Case Study Part 3 - CLDE 5030

docx

School

University of Colorado, Denver *

*We aren’t endorsed by this school

Course

5030

Subject

Sociology

Date

Feb 20, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

Uploaded by marisol321

1 Case Study Part III Student ID #195659 Jennifer Marisol Tayler School of Education and Human Development (SEHD), University of Colorado Denver CLDE 5030 580 Oakley Schilling and Patrick Kilcullen 10 November 2021

2 Focal student, who is referred to here as JJM, moved to the so-called “Tri-Town” area of Colorado (Frederick, Firestone, and Dacono) from Mexico nine years ago. JJM described their parents as having multiple, part-time jobs and said they were one of six children in their home. I have no actual facts about the personal background of the student, their household income and their parent’s education; I have tried to make some educated guesses based on the limited amount of information JJM has shared with me. I can only guess that the student’s household income is closer to the lower end of average and their parents are likely to be less- educated since JJM said their parents have worked a couple of different part-time jobs, and there are many children in the home. After seven years labeled as an EL, JJM’s test scores seem to have plateaued. JJM seems to have fallen into the category of students who are Spanish-speaking, male, older, from a lower socioeconomic background, with less-educated parents who are unlikely to reclassify and test out of the EL label (Thompson, 2017, p. 336 and 357) and has thereby become a Long- term English learner (or LTEL). JJM’s current address is in Frederick, but they reported having lived in Mead, Dacono, and Longmont in the past, so I considered all three towns when looking into JJM’s community. This student’s official address is in Frederick, so I thought I would start there. Frederick is right between Firestone to the north and Dacono to the south. Frederick’s population has rapidly increased 61% between the 2010 and 2020 census to 13,960; the ethnic composition of the community is 77.9% white non-Hispanic, 15% Hispanic or Latino, and 8.2% other minority races; 96.3% of citizens have graduated from high school but only 36.6% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median household income in the town of Frederick is $105,827 with 1.8% of households living in poverty ( U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Frederick ).

3 Since the student reported living in Longmont first and then moving first to Dacono and then finally to Frederick, it is worth tracing their journey backwards. Dacono’s population has steadily increased 45.2% between the 2010 and 2020 census to 6,034; the ethnic composition of the community is 63.8% white non-Hispanic, 32.6% Hispanic or Latino, with other minority races making up the remaining 3.6% of the population of Dacono; 87.1% of Dacono citizens graduated from high school but only 21% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median household income in the town of Dacono is $67,292 with 6.5% of households living in poverty ( U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Dacono ). Longmont’s population has remained generally steady, increasing only 12.7% between the 2010 and 2020 census to 97,261; the ethnic composition of the community is 68.1% white non-Hispanic, 25.2% Hispanic or Latino , and 6.7% other minority races; 90.2% of people living in Longmont graduated from high school, a solid 42.9% have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the median household income in the town of Longmont is $74,242 with 9.6% of households living in poverty ( U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Longmont ). If the student’s family’s income reflects the community they are living in, they have improved their socio-economic status since moving to the United States from Mexico nine years ago, since the median household income has increased as they moved from one community to the next from Longmont to Dacono and finally to Frederick, while the percentage of people living in poverty has shrunk in each consecutive community as JJM has moved. Several articles mentioned the importance of considering of socioeconomics for EL students, including Goldenberg (2020), Guilamo (2021), and Menuk & Brisk (2005), since socioeconomics and cultural differences impacts emerging multi-lingual students’ literacy, academic development, and educational experience generally. JJM and their family have consistently lived in

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

4 communities with a substantial LatinX population, but that population is still a minority group compared to the Caucasian population in Longmont, Dacono, and Frederick. This is important to note because “[e]ven if English learners have arrived in the United States with an intact family or were born in this country, they may experience a clash of cultures if their American friends live by one set of rules, but their immigrant parents insist on a different set” (“The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners”, Principal 1). The fact that between roughly one- quarter and one-third of the population in which JJM has resided has is LatinX, means that they must have some Spanish-speaking peers and encounters in the community, as well as community members with similar cultural backgrounds. JJM has five siblings at home with whom they mostly speak to in English, but reports speaking mostly Spanish with their parents and other family members. Since JJM says their parents’ English skills are very limited, and the community in which JJM and their family reside is mostly English speaking, this leads me to believe that JJM has likely translated for their parents as they are in the community. Valdés (2003) as cited by Baker & Wright (2011) “argues that young immigrant’s ability to use their bilingual skills to mediate for their families both linguistically and culturally in this manner is evidence of ‘giftedness’ that is rarely recognized by schools” (p. 104). This is one aspect JJM’s language ability in which they may be “gifted” but neither test scores nor GPA reflects this wonderful skill and talent. JJM also reports speaking almost exclusively in English with their peers. JJM says in social, work, sports, and academic settings they speak a mix of Spanish and English, but recently said they are self- conscious about reading and writing in English because they feel their skills are lacking. The majority of JJM’s use of language is verbal; JJM’s practical and everyday use of language is in the style of their peer’s common vernacular which could be described as informal and slang-

