The Influence of Remote Instruction on Middle School ELL Students' New Jersey State Learning Assessment English ELA and Math Achievement

This correlational study explained the influence of remote instruction on English Language Learner (ELL) students' middle school grades on the New Jersey Student Learning Assessment (NJSLA) achievement in English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics. This study focused on data collected in two separate school years and analyzed middle school grades with the ELL Subgroup. It indicated the correlation between remote instruction and ELL students' ELA and mathematical performance in the NJSLA Grades 6, 7, and 8. This study also included controlled variables, Grades 3, 4, and 5, from 2018-2019 and other student characteristics, the percentage of economically disadvantaged students and the percentage of chronic absenteeism. Correlational and regression analyses were utilized to analyze statistical results. The findings in this study indicated no significant overall influence of remote instruction on the relationship between the achievement level in 2018-2019 and 2021-2022. However, there was at least one considerable pairing; the pairings of Grade 5 ELL students' math and Grade 8 ELL students' math were statistically significant. The regression model results indicated that Grade 5 ELL students' Math proficiency scores could predict Grade 8 ELL students' Math proficiency scores on the NJSLA. This result suggested a significant relationship between Grade 5 ELL students’ NJSLA math scores before remote instruction and Grade 8 ELL students’ NJSLA math scores after remote instruction. Keywords: remote instruction, grades 6-8, ELLs’ NJSLA ELA and math achievement