English Learners and Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Strategies
2025-03-03
March 3, 10, 24, and 31, 2025
Learn to distinguish between typical second language development and the needs of students who may demonstrate academic difficulties or possible disabilities and develop a proactive plan for effective classroom interventions to promote student success.
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Leading Dual Language Programs for Student Success
2025-03-10
March 10–13 and 17–18, 2025
Learn how to enhance or develop your dual language program based on the seven research-based strands of effective dual language education in the CAL publication Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2018). Sign up with your leadership team and work collaboratively to make your dual language program the best it can be!
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TESOL Convention Presentation—Evidence-Based Compliance: Collaborative Tools and Strategies for Title III Data Collection
2025-03-19 11:30 UTC
Evidence-Based Compliance: Collaborative Tools and Strategies for Title III Data Collection
Date & Time: March 19, 2025 | 11:30 AM
Location: Long Beach, CA
Presenter(s):

Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Ashley Millet (Center for Applied Linguistics Consultant)
Description:
This workshop equips general education teachers, ESL teachers, and administrators of multilingual learners with the tools and strategies needed to effectively gather evidence demonstrating strong Title III programs. Participants learn how to implement program evaluation processes to enhance multilingual education programs supported by Title III funds.

TESOL Convention Presentation—Supporting General Education Educators Serving MLs Through Multifaceted PD
2025-03-21 11:30 - 11:45
Supporting General Education Educators Serving MLs Through Multifaceted PD
Date & Time: March 21, 2025 | 11:00–11:45 AM (Pacific Time)
Location: Room 103B, Long Beach Convention Center, TESOL, Long Beach, CA
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colon (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This session explores impactful PD alternatives for general educators of multilingual learners, addressing the need for continuous, classroom-connected learning (Fairman et al., 2020; Zepeda, 2013). Participants engage in collaborative activities and learn strategies like guided lesson design, educator-led professional learning communities, peer mentoring, and hybrid co-planning.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—A Descriptive Study of Students’ Multilingual and Multimodal Communication Practices in Elementary School Science
2025-03-22 08:35 - 09:05
A Descriptive Study of Students’ Multilingual and Multimodal Communication Practices in Elementary School Science
Date & Time: March 22, 2025 | 8:35–9:05 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):
Keira Ballantyne (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Caitlin Fine (Metropolitan State University of Denver)
Description:
The last decade has seen increasing interest in benefits that K–12 students gain from using their full linguistic repertoire in classrooms. Foundational theoretical work has established that multilingualism is a fluid and adaptive set of practices embedded in sociocultural interactions (García, 2009; García & Lin, 2016; Lopez et al. 2015). Scholars use the term translanguaging to describe the fluid linguistic practices of bilinguals (García, 2009; Otheguy, García & Reid, 2015; Wei & García, 2022) and also the pedagogical practices that support bilingual students’ full linguistic selves (e.g., Cenoz & Gorter, 2020; García, 2018; Seltzer & García, 2020).
This empirical study seeks to understand how children use their full linguistic repertoire and communicative resources to represent their understanding of elementary school science. Our study is a component part of developing and validating the Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory (M2-Si), a formative assessment that supports educators in understanding what their students know and can do in science, not just what their students know and can do in science in English.
In collaboration with educators, the team developed 16 M2-Si classroom activities designed to support multilingual multimodal responses from participating students. The current study examines a large sample of student work produced in response to these activities (n=959).
Data comes from elementary school science classrooms across seven school districts in North Carolina. Classrooms include monolingual English and multilingual students, and dual language and monolingual instruction. Data were collected collaboratively by researchers and a cohort of eleven practicing classroom educators.
Our descriptive study seeks to understand the range of multilingual and multimodal practices that students leverage in scientific sense-making activities. We present a classification schema for the activities, descriptive statistics on the distribution of multilingual and multimodal response types, and detail on specific communicative practices observed in the dataset.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—K-16 World Language Program Articulation in the United States
2025-03-22 10:40
K-16 World Language Program Articulation in the United States
Date & Time: March 22, 2025 | 8:40 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):Jamie Morgan (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Rachel Myers (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Jenna Bushton (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Although articulation between the K–12 and post-secondary levels can bolster enrollment in post-secondary language courses and promote proficiency attainment for language learners (Strawbridge et al., 2019), more research is needed on best practices for building, sustaining, and advocating for effective K–16 world language program articulation.
This poster presents findings from the first year of a three-year research study to identify program models and practices that strengthen K–16 world language program articulation in the United States. This part of the study addresses the following research questions:

What is the landscape of K–16 world language program articulation in the United States?
What are higher education practices for crediting previous world language study?
What is the current state of world language enrollments in institutions of higher education?

