1. Supporting School Readiness among Children Who Are Dual Language Learners
Robert Stechuk, Ph D
OHS National Center on Cultural &
Linguistic Responsiveness (NCCLR)
Virginia Head Start Association
May 7, 2013

2. School Readiness for DLLs
Head Start National demographics:
( )
Head Start National Demographics – PIR (Does not include MSHS) – Cumulative Enrollment
N HS: English – ; Spanish – ; Other Lang

3. The Presenter Bob Stechuk PhD in child development & early literacy
Assistant Director, OHS NCCLR
Former faculty member & research associate, George Mason University Graduate School of Education
Former T/TA provider, MSHS
Former Head Start Director
Parent of 2 children who are DLLs

4. The Presentation
This day-long training will provide Head Start program leaders with
a comprehensive understanding of children birth through age five who are dual language learners;
Concrete understandings of strategies and practices that promote their school readiness; and
“Next steps” planning
It is very possible for your program to do an EXCELLENT job of supporting S-R for DLLs. What it takes is understanding WHAT information is relevant and then organizing it is such a way as to support & enhance daily operations.
The GOOD NEWS is that you ALREADY KNOW many of these pieces of information – the task is to make sure that you have ALL the relevant infomration and then organize it.
WHAT WE DON”T WANT IS TO HAVE 2 SEPARATE S-R PROCESSES – 1 FOR ENGLISH-SPEAKING CHILDREN & 1 FOR DLLS. THE GOAL IS TO HAVE ONE S-R FOCUS THAT IS SUFFICIENT TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL CHILDREN – REGARDLESS OF LANGUAGE, CULTURE, BACKGROUND, DISABILITY, HEALTH STATUS, ETC.

5. Children’s School Readiness
Knowing -> Doing
Understanding
Daily Implementation
Children’s School Readiness
ALL children in your program go into the S-R circle. We don’t want different circles for different types of children – but we can individualize services for children based on their background, experiences, strengths, and needs.

6. The Preview
As a starting point, we want to consider “where you are at” with school readiness for the children who are DLLs in your program.
Handout 1: School Readiness for Children Who Are DLLs: Where are We at NOW?

7. Preview De-Briefing What did you find? Where is your program “at”?
What are your program’s strengths?
What information is your program most in need of? What program operations are most in need of improvement?

8. Session Topics
Key research findings: the complexity of dual language development & the importance of a child’s Home Language
Screening and assessing children who are DLLs
Writing and revising school readiness goals for children who are DLLs

9. Session Topics Teaching to support school readiness:
When teachers speak English
When teachers speak the Home Language
Family Engagement
Working with child data for children who are DLLs

10. The complexity of dual language development & the importance of a child’s Home Language
Key Research Findings

11. Complexity Monolingual development = one developmental “pathway”
Dual language development = more than one developmental “pathway”

12. Dual Language Learners
OHS Definition of Dual Language Learners:
Children –
Acquire two or more languages simultaneously (i.e., from birth) OR
Learn a second language while continuing to develop their first language
See the ECLKC – DLL Home Page for more information linguistic/Dual%20Language%20Learners

13. Unique Aspects of Dual Language
Age of acquisition
Amount, frequency & type of exposure
Source(s) and settings for exposure
Language status
Opportunities for use
Access to ideas & information
Increased demands upon memory
Different cultural settings

14. Cutting the Complexity
The key question is:
Is a child’s Home Language important to their school readiness?
First, we need to answer “yes” or “no” and then clearly explain why….

15. Cutting the Complexity
Where Do YOU Fit in?
The leader’s task: aligning content knowledge of how children develop with key decisions that affect daily practices in order to provide children with a strong foundation for school and life.

16. QUESTION:
Are children’s developmental domains separate or connected? For example, is language development connected to identity, social/emotional, and/or cognitive development?
The answer to this question answers the question: Why is the Home language important?

17. The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework

18. Answer:
YES! Children’s developmental domains are connected. For example, language is development connected to identity, social/emotional, and/or cognitive development….per the OHS CDELF.
Therefore, the continued development of a child’s Home Language is important and necessary for their school readiness!

