Advancing Bilingual Special Education: Translanguaging in Content-Based Story Retells for Distinguishing Language Difference from Disability
Many existing assessments for deciding the potential special education needs of emergent bilingual youth are either normed on monolingual students or normed on bilingual students through monolingual data collection (Hamayan, Marler, Sánchez-López, & Damico, 2013; Otheguy, García, & Reid, 2015; Perkins, 2005). To address this issue, we describe a recent study using translanguaging in dynamic assessment with six middle school emergent bilingual youth. Using bilingual language sample analysis of content-based story retells, coded with the Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts software, we demonstrate how emergent bilingual youth are able to produce more language and content knowledge when given the freedom to translanguage. These quantitative data may improve decisions distinguishing language difference from disability and address issues of disproportionality in special education.Abstract
Contributor Notes
Author Bio
Steve Daniel Przymus, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Bilingual Education at Texas Christian University (TCU). His research focuses on translanguaging in pedagogy and assessment, advocating for continued bilingual education for exceptional emergent bilingual youth, the sociolinguistics of bilingualism, metonymy in linguistic landscapes, and the language development, identity, and education of transnational youth.
Manuel Alvarado is currently an instructional coach for South Hills High School. He has been employed with Fort Worth ISD for 12 years. He learned to specialize in teaching English Language Learners at the International Newcomer's Academy where he earned his certification in QTEL (Quality Teaching for English Language Learners) professional development. He recently received a scholarship for a Masters in Educational Leadership and will be attending Tarleton State University to further his educational career.
