Inclusive Literacy Practices Start with Books in a Child’s First Language
English and Spanish decodable texts can connect literacy learning across school and home.
The LXD Research team published a study on inclusive literacy practices for multilingual students. The study examined how English and Spanish decodable texts, multilingual resources, and structured literacy instruction supported Spanish and English bilingual students.
The study, “Inclusive Literacy Practices Using English and Spanish Decodable Texts for Multilingual Students,” included kindergarten and second grade students in a diverse Texas school district. Students used personalized Just Right Reader Take-Everywhere Literacy Packs in English and Spanish. Families also received instructional resources and QR code phonics videos available in 14 languages.
How Can Structured Literacy Support Multilingual Students?
Multilingual students bring valuable language, knowledge, and cultural experiences into the classroom. However, early literacy research and instruction have often focused on monolingual development and English only materials. Children who learn to read in two languages do not develop two separate literacy systems. They can transfer phonological awareness, vocabulary, decoding, and comprehension skills across languages (Cummins, 2014; Proctor et al., 2010). Literacy instruction should recognize and strengthen those connections.
Structured Literacy teaches foundational reading skills through explicit, systematic, and cumulative instruction. These skills include phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension (Moats, 2020).
However, educators cannot simply transfer English literacy practices into Spanish. Each language has distinct sounds, spelling patterns, and linguistic structures. Effective bilingual instruction must address the features of both languages (Cárdenas Hagan, 2018). Spanish decodable texts should follow Spanish phonics patterns. They should not function as direct translations of English materials. Linguistically authentic texts give students meaningful opportunities to practice reading in Spanish while strengthening skills that may support English literacy development.
A child’s home language is not a barrier to literacy. It is a foundation for it.
What Happens When Students Receive Decodable Texts in Both Languages?
The research team conducted a mixed methods study during the 2024 to 2025 academic year. The study included kindergarten and second grade students across four schools. Two schools implemented the Literacy Packs, while two comparison schools used other decodable materials.
Students in the treatment schools received personalized collections of English and Spanish decodable books. Teachers matched the books to each student’s phonics proficiency level. Each book included a QR code that connected families with a short phonics lesson. The program also provided multilingual caregiver resources that supported reading practice at home. The comparison schools used other materials aligned with the Science of Reading. However, those materials did not include the same multilingual family engagement features.
| Treatment schools (2) | Comparison schools (2) | |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | Personalized English and Spanish decodable books matched to each student’s phonics level | Other decodable materials aligned with the Science of Reading |
| Family support | QR code phonics videos and multilingual caregiver resources | No comparable multilingual family engagement features |
The research team measured literacy outcomes with mClass DIBELS, NWEA MAP Fluency, and NWEA MAP Growth assessments. The team also collected surveys and interviews from parents, teachers, and literacy coaches. This approach allowed the researchers to examine assessment outcomes and stakeholder experiences.
The EvidenceDid the Literacy Packs Support Student Achievement?
The study found several promising patterns, along with some results that did not reach statistical significance.
Vocabulary, listening comprehension, and fluency. Students who used the Literacy Packs showed positive patterns in English and Spanish picture vocabulary and listening comprehension. A larger proportion of treatment students met or exceeded expectations on several MAP Fluency measures. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance.
Spanish reading growth in second grade. Second grade treatment students achieved significantly higher Spanish MAP Growth scores than comparison students after the researchers adjusted for beginning-of-year reading performance. The result favored students who received the English and Spanish Literacy Packs.
DIBELS growth. The DIBELS analyses did not identify statistically significant differences between the treatment and comparison groups. However, treatment students showed slightly greater average growth in kindergarten and second grade. The analyses produced small to moderate positive effect sizes (Raymond et al., 2026).
What Did Families and Educators Observe?
Parents, teachers, and instructional coaches described changes that standardized assessments may not immediately capture. They reported that students became more confident, independent, and engaged readers. Teachers observed that students showed greater willingness to read independently and participate in literacy activities. Parents described improvements in reading enjoyment, pronunciation, vocabulary, and sentence reading.
“The books helped me feel more confident and willing to support my child’s reading.”
— One parent in the studyAnother parent described their child, who progressed from reading individual sight words to reading complete sentences independently. These experiences matter. Students who experience success with appropriately matched texts may become more willing to practice. Increased practice can strengthen word recognition, fluency, and comprehension over time.
The individualized books also gave students opportunities to apply phonics skills in connected text. This practice supports orthographic mapping and helps students recognize words more efficiently (Ehri, 2020). Children become stronger readers when literacy instruction recognizes every language they bring to the page.
