Language & Literacy for Multilingual Learners Learning Track
loker ballroom a

Literacy Development in Multilingual Children: The Classroom Matters
Dr. Ashley Sanabria, San Diego State University

When considering how to close the achievement gap in reading between children classified as English learners and monolingual children, much research has explored child-level interventions to improve reading skills. However, many also argue that we should consider whether there is a gap in the opportunities children have to learn literacy skills and whether “intervention” might be targeted at creating equity in these opportunities. This presentation will explore descriptive information about the types of literacy learning opportunities bilingual children have, how they compare to monolingual children’s literacy learning opportunities, and whether literacy learning outcomes are different when bilingual children are placed in dual language vs. English-only contexts.

Innovative Assessment in Clinical Practice: Supporting the Integration of Literacy Standards into the Clinical Experience
Dr. Tanya Flushman, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

In this session, participants will learn about the innovative and promising assessment practices that CSU credential programs are implementing in alignment with SB 488 requirements. The focus will be on how programs are ensuring that teacher candidates have opportunities to learn, practice and be assessed on key literacy teaching practices while in their clinical practice placements. Practices to be shared include a literacy clinical practice portfolio as well as multiple clinical practice evaluation tools with a focus on literacy teaching. Explicit connections will be made to show the relationship between rigorous and innovative assessment in the clinical experience and teacher candidate abilities to support all learners, particularly those who are multilingual learners

Being and Becoming Bilingual: New Insights About the Mind and the Brain Reveal the Openness of Language Learning
Dr. Judith F. Kroll, UC Irvine

There is widespread mythology in the US suggesting that children exposed to two languages from birth will be confused and that switching between two languages reflects an inability to speak each language properly. In the last three decades there has been an upsurge of research on bilingualism. We have learned that humans are far more plastic across the lifespan than previously understood. How does bilingualism change the mind and the brain? In the earliest months of life, minds and brains are tuned differently when exposed to more than one language. That tuning has been hypothesized to open the speech system to new learning and make switching between languages a natural feature of bilingualism. For the oldest bilingual adults, there is evidence that a life of being bilingual confers protections against cognitive decline. In this talk, I illustrate the ways that recent studies debunk the mythology by showing that the minds and brains of bilinguals are inherently complex and social, reflecting the variation in contexts in which the two languages are learned and used, and producing resilience across the lifespan.

Self-Regulation & Adolescent Development Learning Track
loker ballroom B

What We’re Talking About When We Talk About Executive Function: From the Lab to the Classroom
Emily Underwood, Knowable Magazine & Dr. Agatha Lenartowicz, UC Los Angeles

Join Knowable Magazine editor Emily Underwood and UCLA cognitive neuroscientist Agatha Lenartowicz for a conversation about the metaphors often used to explain executive function — for example, the brain’s “air traffic control system” or “CEO.” How well do these metaphors reflect our evolving understanding of executive function? Where do they fall short? Come for a primer on the neuroscience of executive function — and stay for a multi-disciplinary discussion of how these concepts translate to the classroom.

From Brain to Behavior: What Does EF Look Like in the Classroom?
Dr. Jennie Grammer, Zoe Mao, & Kyle Hay, UC Los Angeles

Executive functions and self-regulation play a central role in student’s academic growth, but what do these skills look like in the classroom? Using real-world examples, in this interactive session we will discuss the connections between research on EF and classroom behavior, as well as opportunities for supporting educator understanding of these important processes.

Barriers Behind Bars: The Impact of Executive Function Difficulties on Incarcerated Youth
Dr. Angela James, UC Los Angeles

Presentation will explore issues and challenges related to delivery of educational services to incarcerated youth, and provide an overview of statewide survey of court schools and what we hope to learn from the results.

Behavioral & Mental Health in K-12 and Beyond Learning Track
Loker Room 324/325

Equipping Pre-Service Teachers with Trauma Informed Principles and Practices
Dr. Laura McMullin, UC Los Angeles

This presentation will introduce principles and practices of trauma informed care to better equip pre-service teachers in responding to the range of students’ socioemotional needs while maintaining their own wellbeing, before they enter the classroom. The tools and practices we explore can help teachers buffer against stress and burnout, while enhancing wellbeing and building resilience for themselves and their students.

Empowering Newcomers in Learning Spaces: Supporting Behavioral Health through Community Partnerships
Dr. Maria Jimenez-Salazar, UC San Francisco

This session will provide an overview of how diverse childhood migration experiences relate to immigrant-origin youths’ sense of safety, school attendance, and behavioral health. Attendees are invited to discuss the unique challenges they face and what they are finding helpful in supporting the development and success of newcomer learners. We will review current recommendations for supporting newcomers’ social emotional needs, sharing examples from collaborations among health, school, and legal providers in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Interventions for Mental Health Support Among Neurodiverse Students
Dr. Tiffany Herbert, CSU Dominguez Hills

The session will define mental health supports and discuss strategies for providing mental health support for neurodiverse students. It will engage the audience to share their collective experiences supporting students and connect experiences to the mental health support framework.

Inclusion across the School Transition Learning Track
Loker Room 326/327

Creating Inclusive Learning Environments: A Focus on Early Childhood Education
Dr. Amanda Gulsrud, UC Los Angeles

This talk will delve into the developmental framework critical for early childhood educators, highlighting the importance of understanding the needs of young children and identifying behaviors that both support and distract from learning. We will discuss the significance of early intervention and identification, emphasizing how these practices benefit both children and the learning community. By bringing together educators and stakeholders, this presentation aims to foster a collaborative approach to inclusion in early education.

Empowering Paraprofessionals: A Collaborative Approach to Supporting Neurodivergent Children
Dr. Bryan Thornton, CSU Los Angeles & Dr. Caitlin Solone, UC Los Angeles

Paraprofessionals serve a vital function in schools, providing instructional support and assistance to teachers and students and often helping to facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in a general education classroom. While the number of paraprofessionals has doubled over the last three decades, the scope of their duties is not always clear to teachers, who receive limited training in working with paras, or to paraprofessionals themselves. This presentation will use a disability studies (DS) framework to examine how asset-oriented paraprofessionals can contribute to the academic and social success of neurodiverse students.

Setting the Foundation: Implementing CA PK-3 Standards in Transitional Kindergarten Classrooms
Dr. Jenny C. Chiappe, CSU Dominguez Hills, Kim Pattillo Brownson, State Board of Education & Rachelle Bacong, San Diego County

The presentation will review findings on creating inclusive classrooms. The new PK-3 credential at CSUDH embeds ECSE TPEs and cross-walks with courses in the PK-3 credential to promote inclusion. The presentation will include an overview of the credential program which focuses on developmentally appropriate practices and accessible inclusive spaces.