About this session

Friday, 1:20 PM - 2:50 PM

Dual Language Learners in Focus: The Current Status and Strategies for Effective Preschool Support

Dual language learners (DLLs) represent a growing and vital part of the U.S. education system, making it crucial to develop effective strategies that support their learning. This symposium presents four papers examining the quality of preschool environments for Spanish-English DLLs, focusing on their current state and the relationship to later learning outcomes.

The first two studies highlight the current state of DLL education, underscoring the need for improvement. The first study found that two years of English-only instruction in Head Start (HS) programs were insufficient for many DLLs to develop the English language and literacy skills necessary for reading success by second grade. It also noted the loss of Spanish in English-only classrooms.

Utilizing the Classroom Assessment of Supports for Emergent Bilingual Acquisition (CASEBA), the second statewide study revealed that while more than half of public preschool classrooms had bilingual teachers, support for Spanish and English was low.

The third study, examining nationwide HS programs, showed significant variability in DLL-supportive practices across classrooms. It also found that DLLs achieved better learning outcomes in classrooms with Spanish-proficient lead teachers, although English-monolingual teachers were also able to create Spanish-supportive environments.

The final study showed that DLLs made greater gains in math from kindergarten to third grade in emotionally supportive HS classrooms, while English monolinguals experienced greater gains in instructionally supportive classrooms. The study also identified distinct skills that predicted the academic trajectories of both DLLs and non-DLLs.

The symposium will emphasize tailored quality preschool practices that support the learning and development of DLLs.

Paper #1
Title	Variability in Time to Academic Proficiency: A Longitudinal Investigation of Reading Readiness in Bilingual Children
Presenting author	Dr. Julie C. Smith, University of Virginia, United States

Paper #2
Title	Statewide Evaluation of Publicly Funded Preschool Using CASEBA: Assessing Quality for Dual Language Learners
Presenting author	Alexandra Figueras-Daniel, Ph.D., National Institute for Early Education Research (NIERR) Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, United States

Paper #3
Title	Profiles of Spanish Environments in Head Start: Patterns and Outcomes for Spanish-English Dual Language Learners
Presenting author	Ji Young Choi, Ph.D., The Ohio State University, United States

Paper #4
Title	Academic Trajectories of Head Start Alumni: Comparing Monolinguals and Dual Language Learners
Presenting author	Shinyoung Jeon, University of Missouri, United States

View all paper details

Session chairs
Ji Young Choi, Ph.D., The Ohio State University, United States; Shinyoung Jeon, , United States

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