To investigate these research questions, we conducted a literature review and gathered information from state, district, and individual school/institution web pages, examining existing articulation practices and policies within and across high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions of higher education.
Findings presented in the poster will focus on higher education practices for recognizing and crediting previous world language study, collaborative agreements between schools/institutions, and the relationship between articulation and enrollment.
Presenters will discuss implications of the findings and how they can be used to overcome barriers to articulation, support diverse learners following non-traditional paths to language learning, and improve and expand instruction in world languages.
Strawbridge, T., Soneson, D., & Griffith, C. (2019). Lasting effects of pre‐university language exposure on undergraduate proficiency. Foreign Language Annals, 52(4), 776-797.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentations—Examining Status in Collaborative Teaching: How Conceptualizations of Language Influence Co-Teaching Hierarchies
2025-03-24 10:05 - 11:05
Examining Status in Collaborative Teaching: How Conceptualizations of Language Influence Co-Teaching Hierarchies
Date & Time: Monday, March 24, 2025 | 8:05–9:05 a.m.
Location: Windows Tower, Second Level
Presenter: Sarah Howard, CAL Intern

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—Building Effective Heritage Language Programs: Training for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, and Families
2025-03-24 18:00 - 19:00
Building Effective Heritage Language Programs: Training for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, and Families
Date & Time: March 24, 2025 | 4:00–5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):
Leslie Fink (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Jamie Morgan (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Experts agree that heritage language education should be provided in public schools (Potowski, 2021), but most heritage language learners in the U.S. are unable to access any form of education in their home languages in K–12 schools (Carreira, 2021), and there is limited guidance about how to start a K–12 heritage language program.
In this session, we will discuss a free, online self-access training program that will support teachers, administrators, and families in understanding best practices for and their roles in building and sustaining an effective K–12 heritage language program.
We will provide an overview of the findings from our initial research activities and share parts of the training program that were developed in the first year of this three-year project, as well as our plans for additional module and resource development.
This interactive roundtable will be designed to elicit feedback from attendees on the current state of and future plans for the training program. Presenters will invite attendees to share their experiences and perspectives on K–12 heritage language programs in U.S. public schools, with a focus on best practices for building and sustaining these programs. Information gathered will be used to improve the training program, which will in turn support the growth and development of research-based, high-quality heritage language programs.
Carreira, M. (2021). The vitality of Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. In S. Montrul & M. Polinsky (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics (pp. 230-251). Cambridge University Press.
Potowski, K. (2021). Elementary school heritage language educational options and outcomes. In S. Montrul & M. Polinsky (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics (pp. 761-776). Cambridge University Press.

2025 AAAL Conference Colloquium—Dual Language Bilingual Education in Non-Dominant Partner Languages: Expanding the Research Base
2025-03-25 10:00 - 12:00
Dual Language Bilingual Education in Non-Dominant Partner Languages: Expanding the Research Base
Date & Time: March 25, 2025 | 8:00–10:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: Silver, AAAL, Denver, CO
Organizer
Hina Ashraf, Georgetown University
Organizer
Lourdes Ortega, Georgetown University
Discussant
Ester de Jong, University of Colorado Denver
Discussant
Diep Nguyen, Center for Applied Linguistics
Author
Mahassen Ballouli, Arabic Immersion Magnet School of Houston
Author
Jayoung Choi, Kennesaw State University
Author
Vashti Wai Yu Lee, Michigan State University
Author
Alisha Nguyen, Lesley University
Description:
Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) pursues four primary goals: academic achievement, bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competence, and critical consciousness (Freire, Alfaro, & de Jong, 2024; Howard et al., 2018). Based on the 2021 American Councils directory, approximately 80% of DLBE programs in the U.S. partner with Spanish. This trend reflects DLBE’s ties with civil rights movements of Latinx communities (Moore, 2024) and the demographic presence of Spanish speakers in the U.S. However, this focus has resulted in a research gap concerning non-dominant, and particularly non-European, partner languages (Morita-Mullaney, 2024). Increasingly diverse linguistic, cultural, and ethnic communities desire DLBE programs, and these communities inhabit different valences and histories in the U.S. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to the four goals of DLBE will be impossiblein this diversified landscape. This colloquium foregrounds research on DLBE programs with 5 partner languages that are widely spoken globally but under-taught and under-researched in the U.S.: Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Each DLBE context presents its own challenges to sustainability, points of tension around programmatic and equity goals, and opportunities for success. The Presenters focus on different dimensions of DBLE: (1) program success against all odds (Arabic), (2) learning to span complex research-practice boundaries for collaboration (Korean), (3) a teacher’s development of ideological clarity (Mandarin), (4) the evolving, emotion-imbued beliefs about biliteracy of six teachers (Urdu), and (5) power negotiations over linguistic justice among community leaders, educators, and district administrators (Vietnamese). The colloquium is organized as follows. After an introduction by the co-organizers, each presenter will do 15-minute presentations. Two senior DBLE scholars will be our discussants, each taking 10 minutes to synthesize lessons across presentations and theorize the unique value added—for research and for practice—of DLBE in non-dominant partner languages. We will conclude the session with 20 minutes of audience interaction.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation—Transforming Adult English Literacy Assessment: Introducing BEST Literacy 2.0
2025-03-31 15:00 - 16:10
Transforming Adult English Literacy Assessment: Introducing BEST Literacy 2.0
Date & Time: March 31, 2025 | 3:00–4:10 p.m. Central Time
Location: Sanger B, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Amya McKoy (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Anna Zilberberg (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Recent calls for increased rigor in adult education led to the release of revised National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Descriptors for English as a Second Language (ESL). This prompted the development of a new generation of adult ESL assessments aligned with these standards. One such test is BEST Literacy 2.0, a print-based assessment that uses a variety of tasks to measure adult English language learners’ ability to read and write in English. Specifically crafted with modern adult learners in mind, BEST Literacy 2.0 has been approved for use by the U.S. Department of Education for NRS accountability reporting through July 13, 2030.
This presentation will first introduce the test design of BEST Literacy 2.0, followed by an overview of the rigorous test development and validations steps undertaken for BEST Literacy 2.0. Through sharing example items and tasks in an interactive activity, we will highlight the improvements and innovations in BEST Literacy 2.0. To better assist programs in this transitional phase, we will also share different training options available for BEST Literacy 2.0.
Join us to discover best practices for integrating BEST Literacy 2.0 into your program, from initial training to ongoing administration, to ensure a seamless transition.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation—Effective Differentiation and Scaffolding Strategies for Your NRS Standards-Aligned Classroom
2025-04-01 12:50 - 14:00
Effective Differentiation and Scaffolding Strategies for Your NRS Standards-Aligned Classroom
Date & Time: April 1, 2025 | 12:50–2:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: Gaston A, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Kate Moran (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Mathilda Reckford (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Aligned to OCTAE’s new NRS standards, this presentation equips adult English educators with practical strategies for effective differentiation and scaffolding in multi-level classrooms and is a preview of a self-paced online course available through the Center for Applied Linguistics.
Guidance will be provided on adapting and creating materials to meet the needs of learners from Beginning ESL Literacy to Advanced ESL while also promoting learning across all three NRS domains: interpretive, productive, and interactive.
Participants will explore three types of scaffolding (verbal, instructional, and procedural), learning how to implement, adapt, and gradually remove scaffolds in their lessons. Using NRS standards, the presentation will explore how to support students’ growth between levels, focusing on skills such as identifying main ideas, constructing claims, and participating in discussions appropriate to each level.
By the presentation’s end, participants will understand how to apply the principles of differentiation and scaffolding effectively to support language learning for adult English learners. Interested participants can engage with this topic at a deeper level by enrolling in the Scaffolding and Differentiation for Adult English Learners course available online through the Center for Applied Linguistics.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation—Test Disposal 101: Assessment Industry Gold Standards and Tips from Practitioners
2025-04-01 16:50 - 18:00
Test Disposal 101: Assessment Industry Gold Standards and Tips from Practitioners
Date & Time: April 1, 2025 | 4:50–6:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: Moreno A, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Anna Zilberberg (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Amya McKoy (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Olga Escamilla (Texas A&M University–TCALL)

