Emergent bilingual children represent the largest and fastest growing population in U.S. schools today, most of whom are Latino and from Spanish speaking homes. It is imperative we better understand how early bilingual language abilities of these children contribute to their later academic achievement. This study investigates the English and Spanish oral proficiency of 228 Latino children of immigrants at kindergarten as predictors of their academic performance in third through sixth grade. Children’s English and Spanish skills were directly assessed using the Woodcock Language Proficiency Battery–Revised, and achievement outcomes were obtained from state English Language Arts (ELA) and Math standardized exams (MCAS). Linear regression models controlling for poverty, gender, and maternal education demonstrated that English proficiency at kindergarten significantly predicted ELA and Math performance across all four grade levels. Importantly, Spanish proficiency uniquely contributed to predictions of later achievement above and beyond English, significantly predicting ELA through sixth grade and Math outcomes through fifth grade. Overall, models explained moderate proportions of variance in academic performance (R² = .22–.33). Findings demonstrate that both English and Spanish proficiency at school entry are meaningful predictors of long-term academic outcomes, drawing attention to the developmental and educational value of supporting dual language abilities. This work supports evidence-based practices and policies that leverage emergent bilingual children’s full linguistic repertoire to promote equitable academic success.

Authors:
Brian Collins, Hunter College, CUNY, United States
Claudio Toppelberg, Harvard Medical School, United States

About the Presenter(s)
Brian A. Collins, PhD is currently an Associate Professor of Bilingual Education at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY).

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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