Family Involvement in the Assessment and Instruction of Dual Language Learners

Abstract

This chapter explores the unique issues related to assessing and instructing linguistically diverse children from birth to five years old in early education settings. This chapter provides a literature review of how family involvement aids in accurate assessment of DLLs language development. First, the chapter provides a summary of the importance of assessing DLLs and the related gaps in the literature. Next, there is a discussion of family involvement in the assessment process, specifically the importance of parent involvement, potential barriers, and the educational placement of DLLs. Then a section about bilingual language acquisition is presented to explain how DLLs acquire English. Drawing on the above literature, the authors advocate for a multifaceted approach in which assessments are conducted in multiple contexts and data are gathered from multiple sources, particularly from parents who are extremely knowledgeable of their children’s abilities and language experiences. Finally, the chapter concludes with a review of current best practices to involve DLL families in assessment and directions for further research.

Citation

Czik, A. and Lewis, K. (2016), "Family Involvement in the Assessment and Instruction of Dual Language Learners", Family Involvement in Early Education and Child Care (Advances in Early Education and Day Care, Vol. 20), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 143-158. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-402120160000020005