Spanish as a Second Language for Elementary Students: A Study of Participation on Literacy Benchmark Scores

Kelli Blackford, Gwen Olmstead, Charles Stegman
(National Office for Research on Measurement and Evaluation Systems, University of Arkansas, USA)

Abstract: Student achievement in literacy and mathematics for students involved in a Spanish language program at a large and diverse school district in Arkansas, were compared to peers’ scores who did not participate in the program. The program was implemented to enroll native English speaking students in a Spanish enrichment program (SEP) with the intent of improving their literacy Benchmark scores. The study used t-tests to examine the differences in participants and non-participants and an analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the differences in scores based on years of participation in the program. Students participating in the SEP consistently had higher scores on the literacy portion of the state benchmark examination. Review of the results of a Spanish language assessment also supports that students improved in Spanish language content knowledge from fall assessment to spring assessment.

Key words: Spanish language, literacy achievement, language acquisition