Hugo_Cuellar_Final_Action_Research_Proposal_Week5

Running head: BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 1
Bilingual Education in Elementary Schools: Does it Support or Refute English Proficiency?
Hugo Cuellar
Concordia University
A Research Report Presented to
The Graduate Program in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree of Masters in Education
Concordia University - Portland
2015

BILINGUAL EDUCATION IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS 2
Introduction
American schools are home to many non-native English speakers. Implementation of
bilingual programs has been in question over the years; should non-native English speakers be
taught entirely in English before they have an opportunity to learn the language? A bilingual
education program helps English Language Learners (ELL) by using their native language as a
foundation to teach students a new language. Alternately, there are studies that support
Structured English Immersion (SEI), a technique where English Language Learners (ELL) are
taught through an English-only curriculum to ensure that students grasp the English language at a
faster rate. Research in bilingual education and SEI will provide data that supports which is the
best way to help ELL adapt to a new language to ensure their academic success.
Background
The United States fosters millions of immigrants from all over the world. Consequently,
these immigrants often struggle with our nation's language, English. Research shows that
students struggling with the English language are less likely to graduate from high school. In
fact, "As of 2002, less than 20 percent of ELL students met proficiency standards, a factor
potentially exacerbating drop-out rates" (Kyounghee & Hoover, 2009, p. 59). That is an
alarming statistic. States like California and Texas have a large number of Spanish-speaking
ELLs that could benefit from programs to help them learn the English language effectively in the
early elementary years. With proper research, states like Texas and California could implement
the best program whether it is a Structured English Immersion or bilingual program, to help our
nation's young learners succeed.

Review and Analysis of the Literature
Contextual Effects of Bilingual Programs on Beginning Reading centered around a study
that used two types of instruction: one that followed an English-only approach and another one
that used Spanish to support ELLs in an effort to help them learn English (Branum-Martin,
Foorman, Francis, & Mehta, 2010, p. 342). The research focused on students in the Texas-
Mexico border region and California, and the program that used Spanish as a method to support
English Language Learners proved to be more successful. The study, however, had a flaw. The
English-only based instruction discussed in the study was not entirely English-only. Although it
was minimal, Spanish-support was provided for the students in the English immersion program.
The study would have been more credible if an additional language had not been used in the
English-only approach. Contextual Effects of Bilingual Programs on Beginning Reading
supported bilingual education program to prepare ELLs with adequate English skills. In
contrast, The Case for Structured English Immersion argued that SEI was a better approach to
help ELLs develop proper English proficiency. Clark (2009) presented research from a school in
California where SEI was implemented to help the more than 500 ELL that were enrolled in the
school that demonstrated that prior to the implementation of an SEI program, 70 percent of the
school's ELL population showed no improvement in their English language skills but the school
gained about 30 points on test scores, and language growth rates improved in all grades, after the
SEI program was implemented (p. 44-45). The numbers presented by Clark demonstrated the
effectiveness that the SEI could bring to ELLs around our nation.
Bilingual education students are often tested to determine when they would be ready to
join their peers in an English-only classroom. Flood and Lapp (1996), however, demonstrated in
An Examination of Young Learners in a Two-Way Bilingual Immersion Elementary School that

late-exit bilingual education programs, where students received instruction in their native
language while enrolled in grades k-5, were more successful helping students become successful
in English (p. 357). This study provided new insight for bilingual education research; should
bilingual education be continued through all of the students' elementary years or should the
students be removed from the bilingual classroom as soon as they become proficient in English
based on an assessment? Clark (2009) wrote that English immersion was more beneficial in
becoming English proficient because "students get more proficient in English when they actually
try to produce increasingly complex English language sentences" (p. 44). Clark, however, does
not address how difficult it could be for ELLs to accustom to an environment where students
sometimes do not understand more than half of what the teacher is telling them.
Research collected favored bilingual education more often than not. It is easy to believe,
however, that early-exit from bilingual programs and quick transitions into an English-only
classroom is the quickest way to achieve English proficiency because students are overly
exposed to only one language; the language that they are supposed to use to become successful
in academia, English. Proficiency may be achieved faster, but bilingual programs can facilitate
this process by using the student's native language. It is often overlooked just how stressful it
can be for a student, a child, to be exposed to an entirely new language and culture. Culture
shock could discourage students from trying to learn English. A new approach to teach ELLs
could help students overcome discouragement. The process of using the native language to
facilitate transition into a new language is called a cross-linguistic approach. Feinauer, Hall-
Kenyon, & Davison (2013) wrote, "Cross-linguistic transfer is made possibly by common
underlying proficiencies that allow students to use previously acquired L1 (first language)
language and literacy abilities for use in developing L2 (second language) literary skills" (p.

