Linguistically and Technologically Responsive Classroom Assessments in High School ESL: A Translanguaging Perspective

• In Event: Equity in Reclassification for Adolescent Multilinguals: A Translanguaging Approach

Abstract

Objectives & Theoretical Framework
Translanguaging as a multilingual and multimodal pedagogical approach can promote linguistically just education for multilingual learners (Li Wei & Ho, 2018; Mora et al., 2022). To enable translanguaging in the classroom space, it is essential to develop assessments informed by a heteroglossic perspective (Flores & Schissel, 2014). However, aligning assessments with students’ multilingualism remains a practical challenge for teachers, especially those who teach in contexts where English monolingualism is prevalent (Lopez et al., 2017).

Considering that many adolescent multilinguals engage in digital translanguaging as their everyday language and literacy practices (Kim, 2018; Lu & Gu, 2024), flexibly using their multilingual and technological repertoires and the integration of digital technology into assessment, such as digital multimodal composing may provide a promise to this challenge (Jiang et al., 2024; Pacheco et al., 2022). More research is needed to explore the potential of assessment that integrates multilingualism and digital technology. Using translanguaging as a theoretical framework, this qualitative case study aims to answer the following question: How do adolescent multilingual learners engage in ESL classroom assessments that encourage their use of multilingual and technological repertoires?

Methods and Data Sources
The data for this study stemmed from a larger ethnographic case study conducted in an urban public high school in a small midwestern city in 2022. The participants were an experienced Spanish-fluent White ESL teacher and two focal senior multilingual learners in a sheltered English language arts class. The focal students’ language repertoires included Spanish, Lingala, French, Arabic, and English. Their English proficiencies were at level 3 on a scale of 1-6 WIDA proficiency levels. The teacher believed that her students’ holistic language use and technology use could help their learning. Field notes, photos, and interview transcripts were collected through classroom observations and semi-structured interviews with the participants.

Results and Significance
Thematic analysis of the data shows three themes: (1) Co-writing with machine translation, (2) digital multimodal composition, and (3) “English-monolingual” presentation. The findings illustrate how students flexibly used multilingual and technological repertoires when they engaged in the formative and summative assessments (e.g., reader response, book club, multi-genre project), demonstrating their understanding of the literature and holistic language competence beyond what they could have done with English only. However, the teacher often required students to perform English-monolingual language practices as the assessment process and product under the influence of the English-monolingual curricular expectations and the pressure of high-stakes test preparation, which nonetheless could not deter naturally occurring translanguaging.

With these findings, I argue for translanguaging-informed classroom assessments that integrate students’ multilingual and technological repertoires as a resource, calling for a change in classroom assessments, curricular expectations, and high-stakes test preparation practices. Such linguistically and technologically responsive assessments can speak more about the students’ understanding of content and language competence than English-monolingual-monomodal high-stakes testing does. This study further calls into question what constitutes multilingual learners’ language competence that needs to be developed and assessed in ESL classrooms given the advancement of recent artificial intelligence technology.

Author

• Woongsik Choi, Illinois State University