Emergent Bilingual Readers Through the Lens of Possibility: A Translanguaging Perspective on Formative Reading Assessment

• In Event: Dynamic Bilingual Literacy Instruction as Social Justice Practice: Educational Equity for Emergent Bilinguals

Abstract

Teachers routinely assess student reading through tools such as informal reading inventories (IRIs) and running records, which are critical to shaping reading instruction for all students. Yet, many educators continue to adhere to and defend standardized, monolingual practices for these assessments despite the research which points to the importance that home language plays in accurately appraising emergent bilinguals’ skills and abilities (González, 2012; Sánchez et al., 2013).
This study specifically examines how elementary teachers responsively adapt formative reading assessments through the inclusion of home language to ascertain more nuanced data about student reading than if assessments were conducted solely in English. The purpose of this research is to provide insight into the type of responsive adaptations teachers make and to examine how these adaptations impact teachers’ knowledge of their emergent bilinguals’ reading development.
Two bodies of research are the foundation for this study: research on translanguaging and accommodations. A translanguaging lens asserts that people learn language and acquire literacy through social interaction and through their use of multiple features of their language and social repertoires across a variety of contexts (García & Li Wei, 2014). Translanguaging as a lens has sharpened educators’ focus on the pedagogical necessity of valuing and opening up space for students to use their dynamic and fluid languaging practices in schools. Research on accommodations has made it clear that while there is a need for assessments to accommodate the needs of emergent bilinguals, accommodations (extended time, bilingual dictionaries) are often too general to lessen the linguistic demands of a given assessment (Abedi et al., 2004). Thus, responsive adaptations which feature translanguaging offer a unique opportunity for teachers to understand students’ reading skills and abilities.
Through a case study approach focused on teachers’ responsive adaptations of formative assessments, I observed three public school teachers for one academic year. The teachers in this study were requested to implement periodic reading assessment with their students by their administration. During observations, I took notes on the classroom environment, the teachers’ adaptations, and students’ responses. I took pictures of teachers’ documentation sheets of each student’s assessment. Lastly, I interviewed each teacher once and transcribed these interviews. Data was analyzed through multiple re-readings, in which the data was coded. Themes were generated through these codes and lead to findings.
Teachers implemented a number of responsive adaptations throughout formative reading assessments which were attuned to the complexity of each reader. Through these responsive adaptations teachers gained a deeper understanding of the types of miscues students made and the breadth of their comprehension. They were also able to provide critical feedback to students to impact both their reading and language development. This study adds to a growing body of research on translanguaging by expanding upon how students’ home language in formative reading assessments can be reimagined through a translanguaging lens. The appropriate and accurate assessment of emergent bilinguals is a question of equity as it provides opportunities for students to demonstrate what they know and offers teachers the knowledge to build on students’ strengths.

Author

• Laura Ascenzi Moreno, Brooklyn College - CUNY