Description:
Recent calls for increased rigor in adult education led to the release of revised National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Descriptors for English as a Second Language (ESL). This prompted the development of a new generation of adult ESL proficiency assessments aligned with these standards, necessitating a transition in adult education programs. Practitioners often question what to do with expired test materials during this transition.
Using an example of the BEST assessments developed by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) and widely used by adult education programs including the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy & Learning (TCALL), this presentation will delve into the essential practices and assessment industry gold standards for when and how to dispose of obsolete tests. Guided by the International Test Commission’s Guidelines for the Disposal of Secure Psychological Test Materials (2014), we will discuss the criteria for obsolescence, the importance of avoiding premature disposal, and proper disposal methods to maintain test security.
Join us to gain a comprehensive understanding of handling obsolete assessment instruments and various disposal strategies, enhance your professional practices, and ensure that your adult education program meets the highest standards of ethical responsibility related to test use.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation— Stepping into the Future of Adult English Oral Proficiency Assessment: BEST Plus 3.0
2025-04-02 12:20 - 13:30
Stepping into the Future of Adult English Oral Proficiency Assessment: BEST Plus 3.0
Date & Time: April 2, 2025 | 12:20–1:30 p.m. Central Time
Location: Sanger B, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Anna Zilberberg (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Amya McKoy (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Recent calls for increased rigor in adult education led to the release of revised National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Descriptors for English as a Second Language (ESL). This prompted the development of a new generation of adult ESL assessments aligned with these standards. One such test is BEST Plus 3.0 – a face-to-face oral interview that measures interpersonal communication skills of adult ESL learners in the U.S. Measuring a full spectrum of ESL oral proficiency from NRS 1-6, BEST Plus 3.0 is a short and practical test that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education and meets the NRS accountability needs.
This presentation will provide an overview of BEST Plus 3.0 and introduce all the new features of the assessment, including brand-new item types that measure proficiency at the most advanced level and a cutting-edge software with user-friendly features and cloud-based data storage. To better assist programs in this transitional phase, we will also share different training options and guidance for test administrators on making the best out of the training materials.
Join us to gain a comprehensive understanding of transitioning to the new BEST Plus 3.0 and ensuring your program’s excellence.

LARC 2025 Conference Presentation—Comparability of Computer-Based and Print-Based Testing Modalities of a Scripted Oral English Language Proficiency Assessment
2025-04-03 00:00
Comparability of Computer-Based and Print-Based Testing Modalities of a Scripted Oral English Language Proficiency Assessment
Date & Time: April 3, 2025 | 11:00–11:30 a.m. PDT
Location: California State University, Fullerton
Presenter(s):

