Assessment of English Language Learners: A Bilingual Approach

Texas Public School Demographics: 2009 Snapshot

African AmericanHispanicWhiteOther

How do we qualify and work with a bilingual population when:

▫ The tests we used are not normed on this population.▫ My gut feeling doesn’t match the test results.▫ I don’t know what goals are appropriate.

Learner Objectives 

• Participants will list, identify, describe…▫ Reasons for testing both languages▫ Formal and informal measures for testing ELLs▫ Use of tests when a student is not represented in the normative sample

▫ Selection of the language of intervention▫ Development of appropriate goals▫ ASHA guidelines for intervention with bilingual students

Difference vs. Disorder

NORMAL ERRORS

SECOND-LANGUAGE INFLUENCE

ATYPICAL ERRORS

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“For adults, the idea of an “uncontaminated”monolingual is probably a fiction.”Ellen Bialystok

S Se Se SE Es Es E

Spanish

Engl

ishED BE

BS

SD

Conceptual

L1 Lexical L2 LexicalL2 Lexical

(Kroll, Michael, Tokowicz, & Dufour, 2002; Kroll, van Hell, Tokowicz, & Green, 2010)

▫ + =    Positive transfer

▫ + =    Negative transfer

The differences and shared characteristics of two sound systems

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Speech Outcomes

• Qualifies• DNQ

• DNQ• DNQ

Errors typical for

age

Errors due to second

language

Errors atypical for age

and language

No errors present

• Speech and language development from:▫ 0‐36 months▫ 36 months forward

• With:▫ Spanish▫ English▫ Crosslinguistic Influence 

Differences Similarities

• 0‐1 month – crying and vegetative sounds• 1‐6 months – cooing, laughter, squealing, growling

• 4‐6 months – marginal babbling• 6‐8 months – reduplicated babbling• 8‐10 months – variegated babbling• 8‐12 months – echolalia• 9‐12 months – phonetically               consistent forms

• 9‐12 months – jargon

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

• For parents:    (Lynch, Brookshire & Fox, 1980)▫ 18 months ‐ ~25% intelligible▫ 2 year olds  ‐ 50‐75% intelligible▫ 3 year olds  ‐ 75%‐100% intelligible

• For unfamiliar:     (Flipsen, 2006)▫ 18 months ‐ ~25% intelligible▫ 2 year olds ‐ ~50% intelligible▫ 3 year olds ‐ ~75% intelligible▫ 4 year olds ‐ 100% intelligible

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

• Difficulty producing sounds in both languages, even with adult assistance

• Family history of speech‐language impairment • Slower development than siblings• Difficulty interacting with peers• Difficulty with speech production in many routines and settings

• Speech production unlike others with similar cultural/linguistic experiences

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

The differences and shared characteristics of two sound systems

/ɲ//ɾ/

/R//x/

/ð/ /dʒ//h//ŋ/

/θ/ /r/ /ʃ//v/ /w//z/ /ʒ/

SPANISH ENGLISH

/b/ /d/ /ɡ/ /p/ /t/ /k//m/ /n/ /s/ /tʃ/ /j/ /l/

/f/

English consonants mastered in words across time

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English consonants mastered in words across time

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English consonants –GFTA 2

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Spanish consonants mastered in words across time

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

Spanish consonant acquisition ‐Goldstein

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Developmental speech information for teachers

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Consonant Difference Activity 

BATH BAT

Consonant Difference Activity 

THREE TREE

Consonant Difference Activity 

SHOE CHEW

Consonant Difference Activity 

VASE BASE

/æ/ /ɔ/ /ʊ//u/ /ʌ/ /ɛ/

/ɪ/ /i/

/ɑ//e//i//o//u/

SPANISH ENGLISH

• 13‐14 vowel sounds in English (depending on dialect and detail)

• 5 vowels in Spanish (a e i o u)