The Family ConnectionHow Did Multilingual Resources Support Reading at Home?
Families want to support their children’s biliteracy development at home. However, schools often do not provide clear, accessible guidance in multiple languages, limiting families’ ability to support biliteracy development (Noguerón-Liu, 2020). The Literacy Packs gave parents structured and accessible ways to practice reading at home. Parents reported that the books helped them establish reading routines and understand how to support their children. The QR code videos also allowed families to engage with phonics instruction in their preferred languages.
Research has connected family literacy involvement with children’s long-term reading development (Sénéchal & LeFevre, 2002). However, access to books alone may not produce meaningful change. Families also need practical strategies and instructional guidance (Sénéchal & Young, 2008). Multilingual resources can reduce barriers to participation. They can also strengthen the connection between classroom instruction and home literacy experiences. Schools must do more than translate instructions. They should treat families as knowledgeable partners. They should also design literacy opportunities that reflect each family’s linguistic and cultural strengths.
Supporting Spanish Can Strengthen Biliteracy
The study highlights the importance of treating bilingualism as an educational asset. Students can use knowledge from one language to support learning in another. Spanish literacy instruction can strengthen phonological awareness, decoding, vocabulary, and other skills that contribute to English reading development (Cummins, 2014; Proctor et al., 2010). This process does not happen automatically. Teachers need materials that represent the linguistic features of each language. Students also need consistent opportunities to read, practice, and discuss texts in both languages.
The Literacy Packs combined several important components. The findings suggest that these components may work together to support biliteracy development across classrooms and homes.
Spanish-specific phonics instruction, English and Spanish decodable texts, personalized reading practice, and opportunities for repeated reading.
Multilingual family resources and QR code phonics videos that connect classroom instruction with reading practice at home.
How Can Schools Create More Inclusive Literacy Systems?
Educators and leaders can take several lessons from this research.
- Provide decodable texts developed for each language. Spanish materials should follow Spanish phonics patterns and reflect authentic language use.
- Connect literacy skills across languages explicitly. Teachers can help students recognize shared sounds, word parts, vocabulary, and concepts.
- Give families practical resources in languages they understand. These resources should explain how families can support reading practice at home.
- Consider confidence, independence, and engagement alongside assessment scores. These experiences can influence how often students choose to read and persist through difficulty.
- Keep studying bilingual literacy interventions. Researchers should use larger samples and longer implementation periods, and examine how family engagement, reading motivation, and cross-linguistic transfer influence literacy growth.
Biliteracy grows when schools build upon children’s languages instead of asking them to leave one behind.
“Inclusive Literacy Practices Using English and Spanish Decodable Texts for Multilingual Students” appears in Volume 16, Issue 9 of Education Sciences.
Thank you to Just Right Reader for sponsoring the open access fee, which makes this study freely available to educators, families, and researchers.
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References
Cárdenas Hagan, E. (2018). Cross language connections for English learners’ literacy development. Intervention in School and Clinic, 54(1), 14–21. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451218762583
Cummins, J. (2014). Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. In The new immigrant and language (pp. 72–101). Routledge.
Ehri, L. C. (2020). The science of learning to read words: A case for systematic phonics instruction. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S45–S60. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.334
Moats, L. C. (2020). Speech to print: Language essentials for teachers (3rd ed.). Brookes Publishing.
Noguerón-Liu, S. (2020). Expanding the knowledge base in literacy instruction and assessment: Biliteracy and translanguaging perspectives from families, communities, and classrooms. Reading Research Quarterly, 55(S1), S307–S318. https://doi.org/10.1002/rrq.354
Proctor, C. P., August, D., Snow, C., and Barr, C. D. (2010). The interdependence continuum: A perspective on the nature of Spanish and English bilingual reading comprehension. Bilingual Research Journal, 33(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/15235881003733209
Raymond, K., Jimenez, S., Mason, M. L., and Schechter, R. (2026). Inclusive literacy practices using English and Spanish decodable texts for multilingual students. Education Sciences, 16(9), 1493. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16091493
Sénéchal, M., and LeFevre, J. A. (2002). Parental involvement in the development of children’s reading skill: A five year longitudinal study. Child Development, 73, 445–460. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00417
Sénéchal, M., and Young, L. (2008). The effect of family literacy interventions on children’s acquisition of reading from kindergarten to grade 3: A meta analytic review. Review of Educational Research, 78(4), 880–907. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654308320319