Inclusive Literacy Practices Using English and Spanish Decodable Texts for Multilingual Students

Multilingual students are a rapidly growing population in U.S. schools, yet early literacy research has largely focused on monolingual development and English-only instruction. This mixed-methods quasi-experimental study examined Just Right Reader Take-Everywhere Literacy Packs among Spanish–English bilingual kindergarten and second-grade students in a diverse Texas district during 2024–2025. The sample included 164 kindergarteners (73 treatment, 91 comparison) and 146 second graders (73 treatment, 73 comparison) across two treatment and two comparison schools; sample sizes varied by assessment measure. Treatment students received personalized English and Spanish decodable texts with multilingual family engagement supports, while comparison students used alternative decodable materials. Quantitative outcomes included mClass DIBELS, NWEA MAP Fluency, and NWEA MAP Growth assessments administered from beginning-of-year, middle-of-year, to end-of-year. Qualitative data included parent and educator surveys and interviews. MAP Fluency showed promising patterns in picture vocabulary and listening comprehension across English and Spanish. Second-grade treatment students had significantly higher Spanish MAP Growth RIT scores, t(13) = −2.24, p = 0.043, η²p = 0.235. Qualitative findings indicated increased reading confidence, independence, engagement, and family involvement. Results suggest culturally and linguistically responsive decodable texts with multilingual family supports may strengthen biliteracy development and inclusive literacy opportunities.