Guidance for Using Ignite™ With Dual-Language Learners

Ignite by Hatch™ is available in both English and Spanish! The language of play is determined at the individual child level, providing early childhood programs great flexibility in determining how Ignite is used to assess the skills of each child they serve.

Questions to Consider

Designed to assess skill development, Ignite may be used to assess in a child’s native language and/or their emerging language. In determining the language of play, it is helpful to think through the following questions:

1. What Is the Child’s Native Language?

Assessing skills in a child’s native language can provide the most accurate data on a child’s skill development, particularly when the teacher does not speak the child’s native language.

2. What Is the Language of Instruction in the Classroom?

Is the child in a bilingual classroom or a monolingual classroom? Does the child receive instruction in English, Spanish, or both? If the goal is to assess how a child responds to classroom instruction, you may consider setting the language in Ignite to the language used in the classroom.

3. What Language Does the Teacher Speak?

Does the teacher speak the same language as the child? If not, assessing the child in their native language may allow for a teacher to better understand a child’s skill development. They can then use their understanding of the child’s skill development in their native language to build skills in the child’s emerging language.

4. In Which Language Is the Child Proficient With Content-Specific Vocabulary?

Because Ignite measures skill development, many experiences are dependent on content-specific vocabulary, particularly as the Skill Level increases. If a child does not receive instruction in their native language, then, while they may be proficient in their native language, they may not have an opportunity to develop content-specific vocabulary required to demonstrate their knowledge and skills in Ignite.

5. In Which Language(s) Does the Program Currently Assess Skills?

If the child is only assessed in one language, it may be useful to set the language of play to the language in which the child is not currently assessed. This would provide teachers, administrators, and families with a more well-rounded understanding of the child’s current skill development.

Language Settings

Ignite is available in English and Spanish. A child can only play one language at a time. The language of play is set in a child’s profile, and it can be changed as frequently as needed. A child’s progress does not carry over between languages, but it is saved within each language.

For example, if a child is currently at Level 3 in the Alliteration Subdomain while playing in Spanish, when the language of play is switched to English, the child will start back with their most recent level in English. However, when the language is switched back to Spanish, the child will resume at Level 3. Data will only be displayed for one language at a time in Hatch Insights™ reports.

Using HatchSync® Powered by GOLD®

Ignite will provide documentation directly into a child’s GOLD® portfolio as they play in either Spanish or English. If a child is playing in Spanish, the documentation note will indicate that it is in Spanish.

For experiences in the Language & Communication and Literacy Domains, documentation will appear in a child’s GOLD® portfolio as follows:

Documentation is provided for all other Domains, regardless of the language of play in Ignite and the configuration of the Spanish Language and Literacy Objectives in GOLD®.