437). Because English and Spanish share similar phonetic properties in their alphabet, the sounds
of the vowels and consonants in the English alphabet were not too difficult for bilingual brains to
grasp. This statement is again supported by studies that demonstrated similarities in languages
like phonological awareness, letter knowledge, and decoding skills, can be transferred from the
first language into the second one (Feinauer, Hall-Kenyon, & Davison, 2013, p. 439). Unlike the
students in the article written by Clark (2009), the students in the cross-language study were
taught English through the process of asking questions, having conversations in small groups,
storytelling and focusing on vocabulary (Feinauer, Hall-Kenyon, & Davison, 2013, p. 441). The
students in the structured immersion program, however, have a more direct approach to teaching
the English language to non-native speakers. Clark (2009) mentioned how students are taught
only in English and also provided a breakdown of the students's day; the students are not only
taught how to prounounce and listen properly but also sentence structure and grammar skills (p.
46). This approach targeted the English language and its foundation at its core. The structured
immersion program taught the rules of grammar to students who have very little to no grasp of
the English language. SEI programs are not designed for beginners but rather a more accelerated
group of students that can benefit from learning the rules of the language. Once students have a
stronger understanding of the language through brief conversations, vocabulary lessons,
pronunciation and reading skills, it will become easier for them to understand the English
language and its grammatical foundation.
Supporters of English immersion programs have hypothesized that early bilingual
programs confuse children and prevent them from acquiring proficiency in either their native
language nor the language they are supposed to learn. Myths About Early Childhood
Bilingualism demonstrated that bilingual education does not hinder language development. It is

not difficult to believe in accusations against bilingualism that sound realistic. A child's mind
can easily be confused because their brain is not fully developed yet, but young children exposed
to bilingualism do not experience confusion. A study conducted in Montreal, a city where people
speak English and French, proved that young children exposed to two languages experience
cognitive benefits. Despite what individuals against bilingualism in children's early stages have
said, findings in the Montreal study concluded that a child that is learning two languages
simultaneously face a bigger challenge to reach proficiency than a child learning only one
language at a time (Genesee, 2015, p. 8). It is scientifically proven that young children can grasp
a second language quicker than individuals with already developed brains; it is imperative to
understand, however, that even if the previous statement is true, acquisition of a second language
is not easy. In reality, it usually takes ELLs "...between 5 to 7 years to achieve proficiency in
English for academic purposes that is comparable to that of monolinguals" (Genesee, 2015, p. 9).
Although that is an estimate, every student learns at a different rate, so it is possible that students
take less or even more time to acquire proficiency in a second language. Because ELLs can take
several years to become proficient in English, it is important to start language-learning as early
as possible; bilingual education programs in the early elementary years have been proved to help
close the achievement gap.
Meier (1999) tackled SEI programs in A Fabric of Half-Truths. As it has been stated
earlier in this review, an English-only approach was said to help ELLs become proficient in
English quicker than bilingual programs. Clark (2009) supported SEI programs by saying that
the English-only program helped ELLs in a school in California by quadrupling the
reclassification rate, (beginner, intermediate, etc.) by twelve points (Clark, 2009, p. 46).
California, along with Texas, has one of the highest number of ELLs, so establishing a program

that helps children learn English is especially important in those states. Clark presented a strong
argument in favor of SEI. Meier (1999), however, stated, "...the gains of the "immersion" and
"early-exit" students in the early grades are not sustained over time" while students that remain
in a bilingual program for a longer period continue their progress (p. 704). A study that
compared SEI and bilingual education programs in El Paso further supported bilingual
education; the students in the bilingual program outperformed the students in the SEI group in
"...all aspects of academic performance" (Meier, 1999, p. 706). Research proved to be generally
in favor of bilingual education, so the question now is, how can educators help ELLs break the
language barrier?
Cavanaugh (1999) discussed an essential part of teaching English to non-native speakers;
she mentioned the importance of reading comprehension as a tool to measure English
proficiency. Reading comprehension is one of the best ways to guarantee a student understands a
language. If a student is able to read a passage and discuss it with his or her peers, the student
proved he or she can analyze the language of the passage and create meaning of it. Cavanaugh's
(1999) Improving Second Language Learners' Reading Comprehension through the Use of
Graphic Organizers used charts and tables to ensure understanding of passages in her history
classes that demonstrated how "...utilization of graphic organizers would immediately improve
the reading comprehension levels of [her] students" (Cavanaugh, 1999, p. 1). Teachers with
ELLs in their classrooms can adopt the strategy of using graphic organizers to help students
organize their thoughts and grasp understanding of the text, and of course, the language. Instead
of leaving note-taking as an option for students, educators could enforce graphic organizers as a
mandatory note-taking strategy. Note-taking strategies will guarantee student success in the
classroom for ELLs and native English speakers.

