Assessing Spanish-English Bilingual Preschoolers: A Guide to Best Approaches and Measures

As the population of young dual language learners continues to rise, how can early childhood professionals choose culturally and linguistically appropriate assessments for Spanish–English bilingual preschoolers? They'll get expert guidance in this one-of-a-kind resource, a comprehensive roundup and analysis of 37 developmental assessments available in English and Spanish. The only guide that examines specific early childhood bilingual measures, this book gives professionals detailed reviews culled from the highly respected authors' extensive research and comparative analyses. For each measure, program administrators, curriculum developers, SLPs, and other professionals will

• get an at-a-glance snapshot of key characteristics, including age range, cost, domains measured, and time requirements
• evaluate major strengths and weaknesses
• easily compare the English and Spanish versions across cultural, linguistic, and psychometric properties
• learn the basics of administration and scoring
• investigate technical data, including standardization, norming, validity, and reliability
• see if the tool includes adaptations and accommodations for children with disabilities
• review the results of relevant studies that used the measure

To help professionals conduct the most effective assessments, the book also includes research-based strategies and solid background information. Readers will get a helpful overview of bilingual language development, general guidelines on selecting measures for young dual language learners, and tips on administering assessments with awareness of and respect for cultural and linguistic influences.

An essential resource to support informed decision-making, this invaluable guide will help professionals choose culturally and linguistically appropriate early childhood assessments that accurately capture the abilities of young dual language learners.

A featured book in our Successful Screening and Assessment Kit!

See how this product helps strengthen Head Start program quality and school readiness.

Dr. Barrueco is Assistant Professor of Psychology and Fellow of the Institute for Policy Research & Catholic Studies at The Catholic University of America. Dr. Barrueco specializes in the prevention and early intervention of developmental difficulties, particularly among language-minority, immigrant, and migrant children. Much of her grant-funded research has focused on early bilingual, socioemotional, and acculturative processes within the Latino community.

Throughout her training and career, Dr. Barrueco has been dedicated to learning and utilizing advanced statistics to advance scientific knowledge and practice with young immigrant children and families. This approach is rooted in a community-based participatory research framework involving strong collaborations with families and the local and national programs that serve them. This is reflected in her involvement in local and national studies with Head Start, Early Head Start, and Migrant and Seasonal Head Start as well as her appointments as Board Vice Chair of the DC Bilingual Public Charter School and on the Advisory Committee of the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Immigration.

Dr. Michael López is Executive Director of the National Center for Latino Child & Family Research, which is dedicated to research on issues relevant to practices and policies affecting the lives of Latino children and families. Previously, Dr. López directed the Child Outcomes Research and Evaluation team in the Administration for Children and Families, where he managed a number of largescale national, Head Start research studies, including the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey; the Head Start Transition Evaluation; and the National Head Start Impact Study, a nationally representative, randomized study examining the impact of Head Start on children’s school readiness. Dr. López’s current work is focused on applied policy research and programmatic activities on such topics as early childhood care and education; language and literacy development; bilingual education; early childhood prevention and intervention programs; and young children’s mental health, with an emphasis on at-risk, low-income, and/or culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Christine Ong recently joined the University of California, Los Angeles’s National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing as a Senior Researcher. Previously, Dr. Ong was a visiting researcher at the National Center for Children in Poverty at Columbia University, participating in studies that examined state-level professional development initiatives linked to quality improvement rating systems as well as innovative early childhood mental health policies. Dr. Ong also served as a Senior Research Analyst at First 5 LA—a child-advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of young children and their families in Los Angeles County. She was involved in several First 5 LA projects related to early learning and assessment, including the Los Angeles Universal Preschool Child Outcomes Studies and the evaluation of the Healthy Kids Initiative. While completing a doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education at UCLA, she was involved in numerous projects related to early language and literacy development at the National Center for Research on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing. Dr. Ong also was a Research Fellow at UCLA Seeds University Elementary School and the UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families and Communities.

Patricia Lozano is an Early Childhood Education expert with more than 10 years of experience in the field. She has worked extensively in conducting research and program evaluations of early care, education, and family programs with organizations such as First 5 Los Angeles, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and many others. Ms. Lozano is actively involved in the selection and adaptation of child assessments measures for English Language Learners across various research studies and observes various early childhood education programs using measures like the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale and the Classroom Assessment Scoring System™ (CLASS™). In addition to her research experience, Ms. Lozano also evaluates children with special needs and works with parents in selecting the best therapies for their children.