Semilingualism Applied to the Literacy Behaviors of Spanish-Speaking Emerging Bilinguals: Bi-illiteracy or Emerging Biliteracy?

Escamilla, Kathy

doi:10.1111/j.1467-9620.2006.00784.x

Cited by 80 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…The underlying assumption of this practice is that bilingual students demonstrate equal competencies in both languages since bilinguals' languages develop as parallel monolinguals of each language. However, we concur with others (Baker, 2011;Escamilla, 2006;García, 2009) when they affirm that this is an inequitable practice that does not adequately display the complex language practices and proficiencies of emergent bilinguals. As Baker (2011) states, norm-referenced tests often reflect the language style and culture of White, middle-class Anglo test writers.…”

Section: Issues In the Assessment Of Emergent Bilingualssupporting

confidence: 84%

“…The lack of specific assessments created for emergent bilinguals provide teachers, districts, and departments of education with only a partial and often inaccurate view of the students' literacy growth as they develop proficiency in two languages (Escamilla, 2006;Gathercole, 2013aGathercole, , 2013b. Tests developed for native English speakers are in fact language proficiency tests when used with non-native English speakers or bilingual students, therefore doing little in the way of measuring content knowledge (Menken, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Striving Toward Equitable Biliteracy Assessments in Hegemonic School Contexts

Babino¹,

González-Carriedo²

2017

AMAE Journal

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American schools today display unprecedented levels of diversity in regard to the linguistic, socioeconomic, and cultural backgrounds of their student population. Increasingly, more American students are also emergent bilingual learners. Despite this fact, most of the standardized assessments used by schools have been designed and normed for English monolingual students. The lack of specific assessments created for emergent bilinguals provides teachers and other stakeholders with only a partial and often inaccurate view of the students' literacy growth as they develop proficiency in two languages.In this theoretical article, the authors explore how three complex characteristics of emergent biliteracy development interact: bilingual language proficiency, domains of language use, and language dominance. Then, they describe how teachers and school district leaders can begin to create more equitable assessment practices that are more closely aligned with the unique characteristics of biliteracy development admist largely hegemonic, monolingual school systems.

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Section: Issues In the Assessment Of Emergent Bilingualssupporting

confidence: 84%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Striving Toward Equitable Biliteracy Assessments in Hegemonic School Contexts

Babino¹,

González-Carriedo²

2017

AMAE Journal

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“…Based on survey data from 417 college programs providing bachelor's-and master's-level teacher certification across the United States, Menken and Antúnez (2001) found that when coursework in linguistics was required, it was often a survey course that provided inadequate preparation for teaching bilingual students. In-service support has also been found to be inadequate: Escamilla (2006) interviewed 12 bilingual 4th and 5th grade teachers, who reported that none of their teacher training classes was conducted in Spanish and few ongoing professional development opportunities were made available to them as teachers. The teachers also believed they were underprepared to teach writing in both English and Spanish.…”

Section: Opportunity To Learnmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing the Quality and Equity of Education for Latino Students: A White Paper

Young

Lakin

Courtney

et al. 2012

ETS Research Report Series

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This white paper provides an overview of the issues that affect the quality and equity of education in grades K-16 for Latino students in the United States. This paper is organized chronologically to reflect the typical educational timeline for students in the United States, and we focused on several key transition points in the educational timeline: from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, from high school to college, and from a two-year college to a four-year college. Each of these transition points can pose challenges for every student, but in this paper, we focused specifically on the unique challenges that Latino students encounter. It is our hope that this paper will provide an impetus to action and will serve as a guide for future directions for collective research efforts on the critical issues regarding the education of Latino students in the 21st century.Key words: Latino students; Hispanic students; academic achievement; educational transitions; student demographics ii Executive SummaryToday, the state of education for Latino students in the United States is at a crisis point.The loss of human and social capital that results from the underachievement of Latino students is a significant barrier for our country in meeting the demand for an educated and talented workforce to compete globally in the 21st century. On an individual level, when Latino students are not provided with the same opportunity to receive a world-class education as other students, they are denied the chance to fully realize their potential as students, workers, and citizens. The present conditions of education for Latino students will not improve unless concerted efforts are made to effect change from educators, politicians, policy makers, researchers, and parents. ETS, as the world's leading assessment organization, should play a central role in advancing the quality and equity of education for Latino students in the United States through our work in assessment, research, and outreach. This goal is the very embodiment of our corporate mission to advance quality and equity in education for all people worldwide.As a step toward meeting this goal, this white paper was commissioned by ETS. It was written to provide an overview of the issues that affect the quality and equity of education in grades K-16 for Latino students in the United States. The paper is organized chronologically to reflect the typical educational timeline for students in the United States. We focused on several key transition points in the educational timeline: from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school, from high school to college, and from a two-year college to a fouryear college. Each of these transition points can pose challenges for every student, but in this paper, we focused specifically on the unique challenges that Latino students encounter.To preview the ideas and topics in the white paper, we highlight three key findings on the current status of education for Latino students in Am...