Another strategy to assist ELLs is through incremental rehearsal (IR), a strategy that uses
material the student is already familiar with to teach him or her new material. A study in Using
Incremental Rehearsal to Teach Letter Sounds to English Language Learners assessed two
participants, a kindergartener, and a first grader, to evaluate their letter-sound expression and
letter-sound fluency using incremental rehearsal. Both students are ELLs. They were tested in
letter-sound expression and letter-sound fluency. Students instructed through IR know
"approximately 90% of the concepts, with the remaining 10% of concepts unknown and
interspersed among known concepts" (Rahn, Wilson, Egan, Brandes, Kunkel, Peterson, &
McComas, 2015, p. 73). Students grasp concepts with more ease because they are introduced to
new material in small amounts. A student with little to no exposure to the English language
before enrolling in school can easily be intimidated by the amount of new material they are
exposed to in their classroom. Through IR, a student is eased into new material, in this case, a
new language. Further research of ELLs and the need for to become proficient in English, lead
this research into a new type of program: Dual-Language Education (DLE).
As it was previously mentioned, Texas has a large number of ELLs enrolled in the public
school systems, and sixteen percent of them are not fluent in English (Blakeslee, 2009, p.112).
That statistic is alarming for all education enthusiasts. Dream of a Common Language focused
on a school in El Paso, Texas where a two-way immersion program, also referred to as a dual-
language program, has proved to be more efficient than bilingual education. This program
would benefit ELLs and native English speakers. Dual-Language Education targeted all
regardless of the language students speak best. The benefits of bilingualism have been stated
before, and it is important to note that bilingualism is not exclusive for non-native English
speakers. Because everyone can benefit from bilingualism, the DLE program can benefit our

entire nation, not just schools with high populations of ELLs. This particular school in El Paso,
Texas taught every student "...English, Spanish, and a third language of [the student's] choice"
(Blakeslee, 2009, p. 113). The effectiveness of DLE is clear when kids in the program outscore
native English speakers on TAKS tests, standardized tests in Texas when they reach the sixth
grade (Blakeslee, 2009, p. 113).
Success And Challenges In Dual Language and 'Dual' Classes See Growth In Popularity
shed even more light on DLE programs and their success in our nation. Lindholm-Leary (2012)
described the results of research on DLE programs and stated that the students enrolled in the
program, whether ELLs or native English speakers (NES), performed at or above their grade
level in reading and math (p. 257). Again, it is important to note that ELLs and NES benefit
from this program. Simultaneously, recruiting teachers for an effective DLE program is difficult
because they must be proficient in both languages. Recruitment of teachers poses a clear
obstacle to the implementation of DLE programs across the nation. Because of recruitment
issues, it is not difficult to see why English Immersion programs are being pushed in
Massachusetts, Arizona, and California. Dual programs, however, are more effective for all
students because there is "an increased demand for bilingual and biliterate workers and by
educators who see positive impacts on academic achievement for both English-learners and
students already fluent in English" (Maxwell, 2012, p. 16). A DLE program in North Carolina
proved to be very effective when the achievement gaps in reading and math between English-
learners enrolled in dual-language classes and their white peers are smaller than gaps between
ELLs who are not in such classes and white students (Maxwell, 2012, p. 17). Bilingualism is
beneficial for all students, and DLE programs directly address the need to teach everyone.