Yage Leah Guo (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Reshmi Kompakha (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Anna Zilberberg (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
A robust validity argument for test score interpretations must include a careful examination of potential sources of construct-irrelevant variance (CIV) caused by processes that are extraneous to the test’s intended purpose (AERA, APA, NCME, 2014; Guidelines for Technology-Based Assessments, 2022). When different assessment modalities (such as print-based and computer-based) are used concurrently, it is essential to ensure that the modality itself does not become a source of CIV and that the test scores achieved via different modalities remain comparable (Lottridge et al., 2010).
The current study examined score comparability between two versions of an Oral English Language Proficiency Assessment designed for adults learning English in the U.S.: a computer-adaptive multi-stage test (MST) version and a semi-adaptive print-based test (PBT) version. Both versions are currently used by adult education ESL programs throughout the nation to track examinee progress, make placement decisions, and report results via the National Reporting System (NRS). This English test is a complex performance assessment of integrated listening and speaking skills and currently exists in two forms, with two versions (MST and PBT) of each form. Both versions of the same form contain the same tasks, measuring NRS Educational Functioning Levels 1 through 4. The main difference is that in the MST, the underlying IRT-based computer algorithm decides which level of tasks (Level 1, 2, 3, or 4) is appropriate for the examinee after each stage, based on the current estimate of the examinee’s ability, while in the PBT, that decision is made by the test administrator only once, after the seven questions drawn from MST Stage 1 and Stage 2 that comprise the locator have been administered.
A total of 46 adult learners of English, representing a range of English proficiency levels, took the test twice, once with MST Form 1 and once with PBT Form 2. The demographic breakdown of the sample was similar to those of ESL programs nationwide (U.S. Department of Education, 2020a). Two trained test administrators participated in the study. All tests were administered and recorded via Zoom. Results indicated that there was no effect of form administration order as examinees performed similarly regardless of whether they took a certain form first or second. The average scale scores of the two performances across the two different test versions were very close; the correlation between the two sets of scores was very high (0.97), and the paired-difference mean was small and non-significant. Furthermore, 100% of cases were assessed to be in the same or adjacent NRS level classification based on the performances on MST and PBT test versions. In summary, the results of this comparability study suggest that examinees were not disadvantaged by taking one version or another and that both MST and PBT test versions produce comparable results.

LARC 2025 Conference Presentation—EAP in China: Connecting Instruction and Assessment through Teacher Professional Development
2025-04-03 00:00
Inv
Date & Time: April 3, 2025 | 01:300–02:30 p.m. PDT
Location: LARC, Fullerton, CA
Presenter(s):

Meg Montee
Elyssa Sun
Jenna Bushton

LARC 2025 Conference Presentation—Investigating Convergent Validity Evidence of an English Literacy Test
2025-04-04 00:00
Investigating Convergent Validity Evidence of an English Literacy Test
Date & Time: April 4, 2025 | 05:00–05:30 p.m. PDT
Location: LARC, Fullerton, CA
Presenter(s):

Yage Leah Guo (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Reshmi Kompakha
Rachel Myers
Anna Zilberberg

Description:
Building a validity argument involves examining the relationships between test scores and other measures intended to assess the same or similar constructs, providing convergent validity evidence for the test score interpretations (AERA, APA, NCME, 2014). This paper presents such convergent validity evidence in support of the claims made based on the scores from an English literacy assessment.
Designed in alignment with the 2017 National Reporting System Educational Functioning Levels (NRS EFLs), this literacy test is composed of Reading items and Writing tasks that are presented to examinees in an integrated manner, organized into thematic exercises reflecting the domains and topic areas commonly addressed in adult ESL programs. Scale scores on this literacy test are interpreted in terms of the 2017 NRS EFLs and are used for NRS reporting. The following external variables measuring similar or related constructs were used to investigate convergent validity: (1) test scores of another standardized measure of Reading and Writing among adult ELLs (Avant STAMP Pro), (2) existing program placement, and (3) teacher judgments of examinees’ English proficiency. A total of 67 students from one adult ESL program in Texas participated in the study. The relationships between the literacy test and each one of these measures are briefly described next.
Avant STAMP Pro Reading and Writing sections were chosen as measures of similar constructs to the literacy test in question. AVANT Stamp Pro provides proficiency level scores according to the ACTFL proficiency scale (ACTFL, 2012). We examined the relationship between the literacy test scale scores and the classifications based on STAMP Pro by examining the average literacy scale score of examinees performing at each STAMP Pro Level, separately for Reading and Writing. In addition, Spearman rank-order correlations (in terms of classifications into ACTFL and NRS levels, respectively for each assessment), were examined. As expected, the average scale scores on the literacy test gradually increased as the corresponding Level of STAMP Pro increased, and the correlations were moderate (0.63 – 0.65). These results suggest a moderately strong relationship between the literacy test and the STAMP Pro test and support the claim that the literacy test assesses English language proficiency. When it comes to program class placement, students were divided into three different class levels, and correlations between class level and scale score on the literacy assessment were calculated. The relationships were of moderate strength, as expected. When it comes to teacher judgments, we used a single estimate of the students’ overall reading and writing proficiency levels according to the 2017 NRS EFLs. For 82% of examinees, there was an exact or adjacent agreement between teacher judgments and literacy test scores, both for reading and writing sections.
In summary, the present study provides robust convergent validity evidence for the literacy test’s ability to measure reading and writing proficiency among a population of adult English language learners and place examinees in a hierarchical fashion according to a proficiency framework.

