More Equitable Literacy Assessments for Latino Students - Reading Response
- Robert T. Jimenez
- Sep 11, 2015
- 3 min read
Teachers in the 21st century classroom face many problems concering English Language Learners (ELLs) and students with English as a Second Language (ESL). Jimenez addresses the fact that "failure to proide students with [these] forms of literacy consititutes a kind of inequity" (p. 576). We cannot simply shove these students aside without thinking about if they are getting equal opportunities to learn and read. Jimenez says that teachers need to assess students with three domains.
Traditional assessments "indicate how well students are learning the literacy valued in school" (p. 576). This profile should include any languages the child has encountered, where he/she encountered the languages, the age first exposed to English, the amount of exposure to English, the quality of previous instruction, the child's language learning aptitude, the quality of current instructional offerings, and an educational history of the student. This information will better inform you of the needs of the student and how to instruct them. Students will need to be exposed to English a lot more through various means and by giving them excellent instruction.
It is a necessity to assess students' nonschool literacies and their native language literacy. A student's non-English language could be a great advantage to learning English rather than a detriment. "Research shows that the more young people broker language, the better they perform in school (Orellana, Reynolds, Dorner, & Meza, 2003)" (p. 577). Language brokering is the act of a child translating for their parents. Many students will do this for their parents in regular day settings, and this develops the students' skills in English and their literacy in school.
Students in the mainstream classroom, particularly in upper grades, will express shame towards their non-English language. They literate identities are not welcomed in the current school system and will only get them shunned. Therefore, they shun their native language and refuse to speak it. Yet, they do no realize the benefits to retaining their first language and using it to develop their second language, English. "Children who do not understand the relationship between their first and second languages often experience more difficulties with English literacy than those students who view their native tongue as a source of strength" (p.578). Students that see languages as separate from each other and are not intertwined will experience trouble with English. Equitable instruction needs to include opporunities to discuss the relationships between languages.
Reflection:
I've been told time and time again that I need to watch for ELLs in my classroom. It'll be hard for them, you'll have to adjust to them, et cetera et cetera. It wasn't until I flew to a Spanish speaking country and lived there for a month that I found out what that meant. The first day of true immersion I experienced an excruciating headache. The first week was the hardest because my vocabulary was so limited. How was I supposed to function in a country and school that didn't speak my language primarily? I was lucky to have wonderful professors and teachers that helped me through my transition and by the end of the month, I was having full conversations with strangers. My Spanish wasn't perfect, but the improvement from the beginning was so significant my professors commented on it more than once.
Students who don't see the value in using their first language to build their second lose out on a valuable chance to grow. I know that my experience and this article both support the need for the usage of both primary and secondary languages in the classroom. I will make sure to include my ELL/ESL students in as much as I can while using their primary language. I know what it's like to be thrown in the deep end, but it is proven, and I have experienced it: a good teacher truly makes the difference.
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