Adapting the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives to use as a Narrative Dynamic Assessment (MAIN-DA)

Abstract

Dynamic assessment, including a mediated learning experience, exemplifies evidencebased language evaluation practices for culturally and linguistically diverse students. Despite this, standardized assessments normed on monolingual English speakers are overwhelmingly used to assess the language skills of bilingual/multilingual students in the United States, placing these students at risk for misdiagnosis of a developmental language disorder. The adaptation of the Multilingual Assessment Instrument for Narratives (MAIN) to a narrative dynamic assessment (MAIN-DA) provides users with an effective language evaluation tool for culturally and linguistically diverse children. Dynamic Assessment evaluates the student’s response to language instruction rather than their prior language learning experiences. Dynamic Assessment uses a test-teach-retest format while the examiner simultaneously attends to the student’s modifiability and responsiveness to instruction. This paper focuses on the MAIN-DA procedures and scoring.