19. Importance of Home Language
Has been part of OHS policies since OHS Multicultural Principle 6:
“Effective program for children who speak languages other than English require continued development of the first language while the acquisition of English is facilitated.”

20. Importance of Home Language
Children’s understanding of themselves, their families and others are developed within their Home Language.
Children internalize the language they hear when parents and family members talk.
Children think and reflect on information about themselves, their families, and their communities using their Home Language.

21. Importance of Home Language
In addition, a wide range of cognitive (thinking) skills are developing within the Home Language, such as:
Classification
Categorization
Logical/cause-and-effect reasoning
Narrative abilities (length and complexity)
Concepts related to spatial relations/math

22. Importance of Home Language
Understanding the importance of a child’s Home Language means making connections across the relevant information: First, children develop a wide range of knowledge, skills and attitudes within their Home Language. Second, children need all of these skills and abilities for school success.

23. Importance of Home Language
Therefore, the best interests of the child are served by the uninterrupted development of the Home Language during the birth – age five period.
Children benefit when they continue to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes they already have.

24. Importance of Home Language
One key research finding of young DLLs, presented from many individual studies, is that children’s knowledge and skills transfer across languages.
In other words, skills developed in a child’s Home Language support reading in English/school success.
NOTE: Remind participants of the connections between developmental domains.

25. Importance of Home Language
Phonological awareness in Spanish predicted English reading scores (Gottardo, et al., 2002)
Oral language proficiency in Spanish predicted English reading scores (Miller, et al., 2006)
See the OHS Multicultural Principles, pages 47-52, for a more complete discussion.

26. Importance of Home Language
Continued development of a child’s L1:
permits them to continue to develop their cognitive skills as well as family/cultural connections; AND
promotes their school readiness, including their acquisition of spoken English as well as reading in English.
The importance of a child’s Home Language comes down to three essential points:
1. Uninterrupted and maximum development of a child’s L1 permits them to continue to develop their cognitive skills; children also have continued access to the language system that underlies their identity.
2. As children acquire English they can – GRADUALLY BEGIN TO --- express the ideas and concepts learned in their Home Language. Taking away/undermining a child’s Home Language subtracts from their skill sets, their cultural and family identity, and from their school readiness!
3. Supporting the continued development of a child’s Home Language promotes their school readiness, including their acquisition of English.

27. Taking It Home
Take a few moments to reflect upon the information presented in this section
How could you share information with staff from your program who did not attend?

28. Screening and Assessing Children who are DLLs
Understanding Where
Children are “at”

29. ‘Assessment’: OHS Definition
The Head Start Program Performance Standards (1304 & 1308) define and describe ‘assessment’ as a three-step process:
Step 1: Screening
Step 2: Ongoing (developmental) assessment
Step 3: Developmental evaluation

30. Step 1 - Screening
“Screening” is: To identify children that need to be referred for a development evaluation (i.e., to determine if the child has a disability [i.e. Step 3, Formal Evaluation).
(3) (b) (3) clearly states: When appropriate standardized developmental screening instruments exist, they must be used.

31. Screening DLLs
For Spanish-speaking children: Standardized screening instruments are available.
Use Assessing Spanish-English Bilingual Preschool Children to identify & select appropriate options.

32. Screening DLLs Assessing Spanish-English Bilingual Preschoolers
Reviews 37 instruments in Spanish & English
Compares relative strengths &
weaknesses, administration tasks,
cost
Publisher: Paul H. Brookes
ISBN:

33. Screening DLLs For Spanish-speaking children:
Consider using parent-based screening instruments (e.g., Ages and Stages Questionnaire) in conjunction with another instrument.

34. Screening DLLs in Languages Other than Spanish
Valid & reliable instruments are virtually impossible to obtain.
Use parent-based screening instruments (e.g., Ages and Stages Questionnaire) in conjunction with teacher’s (and, if possible) home visit observations.

36. Activity 1 Question: What language do we screen in???
Activity: In your group, identify the procedures your program uses to screen DLLs.

37. Pre-Screening
Use the Gathering Background Information Handout to identify information about how to screen an individual child.

