A Trajectory Toward Biliteracy: Longitudinal Results of a Biliteracy Program for Emerging Bilinguals

• In Event: Roundtable Session 37
  In Roundtable Session: Biliteracy Trajectories: Patterns of Language Use and Development

Abstract

This paper examines the longitudinal results of five years of implementation of Literacy Squared, a biliteracy program for Spanish/English speaking emerging bilingual students. This program includes paired literacy instruction with grade-specific time allocations for Spanish literacy and literacy-based ELD. Furthermore, cross-language connections are a vital component. This study uses descriptive statistics and correlations to analyze Spanish and English reading and writing data from over 4,000 emerging bilingual Latino K-5 students in 13 schools. Data show gains in students’ biliterate development. Findings have implications for bilingual instructional programs and support the research that providing students with literacy instruction in two languages allows students to develop their literacy skills simultaneously without hindering their literacy development in either language.

Authors

• Wendy Sparrow, University of Colorado - Boulder

• Ofelia Schepers, University of Colorado - Boulder