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Original and linguistically simplified item versions were administered to 310 English learners and 1,580 non-English learners to test whether targeted linguistic features create construct-irrelevant variance in English learners’ science scores. Simplifications aimed to isolate features affecting performance, with visual representations added to answer choices producing the largest positive effect. Findings inform fair and valid multiple-choice design for English learners.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":20,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/targeted-linguistic-simplification-of-science-test-items-for-english-learners/590917/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/targeted-linguistic-simplification-of-science-test-items-for-english-learners/590917.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Stanford","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-04","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":29},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How was the study designed to test linguistic simplification effects?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"The study used 20 multiple-choice Grade 5 science items with original and linguistically simplified versions, then administered them to English learners and non-English learners across four Massachusetts districts.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What hypothesis did the study test about science test performance?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"It tested whether specific linguistic features in test items contribute to construct-irrelevant variance in English learners’ science scores.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"Which type of linguistic simplification had the largest positive impact?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Adding visual representations to answer choices had the largest positive effect on English learners’ performance.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},590917,1792568260,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":19,"category_name":20,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":29,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},2336477552062,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","American Educational Research Journal October 2020, Vol. 57, No. 5, pp. 2175–2209 DOI: 10.3102/0002831220905562  \nArticle reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)  \n􀀂 2020 AERA. [http://aerj](http://aerj).[aera.net](aera.net)  \nTargeted Linguistic Simplification of Science Test Items for English Learners  \nTracy Noble  \nTERC  \nStephen G. Sireci  \nCraig S. Wells  \nUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst  \nRachel R. Kachchaf  \nSmarter Balanced  \nAnn S. Rosebery  \nCh`eche Konnen Center  \nYang Caroline Wang  \nEducation Analytics  \nIn this experimental study, 20 multiple-choice test items from the Massachusetts Grade 5 science test were linguistically simplified, and original and simplified test items were administered to 310 English learners (ELs) and 1,580 non-ELs in four Massachusetts school districts. This study tested the hypothesis that specific linguistic features of test items contributed to construct-irrelevant variance in science test scores of ELs. Simplifications targeted specific linguistic features, to identify those features with the largest impacts on ELs’ test performance. Of all the linguistic simplifications used in this study, adding visual representations to answer choices had the largest positive effect on ELs’performance. These findings have significant implications for the design of multiple-choice test items that are fair and valid for ELs.  \nKEYWORDS: assessment, bilingual, English learners, linguistic simplification, science  \nStandards-driven education reform legislation such as the No Child Left  \nBehind Act ([NCLB], 2002) is intended to address persistent gaps in test scores between White middle- and upper-class students who speak English as a first language and students from historically underserved communities. One such underserved group is students who, under the Every Student Succeeds Act ([ESSA], 2015), are classified as English learners (ELs) . This classification is based on a set of criteria that typically include a home language survey and a test of English proficiency.  \nNoble et al.  \nWe recognize the limitations of classifying students as ELs, which include (1) the lack of acknowledgment of students’ emerging multilingual status (Hopewell & Escamilla, 2014; Ojeda, 2016); (2) the diversity of the backgrounds, languages, language proficiencies, and life experiences that can be masked by grouping students together under the category ELs; and (3) the variations in and limitations of the criteria, including testing practices, used to classify students as ELs (Linquanti & Cook, 2013; Sireci & FaulknerBond, 2015; Proctor & Silverman, 2011) . We nonetheless recognize that the category ELs identifies for schools, school districts, and states, a group of students who have historically not received adequate attention from the research, assessment, and policy communities, and for this reason, we use the category name, while acknowledging its limitations.  \nTRACY NOBLE, PhD, is a project leader at TERC, 2067 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02140; e-mail: [tracy_noble@outlook.com](tracy_noble@outlook.com. Her)[. Her](tracy_noble@outlook.com. Her) research focuses on the experiences of English learners with science and mathematics assessments and curricula. The goal of her work is to produce findings that allow educators, curriculum developers, assessment developers, and policymakers to make choices that increase fairness and learning opportunities for English learners [in the U.S. education](in the U.S. education)[ ](in the U.S. education)[system.](system.)  \nSTEPHEN G. SIRECI, PhD, is distinguished university professor and director of the Center for Educational Assessment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He earned his PhD in psychometrics from Fordham University and his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in psychology from Loyola College in Maryland. His research focuses on fairness, efficiency, and accuracy in educational assessment.  \nCRAIG S. WELL","cbCaigfEAbp6mzuV","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaigfEAbp6mzuV","pdf",700308,35,"English","# Key Study Design\n## Participants and Materials\n## Hypothesis and Linguistic Features\n# Main Findings\n## Effect of Visual Representations\n# Implications for Test Item Design\n## Fairness and Validity for English Learners","[{\"question\":\"How was the study designed to test linguistic simplification effects?\",\"answer\":\"The study used 20 multiple-choice Grade 5 science items with original and linguistically simplified versions, then administered them to English learners and non-English learners across four Massachusetts districts.\"},{\"question\":\"What hypothesis did the study test about science test performance?\",\"answer\":\"It tested whether specific linguistic features in test items contribute to construct-irrelevant variance in English learners’ science scores.\"},{\"question\":\"Which type of linguistic simplification had the largest positive impact?\",\"answer\":\"Adding visual representations to answer choices had the largest positive effect on English learners’ performance.\"}]","Targeted Linguistic Simplification of Science Test Items for English Learners | PDF",1792070722,88]