38. Activity 1
Home language environments of “Latino” infants are highly variable:
Only Spanish spoken – 19%
Primarily Spanish spoken with some English – 35%
Primarily English spoken with some Spanish – 22%
Only English spoken – 21% (see Barrueco et al., 2012)
Communicate with the family to understand a child’s language background; screen in all languages the child is growing up with.

39. Activity Wrap-Up
Gather information from the family about the child’s language background and experiences
Screen children in the languages they are developing

40. Step 2 – Ongoing Assessment
Ongoing (developmental) assessment =
Regular information collection throughout child’s enrollment
Identify a child’s strengths and needs as well as family goals, resources
Support individualizing
Support family engagement
Plan instruction to maximize the child’s learning

41. Assessing within languages

42. Assessing across languages
The Head Start Child Development
and Early Learning Framework
11 Domains, including English
Language Development
English Language Development
applies to children who are Dual Language Learners
Receptive and Expressive English Language Skills
Engagement in English Literacy Activities
The Framework provides the basis for supporting children’s home language – a child’s knowledge must be assessed in either their home language or in English

43. Assessing across languages
Concepts expressed in the Home Language
Concepts expressed in English
Total Conceptual Knowledge

44. Ongoing Assessment for DLLs
Teacher observations are vital:
Look for and document examples of skills and knowledge
Record information about attention span, persistence and interests
Document interactions with other children and adults
Share and compare information with families over time
Consider family data!

45. Activity 2
Use the Gathering Background Information Handout (“puzzle pieces”) with a partner to identify information about an individual child.
One person play the role of a parent; one person take the role of Head Start staff.
What did you learn about the child? How could you use the information for teaching?

46. Using Ongoing Assessment Data
“Collecting” – identify a child’s strengths and needs from 3 sources:
Families
Observations
Instruments
“Connecting” –
Use understandings of a child’s strengths to plan specific learning activities.
Use understandings of needs to guide supports, selection of materials, and language modeling.

47. Measuring English Progress
For children who enter your program with little or no prior experience in English
Observe and record information about a child’s receptive capabilities in English.
Use curriculum-based objectives to guide observations: e.g., ask the child to show you (point to) a red car or three blocks.
Consider using instruments that assess receptive language or receptive vocabulary in English.

48. “Strategic” Assessment
Several strategies for supporting teaching staff to be effective assessors:
Explore the match between “naturally occurring” assessment items & the daily curriculum
Gather data during dramatic play
Make use of “work samples”
Gather data after book readings

49. Taking It Home - 2
Take a few moments to reflect upon the information presented in this section
How could you share information with staff from your program who did not attend?

50. Writing and revising school readiness goals for children who are DLLs
Using S-R Goals as an Organizing Tool

51. S-R Goals Required for all children; essential to OHS S-R focus
Use S-R goals as “organizing tools” for data collection & analysis
Consider how to write/revise goals for children who are DLLs

53. The Head Start Child Development and Early Learning Framework

54. Goals & Data
DRS Definitions: Aggregate child- level assessment data means:
the data collected by an agency on the status and progress of the children it serves that have been combined to provide summary information about groups of children …such as dual language learners…

55. S-R Goals Write/revise S-R goals for DLLs to promote effective:
Assessment
Teaching
Data collection & analysis
Base specific goals on what you know about your teachers and your children.

56. Examples
Children who are dual language learners (DLLs) will demonstrate increased competency in their home language while developing proficiency in English.
Spanish-speaking children will increase their Spanish alphabet knowledge by 50%

57. Examples
Children will show an interest in varied topics and activities, an eagerness to learn, creativity, and independence in their interactions with activities and materials.
Children will learn and use words and concepts that parallel the information available in activities and materials.

58. Taking It Home - 3
Take a few moments to reflect upon the information presented in this section
How could you share information with staff from your program who did not attend?

59. Teaching to Support School Readiness
When Teachers Speak English
When Teachers Speak Children’s
Home Language

60. Activity At your table, discuss the following:
What are the possible relationships between ‘teaching’ and “child outcomes”?
What does it mean to “individualize” teaching?