Vowel ChartEnglish and Spanish          

Vowel Difference Activity 

HAT HOT

Vowel Difference Activity 

GET GATE

Vowel Difference Activity 

HIT HEAT

Vowel Difference Activity 

FUN PHONE

Vowel Difference Activity 

LOOK LUKE

When the rules of two sound systems overlap or are mutually exclusive

Cluster reductionStoppingFronting

AssimilationGliding

Final consonant deletionDeaffrication

Tap/Trill Deviation Vocalization

SPANISH ENGLISH

Phonological Processes: Norms

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

Spanish                                                English

CV Dominated

Few words ending in Cs

Few allowable phonemes as final Cs (only l, n, d, s, r)

More clusters

Many words ending in Cs

Many allowable phonemes final Cs

C = Consonant

V = Vowel

Clinical judgment with the Goldman Fristoe

Other Common Languages

Vietnamese

Romanian

HindiUrdu

Arabic

/ɲ/ /ɽʱ/ /t ̪ʰ//ʋ/ /q/ /d̪ʱ/ /ɾ/ /pʰ/ /ʈʰ/

/x/ /bʰ/ /ɖʱ/ /kʰ/ /ɡʱ/ /tʃʰ/

/dʒʱ/ /ɣ/

/ð/ /ʒ//ŋ/ /θ//v/ /w/

HINDI ENGLISH

/b/ /d/ /ɡ/ /p/ /t/ /k//m/ /n/

/s/ /z/ /h//r/ /ʃ/

/tʃ/ /dʒ//j/ /l/

/f/

Hindi Consonants

/ɑ/ /æ/ /ɔ/ /ʊ//u/ /ʌ/

/ɛ/ /ɪ/ /i//e/ /i/ /o/

/u/

HINDI ENGLISH

Speech Summary

• So what do we know:▫ Building blocks are the same for both monolinguals and bilinguals, and across languages

▫ General guidelines for intelligibility are the same ▫ Expect some cross‐linguistic influence in speech production where the two languages differ

▫ Use therapy materials that provide speech sounds that are appropriate for the child’s age and language

“No language is immune to the intrusion from the barrage of words and phrases that rise out of one language…and deposit themselves in the lexicon of another.”Ellen Bialystok

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Children code switch between languages because they don’t know either language well.

FACTor

MYTH

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Raising children with two languages will confuse them.

FACTor

MYTH

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Parents should not use more than one language with their child.

FACTor

MYTH

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Comparisons to siblings and peers can help identify language learning difficulties.

FACTor

MYTH

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Children with language impairment should not learn more than one language at a time.

FACTor

MYTH

Fact or Myth Language Activity 

Bilingual children have to translate from their weaker to their stronger language.

FACTor

MYTH

• 0-1 month – crying and vegetative sounds• 2-3 months eye gaze• 6-9 months-- joint attention• 9-12 months -- using gestures• 12-15 months--following simple commands• 18 months – symbolic play, pretend play• 24 months – sequencing of activities• 36 months – episodic play

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

• Based on the Competition Model as applied to bilingual development (MacWhinney & Bates, 1989)

▫ Forward Transfer (L1 to L2) expected for ELLs• The effects of Spanish on English can result in errors in:▫ Verb errors (especially unmarked present for past tense)

▫ Content word errors (more than general words)▫ Prepositions▫ Pronouns▫ Word order

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Mean Errors Per Grade Spanish

05

101520253035

PK K 1st 2nd 3rd

Num

ber o

f Err

ors

SpnMorphSpnSemanticSpnSyntacticSpnTotal

Mean Errors Per Grade English

05

101520253035

PK K 1st 2nd 3rd

Num

ber o

f Err

ors

EngMorphEngSemanticEngSyntacticEngTotal

Cross‐linguistic Errors in Children with Typical Development

When the rules of two grammar systems positively or negatively influence each other.

Syntax

Verb Differences

English (2 two forms of verb person ▫ I eat▫ You eat ▫ He eats ▫ We eat ▫ Y’all eat▫ They eat

In Spanish (5-6 forms of verb person) ▫ Yo como▫ Tú comes▫ Él/Ella/Ud. come ▫ Nosotros comemos▫ Vosotros coméis▫ Ellos comen

Most frequent SIE verb error: Unmarked present tense for past tense

Click here to download this chart as a pdf.