LARC 2025 Conference Presentation—PreK-8 Oral Proficiency Assessment: Free Tools and Training for Educators
2025-04-05 00:00
PreK-8 Oral Proficiency Assessment: Free Tools and Training for Education
Date & Time: April 5, 2025 | 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PDT
Location: LARC, Fullerton, CA
Presenter(s):

Elyssa Sun
Jamie Morgan
Leslie Fink
Rachel Myers
Jenna Bushton

Description:
Interest in PK-8 world language (WL) programs has increased in recent years, and there is a growing need for adaptable tools and training to effectively assess young learners’ oral proficiency in elementary and middle school WL programs, including immersion or dual language programs, heritage language programs, and Indigenous language programs. There is a lack of appropriate assessments for use in these programs, and educators working in these contexts often have limited access to low-cost, self-access professional development opportunities focused on assessment and ways to integrate assessment into language teaching and learning to ensure students are being assessed on what was actually taught in the classroom.
This demonstration will present the Student Oral Proficiency Assessment (SOPA) Training Program, a free, self-access online training program for an oral proficiency assessment for PK-8 WL learners in the United States.
The SOPA Training Program was developed with a three-year grant from the International Research and Studies Program of the U.S. Department of Education. It includes a series of seven interactive, web-based modules (including a rating practice module), a resource library with additional documents and supports, and a video library with additional sample SOPA administrations in English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. The SOPA is a paired oral interview assessment tool that measures speaking and listening performance using a rating scale based on the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines. Once educators are trained, the SOPA is free to use as an accessible, effective, and reliable way of measuring student language growth and outcomes.
The purpose of the training program is to provide a sustainable and cost-effective way to train educators to administer and rate the SOPA; to strengthen language assessment in Spanish and Mandarin, two of the most commonly taught languages in PK-8 programs, by providing specific resources for these languages; and to increase positive washback to the classroom and build capacity in programs by deepening educators’ understanding of best practices for using proficiency-based assessment, which can then be applied to formative assessment practices and classroom instruction.
To ensure training program materials are accessible, engaging, and produce reliable results, the design process involved educator input and involvement at multiple stages, including via virtual focus groups at the beginning of the project, during the project when collecting videos onsite, and at the end when piloting the program before it launched. The product was also developed using expert input from an external evaluator, who completed annual evaluations to help ensure the high quality of materials and that project operations and processes supported program objectives.
By providing free, flexible, computer-based training with sample assessment videos and adaptable rating practice materials, the SOPA Training Program fills a gap in assessment tools and training for PK-8 WL programs. It provides educators with immediate results, makes it possible to individualize assessment practices to best meet the needs of their students and classroom, and allows the opportunity to tailor the assessment to specific program goals and objectives, ensuring better alignment and integration with teaching and learning that will improve overall effectiveness and success of programs.

LARC 2025 Conference Presentation—Examining Alternate-Form Reliability in Adult ESL Literacy Assessments: A Case Study
2025-04-05
Examining Alternate-Form Reliability in Adult ESL Literacy Assessments: A Case Study
Date & Time: April 5, 2025 | 04:00–04:30 p.m. PDT
Location: California State University, Fullerton
Presenter(s):

Leah Guo (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Aubrey Sahouria (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Leslie Fink(Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:

One essential quality of any good assessment is reliability, which describes the consistency of measurement and the stability of test scores when an assessment is repeated upon a population. The Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing (AERA et al., 2014) stress the importance of using assessments with high reliability and provide some factors to consider with different coefficients. This presentation discusses specifically how alternate-form reliability estimates can provide more insight into score interpretation for pre- and post-instruction assessments, especially in English as a Second Language (ESL) programs. This method for assessing reliability is superior to the test-retest method because it reduces the extent to which an individual’s memory can inflate the reliability estimate, as may happen with a single form.
This study examines scores from three alternate test forms of a literacy assessment designed for use in an adult English language teaching context in the US. We investigated whether examinees would receive comparable results, all else held constant, when assessed by an alternate test form. Measuring the gains of participants in federally funded adult education programs that are required to report under the National Reporting System (U.S. Department of Education, Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education, 2017). Data was collected from participants across three adult ESL programs in the US. Each participant completed two of the three possible forms of the assessment within a three-week window. Their raw scores were converted to literacy levels on the National Reporting System (NRS) Levels classification scale based on the results of a previous standard-setting study, and the examinee’s classifications based on each form were compared.
Alternate-form reliability was evaluated using bivariate correlations among the different forms administered to examinees. When comparing examinee performance across shared exercises across forms, performance did not change significantly, suggesting minimal prior exposure effects and lending credence to the reliability of the alternate test forms. Results showed reasonably high alternate-form test-retest reliability coefficients and provided good empirical evidence towards examinees obtaining comparable results between forms. Specifically, for NRS Levels classifications for literacy, examinee’s classifications between their two administered alternate forms were either exactly in agreement or had adjacent level agreement. This comparability is a necessary consideration in the context of standard setting and content alignment for literacy assessments.

CAL Spanish-English Biliteracy Instruction (¡en español!): Foundations
2025-04-07
April 7–10 and 14–15, 2025
Cómo fomentar el desarrollo de la lengua y lectoescritura: Diferencias lingüísticas entre el español y el inglés y su impacto en la enseñanza de la lengua y lectoescritura bilingüe
This interactive institute, formerly known as the Spanish Language and Literacy institute, is designed to provide participants with research-based, effective methods for teaching academic language and literacy to students in grades K-8 in programs where students can learn in Spanish and English. Classroom practices are framed by an understanding of how Spanish and English linguistic features are the same and different.
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2025 AAAS Conference Roundtable—The Lapdog Syndrome: Polyethnographies of Asian Women Navigating Power and Identity
2025-04-19 14:45 - 16:15
The Lapdog Syndrome: Polyethnographies of Asian Women Navigating Power and Identity
Date & Time: April 19, 2025 | 2:45 – 4:15 p.m ET
Location: Alcott Room, The Westin Boston Seaport District, Boston, MA
Presenter(s):

Christine Montecillo Leider, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Minh Nghia Nguyen, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Alisha Nguyen, Lesley University
Diep Nguyen, Center for Applied Linguistics
Christine Seon Sol Rheem, Michigan State University
Phitsamay Uy, University of Massachusetts, Lowell
Shengxiao “Sole” Yu, Social Justice Educator

Description:
The Lapdog Syndrome within professional spaces posits that Asian women serve as capable experts in their respective fields yet are often called upon to do racial interlocution tasks for their white colleagues and/or administrators when conflicts between whites and non-Asian people of color emerge. Thus, Asian women are positioned as seemingly objective and fair arbitrators of racial conflict, a co-construction that makes them ‘raceless.’ Such interlocution work is done in relative invisibility, further reinforcing Asian women’s peripheral and incomplete positioning as legitimate contributors to the more public endeavor of social justice work for racial solidarity.

