|
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
This document developed by the Center on Instruction addresses questions about how best to assist students who face the significant dual challenge of acquiring the content knowledge necessary for academic success and simultaneously developing their English language competency. Looking at key practices in schools with high populations of non-native speakers of English that have achieved exemplary academic success in their second, acquired language, this document details findings from 49 school principals on nine factors, including school and student characteristics, instructional supports and strategies for ELLs, and barriers to effective instruction for ELLs. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
This publication from the Center on Instruction offers educators and policy-makers guidance on research-based strategies that have been effective in instructing English Language learners (ELLs). Regardless of the model that school districts select, teachers--especially those who have not been trained to work with ELLs--need help to determine the most effective strategies to accelerate student learning and maximize instructional time. This document outlines key contextual factors that decision-makers should take into account when making instructional choices for ELLs, provides a brief overview of bilingual and English-only instructional models, and considers the influence of the language of instruction on academic outcomes for ELLs. The Center on Instruction held a webinar July 28, 2010, as an orientation to this document. The archived WebEx file and the PowerPoint presentation can be accessed here. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
This report from the Center on Instruction presents information about assessment, instructional interventions, and professional development with a particular focus on ELL students who have been identified with a language and/or learning disability or who are at risk for reading difficulties. The focus of the intervention section is on those that have demonstrated success at remediating reading for ELLs who have either identified language impairment, reading and/or learning disabilities, or those who are performing significantly below their peers in reading achievement. The report also offers recommendations followed by discussion and empirical evidence for the types of instructional interventions that best serve ELLs who are at risk for reading difficulties who may or may not have an identified language and/or learning disability. |
||||||||
|
|
||
|
||
|
This book, released in October 2006, is the first in a series of three Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners from the Center on Instruction. It provides evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, administrators, and teachers in K-12 settings who seek to make informed decisions about instruction and academic interventions for ELLs. The domains of focus include reading and mathematics, and the recommendations apply to both a class-wide instructional format and individualized, targeted interventions, depending on the population and the goals of the instruction. A PowerPoint presentation overview of the series is available below for downloading. A Professional Development PowerPoint is also available to supplement the content of this book. The detailed slides and speaker notes summarize and augment the information contained in the book and may be used to provide professional development during inservice training to educators teaching in grades K-12. David Francis presented an overview of the series at the LEP Partnership meeting in October 2006. The PowerPoint presentation is available here. A podcast of the presentation is available here. |
||
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
This book, released in October 2006, is the second in a series of three Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners from the Center on Instruction. This document was written primarily for the group of ELLs who are adolescent newcomers to the United States and who have a relatively short period of time in which to simultaneously develop academic language skills and master grade-level content. It provides evidence-based recommendations for policymakers, administrators, and teachers in middle and high schools who seek to make informed decisions about effectively serving adolescent newcomers. A PowerPoint overview is available below for downloading. A Professional Development PowerPoint is also available to supplement the content of this book. The detailed slides and speaker notes summarize and augment the information contained in the book and may be used to provide professional development during inservice training to educators teaching in middle and secondary grades. David Francis presented an overview of the series at the LEP Partnership meeting in October 2006. The PowerPoint presentation is available here. A podcast of the presentation is available here. |
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
|
This book, released in October 2006, is the third in a series of three Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners from the Center on Instruction. NCLB has increased awareness of the academic needs and achievement of ELLs as schools, districts, and states are held accountable for teaching English and content knowledge to ELLs. ELLs present a unique set of challenges to educators because of the central role played by academic language proficiency in the acquisition and assessment of content-area knowledge. This document focuses particularly on research-based recommendations on the use of accommodations to increase the valid participation of ELLs in large-scale assessments. A PowerPoint overview is available below for downloading. A Professional Development PowerPoint is also available to supplement the content of this book. The detailed slides and speaker notes summarize and augment the information contained in the book and may be used to provide professional development during inservice training to educators teaching in the elementary, middle, and secondary grades. David Francis presented an overview of the series at the LEP Partnership meeting in October 2006. The PowerPoint presentation is available here. A podcast of the presentation is available here. |
