Dual Language Learners

Closing the Achievement Gap For Dual Language Learners

Common sense suggests that most students will fall behind if they start school unable to understand the language their teacher is speaking.  In California, where our public schools serve a diverse body of children that speak more than 400 different languages, supporting students’ language development is especially important. In 2006, 42 percent of California’s children enrolled in kindergarten were identified as English Language Learners. As these children move through the public school system, the standardized test performance levels for a majority of these students are lackluster at best. More importantly, they continue to struggle to achieve proficiency in academic English which impacts the cognitive skills necessary to excel in school. As these children grow and the achievement gap widens over time, California must reflect and identify better methods to serve these young children. Read the Preschool California policy brief "Closing the Achievement Gap for Dual Language Learners: How Early Learning Programs Can Support English Language Development" for more details.

What is Dual Language Learning?

Children whose first language is something other than English are often referred to as English Language Learners (ELLs). Most of these ELL students are not immigrants or recent arrivals. In fact, more than three-fourths of the ELL elementary school students are native-born.

Dual language learning refers to a form of education in which a child is taught in more than one language. Emphasis is placed on developing and maintaining a child’s home language while adding a second language.

Importance of the Early Years

Young children ages 0-5 are language learners – they have neither perfected their language proficiency in their home language or in another language.  Research has shown the best approach for a young child’s language and overall cognitive development is to support their home language as they are learning the English language.

A variety of rigorous national research documents the dual language model benefits in early learning environments:

  1. There is scientific consensus that infants have the capacity to learn two languages from birth and that this early dual language exposure supports the development of greater tissue density in areas of the brain that control memory, language and attention.
  2. English skills—when learned as a second language—are best acquired by students who first have strong oral language development (strong vocabulary, phonological awareness, letter knowledge and understanding of print concepts) in their home language.
  3. Young children who are provided with intentional learning opportunities in their home language demonstrate the highest achievement in both their home language and English by the end of third grade and beyond.
  4. Dual Language programs enable native English speakers to acquire advanced second language skills without compromising their first language development.

In addition to supporting the acquisition of English, children benefit from knowing two (or more) languages.  Multilingual children experience higher levels of self-esteem and are afforded greater professional opportunities.

Head Start: Leading the Way

The Head Start Act and the Head Start Program Performance Standards, require that programs support children in the acquisition of English and their home language, while simultaneously providing services to families in a culturally appropriate way. In 2008, the Office of Head Start completed an assessment of its current delivery model. They developed recommendations that focused on three areas (outlined below) and are currently implementing these best practices nationwide.

  1.  Workforce: Develop trainings and materials that help them understand the best practices and benefits of dual language development.
  2. Assessment: Create a developmentally appropriate language and literacy assessment for young children learning two languages.
  3. Family Involvement: Enhance family involvement through outreach and dissemination of information that is culturally and linguistically appropriate.

California Investments

The California Department of Education Child Development Division (CDD) has invested in English language development through publications, trainings and improving existing assessment tools that support English language and home language development, including:  

Publications

  • Preschool Learning Foundations, Vol I
  • Preschool English Language Learners: Principles and Practices to Promote  Language, Literacy and Learning

Assessment Tools

  • Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP)

Training

  • California Preschool Instructional Network

The Work Ahead

While California has made some critical investments in resources designed to support DLLs, our state still faces significant challenges. Progress must be made to meet the following goals:

  1. Professional development should be designed around the most current language development research
  2. Coursework and trainings should be provided in multiple languages for the early childhood education workforce
  3. Creating a culturally and linguistically appropriate early learning environment for families

 Built by Firefly Partners
Powered by Convio
nonprofit software