The increased numbers of emergent bilinguals (EBs) in mainstream classrooms demand that teachers employ high leverage practices for all students. One powerful teaching practice that holds promise for supporting all students is formative assessment. However, little attention has been given to the connection between teachers’ assessment expertise, formative assessment practices, and supporting all student learning. Drawing on formative assessment from a sociocultural perspective and Lyon’s (2013a) Conceptualization Framework of Teacher’s Assessment Expertise, this qualitative study adopts a single case study design (Yin, 2003), examining an elementary teacher’s daily formative assessment practices in her fifth-grade mathematics classrooms. This study aims to uncover the nature of formative assessment practices in classrooms, the teacher’s beliefs about challenges that EBs may encounter, her corresponding support to EBs, as well as the alignment between the teachers’ beliefs, formative assessment practices, and EBs’ perception of their learning needs. Multiple data sources were collected: classroom observations, interviews with the teacher (i.e., Mrs. G) with EBs, and artifacts. Findings in this study are organized based on research questions. The first findings chapter focuses on the nature of Mrs. G’s formative assessment practices. Findings revealed that discourse is an essential part of formative assessment practices in Mrs. G’s math class. During the enactment of discursive formative assessment, Mrs. G places great value on having a classroom culture that prioritizes student ideas. Two practices emerged as she enacted discursive formative assessment: (1) communicating and clarifying learning targets and (2) eliciting and responding to student ideas. Yet, there seemed a large range regarding how Mrs. G presented learning targets and elicited student thinking. The first findings chapter illustrates the relationships between the higher and lower level of formative assessment practices, and how these practices align with Mrs. G’s value on creating the classroom culture that foregrounds students’ ideas. The second findings chapter is organized to answer the second set of research questions. Findings revealed instances of both alignment and misalignment among Mrs. G’s formative assessment practices, beliefs, and EBs’ perception of their learning needs. There are three emerging themes as to the construct of alignment: (1) alignment between Mrs. G’s beliefs of discourse in formative assessment and EBs’ perceptions; (2) alignment of Mrs. G’s beliefs and practices on scaffolding for EBs and EBs’ perceptions; and (3) alignment between Mrs. G's beliefs of the barriers that EBs may encounter and EBs’ perceptions. Concerning the pattern of misalignment among Mrs. G’s formative assessment practices, beliefs, and EB’s perceptions, there are two emerging themes: (1) misalignment between supports that Mrs. G felt she provided to EBs and her actual implementation; (2) a tension between Mrs. G’s beliefs of instruction for all students and EBs’ needs in differentiation. Instances of the alignment and misalignment are presented. Drawing on findings in this study, I discuss six themes and claims that I find significant and connected to researchers and educators who are interested in formative assessment and working with EBs. This study can add to conversations on the implementation of formative assessment within linguistically and culturally diverse classrooms and best practices for EBs.
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