||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
This document developed by the Center on Instruction's Reading, Special Education and ELL Strands makes recommendations for improving literacy-related instruction in the content areas or across the entire school day, interventions for students reading below grade level, and recommendations for supporting literacy development in adolescent English language learners. Also included are comments from experts in response to questions about methods for improving academic literacy in adolescents and examples of state activities in support of improved adolescent literacy in California, Florida, Rhode Island, and Washington. A video of Joe Torgesen providing an overview of this document is available here. |
||||||||
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
| This document from the National Reading Technical Assistance Center highlights a case study that compares two approaches for teaching ELLs to read: (1) in their primary language (Spanish) and then transitioning to English, and (2) in English only. This descriptive study examines what works, what doesn't work, and what is challenging in addressing the ELL issue in grades two and three. It is intended for individual readers, study groups, or school-site teams interested in reading instruction for ELLs. The appendix includes guiding discussion questions that can help to define their school's language reading program. | ||||||
|
|
||||
|
||||
| Current emphasis on teacher effectiveness in educational policy poses a challenge for the evaluation of special education teachers and ELL specialists. This brief from the TQ Center offers policy and practice recommendations for regions, states, and districts to help them create evaluation systems that reflect the measurement of academic achievement growth for their students and how to connect that growth to teacher effects. To access this document, click here. | ||||
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
This free online library provides local educators with easy access to over 700 professional development resources that can be customized to meet their needs. Such groups as AFT, NEA, federally funded TA centers, the IRIS Center, COI, and various states, have contributed resources to bring together research, policy and practice. The site can be searched by keyword or by an alphabetical list of resources, topics, or organizations providing the resource. It also has "featured resources", an opportunity to add a resource, and a signup to receive email updates. The database can be accessed here. |
||||
|
|
||||
|
||||
| This 2010 study by REL West on middle school math assessment accommodations found that simplifying the language--or linguistic modification--on standardized math test items made it easier for English Language learners to focus on and grasp math concepts, and thus was a more accurate assessment of their math skills. The 204-page final report is available for download here. | ||||
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
|
This brief from the Center for Research on the Educational Achievement and Teaching of English Language Learners (CREATE), outlines the tiered structure of RTI and how it can be implemented as an effective technique for teaching English learners who are having difficulty making academic progress. |
||||||
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
This handbook, edited by the Center on Innovation and Improvement, was developed by the five national content centers (Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center, Center on Innovation & Improvement, Center on Instruction, National Comprehensive Center for Teacher Quality, and National High School Center). The purpose of the Handbook is to bolster the effective implementation of the intervention models and strategies outlined in the 2009 School Improvement Grant (SIG) program in order to achieve the program’s clear goal—rapid improvement of persistently low-achieving schools. In particular, this Handbook offers practical explanations of the SIG’s required and recommended models and strategies, references to the underlying research, and connections to useful resources. The intended audience includes state education agencies (SEAs), local education agencies (LEAs), charter management organizations (CMOs), education management organizations (EMOs), organizational partners engaged in school improvement, and schools engaged in rapid improvement. To download the entire 210-page document, each chapter individually, or chapters by topic, click here. |
||||
|
|
||||
|
||||
| This suite of materials from the Assessment and Accountability Comprehensive Center includes the full Framework, a Framwork Brief, an Overview of Framework Criteria, and References for the Framework Brief. The idea was conceived as a tool to help states and districts develop and implement high-quality standards and assessments that are valid and that reliably measure ELLs' language development. All of the materials can be downloaded at the AACC website at http://www.aacompcenter.org/cs/aacc/print/htdocs/aacc/resources_sp.htm | ||||
|
|
||||||
|
||||||
| This practitioner brief from NCCRESt discusses four key elements of culturally and linguistically responsive prereferral intervention for culturally and linguistically diverse students: 1) preventing school underachievement and failure, 2) early intervention for struggling learners, 3) diagnostic/prescriptive teaching, and 4) availability of general education problem-solving support systems. | ||||||
|