Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers

Pathways to Partnerships

“‘I no longer feel that I need to know and do it all....that’s what colleagues are for... to share the responsibility for teaching our multilingual learners.’ This quote, from a seasoned educator, is at the heart of Margo Gottlieb’s and Andrea Honigsfeld’s new book. When it comes to student assessment, teacher candidates are taught to rely on standards and standardized testing, often at the cost of their own intuitive understanding of students and issues of equity, social justice, and cultural diversity – specifically multilingualism. Teachers need a new road map. The design of this book as a collaborative journey – complete with road signs, roadblocks, and yes, even pit-stops – is not only engaging, but mirrors teaching and learning as an interactive and on-going process. The belief that throughout this journey we must have multiple opportunities to meet-up with and collaborate with our colleagues, makes me eager to go on this journey along with my students.”

“Gottlieb and Honigsfeld build upon assets-based approaches, family engagement, and student voice; these values are close to my heart as an educator, therefore I immediately felt invested in this book. The vignettes make it easier to understand how the collaborative assessment ideas in this book could be implemented in my own building. Finally, this book is fun!!! I love how it is written like a journey that is meant to be engaged with. This text will make an excellent book study for co-teaching teams or any team that wants to grow their collaborative assessment practices.”

“At NYS TESOL we believe all educators are educators of ELLs/Multilingual Learners. This book is an ideal tool for all teachers and administrators in many ways. High-quality systems, inclusive school culture, and the gradual release of responsibility are motifs throughout its pages. Furthermore, the asset-based ethos throughout this book can undoubtedly enhance school collaboration. As an educational leader and an ENL co-teacher, it is clear to me that this book will help to build new and improved veteran relationships between co-teachers and other educators. I say “Yes!” this book is everything I’d like to communicate to colleagues. It is put so eloquently and succinctly via a metaphorical journey with vignettes of various school collaborative experiences. Thank you, Margo and Andrea for putting this out for our schools... and truly, our society at large.”

“Embarking on the journey of collaborative assessment, readers of this book are the heroes being guided by the authors.  A journey into collaborative instructional assessment cycles supports educators in learning to navigate the unfamiliar territory of interconnectedness and interdependence among multilingual learners, teachers, and families. Margo and Andrea inspire educators to launch a transformative quest. Along the way, they introduce readers to friends traveling the same journey, supporting educators through obstacles and options. Reaching the destination, teachers have had experiences with integrating language and content, balancing instruction and assessment, and collaborating in implementing student-centered approaches. What a ride!”

“This book looks GREAT! It is really needed in the field. I get so many questions from teachers of bilingual students about appropriate assessments, and this book lays it out clearly in an approachable, well-written volume. So much of the discourse around assessment focuses on (English-centered) accountability and reflects a monolingual perspective -- narrowly judging multilingual students’ capacities by only counting what they can demonstrate in English in a summative test. This volume centers around honoring multilingual learners’ unique skills and identities, and helping educators learn how to work together to give students access to their full linguistic repertoire to demonstrate what they know and can do throughout their learning experiences.”

“Margo Gottlieb and Andrea Honigsfeld, renowned for their expertise in assessment and collaboration, show us how to support multilingual learners’ language, academic, and social-emotional development using state-of-the-art collaborative assessment practices.  Whether you are new to teaching or a veteran educator, this book should be front and center for building student success.”

“Using “journey” as a metaphor, Margo and Andrea pool their extensive knowledge and experience to both zero in on and expand the day-to-day rhythms of collaborative assessment for multilingual learners. These urgently needed assessment practices, collected into their book, and illustrated via vignettes; engender curiosity, collaborative conversations, and enquiring attitudes in teachers, students, and their families.  This contrasts with the overreliance on one-and-done, high-stakes tests for accountability that often deflate and discourage, placing us all - especially multilingual students - into a deficit-oriented mindset rather than into a joyful journey of learning and growing together.”

“Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers is a must-have treasure for those who take on challenging and sometimes lonely journeys of trying to unpack data and connecting numbers to practical ways of supporting multilingual learners in daily instruction. This book is based on research-based practices and is designed as a fun but goal-oriented travel companion that is sure to stop and smell the roses along the way. Filled with colorful graphics that make reading easy and content comprehensible, this book is created with multilingual learners’ success in mind. The collaborative assessment guide was created with the collaboration of the two phenomenal authors at its best!”

"Margo and Andrea have delivered again! In a time when many schools are unsure of assessment practices for multilingual learners, this book empowers educators to collaborate, share expertise, and co-create assessment policies that truly serve all students. It is an essential resource for educators committed to creating equitable educational experiences and championing the strengths of diverse student populations."

“This book provides a framework for collaborative, equitable, and culturally and linguistically responsive assessment practices, helping educators to empower multilingual learners and create pathways for their success. Grounded in research-informed ideas that highlight the power of collaboration, this practical guide gives educators a roadmap for supporting school-wide changes in assessing multilingual learners. Honigsfeld and Gottlieb offer a wonderful example of the power of leveraging two areas of expertise (collaboration and assessment, respectively) in their first co-authored book. This practical guide can serve as an entry point for educators who seek to enhance assessment practices for content learning, language development, and literacy skills within an instructional cycle through collaboration. Never has there been a such a need for collaborative works such as this one; Collaborative Assessment for Multilingual Learners and Teachers: Pathways to Partnerships will help educators of multilingual learners apply evidence-based strategies to their teaching practice, and as a result, promote and support equitable assessment practices for this ever-growing population of students.”