| Some factors that have placed great demands on educational institutions include the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the increased number of students who have immigrated to the United States. The academic performance of English Language Learners on the state-mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) has not improved as much as the scores for the other sub-populations: White, African-American, Hispanic, Economically Disadvantaged, and At-Risk, over the years. English Language Learners are at greater risk of performing poorly in school and on high-stakes tests than other students. This causal-comparative study conducted in a high school in southeast Texas was designed to determine if participation in intervention courses had an impact on the academic performance of English Language Learners (ELLS) in 10th and 11th grade as measured by the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS). The research centered on the participation of students in a mathematics, English language arts, science, or social studies intervention course, and the focus was on whether ELL students who participated in an intervention course would exhibit greater gains in proficiency in the same subject. A fall assessment and a spring assessment were administered to the students. Analysis of covariance was performed on the scale scores from the two assessments to determine the impact intervention courses had on the academic achievement of ELLs. For those students who partook of the intervention opportunities, the results of this study indicate that there was a significant growth in scores in some subjects on the standardized assessments. Hopefully, this study can contribute to the continued research on best practice for increasing the academic achievement of English Language Learners. |