AERA 2025 Annual Meeting Presentation—A Graduate Student Perspective on ELT Preparation to Advance the Decolonization/Decolonial Project in TESOL/applied Linguistics
2025-04-24
A Graduate Student Perspective on ELT Preparation to Advance the Decolonization/Decolonial Project in TESOL/Applied Linguistics
Date & Time: April 24, 2025 | 09:50–11:20 a.m. MT
Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Terrace Level, Bluebird Ballroom Room 3G
Presenter(s): Sarah Howard
Description:
Fostering critical dispositions (McClure & Vasconcelos, 2011) and equipping future language educators with the tools to support diverse learners have been central to teacher preparation programs for decades. Innovative language teacher preparation programs aiming to prepare pre-service and in-service teachers for engaging in decolonization efforts underscore the development of these fundamental skills and competencies in the preparation of future leaders. Responding to calls for continuous reflective praxis (Mignolo & Walsh, 2018) and framed within the theoretical perspective of decolonization and decoloniality, as articulated by scholars in the field (e.g., De Costa et al., 2024; Hunt & Leeuw, 2020; Motha, 2014; Mignolo & Walsh, 2018), the presenter argues for what English Language Teacher (ELT) preparation programs need to consider in the preparation of future ELT professionals who can advance decolonial work with confidence. Beginning by disclosing their own positionality and motivation for engaging in this work, the presenter discusses the challenges, complexities, and limitations they have observed and experienced when introduced to a decolonial agenda in an existing traditional applied linguistics/TESOL program. Derived from their own educational experiences and reflective praxis, they discuss what works well and what may still need optimization to prepare pre-service and in-service teachers to advance the decolonization project. The presenter incorporates storytelling in the examination of their experiences navigating decolonial approaches and initiatives in my graduate work within TESOL/applied linguistics individually and with their peers. Reflecting on their personal experience as a new TESOL master’s student encountering the decolonial perspective, and with the collaborative support and vulnerability of their peers and professor, the presenter recounts how they gained transformative insight that furthered their passion for the decolonial agenda and fueled a strong desire for advocating for not only multilingual learners, but also for peers, colleagues, and the field at large. In a diverse graduate classroom encompassing both international and US perspectives and lived experiences, students collectively challenged each other’s preconceptions of education broadly and ELT in particular. The presenter discusses the key features of our collaborative environment that fostered such growth and transformation on their part. Faced with not only the obstacles of rigorous concepts and theories but also students’ ability to be vulnerable with each other and critically reflect on their ideologies and positionalities, the outcomes transformed how students approach ELT and their current trajectory in the doctoral program. It is hoped that, in sharing these experiences, a decolonial agenda can be pushed forward via advocating for the decolonization of ELT programs. Limitations will also be addressed regarding ecological constraints and how the decolonial agenda is a lifelong endeavor with no cure-all for fighting Eurocentric ideologies within applied linguistics (Mignolo & Walsh, 2018). This contribution demonstrates unique insight into the graduate student perspective on decolonization and the prospective contribution for ELT preparation programs to further support future teachers in advocating for critical transformation for their students and in their workplaces. Additionally, this presentation highlights programmatic suggestions to instill an environment conducive to decolonizing work for future educators.

