MEASURING PROGRAM EFFECTIVENESS : ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN A TWO-WAY IMMERSION PROGRAM

Abstract

School districts across the country are implementing bilingual education models such as two-way immersion, also known as dual language programs. The goals of two-way immersion programs are to assist students to obtain high academic achievement, to help students develop high levels of native language proficiency and target language proficiency, and to facilitate the development of cross-cultural competence. Most research on effective schools cites the fundamental role of assessment and accountability in evaluating student outcomes to measure program effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the assessment and accountability features of a school district's two-way immersion program aligned with research-based guidelines, and to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program in the area of assessment and accountability. The researcher carried out a formative program evaluation using a case study methodology. The researcher conducted a qualitative study using interviews with stakeholders from the two-way immersion program. The researcher also engaged in a review of historical documents, assessment data, websites, instructional resources in the classroom, and school and classroom artifacts related to assessment and accountability. The researcher utilized the Strand 1 Assessment and Accountability rubric from the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard, Sugarman, Christian, Lindholm-Leary, & Rogers, 2007) to guide the data collection. By triangulating data from both the stakeholder interviews and the review of historical documents and other artifacts, the researcher provided a detailed description of the two-way immersion program and ascertained to what extent the program aligned with research-based assessment and accountability practices. The results of the rubric allowed for an evaluation of program strengths and weaknesses. Strengths of the program were evident in the area of gathering student demographic data and academic achievement data, as well as the analysis of student achievement data. Weaknesses of the program included a lack of assessment of the program goals of bilingualism/biliteracy and cross-cultural competence, as well as a lack of community support for the program.