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Development and Young Dual Language Learners: What are Appropriate Outcomes?

Development and Young Dual Language Learners: What are Appropriate Outcomes?. Linda M. Espinosa, Ph.D Espinosal@missouri.edu . NECTAC October 28, 2012.

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Development and Young Dual Language Learners: What are Appropriate Outcomes?

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  1. Development and Young Dual Language Learners: What are Appropriate Outcomes? Linda M. Espinosa, Ph.D Espinosal@missouri.edu. NECTAC October 28, 2012

  2. “Dual language learners are children learning two or more languages at the same time, as well as those learning a second language while continuing to develop their first (or home) language.” (p.1) Definition includes simultaneous and sequential second language learners Distinctions are usually made in literature Includes English language learners (ELL) and English as a Second Language (ESL) students Definition of DLLs

  3. Dual Language Learners are “At Risk” for Low Levels Academic Achievement

  4. NAEP 2009 Scored at or above proficient in fourth grade reading: 6% of ELLs 36% of non-ELLs Scored at or above proficient in fourth grade mathematics: 12% of ELLs 41% of non-ELLs Scored below basic in 8th grade reading: 74% of ELLs 22% of non-ELLs

  5. Attendance/Participation Rates • Achievement Patterns: K Entry; Third/Fourth Grade Reading and Math Scores • High School Completion and College Matriculation and Graduation • Adult Incomes; Percent in Poverty Underserved or Inappropriately Served Population

  6. RTT: Early Learning Challenge Grants • Intent: Improve early learning and development outcomes and K readiness for Children with High Needs • Requires: Comprehensive Assessment System aligned with State EL & D Standards…..Measuring outcomes and progress key tool to improve quality Recent Quality Improvement Efforts

  7. 49 States Have Published Comprehensive Early Learning Standards (all major domains of learning) 2010 • Up from 15 in 2001-2002 • 40 States Funded Preschool Education in 2009-2010 Source: NIEER Yearbook, 2010 RTT ELC: Standards and assessments must be developmentally, linguistically, and culturally appropriate Standards>Outcomes>Assessment

  8. Standards support positive development and learning Only if they emphasize significant, developmentally appropriate content and outcomes. (NAEYC, 2009) • The question today is what are significant and developmentally appropriate outcomes for young DLLs. • What do we know about the development of preschool DLLs? EL Standards define the desired outcomes and content of ECE

  9. Needs of Young Dual Language Learners Only “Marginally” Addressed in State Early Learning Standards Few explicitly address learning needs when children speak a language other than English in the home, e.g., standards are written with assumption children will attain same English benchmarks in same timeframe(Ex: Understands and uses age-appropriate grammar including present, progressive, and regular past tense @48 months) • * NCLR, 2010;2009; Wright & Copeman, 2007 9/15/2014 9

  10. Acknowledge that some children will be learning through two languages • Achievement in Home Language evidence of age-appropriate language development • No guidance on: • Language benchmarks in English or Home language: How do the two languages interact during PreK years? • Limited guidance on identification and assessment Seven States Recognize Home Language Other Than English

  11. Some describe stages and process of dual language development, CA Example: PS: ELD Domain: L, S, R, W Strands: 3 levels: B, M, L Competencies w/ examples Not tied to age Eight States Address English Language Development (ELD)

  12. Linguistic, cultural, and ethnic diversity woven throughout expectations for what and how children learn during PreK years WA. Examples: Be aware and respectful of cultural differences in valuing independence; Use vocabulary and phrases in children's home language when introducing new ideas or concepts Washington and Alaska Early Learning Guidelines

  13. Alaska Ex: Goal 74, 36-60 months: Uses sentences in home language and begins to use single word or telegraphic speech in English • Provider Strategy: 1)Help child develop reasoning skills through use of home language; 2)Devise strategies that home-school collaboration to reinforce home language and promote learning English Alaska Guidelines include indicators and strategies to support the development of children's home language while acquiring English

