Webinar Recording: Assessing Multilingual Learners for Success

As the number of multilingual learners in educational contexts in both the US and abroad increases, a key question for educational stakeholders is how best to assess these learners who bring multiple linguistic repertoires to the classroom in ways that contribute to their academic success.

In this symposium hosted by the Center for Applied Linguistics, panelists will explore what a multilingual orientation to language assessment might look like. Speakers explore what multilingualism is and how it impacts on assessment—including approaches to large scale assessment in both the United States and overseas, how educators and teachers support their multilingual learners using assessment, and which contexts are well-suited for the introduction of multilingual approaches to assessment.

New Research to Policy Webinar Series "Equity in Practice: Centering Multilingual Learners"

The Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is hosting live discussions open to the public highlighting the researchers, practitioners, and policymakers on the front lines fighting for educational equity for all language learners in the U.S.

Each 30-minute episode of this webinar series called “Research to Policy: Critical Conversations in Language Education” attempts to center multilingual learners and culturally diverse populations through the lens of equity. Topics range from student assessment, teacher education, students with disabilities, early childhood education, and more.

We are imagining a world that takes an assets-based approach when working with multilingual learners, and we believe that a more equitable perspective can --and must-- guide local, state, and national policy across different educational settings. - CAL Board of Directors

---

[Webinar] Examining State Resources for ELs

Recorded on Thursday, March 11, 2021 | Approx. run-time: 1 hour

Event Title: [Webinar] Examining State Resources and Policies: Remote & In-person Instruction & Assessment for ELs

Speakers:

Dr. Supreet Anand, Acting Assistant Deputy Secretary and Director, Office of English Language Acquisition

Dr. Kenji Hakuta, Emeritus Professor at Stanford University

Helyn Kim, IES Education Research Analyst

Dr. Diane August, Senior Research Scientist at the Center for Applied Linguistics

Description:

A policy discussion on recent recommendations for state and district level educators related to instructing and assessing EL students during the pandemic developed by the Center for the Success of English Learners (CSEL).

The new brief, Educating English Learner Students During the Pandemic, examines:

• the impact of remote learning on EL students and their teachers;

• the potential and limitations of using digital learning resources (DLRs) to educate these students; and

• current federal legislation that authorizes funds for a variety of activities that could be used to support ELs and their families.

BACKGROUND:

The Center for the Success of English Learners (CSEL) is one of the two new IES supported Research and Development Centers focused on the topic of “Improving Opportunities and Achievements for English Learners in Secondary School Settings.” The centers aim to identify systemic and instructional influences that affect ELs’ access to the general curriculum and its relation to their outcomes.

CSEL is headed by Dr. David Francis at the University of Houston. Center partners include the Center for Applied Linguistics, UT Austin, New York University, and the SERP Institute/Harvard.

CSEL will undertake a five-year, focused program of research aimed at identifying and removing barriers related to school-level practices influenced by policies that constrain course-taking, as well as developing and testing interventions that leverage transdisciplinary approaches to improve instruction for ELs in grades 6 and 9 science and social studies.