Conclusions
Bilingual education in America is supported and refuted by multiple studies. English
proficiency is sometimes perceived to be achievable by a sink or swim method, or Structured
English Immersion, while others prefer to provide students with arm floaters, or bilingual
education, to facilitate navigation throughout their educational journey. In my experience,
bilingual education proved to be effective when I was first learning the English language.
Research, and my experience with bilingual education, supports that bilingual education helps
ELLs become proficient in English and successful through their as they journey through primary
education. After researching and reading articles on SEI, bilingual education programs, and
ELLs, I can conclude that students learning English do benefit from bilingual education. Perhaps
the debate is not deciding if English-only instruction or bilingual education program is better to
ensure student success in an English-speaking nation; perhaps "what must ensure is a new
vigorous debate that centers on how our students who are acquiring English might best learn the
literacy strategies and skills they need to participate fully, in school and out" (Flood & Lapp,
1996, p. 358). Dual-Language Education also took my research by surprise. Research and
statistics favor DLE not only for ELLs but also for NES. It is no secret that bilingualism is an
important skill in the job market, so why not help all students sharpen this skill? For now, I can
focus on proving or disproving that bilingual education benefits ELLs through my proposed
action research project.
Demographic Data for the Proposed Project
The research site will be a public elementary school in a city with a large population of
English language learners. Efron (2014) states, "Details about the overall school community
offer a fuller description of the study within its particular context," so in my case, the school

should have an active bilingual program and an English-only program to be able to compare data
(p. 60). Census statistics will provide the information regarding population and the languages
spoken in the area, and school guidelines will provide a breakdown of both programs used in the
designated school setting.
The participants in the study would be young elementary students, probably in the k-2
grade levels. I want to target this group because it is more effective to teach younger kids a
second language. Becoming proficient in English at a younger age will also help students adjust
better to more difficult coursework as they move up in grade levels. If a student struggles with
the language, he or she will struggle even more trying to understand new material. I would like
to have at least two classrooms of bilingual education and two classrooms of English-only
instruction. Each of those classrooms will have between 20 and 30 students. With parent's
permission, I will have access to student records and be able to make classroom observations. I
will also check with the "gatekeepers," teachers or administrators, to make sure that I am allowed
to collect and analyze the data (p. 74). A chart would be used to organize data collected from the
observations.
It is no secret that coursework is more challenging for somebody that struggles with the
language of instruction. Our country is home to many non-native English speakers who can
benefit from this study. I will be observing classrooms with bilingual and English-only
curriculums to take note of student participation and eagerness to learn as well as looking at quiz
or test results; fluency, reading comprehension, and vocabulary assessments and grades will be
used to determine the effectiveness of each program. I will also collect feedback from students
and teachers in all of the classrooms and see how they feel their classroom benefits from each
program and why they feel it is the most helpful.

Proposed Action
Three ideas that will help address the research question regarding bilingual education are
the following: using graphic organizers to assess English proficiency in participants, have a
group of students (20-25 ELL in k-2 grade level) with a teacher following an English-only
curriculum and another group with the same number of participants of the same grade level with
a teacher following a bilingual education curriculum, and showcasing results from assessments
and interviews with students to parents to discuss their opinions regarding bilingual education in
the school system.
After reading an Cavanaugh's (1999) article about the use of graphic organizers to assess
reading comprehension, I thought it was a splendid way to test students' English proficiency.
One of the best ways to identify how well a student knows a language is to have them read a
passage and ensure that they actually understand what they read. It is not just about being able to
read, it is about analyzing and actually making sense of the words. Just like it was discussed in
Cavanaugh's (1999) article, I can have them read a passage in class and then give them a
worksheet with a graphic organizer that includes the names of the characters from the text and
the students will write facts about them. I will then provide them with an answer key with what
they should have written down and see which students really understood the text.
Having two classrooms with a curriculum that is addressed in different ways can help me
determine which form of instruction will be more effective to target English proficiency in
English language learners (ELL). At the end of the school year (this long period of time will add
credibility to the results), students will be assessed with reading comprehension tests (multiple
choice, open-ended response, and graphic organizers) to determine how well they understand
passages they have read. I will also have a third-party teacher interview some students (or maybe

all) to determine if they felt they could have done better if their teacher would have used a
different approach. For example, I would ask the bilingual students if they would have learned
more if their teacher spoke only English, and I would ask the English-only students if they felt
they would have done better in the assessments if their teacher would have spoken more of their
own native language.
After assessing the results, I would create tables to better show which form of instruction
helped the students score higher in the reading comprehension tests. I will also quote students
and what they said to the third party interviewer. I will host a meeting for parents to display my
results. This will help the parents provide educated input for the school administrators regarding
bilingual education in the school system. If the English-only program provided the highest
results, then maybe the parents may choose to eliminate bilingual education and have all ELL
enroll in those type of classes. If the results from assessments are not too far from each other,
parents may choose the bilingual education program because they may think that students will
have a smoother transition into the English language. Whatever their input, it will be educated
because of the research I will present them.
Data Collection and Analysis Methods
The participants in my study would be young elementary students, probably in the k-2 grade
levels, which are classified as English Language Learners (ELLs). I want to target this group
because it is more effective to teach younger kids a second language. Becoming proficient in
English at a younger age will also help students adjust better to more difficult coursework as they
move up in grade levels. If a student struggles with the language, he or she will struggle even
more trying to understand new material. I would like to have at least two classrooms of bilingual