  14. Moststates do not explicitly address learning needs of DLLs: Assume English is language of learning and instruction • Some states address culture and language in intro principles or generally in each standard, e.g., honor and respect home culture and language • Fewstates have explicit learning expectations for home language and English State Early Learning Standards and Young DLLs: Summary

  15. Intent: To improve child outcomes and • Serve as a lens for analyzing data in order to understand child progress and • To identify areas that need additional resources and attention. • Programs are to use culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments to capture what children who are DLLs know and can do in all areas of the Framework. OHS Child Development and Early Learning Framework, 2010

  16. Physical Development & Health • Social & Emotional Development • Approaches to Learning • Language Development • Literacy knowledge & Skills • Mathematics knowledge & Skills • Science knowledge & Skills • Creative Arts Expression • Logic & Reasoning • Social Studies knowledge & Skills • English Language Development 11 Domains of Development in OHS

  17. OHS: EL Skills: Uses increasingly complex and varied English vocabulary. CA: L&L: (60 months) Understands and uses increasingly longer sentences, including sentences that combine 2-3 phrases or 2-3 concepts CA: ELD: (Middle) Uses 2-3 word utterances in English to communicate Language Development: Language and Literacy

  18. In what ways are typically developing preschool DLLs the same as...or different from native English speakers? • How does the child's home language (L1) influence development of English (L2)? • Is there a typical developmental trajectory for English language development (ELD) during preschool years? What do we know about language/literacy development of young DLLs?

  19. Knowledge Limitations !!! The research base for preschool dual language development is just emerging: Many unanswered questions. 9/15/2014 19

  20. Some Areas with Consensus • Babies have capacity for learning multiple languages from first year: linguistic geniuses • Balanced early bilingualism is possible with sufficient high quality input in both • Cognitive, social, family, economic advantages to bilingualism • Home language vulnerable to attrition • Proficiency in home language linked to English acquisition: some home language knowledge and skills facilitate English learning 9/15/2014 20

  21. Some emerging knowledge for DLLs: CECER-DLL & CA DLL "Best Practices" • Brain development looks different for bilingual babies: greater neural density in some areas; separate language systems • Human brain is highly sensitive to sounds and features of language during first few years of life.......decreases dramatically after age 7 • Human interaction is critical to learning language during first two years • http://cecerdll.fpg.unc.edu/ • http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/di/or/cdd.asp 9/15/2014 21

  22. Differences, cont. • Vocabulary development looks different: longer lexical retrieval time; • smaller vocabularies in each language; • conceptual vocabularies when combined in 2 languages comparable; • Speech production somewhat slower; • Grammatical development differed; • Vocabulary and grammar correlated within language but not across languages • Cross-language (L1-L2) influences varied by similarities of 2 languages

  23. Differences.... • Preschoolers' code-switching demonstrates linguistic knowledge of 2 languages and serves several purposes • Some cognitive advantages for bilinguals: • executive function: working memory, inhibitory control; suppressing interference; mental flexibility; • Alzheimer's protection... • Some social emotional strengths: pro-social competencies

  24. How might expectations/outcomes need to be adjusted based on emerging evidence about developmental trajectories for young dual language learners?

  25. Example of language interaction for a young DLL Four year old in a LAUSD Transitional Kindergarten classroom

  26. Stage of ELD and rate of development depends on many factors 1. Age of first exposure to English 2. Amount and quality of exposure to and opportunity to use new language across contexts 2. Quality of ELD instruction 3. Family background characteristics

  27. To understand language abilities and progress we must gather information from family 1. Parent family interviews that begin conversation about early language exposure and usage 2. Gain insight about family beliefs/preferences about language....and child 3. Some available now--CECER-DLL is field testing one this spring

  28. Characteristics of Early Bilingualism Stages of Sequential/Successive Bilingualism 1. Home Language use 2. Non-Verbal/Observational Period 3. Telegraphic/Formulaic Speech 4. Productive Language Young Dual Language Learners are Highly Variable-- Significant Implications for Accurate Assessment of Important Outcomes video 9/15/2014 29

