Spanish-English Demarcation Formats in Large-Scale Assessments

• In Event: Inclusion and Accessibility in Educational Assessment SIG (96) Paper Session

Abstract

What are the optimal ways of presenting assessment content in two languages? This study investigates several formats of demarcating Spanish-English content in large-scale mathematics assessments. The project intends to conduct cognitive labs with bilingual students in grades 3-8 and 11 to gather their feedback on alternatives for presenting them with mathematics test items in both Spanish and English. These alternative formats include the current stacked format, as well as language indicators, dividing lines, toggle, a combination of frames and indicators, and a combination of frames and dividing lines. The study is currently at the onset of the data collection phase and has the potential to inform bilingual demarcation approaches in assessments as well as in instructional settings.

Authors

• Rachel R. Kachchaf, Smarter Balanced

• Vitaliy Shyyan, Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, UCSC