Criterion Reference Tests (CRTs) are tests in which scores are referenced or compared to some set of criteria such as a curriculum, which provides a common standard for assessing students' competence in a specific subject area (Department for Education, 2012d). In Newfoundland and Labrador, students across the province complete CRTs in Grades 3, 6 and 9, and information from these assessments is used to compare student outcomes to curriculum outcomes. This information is then used to improve student outcomes, to evaluate the effectiveness of provincial programs, to inform parents and students of curriculum outcomes-based performance, and to set expectations for what students should know by the end of these years (Department for Education, 2012d). CRTs in Newfoundland and Labrador are used to assess a variety of subject areas, including English language arts (grades 3, 6 and 9), mathematics (grades 3, 6 and 9), science (grade 9) and basic French . (grade 9). At the primary and elementary levels, CRTs in English language arts have been used to assess student performance in reading, writing, listening and speaking (Department of Education, 2012a), although speaking is no longer part of the provincial assessment. The CRT scores from the question writing sections of this assessment were the focus of this study. The writing assessment is called writing on demand and evaluates students' written compositions based on two different prompts (Department of Education, 2012c). An example of one of the third grade prompts was: “Think of something you would like to see improved in your school or community. Write a letter to Premier Williams expressing your concern. Include the problem and explain how you and Premier Williams could work together to... middle of paper......ge.Cummins (1996) uses the threshold hypothesis and the interdependence of language hypothesis to explain the impact of learning a second language on the first language. Cummins's (1979, 1981, 2001) language interdependence hypothesis is particularly relevant to IF as it refers to the interdependence of early and late literacy skills. Cummins hypothesized that skills learned in one language transfer and support language development in a second language. Therefore, strong first language skills help in the development of second language skills, just as strong second language skills have a positive impact on first language skills. He believed that everyone has a “common basic language competence” (1983, p. 116) such that specific parts of the brain are positively affected by learning any language and this positive impact is transferable to another language.
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