education and two classrooms of English-only instruction, both filled with ELLs. Each of those
classrooms will have between 20 and 30 students.
Scores of Teacher-created Reading Assessments
The teacher for each assigned classroom will provide each student in the classroom with
a grade-level-appropriate passage in English and questions in the form of a graphic organizer
regarding plot and character development. Graphic organizer assessments will be done every
other Friday for the first complete school year with passages increasing in difficulty as the year
progresses.
The teacher will read the passage to the students, and then they will read it themselves.
The teacher would have created an answer key graphic organizer with what the students should
have answered themselves if they understood what they read. I will then compare each student's
graphic organizer with the answer key and see which classroom, bilingual or English-only,
scored the highest and the lowest. Reading comprehension is a way to measure language
proficiency. If more students in the bilingual classroom scored higher than the students in the
English-only classroom, then the students in the bilingual classroom proved that bilingual
education helped them understand the passage more accurately.
Curriculum Delivery - Classroom Observations
I would be visiting all four classrooms for the same amount of time when the teacher
gives them passages to read and questions to answer. I would observe the delivery of instruction
and compare delivery between bilingual instruction and English-only. Then, I will observe
student participation. I will do observations every other Friday for the complete school year to
see if student participation changes as they become more familiar with the language.

Triangulation Matrix
Issues to pay attention to
when trying to answer
research question
Data Source #1 Data Source #2 Data Source #3
How do the reading scores
from the previous years
compare to the ones after
this action research project?
Request school records
from the previous year
to compare scores
Student Surveys Teacher Interview to
discuss score comparison
from previous years.
Does the teacher deliver
quality instruction?
Classroom Observation Student Interview regarding their
attitude towards the teacher's
instructional method
Teacher Evaluation
Records to determine if
there exists a correlation
between observation,
student input, and the
score a teacher received
in her delivery of
instruction.
Is there a correlation
between a classroom with a
high number of student
participants and the number
of high scores in the
classroom?
Classroom Observation Student interviews to determine
why some students participate
and others do not. Does it have
to do with language or lack of
language skills?
Student behavior records
to determine if student
behavior changed as he
or she acquired stronger
language skills.

Ideas for Sharing Findings
I can definitely implement some of the strategies I discovered throughout my research
once I am back in the classroom. For example, the use of graphic organizers can be a way to
assess English proficiency like I have mentioned before, but it can also help me assess reading
comprehension. It is also a bonus that graphic organizers are generally easy to grade! As for
sharing my work, I would present it to a couple of close friends that teach k-2 in my community.
I would give them an overview of my research and my reasons for doing so, and then I would
provide them with my project for them to review and provide me with feedback. If they like it,
perhaps we could work together to actually implement my project to help ELLs become better
prepared for their future. If our project gains popularity and momentum, then I would try to
pursue being published, whether it is in a local publication or in professional literature. That
would be ideal.
My research made me incredibly grateful for the education I received throughout my
elementary years; it made me grateful for the bilingual program that I was enrolled in. Without
such a good foundation, I would have struggled so much. Being taught another language through
my own native language, Spanish, kept me from getting discouraged. When I started learning, I
became more confident. When I became more confident, I learned more, and when I learned
more, I wanted to learn more! I would like to provide every student with that opportunity; I want
every student to want to learn and not be discouraged because they are struggling with a
language barrier. I have shared my experiences with some students that struggle with language
acquisition to help them build confidence, and this research will add strength to my argument.
When I was in first grade, I did not even ask to go to the restroom the first couple of days

because I did not know how. Now, I am weeks from receiving a master's degree! Determination
goes a long way!