Pronouns

• Spanish is called a Pro‐Drop language because subjects/pronouns are usually dropped once the subject has been established.

• In English, pronouns are required.

Spanish English

Maria fue a la tienda.  (Ella) Compró pan.

Maria went to the store.  Shebought bread.

Word Order

ENGLISH SPANISH

• Strict Word Order• SVO▫ John threw the ball.

• Flexible• SVO, OSV, VOS▫ Juan tiró la pelota.▫ La pelota Juan tiró.▫ Tiró la pelota Juan.

When two languages compete to apply meaning to words and phrases.

Semantics

Multi‐Purpose Verbs

Spanish phrases with multi‐purpose verbs

English Equivalents Spanish‐Influenced English

Tomar una decisión To make a decision Did you take a decision?*

Poner una cita To make an appointment Do you want to put an appointment?*

Tener hambre To be hungry Do you have hunger?*

Tener 4 años To be 4‐years old I have 4 years.*

•Verbs such as “do, “make,” “put,” and “take”generally have one primary meaning and other less frequent uses.  • Subject to transfer of meaning from L1.  

Preposition DifferencesEnglish▫ Satellite-framede.g. verb + preposition

To look forTo get on

▫ Not 1:1 correspondence of meaning

in, on

Spanish▫ Verb-framede.g. directional

information in verbBuscarSubir

▫ Not 1:1 correspondence of meaning

en

Frequent SIE error: Preposition error or omission

Prepositions

Spanish Prepositions English Equivalent Spanish‐influenced Eng

en “in” and “on” Put the food in the plate.*, Put the soup on the bowl.*

Pensar en OR Pensar de To think about or think of I think on him every day.*

Enojarse con/de Get mad at Get mad with/of*

Decidir de To decide on Decide ofwhat you want?*

Casarse con To marry or be married to Is he married with her?*

Enamorarse de To be in love with Is he in love of her?*

Consistir en To consist of What does your plan consist in?*

Buscar To look for I look my toy.*

Subir To go up, to get on I go the stairs.*

Content Errors

• Spanish‐influenced English may include use of words close in meaning to the target ▫ “moose” for “deer”▫ “turtle” for “frog”▫ “rat” for “chipmunk”▫ “cone house of the bees” for “beehive”

• Typically do not use general vocabulary (“this,”“thing”)

Frequent SIE error: Incorrect but related vocabulary

• Bilingual children develop early vocabulary at the same rate as monolingual children (Pearson, 1993).

• Early language milestones are similar (single words, lexical spurt, 2‐word phrases) (Pearson and Fernandez, 2001).

• Conceptual scores are similar (Pearson, 1998).• Language exposure drives vocabulary production (Pearson, Fernandez, Lewedeg, and Oller, 1997) 

• For bilingual toddlers 30% of vocabulary are translation equivalents1

• Young school‐age bilinguals produce same # of category items in Spanish and English BUT 70% are unique to one language2

• Task performance varies by language3

• 1 Pearson, Fernandez & Oller, 1995• 2 Peña, Bedore & Zlatic, 2002• 3 Peña, Bedore, & Rappazzo, 2003

• Children tend to shift  ‐ L1 to L2▫ 8‐10 year‐old were faster in English but more accurate in Spanish.

▫ 11‐13‐year‐olds showed no clear advantage in either language.

▫ By 14‐16 years of age children were more accurate and faster in English.

01234

EnglishSpanish

LANGUAGE CASE STUDY

IM, Age 7;2, 2nd grade 

IM lives with his mother, two siblings (ages 6 and 5), grandmother, aunts and cousins.  Spanish is the dominant language in the home.  IM reported that he speaks Spanish at home and English at school.  

“Bilingualism is random chaos for psychometrics”

Figueroa

Tools were not developed for our population• We need to use an assessment tool.

• English tests were not normed for the English of ESL learners. 

• Clinical judgment regarding missed items and items correct is critical.

• It’s always critical to use information beyond the assessment tool to complete an assessment.