AERA 2025 Annual Meeting Presentations—Instructional Quality in Collaborative Teaching: What Factors Support or Impede It?
2025-04-24
Instructional Quality in Collaborative Teaching: What Factors Support or Impede It?
Date & Time: April 24, 2025 | 1:45–3:15 p.m MT
Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 711
Presenter(s): Sarah Howard
Description:
Co-teaching is a prominent instructional model used to provide integrated language and content learning for EL-designated multilingual learners (Kibler et al., 2023), and scholarly attention is often paid to the structures and quality of teacher collaboration itself (e.g., Yoon, 2023). While this work is valuable, it does not address the resulting instructional quality that students experience, which Darling Hammond describes as the “sine qua non” (Levin, 2020, para. 2) of any reform effort. We draw upon observational and interview data to identify co-taught lessons featuring high-quality instruction (as conceptualized in Walqui & Bunch, 2019; WestEd, 2020), and then identify the collaborative communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and ecological factors (van Lier, 2004) influencing these classrooms. We also compare these instructional, collaborative, and ecological features to those found in lessons lacking features of high-quality instruction. Data are drawn from 40 co-taught middle and high-school lessons that were observed across three districts and in multiple content areas. Data also include 28 teacher and 33 school and district administrator interviews. Each lesson is treated as an individual case within a multiple case study design (Stake, 2006). Observational data (i.e., fieldnotes, audio-recordings, and lesson documents) were used to establish the instructional quality of each lesson, and both observations and interviews were used to identify the collaborative community of practice among co-teachers and the ecological factors shaping their collaboration. Analysis followed an inductive/deductive design (Fereday & Muir-Cochrane, 2006), with initial inductive coding and memoing followed by alignment of themes to above-mentioned theoretical frameworks, with adaptations to the frameworks as appropriate. Initial analyses suggest that a relatively limited number of lessons fully met our criteria for high-quality instruction, conceptualized according to characteristics of academic rigor, high teacher expectations, quality teacher/student and peer interactions, an integrated language focus, and quality curriculum (WestEd, 2020). Those that did, however, were supported by collaboration among co-teachers that featured extensive planning and ongoing communication, equitable sharing of responsibilities, and thoughtful syntheses of both teachers’ pedagogical approaches. These teachers also benefited from school and district ecologies in which administrators were knowledgeable, co-planning was prioritized, and co-teachers taught a limited number of other courses. Our analysis suggests that lessons without high instructional quality typically lacked the collaboratives and ecological supports found above. However, certain instructional patterns—such as rapid curricular pacing, limited peer interaction, a lack of teacher relationships with students, and disconnected language activities—were found even when collaboration and ecologies were strongly supportive. These patterns suggest that although structural support for co-teaching at the secondary level is critically important, an emphasis on instructional quality reveals multiple notable disjunctures in co-teaching, even when structures and support for collaboration are present. These are wide-ranging, from issues of content coverage/pacing to approaches to language pedagogy to opportunities for interaction and relationship-building. Such patterns suggest important areas of professional learning for language and content co-teachers, and for further research to understand how collaborating teachers can develop this pedagogical expertise together.

AERA 2025 Annual Meeting Presentation—Teachers’ Development of Critical Consciousness around Multilingual Families
2025-04-25
Teachers’ Development of Critical Consciousness Around Multilingual Families
Date & Time: April 25, 2025 | 9:50–11:20 0.m MT
Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 711
Presenter(s): Sarah Howard
Description:
Fundamental to teachers’ culturally relevant instructional practices is their knowledge of students and families (Gay, 2010; Ladson-Billings, 2014), but teachers typically receive little preparation in how to meaningfully engage with multilingual families and communities (Green, 2018; Jones, 2020). Aligned with recent calls to learn from and build on multilingual families’ dynamic literacy practices (Paulick et al., 2020), this case study explores the experiences of in-service dual-language teachers participating in a professional learning initiative designed to build their critical consciousness around family literacy. We address the question: How did participating teachers develop critical consciousness around multilingual families’ literacy practices through participation in this program? This intrinsic case study (Stake, 2006) focuses on a cohort of dual-language teachers (N = 4) from Applegate School District (pseudonym) who participated in an online university ESOL and Dual Language endorsement program that included coursework as well as a teacher-designed and district-specific family literacy project. This district was selected because of its long-standing dual-language programming. Data include two teacher focus groups (at the program’s beginning and end), an interview with their district facilitator, and teachers’ online course discussions and submissions. Researchers read data for inductive themes around family literacy, which they aligned with the critical consciousness principles for dual-language teachers (Dorner et al., 2022). To capture change over time for individual teachers and the district cohort, data were also coded to capture stages of development, as articulated in Harro’s (2000) cycle for liberation, which outlines intrapersonal, interpersonal, and systemic changes educators experience as they develop critical perspectives. Initial analyses suggest that dual-language teachers engaged in critical intrapersonal and interpersonal development through course discussions that asked them to historicize their own and their students’ family language practices, conversations that were marked by a strong sense of solidarity among teachers and with the multilingual families they served. Although some teachers could already embrace discomfort and listen critically, all showed evidence of further developing these skills through assignments and activities that asked them to engage directly with multilingual families to better understand their literacy practices. Finally, many dual-language teachers planned future systemic changes to help their schools affirm multilingual families’ identities, interrogate power by calling out inequitable circumstances, and center the translingual practices of families and communities. However, multiple teachers were ambivalent about the teacher-designed and district-specific family literacy project, which was created to support systemic change, suggesting the challenges involved in developing critical consciousness in ways that support systemic changes to better serve multilingual families. From a theoretical perspective, this analysis demonstrates the promise of applying critical consciousness and cycle for liberation frameworks to multilingual family literacy together to better understand the development of critical consciousness over time. This study also highlights successful areas for university endorsement programs aiming to develop critical consciousness for dual-language teachers around multilingual family literacy through intrapersonal self-reflection, engagement with peers, and direct experience with multilingual families. At the same time, it underscores variation in teachers’ uptake of these ideas, particularly when participating in systemic change.