References
Blakeslee, N. (2009). Dream of a common language. Texas Monthly, 37(9), 108-149.
Branum-Martin, L., Foorman, B. R., Francis, D. J., & Mehta, P. D. (2010). Contextual effects of
bilingual programs on beginning reading. Journal Of Educational Psychology, 102(2),
341-355. doi:10.1037/a0019053
Cavanaugh, J. (1999) Improving second language learners' reading comprehension through
the use of graphic organizers. [PDF]. Retrieved from
http://gse.gmu.edu/assets/docs/lmtip/vol1/J.Cavanaugh.pdf
Clark, K. (2009). The case for structured English immersion. Educational Leadership, 66(7),
42-46.
Feinauer, E., Hall-Kenyon, K. M., & Davison, K. C. (2013). cross-language transfer of early
literacy skills: An examination of young learners in a two-way bilingual immersion
elementary school. Reading Psychology, 34(5), 436-460.
doi:10.1080/02702711.2012.658142
Flood, J., & Lapp, D. (1996). Literacy instruction for students acquiring English: Moving
beyond the immersion debate. Reading Teacher, 50(4), 356.
Genesee, F. (2015). Myths about early childhood bilingualism. Canadian Psychology, 56(1),
6-15. doi:10.1037/a0038599
Kyounghee, S., & Hoover, J. H. (2009). Navigating a strange Culture: nurturing new English
learners. Reclaiming Children & Youth, 18(3), 58-61.
Lindholm-Leary, K. (2012). Success and challenges in dual language education. Theory Into
Practice, 51(4), 256-262. doi:10.1080/00405841.2012.726053
Maxwell, L. A. (2012). 'Dual' classes see growth in popularity. Education Week, 31(26), 1-17.

Meier, N. (1999). A fabric of half-truths. Phi Delta Kappan, 80(9), 704.
Rahn, N. L., Wilson, J., Egan, A., Brandes, D., Kunkel, A., Peterson, M., & McComas, J. (2015).
Using incremental rehearsal to teach letter sounds to English language learners.
Education & Treatment Of Children, 38(1), 71-91.

Appendix A. ResearchPermission Form
Dear Parent/Guardian:
I am a graduate student in Concordia University - Portland and working towards a
master's degree in education. As part of my work, I want to increase my skill and understanding
about bilingual education. Specifically I want to understand more about how to help non-native
English speakers become proficient in English. My goal is to improve my skills as an educator. I
expect that this will help your child/the student in my class to be able to become proficient in
English.
I would like to invite your child to participate in this activity. I will be observing your
child's behavior in a classroom instructed by his/her teacher to determine if a bilingual program
or an English-only program is more beneficial to help them become English-proficient.
This will involve keeping track of your child's scores from the assessments his or her
teacher provides him with. The assessments were created to measure reading comprehension
and overall English proficiency.
I will protect your child's identity and privacy by using aliases and non-specific locations
when I document my results.
Participation in this activity is voluntary. Your child is free to refuse to be interviewed,
surveyed, and observed. Your child may change his/her mind about participation in this activity
at any time. If you have any questions about my plans, please contact me, Hugo Cuellar, by e-
mail, cuellar.hugo74@gmail.com, or by phone (956) 517-9045. You are also welcome to
contact my professor, Dr. Corkhill via e-mail at ccorkhill@cu-portland.edu.
.

If you agree that your child is able to take part in my project, please return a signed copy
of this form to me as soon as possible. You may keep the other copy for future reference. Thank
you in advance for your cooperation, and I hope your child enjoys helping me improve teaching
techniques for the benefit of English language learners.
I give my permission for my child _______________to participate in the action research
project regarding bilingual education.
Date:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Parent/Guardian Signature:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Please print your name on this line:_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Appendix B. Classroom Observation Questionnaire
For bilingual education teachers, what percentage of English did the teacher use to complete her
lesson?
Do I understand the story that is being read? If not, what made it difficult for me, a person that is
proficient in English, to understand?
Did the teacher ask questions regarding the story development and characters?
Does the teacher check for understanding? How?
Does the teacher allow students to ask questions? How does he or she react to the questions?
Do students seem comfortable asking questions?
Did the students react to the story while teacher was reading? For example, did they laugh at a
funny part?
Do students participate? Has participation changed since the previous assessment?

Appendix C. Sample Graphic Organizer Assessment Sample
Graphic Organizer Assessment Description
The butterfly graphic organizer would be modified to be a story butterfly instead of a
book butterfly. The image of the butterfly makes the assessment seem more like an activity than
an actual measurement of reading comprehension. The graphic organizer includes blanks for the

essential parts of a story, plot (with definition of plot), setting, characters, problem and solution.
It also includes a blank for personal response and personal connection to encourage critical
thinking. This will make the assessment more rigorous. After students have completed the
graphic organizer, they can color the butterfly.

Hugo_Cuellar_Final_Action_Research_Proposal_Week5

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