1. Workshop
Bilingualism, trilingualism and translanguaging in assessment: Schools
Kathleen Heugh
Conference
Trilingual Education: National and International Experience
Astana, Kazakhstan, November 2016

2. Introduction to translanguaging in classroom-based assessment, and trilingual assessment (system-wide)
Focus on building high level trilingual capabilities for all students
Attention to equity, inclusion & social justice
assessing students from different backgrounds of
language, knowledge and faith.
Focus on how teachers can provide opportunities for students to use & expand their whole linguistic and knowledge repertoires:
in assessment tasks, both in class (formative) and
in high-stakes summative and system-wide assessment tasks.

3. Purpose of the Workshop
Participants will discuss:
why, where & how
You can include bilingual/trilingual/translanguaging tasks in:
regular class tasks;
formative, summative & system-wide assessment
To demonstrate sample tasks for
primary and secondary school students, and
undergraduate university students
Part of the workshop involves you working in groups to design a classroom-based assessment task that is suitable for students who are learning at least three languages.
You are now asked to form groups that include as least one:
Speaker who can communicate in Kazakh & Russian
Speaker who can communicate in either Kazakh or Russian and English
Speaker an ethnic/minority language in Kazakhstan & either Kazakh or Russian (if possible)
I would like everyone to be in groups from early on in the workshop. Please edit the last dot-point for appropriate terminology

4. Resource packages for each group
There is a resource package for each person, including:
Collect Wise Sayings from the Students’ Home Languages
Samples of a Mathematics Examination Paper with Translations
Learner Report Card: individual diagnostic reporting
2 X LANG 1052 Portfolio Tasks
There is a set of additional resources for each group but not for each person:
Northern Multilingualism: a sample booklet by Lifu Torikka
Proverbs/wise sayings from the Project for the Study of Alternative Education in South Africa, University of Cape Town

5. Trilingual / multilingual tasks for primary school students
Valuing students’ knowledge, beliefs, languages
Building on what students already know
Expanding students’ repertoires through collaboration with one another
Teacher as learner and facilitator – not as the owner of all knowledge
Resources
Northern Multilingualism booklet
Wise sayings (individual package)
Proverbs / wise sayings – group set
Task
Using the languages you have in your group, develop either:
a short story or
a set of 3 proverbs/wise sayings
That would be relevant / appropriate in Kazakhstan

6. Secondary School: Trilingual Assessment at Year/Grade 8 Level in South Africa
System-wide assessment in the Western Cape Province of South Africa (near Cape Town) – students Three main languages of province: Afrikaans, English, isiXhosa Students are usually (previously) assessed either in English or Afrikaans Assessment task in Mathematics – 45% of items translated in 3 languages

7. In the figure, PQ and RS are intersecting straight lines
Translation
Kulo mzobo, u-PQ no-RS yimigca ethe ngqo enqumlanayo.
In die figuur is PQ en RS twee reguit lyne wat sny.
What is the value of x + y?
Liyintoni ixabiso lika-x + y.
Wat is die waarde van x + y.

8. In which list are the numbers ordered from
biggest to smallest?
Translation
Akoluphi uluhlu apho amanani acwangciswe
ukusukela kwelikhulu ukuya kwelincinane?
In watter ry is die syfers van die grootste na
die kleinste gerangskik?
A. 0,233; 0,3; 0,32; 0,332
B. 0,3; 0,32; 0,332; 0,233
C. 0,32; 0,233; 0,322; 0,3
D. 0,332; 0,32; 0,3; 0,233

9. Findings in relation to use of translations
Students did not know that there would be translations in the examination & had not been prepared to use translations, so we had no idea what they would do.
(55.9%) of students reported using translations.
79% of these students found translations useful for checking that they understood task items.
Small positive differences (+3%) in achievement on translated items.
We suggest that the trilingual items allowed students to use translanguaging between/among their languages.

10. Group Task
In your group, design a small task for one of the following:
mathematics, science, economics, history or geography,
in which you translate the item into at least three languages known in your group.
You will be asked to share this task with other groups.

11. Diagnostic Assessment & Reporting
See Individual Learner Report Cards
Many of the students who participated in this task have very low levels of achievement across the system – historical reasons of inequality etc.
We used diagnostic assessment across the system to report back to individual students, as well as to schools, and the education departments.
Teachers and schools report that this has helped to inform their teaching, i.e. positive washback of system-wide assessment, especially in trilingual assessment.

12. Building translation / translanguaging into language teaching in school or undergraduate university courses
Resources: LANG 1052 Sample tasks Discussion of these tasks in your resource package: Using students’ L1 to develop high level academic proficiency in the L1 and a target language, like English, at the same time. The role of translation, summarising and reflection in metacognitive and metalinguistic development. Building student self-confidence and esteem.

13. Group Task: every teacher has bilingual or trilingual resources that work
Discuss / share what you have already been doing and know that works well to develop your students’ bilingual or trilingual expertise.
Discuss what you might be able to take away from this workshop and use in your own teaching context.
Provide brief feedback to the whole group on 1 and 2.
Feel free to contribute in any language you would like to use, and ask other teachers in your group to provide an interpretation for the whole group.

14. Summary: trust the teacher, trust the students
Teachers know how to find ways to communicate with their students and to ‘code-switch’, translate or interpret when necessary.
Students know how to find ways to communicate across language barriers in everyday life.
Trilingual / multilingual classroom tasks, activities and assessments and high-stakes assessment – follow everyday practices of teachers and students
They build metacognitive and metalinguistic expertise both in everyday conversational practices and also for high level academic purposes.