5 based; this is reflected in their ACCESS scores which highest for listening and lowest for speaking. In fact, JJM has scored 6.0 or close to it most years of ACCESS testing (see attached chart). I used this opportunity to explore Frederick, Firestone, and Dacono with new eyes, looking for indications of what it would be like to be a teenager whose home / heart language is Spanish. The community of Frederick is largely English speaking, but not exclusively; I had a few encounters with employees at a variety of establishments (a King Soopers, a Carl’s Jr restaurant, and walking through various parking lots). The student said they spends some time at a local skate park, and so I went there and heard some students speaking a few words in Spanish, but most of the teens - who appear close to JJM’s age - mostly spoke English. The Dacono area, which I only really drove through, is mostly industrial and has fewer parks and public spaces suitable for teens “hanging out”. Upon closer consideration, the Dacono community does reflect the working-class and lower socioeconomics of its population with roads that need repair and a lack of aesthetic elements which are evident in Frederick, where there are more sculptures, trails, and public parks. I would categorize Longmont, which is more than twice the size both in area and in population than Dacono and Frederick combined, as a combination of the two smaller towns; Longmont has both an industrial and working-class neighborhoods and some more affluent areas with a lot of parks and aesthetic features. I also noticed that Frederick and Dacono lack public transportation, which might be an issue for a family of eight, but Longmont has a lot more public transportation with RTD bus routes. Since I know JJM does not have a driver’s license, and all the children in their household ride the school bus to and from school, I assume that neither JJM nor their older siblings have a car, which means that they either walk or skateboard around town a lot, or get rides from peers and

6 their friends. Consequently, I walked on some of the trails in Frederick, and noticed that the town of Frederick is a long and thin slice of area that a teenager might enjoy with a lot of public parks and public spaces along Colorado Boulevard, the main drag of Frederick which runs north and south and parallel to I-25. This means if and when JJM travels by foot or skateboard, which they report doing frequently with friends, they are likely to get a great deal of exercise but also be exposed to the elements, and even limited travel from home to a local hang-out like the skate park is more likely to be time-consuming. Teachers rarely put themselves in their student’s shoes, but walking around Frederick - from the skatepark to a local shopping center to get pizza from a restaurant favored by my students - helped give me insight into my student’s life. All of my students have different lives with widely varying backgrounds, but for my multi- and bilingual students, it may be especially important to consider students’ lives away from school. Socioeconomic resources, family dynamics, sports, hobbies, and special interests are powerful and driving forces that are much more influential on the life and ability of a student than the instruction in my ninety- minute class, but class time would be much more effective if my instruction could be tailored to meet the special interests, abilities, and strengths of each student. I will never have time to try to walk in the shoes of all the 200+ high school students I have had this year, but getting to know a little about JJM and investigating their community and thinking about their life, family, and background, has had a powerful impact on me. With this information about a student’s background, their interests, and a good rapport, I am more prepared to be a better teacher for my students, and I am more likely to be sensitive to and aware of their individual needs and strengths.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

8 Student Pseudonym Listening Speaking Reading Writing Is the data for this student consistent / reliable? Explain JJM 2013 = 5.0 2014 = 6.0 2015 = 6.0 2016 = 5.6 2017 = 6.0 2018 = 5.8 2019 = 6.0 2020 = 6.0 2021 = 6.0 2013 = 6.0 2014 = 2.8 2015 = 3.5 2016 = 3.3 2017 = 1.8 2018 = 3.1 2019 = 2.8 2020 = 4.1 2021 = 3.4 2013 = 5.0 2014 = 5.7 2015 = 5.9 2016 = 5.8 2017 = 3.3 2018 = 2.8 2019 = 3.2 2020 = 6.0 2021 = 2.8 2013 = 2.7 2014 = 3.0 2015 = 4.9 2016 = 4.4 2017 = 3.6 2018 = 3.9 2019 = 4.0 2020 = 3.6 2021 = 4.3 10 th grade - .889 GPA Scores are mostly high, but not making substantial progress, and inconsistent growth. 2018 CMAS (ELA) approaching 2019 CMAS (ELA) partially met 2020 iReady – Level 5 Average 5.822 3.422 4.5 3.822

9 References Baker, C., & Wright, W. E. (2011). The Early Development of Bilingualism. In Foundations of bilingual education and bilingualism (6th ed., pp. 87–107). essay, Multilingual Matters. Goldenberg, C. (2020). Reading wars, Reading science, and English learners. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), 131-144. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.340 Guilamo, A. (2021, Apr 20). The science of reading in dual language. Language Magazine. Retrieved September 7, 2021, from https://www.languagemagazine.com/2021/04/20/the- science-of-reading-in-dual-language/. Menyuk, P., & Brisk, M. (2005). Language Development and Education Children with Varying Language Experiences. Palgrave Macmillan. Thompson, K. (2017). English Learners’ Time to Reclassification: An Analysis. Educational Policy . 31(3), 330-363. http://www. doi.org/10.1177/08959004815598394. The 6 Principals for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners. (2021). Telsol.Org . https://telsol.org/the-6-principles. Accessed 28 Sept 2021. Thompson, K. (2017). English Learners’ Time to Reclassification: An Analysis. Educational Policy . 31(3), 330-363. http://www.doi.org/10.1177/08959004815598394. U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Dacono City, Colorado . U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 Nov 2021, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/daconocitycolorado,US/ PST045219. U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Frederick Town, Colorado . U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 Nov 2021, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/fredericktown colorado,US/PST045219.

Your preview ends here

Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version

Access to all documents
Unlimited textbook solutions
24/7 expert homework help

10 U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: Longmont city, Colorado . U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved 3 Nov 2021, from https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/longmontcitycolorado.

Case Study Part 3 - CLDE 5030

Related Documents