AERA 2025 Annual Meeting Presentation—Developing a Classroom Assessment System in Science: Centering Educators' and Multilingual Students' Voices
2025-04-25
Developing a Classroom Assessment System in Science: Centering Educators’ and Multilingual Students’ Voices
Date & Time: April 25, 2025 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m MT
Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 403
Presenter(s): Keira Ballantyne, Brittany York, Amy Burden, Ivanna Anderson
Description:
The Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory (M2-Si) is a classroom assessment designed to showcase what students know and can do in science, not merely what students know and can do in science in English. This study focuses on the development and pilot testing of M2-Si classroom activities, evaluating the implementation of activities in classroom contexts in collaboration with students and educator-researchers (ERs).
Theoretical perspectives encompass assessment, multilingualism, and science education.
Assessment is a sociocultural practice rooted in cultural, social, and educational contexts (Shohamy, 1998; Chalhoub-Deville and Tarone, 1996). Experts suggest traditional content area assessments may not meet multilingual learners’ (MLs) needs (ELL Working Policy Group, 2011, 2015; Robinson-Cimpian et al., 2016; Menken, 2008).
Multilingualism is an asset that students bring to their learning. Students thrive when their full cultural and linguistic identities are welcomed into the classroom (Alim & Paris, 2017; Arias, 2022; Bucholtz, 1999; Esteban-Guitart & Moll, 2014; Gay, 2010; Moll et al., 1992; Rymes & Pash, 2004; Wortham, 2006). Learners understand, generate, and communicate about content using their full linguistic repertoires, including translanguaging practices (García, 2009; García, Johnson, & Seltzer, 2016; Schissel et al., 2018).
While research shows that diverse teams produce more impactful science (Powell, 2018), ML students continue to be underrepresented in science and engineering (NASEM, 2018). We ground our approach in local contexts. Assessment activities are aligned with relevant science standards and reviewed using a modified NGSS science task screener tool.
Our study proceeds in two methodological phases. First, 15 grade 3–5 ERs attended a science education conference and activity development workshop, including PD around science, assessment, and multilingualism and multiliteracies. The research team developed 2 example activities, and ERs developed 14 draft assessment activities.
Next, 11 ERs pilot-tested these 16 activities, for a total of 54 implementations. Data include a total of 16 videos, 30 observational notes, 54 ER reflections, 29 student interviews, and notes from 8 PLC meetings. Student participants (n = 279) include 62 current and 33 former MLs and 16 other multilingual students.
Preliminary results suggest that educators can implement the activities with modifications and that activities are engaging for ERs and students. “Suddenly my students who don’t speak any English were engaged, making connections to their life of what they had seen in their home country, and sharing their thoughts and experiences excitedly with the class.” There is evidence of students using multiple linguistic and multimodal resources, and some evidence that educators can use results to adjust instruction. “This activity opened my eyes to other ways to assess student understanding of concepts other than just formal assessments on paper.”
Beyond the significance of these results to the project at hand, we wish to highlight the significance of this methodological approach to constructing a statewide assessment. Our assessment centers validity for multilingual learners, welcoming students to bring their full linguistic and multimodal communicative repertoires into play. We include the voices of educators as critical designers and researchers in the work and incorporate feedback from student voices as a key design element.

AERA 2025 Annual Meeting Presentation—Design Principles for Opportunity and Thriving: Centering Multilingual Learners in Formative Assessment
2025-04-26
Design Principles for Opportunity and Thriving: Centering Multilingual Learners in Formative Assessment
Date & Time: April 26, 2025 | 11:40 a.m. – 1:25 p.m MT
Location: The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Meeting Room Level, Room 403
Presenter(s): Amy Burden, Ivanna Anderson, Keira Ballantyne, Brittany York
Description:
We present the process for selecting design principles that undergird a four-year classroom-based multilingual, multimodal assessment e-portfolio system created for North Carolina public schools. In addition to describing the modes of inquiry grounded in systems theory, we present each principle and its significance within the communities impacted by the work. We provide the steps the team undertook to work across diverse communities and organizations to remedy and repair traditional deficit assessment models. These design principles and the assessment system being developed from them center on multilingual students, their families, and their science educators but will benefit all learners in this context. Attendees will receive this set of principles, which can serve as a blueprint for designing effective assessments.

MEDLI 2025
2025-07-01
Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education: Biliteracy through Authenticity
Date & Time: July 1, 2025 | 10:40 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. PST
Location: Lotus A
Presenter(s):

Analleli Hernandez

Description:
How can the Guiding Principles of Dual Language Education inform classroom instruction? Biliteracy for today and the future depends on our ability to embrace the authentic practices and lived experiences of students. This session will connect linguistic spaces and cultural resources of bi/multilinguals with research-based principles and instructional strategies that advance the core goals of dual language education. Leave with concrete examples to create learning environments where students’ dynamic identities thrive.

CAL SIOP for Dual Language Programs: Developing Academic Language and Content in Two Languages
2025-07-08
July 8–10, 2025
Learn SIOP methods for meeting the three pillars of dual language education: bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence!
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CAL SIOP for Trainers: Intermediate Institute
2025-07-14
July 14-17, 2025
Take your expertise in the SIOP Model to the next level and build the skills needed to lead high-quality professional development sessions in your school or district. Designed for educators with prior SIOP experience who are ready to grow as trainers and facilitators, join us for a collaborative learning experience that will deepen your understanding and expand your impact.
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CAL SIOP for Instructional Coaches: Advanced Institute
2025-07-21
July 21-24, 2025
Deepen your expertise in supporting teachers with implementation of the SIOP Model through job-embedded coaching and professional learning. Designed specifically for instructional coaches who want to strengthen their ability to provide sustained, site-based support, join us for this interactive online offering.
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Spanish-English Biliteracy Instruction (¡en español!): Advanced
2025-08-06
August 6–7, 2025
Pon tus conocimientos sobre las similitudes y diferencias entre el español y el inglés en práctica para crear actividades diseñadas para fomentar el desarrollo de la conciencia metalingüística
This new institute is designed to help participants deepen their knowledge about similarities and differences between Spanish and English and enhance their biliteracy instruction and coaching in programs where content is delivered in Spanish and English, such as dual language and transitional bilingual education programs.
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