, it would be pointless to have them identify them in Spanish. By
strengthening the students’ English grammar, it should be possible to improve test
scores, and therefore I could lower the barrier that some student put up and make them
resistant to learning Spanish. The standards for Foreign language place Spanish
speakers into 3 levels: beginner, intermediate and advanced. Eventually students will
be able to exceed the standard levels (classified as beginner to intermediate) in Spanish
1 and 2, which will in turn, lead to a stronger IB (International Baccalaureate)
programme.

The other proposed change is to introduce a reading strategy every week to

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students using an authentic piece of Spanish literature. The students will be divided
into groups according to their test scores, and learning will be differentiated based on
need. Students in the earlier levels of Spanish tend to be frustrated with not knowing
every word, and often use either an internet translation or a dictionary to look up words
they do not know. By learning how to read for context clues and use circumlocution to
explain things they do not know how to verbalize, student frustration should decrease
and their willingness to try something they are not totally comfortable with should
improve. Often I have been told that a student cannot read Spanish, but when I ask
what individual words mean, usually it is one word that gives them trouble. By learning
about graphic organizers, students will be able to create more fluid written works, as
well as to organize information they gather from a literary work.