Abstract The growing number of multilingual learners (MLs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) classrooms in the United States has compelled teachers to innovate their instructional and assessment practices to better meet the diverse and evolving needs of students. By centering teachers’ own interpretations and reflections, this study explores how K‐12 STEM teachers, already engaged in a long‐term professional development program, apply culturally and linguistically responsive formative assessment strategies in their classrooms. Using a qualitative descriptive design, we analyzed the reflections of 25 STEM teachers during a dedicated phase of the program focused on classroom assessment. This research offers a real‐world snapshot of how K‐12 STEM teachers implement and reflect on formative assessment practices in culturally and linguistically diverse classrooms. Our findings highlight six key themes: assessment adaptations, multimodality, space for multilingualism, perceived evidence of learning, perceived challenges, and the stance of teachers, which reveal how educators adapt and personalize assessment practices in nuanced ways. This study contributes to the literature by providing a detailed, authentic, practice‐based, real‐world snapshot of understanding of how teachers integrate culturally responsive assessment into their everyday teaching, offering insights that extend beyond theoretical frameworks to the realities of classroom practice.
Ayik et al. (Mon,) studied this question.