• Let’s look now at some of the things that can help us differentiate bilinguals with typical development from those with delayed/disordered language skills.

Systematic Analysis of Language Transcripts (SALT)

Dynamic Assessment

( )

• Difficulty learning both languages, even with adult assistance

• Family history of language/learning disabilities • Slower development than siblings• Difficulty interacting with peers• Inappropriate pragmatic/social language skills (i.e., turn‐taking, topic maintenance, considering listener needs, non‐verbal communication)

• Difficulty with language in many routines• Idiosyncratic error patterns • Language performance unlike others with similar cultural/linguistic experiences

A student from a second language home does not perform typically for her age on standardized  and informal evaluations.

Is this due to second language influence or is she truly impaired?

How do we make this decision confidently?• Testing Procedures and 

questions• The role of language survey

• Using Case Studies to understand testing results and outcomes

When do we test in two languages?

• Is the language survey valuable to us?

• Are the results from language proficiency testing valuable to us?  (woodcock‐muñoz language survey)

Speech and Language Testing is Cumulative not Comparative 

Cumulative not Comparative

Language and Content of Intervention Select based on what is appropriate in each language and 

what is appropriate for child’s and family’s situation. e.g.

Spanish•Gender•Verbs•Article+nouns•Food •Clothing•Household items

Both•People•Functions•Categorization•Part-Whole

English•Pronouns•Prepositions•Nouns•Colors•Numbers•Shapes

Peña & Kester, 2004

Take Away Points

• Thorough language history is critical.• Thorough health (especially hearing) history is

needed.• Testing in all languages is the only way to get a

complete picture of a student.• Understanding the features of the non-English

language as well as how those compare to English will help identify what errors may be due to cross-language influence.

Assessment Summary

• So what do we know:▫ Not all bilinguals are the same ▫ Children in recent second language environments may display behaviors common in monolinguals with language impairment

▫ Problems associated with all assessment tools▫ We need to go beyond the tool in assessment▫ Ongoing assessment across many daily routines is critical▫ Exploring both/all languages is essential.

Helpful Resources on typical phonological process errors in English-speaking, Spanish-speaking and Bilingual Children. Davis, B. L., Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E., Kester, E. S., Peña, E. D. (2008). English speech sound development in pre-school aged children from bilingual English-Spanish environments. Lang Speech Hear Serv Sch 2008 39: 314-328.

Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E., Peña E. D, Davis, B. L., Kester, E.S.,. (2009). Effects of L1 during early acquisition of L2: Speech changes in Spanish at first English contact. Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 12, 2, 259-272.

Gildersleeve-Neumann, C. E., Kester, E.S., Davis, B. L., & Peña, E. D. (2007). Speech development in 3- to 4-year-old children from bilingual Spanish/English and monolingual Spanish and English environments. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in the Schools.

Goldstein, B. (2007a). Spanish speech acquisition. In S. McLeod (Ed.), The international guide to speech acquisition (pp. 539-553). Clifton Park, NY:Thomson Delmar Learning.

Goldstein, B. (2007b). Speech acquisition across the world: Spanish Influenced English. In S. McLeod (Ed.), The international guide to speechacquisition (pp. 345-356). Clifton Park, NY: Thomson Delmar Learning.

Goldstein, B. (2007). Phonological skills in Puerto Rican- and Mexican-Spanish speaking children with phonological disorders. Clinical Linguistics and Phonetics, 21, 93-109.

Goldstein, B., Fabiano, L., & Washington, P. (2005). Phonological skills inpredominantly English, predominantly Spanish, and Spanish-English bilingual children. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 36, 201-218.

Goldstein, B. (2005). Substitutions in the phonology of Spanish-speakingchildren. Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders, 3, 56-63.

Fabiano, L., & Goldstein, B. (2005). Phonological cross-linguistic influencein sequential Spanish-English bilingual children. Journal of Multilingual Communication Disorders, 3, 56-63.

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Difference or Disorder? Understanding Speech and Language Patterns in Culturally and Linguistically 

Diverse Students

Rapidly identify speech‐language patterns related to second language acquisition to distinguish difference from disorder.