  29. Consequences of Home Language Loss Erasing a child's language or cultural patterns of language use is a great loss for the child. Children's identities and sense of self are inextricably linked to the language they speak and the culture to which they have been socialized. They are, even at an early age, speakers of their languages and members of their cultures. Language and culture are essential to children's identities. Genesee et al., 2004, p.33 30 9/15/2014

  30. Language Loss, cont. • Home Language loss linked to poor long-term academic outcomes (Slavin & Cheung, 2005; Oller & Eilers, 2002; Thomas & Collier, 2002) • Preschool children quickly can shift language preference to English (Wong-Filmore, 2000) • Linguistic and cognitive benefits to becoming fully bilingual (Bialystok, 2001, 2011; Winsler, et al., 1999) 31

  31. Challenge of Accurate Screening and Assessment “In the early stages of bilingualism, children’s language skills are in flux, so there’s a huge range of proficiency in their second-language performance, which makes it difficult to distinguish between typical second-language differences and genuine language impairment,…..the result is that children from a linguistically diverse background are often over- or under-identified with a language disorder.” E. Pena, 2011 32 9/15/2014

  32. Some areas with less clear-cut research • How much exposure to each language during preschool years? • What does “ready for kindergarten” look like for dual language learners? Is it better to have maximum exposure to English or are strong home language skills more important for long-term academic success? (K Entry Assessment) • How do English language benchmarks translate for dual language learners? (Normative info on development for DLLs is lacking; much more complex than monolingual development) 9/15/2014 33

  33. More Research Needed • How to support both home language development and English acquisition with current Early Childhood Workforce; Majority are monolingual and not well prepared for diversity • How to assess progress and development in both languages? 9/15/2014 34

  34. Where to Start? • Review current standards and outcomes for alignment with state goals for first and second language development (diverse team with second language learning expertise), • caveat when aligning with Common Core • Revise/Supplement with most current research on early bilingualism and culturally competent development (need expert advisors) • Extendcomprehensive assessment system and outcomes to appropriately include DLLs 9/15/2014 35

  35. 9/15/2014 36

  36. How California Addressed Research on Early Standards, Outcomes, and Assessments for DLLs: 1. Designed ELD Standards for 3-5 year olds, not benchmarked by age: (small group of experts on 2nd language development)2. Required assessment of all other domains in home language of DLLs

  37. CA ELD Goal: Child is progressing toward fluency in understanding English • Stage 2: Demonstrates understanding of a few English words and phrases for objects (nouns) and actions (verbs); begins to attend to group activities in English, may need physical cues • Often attends to others speaking English • Shows increased participation in group activities and joining in clapping, singing games Adapted from DRDP PS@2010, California State Department of Education, Child Development Division

  38. Teachers and Assessors Need Guidance of Indicators of Typical Language Development of Dual Language Learners for Instructional Decision-Making • Need to know about process of second language development • What it looks like--typically • Rates of Progress • Normal Variations • New products will provide guidance!!

  39. We Are ALL at the Forefront of Improving Our Standards, Programs, Policies, and Practices to Better Meet the Needs of Young Dual Language Learners and Their Families • Diversity has been written into the DNA of American life; any institution that lacks a rainbow array has come to seem diminished, if not diseased….Joe Klein • Monolingualism is a disease that is easily cured!……Anonymous 9/15/2014 41

  40. “When I was little and really wanted something, I prayed to God in two languages, just in case God didn’t know one of them. Knowing two languages opens many doors for children, ensuring that nothing is lost in the translation.” Rafael Guerra, Executive Director of East Coast Migrant Head Start Project Let’s help ensure Dual Language Learners knowledge, abilities, and strengths are not lost in translation!!!

  41. THANK YOU!!!!! Muchas Gracias Merci Beaucoup 谢谢

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