Multidimensional Assessment Performance Analysis: A Framework to Advance Multilingual Learners’ Scientific Equity in K-12 Contexts

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 3:20 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Equitable Assessment Practices With Multilingual Learners (Table 10)

Abstract

Evaluating science learning through written assessments for Multilingual Learners (MLs) can provide crucial information for educators seeking to implement culturally and linguistically sustaining practices. However, without careful design, these assessments may produce unreliable data. This conceptual article addresses this issue by examining the complexity of scientific language and its effect on student learning. It further explores existing literature and presents the Multidimensional Assessment Performance Analysis (MAPA) framework, a multimodal model for analyzing written responses in multilingual contexts. MAPA combines Systemic Functional Linguistics to assess language use with Topic Models that categorize students according to their cognitive reasoning and thought patterns. Concluding with recommendations for classroom teachers and researchers, this article seeks to enhance assessment practices in science education for MLs.

Authors

• Lourdes Cardozo-Gaibisso, Mississippi State University

• Georgia Wood Hodges, University of Georgia

• Constanza Mardones-Segovia, University of Georgia

• Allan S. Cohen, University of Georgia