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“…Given this scenario, of exceptional concern is the finding that language differences among ELL students are regularly perceived not as assets (e.g., the foundation for bilingualism), but as problems that schools must remedy (Escamilla, 2006;MacSwan, Rolstad, & Glass, 2002). In fact, this belief is so pervasive among teachers and policymakers that some school districts have begun to refer to these students as semilinguals (Escamilla).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In fact, this belief is so pervasive among teachers and policymakers that some school districts have begun to refer to these students as semilinguals (Escamilla). This socially constructed concept is largely based on the widely held perception that the great majority of ELL students (especially Spanish-speaking ELL students) have little or no literacy in either their first or second language (Escamilla;Valadez, MacSwan, & Martinez, 2001). Some argue that such ELL students are unlikely to benefit from ongoing native language support and that their English literacy must be developed beginning with the assumption of a tabula rasa.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative Inquiry Groups: Empowering Teachers to Work with English Language Learners

Murry

Herrera

2010

Journal of Teaching and Learning

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As grade-level teachers in the United States become increasingly responsible for educating English language learning (ELL) students, it is imperative that they re-evaluate their perspectives on instruction. This paper describes a program designed to prepare in-service teachers for enhancing their instructional effectiveness with ELL students in their traditional classrooms. The program emphasizes the use of collaborative inquiry groups in which teachers serve as critical colleagues, challenging one another to implement research and theorydriven practices and, most importantly, reflect upon their existing assumptions with regard to the instruction of ELL students. Teachers participating in the program completed a survey to describe their experience in an inquiry group. The findings of this study demonstrate noteworthy changes in teacher perspectives on language differences among, and appropriate literacy paradigms for, ELL students. Key among these changes were participants' demonstrated transformations in perspective regarding the role of native language support in ELL students' development of literacy and content-area skills and understandings.What happens when the focus of language arts in the grade-level classroom must be expanded to encompass intensive and ongoing literacy development for English language learning (ELL) students? What happens when even the most successful, monolingual grade-level teachers must develop the capacities to support literacy development in the second language (L2) and in the first _________________________________________________________________ Kevin Murry is Associate Professor of Secondary Education at Kansas State University and is the Director of Research and Development for the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) in the College of Education. His work in research and development has focused on ESL/dual language programming in secondary public schools and teachers' accommodation readiness for CLD students whose first language is not English and transnational students.Socorro Herrera serves as a professor of Elementary Education at Kansas State University and directs the Center for Intercultural and Multilingual Advocacy (CIMA) in the College of Education. Her K-12 teaching experience includes an emphasis on literacy development. Her research focuses on literacy opportunities with culturally and linguistically diverse students, reading strategies, and teacher preparation for diversity in the classroom.

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Semilingualism Applied to the Literacy Behaviors of Spanish-Speaking Emerging Bilinguals: Bi-illiteracy or Emerging Biliteracy?

Cited by 80 publications

References 9 publications

Striving Toward Equitable Biliteracy Assessments in Hegemonic School Contexts

Striving Toward Equitable Biliteracy Assessments in Hegemonic School Contexts

Advancing the Quality and Equity of Education for Latino Students: A White Paper

Collaborative Inquiry Groups: Empowering Teachers to Work with English Language Learners

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