As of 2024, only 10 U.S. states explicitly include Spanish–English bilinguals in their kindergarten entry assessments, while 41 states implicitly include or do not include them¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2 · q2
Currency · newest study 2024 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? A WestEd national policy scan of state education websites, legislation, and administrative codes found only 10 states explicitly include Spanish–English bilinguals in their KEAs, while 41 states implicitly include or do not include them. → Rolla 2024

Evidence¶

Rolla 2024¶

Rolla, A., & Mottesi, G. (2024). Bilingual Beginnings: Planning Kindergarten Entry Assessments for Spanish–English Speakers. WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center. https://csaa.wested.org/resource/kindergarten-entry-assessments-an-examination-of-best-practices-national-trends-and-recommendations/

q2 · i? · review · r2

The brief's own national policy scan, last updated August 2024, used publicly available information from state department and board of education websites, published materials, legislative regulations, and administrative codes. It reports that "Forty-one states lack the explicit inclusion of Spanish–English bilinguals in their KEAs" and that only 10 states explicitly include them (Table 1).

"Forty-one states lack the explicit inclusion of Spanish–English bilinguals in their KEAs, provide accommodations for English Learners that do not fully include Spanish–English bilinguals, or make no mention of either group in their assessments."

Rolla 2024 (2)¶

Rolla, A., & Mottesi, G. (2024). Bilingual Beginnings: Planning Kindergarten Entry Assessments for Spanish–English Speakers. WestEd, Region 15 Comprehensive Center. https://csaa.wested.org/resource/kindergarten-entry-assessments-an-examination-of-best-practices-national-trends-and-recommendations/

q2 · i? · review · r2

Interpretive conclusion drawn from the scan's Table 1 counts, which categorized states as explicitly including, implicitly including, or not including Spanish–English bilinguals. The authors state that "Spanish–English bilingual students in the majority of states may not have access to assessments that adequately reflect their language development."

"These numbers suggest that Spanish–English bilingual students in the majority of states may not have access to assessments that adequately reflect their language development."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• As of May 2024, 37 states require that some type of statewide or district-level KEA be administered to all incoming kindergarten students — related
• Only 15 states and the District of Columbia mandate kindergarten attendance, and 11 of those states require students to take a KEA
• Spanish–English bilinguals performed better on kindergarten mathematics assessments when tested in Spanish — related
• Spanish use at home does not limit English learning: young Spanish–English bilinguals with more Spanish at school entry show higher English skills by year's end — related
• Teaching students in a language they understand benefits both language learning and broader learning — related
• English Learner classification in kindergarten negatively impacts teachers' perceptions of students' academic abilities, with a reduced negative effect in bilingual classroom settings — related
• Teachers' ratings on 16 English-readiness KEA items at kindergarten entry predicted Hispanic/Latino children's English literacy achievement almost 6 years later — related
• In Virginia, Hispanic/Latino children labeled English Learners with low kindergarten literacy were 20 percent less likely to achieve grade-3 reading proficiency than similar peers — related