The Comprehensive Centers of Region 18 (R18CC) and Region 19 (R19CC) co-hosted a webinar on multilingualism and assessment on November 1, 2021. The key presenters were renowned author Dr. Margo Gottlieb and two immersion teachers, Ms. Lee Pangelinan and Ms. Lisa Emwalu, who both teach at Kagman Elementary School in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
The webinar highlighted how assessment can be conducted in multiple languages, following the three assessment approaches “as, for, and of learning.” The presenters connected the assessment approaches with classroom applications, real-life examples of student language and cultural portraits, project-based learning, and student portfolios to amplify that yes, conducting assessment in languages other than and in addition to English is possible and easier than we may think.
During the webinar, participants were asked to identify the number of languages they understand or can speak and the number of cultures they are in contact with daily. Of the participants who attended the webinar, the majority spoke two or more languages, and all were in contact with two or more cultures daily. If this is the portrait of our participants, it is also likely that we will get a similar portrait of the student population—multilingual and multicultural learners—we serve in the Pacific. There is a need for educational leaders and multilingual learners to engage in opportunities where assessing multilingual learners in their multiple languages is a reality.
Dr. Gottlieb expounded on why assessment in multiple languages is important, what it looks like, and how it can be done.