Understanding and Improving how K-12 Multilinguals are Taught: Supporting Multilinguals

Improved instructional strategies are needed to assess multilingual learners in K-12 schools, and assessments must be equitable and consider the immigrant experience. Strategies for welcoming and supporting multilingual learners include offering multiple test-taking options, translating assessments into students' languages, and allowing them to take assessments in groups or pairs.

Format: Hardback
Length: 130 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2022
Publisher: Lexington Books

Understanding and improving how K-12 multilinguals are taught is crucial for supporting these students in their academic journey. Inadequate assessments for multilingual learners have been a longstanding issue within public school systems, leading to inequities and disparities in academic outcomes. This essay aims to explore instructional strategies that can be implemented to better assess multilingual learners and promote equity in education.

Assessments for multilingual learners must be improved to address the inequities within public school systems. The current assessments often fail to adequately capture the linguistic and cultural diversity of these students, leading to misunderstandings and limited opportunities for growth. To address this, educators should offer students multiple test-taking options, ensuring that assessments are translated into their respective languages. This allows students to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in their native language, which can enhance their confidence and motivation.

Furthermore, multilingual learners should be allowed to take assessments in groups or pairs, allowing them to collaborate and support each other. This not only promotes socialization but also enhances their language skills and academic performance. Collaborative learning environments can create a sense of belonging and promote cultural awareness, which are essential for developing well-rounded students.

The instructional strategies outlined for K-12 educators include offering students multiple test-taking options, ensuring that assessments are translated into students' respective languages, and allowing multilingual learners to take assessments in groups or pairs. These improvement strategies have been developed by using feedback from dual-language teachers in the K-12 public school system.

Assessment issues that will be addressed include inequity within assessments administered to multilingual learners, the way assessments are structured and developed at the district and school level, the consideration of the immigrant experience as these assessments are being developed, the roles of school boards in considering immigrant experiences while creating these assessments, the role of the teachers of multilingual learners, assessment strategies to support multilingual learners, and strategies that are effective in creating inclusive classrooms for native and multilingual English speakers.

In conclusion, understanding and improving how K-12 multilinguals are taught is essential for promoting equity and excellence in education. By implementing instructional strategies that support multilingual learners, educators can create inclusive classrooms that foster cultural awareness, language development, and academic success. It is crucial to continue to advocate for policies and practices that prioritize the needs of multilingual students and promote their success in all aspects of their education.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781666904451