Computational models are increasingly being used in K-12 science classrooms to engage students in developing and testing explanations of phenomena. However, research has only begun to consider whether integrating computational models into science instruction could be particularly beneficial to students from diverse backgrounds, including a…

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) have spurred renewed interest in the epistemologies that students adopt as they engage in science practices. One framework for characterizing students' epistemologies is the "epistemologies in practice" framework (Berland et al. (2016), "Journal of Research in Science Teaching,"…

Formative assessment during the course of instruction is an essential practice for supporting all students, including English learners (ELs), in the science classroom. It typically consists of three steps: (1) The teacher elicits information about student learning through various methods; (2) The teacher interprets (or makes sense of) that…

As computational models are becoming more widely used with the release of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" (NRC 2012) and the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"; NGSS Lead States 2013), these models are reshaping the way science is practiced in increasingly diverse classrooms. For students classified…

Traditionally, content assessments have been carried out through written language. However, the latest standards in U.S. K-12 education expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to demonstrate their content learning using multiple modalities. This study examined the performance of fifth-grade students at varying levels of English…

Over the last decade, translanguaging pedagogy has gained much traction in language education and has been taken up in a wide range of educational settings. Studies on translanguaging pedagogy, however, have largely focused on its affordances; research on its challenges remains limited. This classroom discourse study examines both the affordances…

The adoption of "A Framework for K-12 Science Education" and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) across the U.S. requires that the field of science education develops high-quality instructional materials. This need is particularly urgent as schools and districts are expected to design or adapt instructional materials for an…

Dynamic assessment (DA) seeks to understand learners' abilities that are still developing by embedding mediation (i.e., contingent forms of assistance) into the assessment process. To date, DA studies have been carried out primarily in contexts focused on language learning. However, in content classrooms (e.g., science, math), English learners…

The latest content standards in U.S. K-12 education are academically rigorous for all students, including a fast-growing population of English learners (ELs). Because these standards are different from previous standards in terms of not only their rigor but also their theoretical underpinnings, enacting instruction aligned to the standards will…

Research on TESOL materials development has focused primarily on instructional materials for contexts in which students are learning English separate from academic content (e.g., science, mathematics). This research could benefit from expansion given the increasing number of contexts in which students are learning content and English language…