61. Activity De-brief Teaching does not always result in learning
Effective modeling of English is based on key principles of DAP: child interests, choices, emotional support and good language models

62. When Teachers Speak English
How Can We Provide “Good Language Models” for Children who are DLLs?

64. When Teachers Speak English
In many Head Start classrooms, teachers speak English and the children may speak a variety of home languages. When teachers do not share the same language as the children in the classroom, they can get “thrown off” –
But teachers still have the ability to communicate – and be effective models of English.

65. When Teachers Speak English
Key starting points:
Children are born with a natural desire to learn and powerful capacities to acquire language.
Receptive languages precedes expressive language (i.e., listening comprehension before speaking
See Handout 5

66. When Teachers Speak English
Teachers and other program staff can work with families to support the home language throughout the child’s schooling.
This is the core of family engagement for families who speak languages other than English.

67. Effective Classroom Practices
S-R: Pieces Together
Effective Classroom Practices
Modeling English
Individualizing
Family Engagement
Home Language
Learning
Child Outcomes
English

68. S-R: Pieces Together
How Can We Provide “Good Language Models” for Children who are DLLs?
Art area
Book area
Housekeeping/
Dramatic
Manipulatives
Meal times
Outdoors
Routines
Science, Math, Writing

69. Modeling English =
Get the child involved in an activity that they enjoy; offer the child choices of activities as needed…
As the activity continues, observe the child’s actions…support continued activity, AND
Provide language models that connect to the child’s ongoing activity (for example, the “self talk” and “parallel talk” strategies within the CLASS instrument).

70. Supporting School Readiness
When Teachers Speak the Home Language(s) of the Children

71. When Teachers Speak the Home Language
High-quality adult child interactions, including extended conversations that build vocabulary and elaborate upon ideas and information
Daily book-reading, combined with multiple oral language strategies, such as talking about the book before and after the story, explaining new words during reading, etc.

72. When Teachers Speak the Home Language
Activities that promote children’s enriched vocabulary, levels of executive function and specific approaches to learning, letter knowledge, print concepts, phonological awareness in the home language
In sum, address the elements of the OHS CD ELF and the CLASS in children’s Home Language.

73. Family Engagement
Partners in Progress

74. Family Engagement
High-quality adult child interactions, including extended conversations that build vocabulary and elaborate upon ideas and information….
“predict” children’s success in reading and in school
Children benefit most when home and preschool environments are “in sync.”

75. Family Engagement
Teachers and other program staff can work with families to support the home language and to implement daily learning and language experiences.
The key is to communicate that these daily practices are directly connected to long-term school success
Key strategies can be implemented in classrooms and homes.

76. Taking It Home - 4
Take a few moments to reflect upon the information presented in this section
How could you share information with staff from your program who did not attend?

77. Working with Child Data for Children who are DLLs
Measuring Progress;
Maximizing Potentials

78. Activity At your tables, discuss the following:
Why do we collect, analyze, and use child data in EHS/HS?
How do we collect, analyze, and use data on the children who are DLLs in our program?

79. Key Terms Aggregated data = Data analysis = Interpretation =
Progress =

80. School Readiness for DLLs
DRS Definitions
Aggregate child-level assessment data means:
the data collected by an agency on the status and progress of the children it serves that have been combined to provide summary information about groups of children …such as dual language learners…

81. Measuring Progress - Options
1307: “…one or more valid and reliable assessments of a child's status and progress, including but not limited to:
Direct assessment (standardized instrument)
Structured observations
Checklists
Staff or parent report measures
Portfolio records or work samples

82. Planning “Next Steps” & Follow up
Taking It Back Home
Planning “Next Steps” & Follow up

83. References
Barrueco, S., Lopez, M., Ong, C., & Lozano, P. (2012). Assessing Spanish-English bilingual preschoolers: A guide to best approaches and measures. Baltimore, MD: Brookes.
Office of Head Start. Multicultural Principles for Head Start Programs Serving Children Ages Birth to Five
linguistic/Dual%20Language%20Learners/ecd/culture_a nd_diversity/manage_pub_00602a1_ html

84. Scan QR Code

85. Closing Thank you for participating! Feel free to contact us:
Office of Head Start National Center on Cultural and Linguistic Responsiveness
Toll free (855)
Visit our website: system/cultural-linguistic