Teacher Adoption of Language Learning Progressions: First Signs of Impact on Language Development in Students With Diverse English Language Experiences

• In Event: 73.029 - Systematizing Formative Assessment for English Learners: Teacher Change and Student Academic Language Outcomes

Abstract

Objectives
This paper traces first signs of impact on student language development in response to their teachers’ adoption of language learning progressions designed to assist in gauging student language to guide instruction and assessment for learning.

Perspectives
Learning progressions of language development can provide greater specificity of growth in language than language standards, and are analogous to progressions gaining momentum in mathematics and science (e.g., Daro, Mosher, & Corcoran, 2011). Moreover, progressions derived from a corpus of students’ oral language productions can provide an empirical basis for teachers’ understanding of their students’ language development. To date, impact on teachers’ practices with formative assessment used for instructional adjustments to student needs has been documented (Bailey & Heritage, 2014; Heritage, Chang, Jones, & Bailey, 2014). However, a theory of action for language learning progressions must include both teacher and student outcomes, specifically student response to instruction and feedback that moves their language learning forward.


Methods and Data Sources
The current exploratory, qualitative study traces the course of teachers’ understanding of language, progression implementation practices, and reports of up-take and growth in student language. Six teachers (all female) from one elementary school participated in six focus groups over an eight-month period. Their teaching experience ranged from four to 21 years. They taught students with diverse linguistic experiences (English-monolingual, English language learner [ELL] and proficient students) in kindergarten, 1st/2nd grade combination, 3rd/4th grade combination, and 6th grade classrooms. Focus group sessions addressed teachers’ experiences integrating the language learning progressions into their mathematics, science, and language arts teaching in their own manner. Verbatim transcripts of sessions were open-coded to generate organizing themes for teacher understanding and implementation practices, as well as to characterize student up-take and development of language features.

Results
The course of progression adoption. In early meetings, teachers observed what language features of the progression were occurring in their classrooms. While they were challenged by observing language and simultaneously teaching content, they all reported increases in understanding language features and development. By mid-year, teachers were planning how best to gather evidence and plan instruction for language features. They reported a multitude of implementation strategies that showed an awareness of connecting language to content learning (e.g., avoiding teaching language features in isolation, addressing linguistic needs within content areas), differentiating ELL students’ needs, and fostering metalinguistic awareness.
Student up-take and language development. In later meetings, every teacher was focused on student production of the language features they taught and monitored, and reported growth in student oral language and writing. Regardless of grade, students could transfer use of oral language features (e.g., temporal/causal connectors) to their writing and vice versa. They also spontaneously transferred features to additional content areas, genres, and languages, and acquired an understanding of how language works (metalinguistic awareness).

Scholarly Significance
Building language learning progressions based on empirical language samples can effectively guide professional development in teacher instruction and formative assessment, with preliminary results suggesting positive outcomes for students with diversity in linguistic experiences, including ELL students.

Authors

• Alison L. Bailey, University of California - Los Angeles

• Sandy Chang, University of California - Los Angeles

• Margaret Heritage, WestEd