How can you, as a literacy educator, use students’ primary language proficiencies as a foundation for second language acquisition and literacy learning in English? What are some of the strategies you can use to scaffold language and literacy learning for ELLs or speakers of nonstandard dialects? In this Assignment, you will explain how teachers can use students’ existing literacy skills in their primary languages or nonstandard dialects along with their emerging English skills as resources for literacy learning. You will use your course text and self-selected studies from the research literature to support your position.

To prepare:

• Review the two scenarios found in this week’s Learning Resources and select one of the scenarios for this Application Assignment. Consider how the scenario provides valuable data that might influence your instruction for linguistically diverse learners.
• Review Figure 1.6, Student Background Survey, of the Mazur and Doran text and consider how you might respond to the questions in the survey based on the scenario you chose. Think about how the answers to this survey might influence learning and provide valuable data.
• Conduct an Internet search or a Walden Library search for at least two peer-reviewed journal articles related to evidence-based instructional practices that support culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Write an analysis paper that includes the following:

Part 1: Student and Language Background: Valuable Data for Linguistically Accessible Instruction

To prepare:

• Review the two scenarios found in this week’s Learning Resources; select one of the scenarios for this Assignment. Consider how the scenario provides valuable data that might influence your instruction for linguistically diverse learners.
• Review Figure 1.6, Student Background Survey, in Mazur and Doran (2010), and consider how you might respond to the questions in the survey based on the scenario you chose. Think about how the answers to this survey might influence learning and provide valuable data.
• Conduct an Internet search or a Walden Library search for at least two peer-reviewed journal articles related to evidence-based instructional practices that support culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Write an analysis paper in which you do the following:

• Explain how in the scenario the student’s oral language resources can be used as a foundation for improved literacy learning.
• Recommend and explain at least three different types of evidence-based instructional strategies you might consider for the linguistically diverse learner in the scenario and why. Use your research to support your recommendations.
• Explain, in general, how teachers can encourage students’ use of home languages in the classroom.
• Explain how second language acquisition and the use of primary language can work in unison to support linguistically diverse learners. Use your research and/or the Learning Resources to support your explanation.

There is no Assignment submission for this week.

(Approximate length: 5 pages)

Note: The estimated Assignment page length is a guideline only. If you meet the requirements specified in the Assignment/Reflective Essay Rubric located in the MSED Documents folder under Course Home, your Assignment may be outside of the suggested range.

By Day 7 of Week 4

Submit Part 1, “Student and Language Background: Valuable Data for Linguistically Accessible Instruction,” of the Cumulative Assignment.

 

Week 4: Assessment for Learning in Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Settings

ELLs face a dual challenge in having to develop both academic language proficiency and content knowledge in the different subject areas. Language is at the heart of literacy and learning, and ELL students come to literacy learning situations with existing skills in their primary languages and emerging skills in English with a broad spectrum of competencies. Likewise, teachers and other school-level support professionals assess ELL students and make instructional decisions in increasingly data-driven schooling structures. All of this is happening within the broadening cultural and linguistic diversity in schools and communities nationwide.

This week, you will examine literacy assessments as they apply to culturally and linguistically diverse learners. You also will administer literacy assessments to a linguistically diverse learner to gather and analyze data that specifically addresses the needs of the individual learner.

Learning Objectives

Candidates will:

• Analyze the challenges for diverse learners related to high-stakes assessments
• Analyze the use of literacy assessments
• Analyze literacy assessment results
• Analyze the use of oral language as a foundation for literacy learning
• Evaluate evidence-based instructional strategies for linguistically diverse learners
• Analyze the use of home languages as teaching and learning resources
• Analyze how second language acquisition and primary language work in unison

 

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Mazur, A., & Doran, P. (2010). Teaching diverse learners: Principles for best practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

• Chapter 8, “Assessment: How Do You Know What Your Students Know?” (pp. 122–144)
• As you review this chapter, focus on the nature and variety of assessments for diverse literacy learners.

Abedi, J., & Levine, H. (2013). Fairness in assessment of English language learners. Leadership, 42(3), 26–28, 38.

 

As you review this article, focus on the authors’ discussion of the differences in the new generation of assessments in the wake of Race to the Top.

Rubin, R., & Carlan, V. G. (2005). Using writing to understand bilingual children’s literacy development. Reading Teacher, 58(8), 728–739.

 

As you review this article, focus on the ways teachers can use writing samples in English and Spanish to inform their instruction.

Indiana Department of Education, Office of English Language Learning and Migrant Education. (n.d.). Authentic assessment. Retrieved October 25, 2016, from http://www.msdwt.k12.in.us/msd/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/authentic_assessment.pdf

 

As you review this article, focus on the contrast between authentic assessments and other traditional forms of assessment and the implications for teaching ELLs.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014b). Assessing literacy development [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.

 

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.

 

Dr. Donald Bear discusses the use of spelling assessment to determine a student’s stage of literacy development, and Dr. Catherine Compton-Lilly shares ways to find out about students’ literacy practices.