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As a science teacher, many times ,I have found myself at this crossroads while extending help to a child ,EAL or LS...I was always convinced that each student has very unique specialised needs which sometimes is difficult to correctly guage..a soft calibration which comes when you interact with the child over time..As a team, we need to

continue to collaborate

to find that unique blend of strategies which work the best for the student.._Lakshmi

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As I was reading case 2 about Ahmed, this line stood out to me - "The Learning Support department referred Ahmed back to the EAL department stating that the young man did not have enough English to be accurately assessed for a learning difference." In my experience, we are more successful in identifying students who are EAL with learning disabilities when the EAL and LS teachers work collaboratively, rather than a back and forth described in this case.

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I wonder what 'ideal' collaboration between a school's EAL and LS team would look like, rather than functioning independent of each other.

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Inclusive schools->whole school approach

Accomodations have a wider benefit when "universally designed" for the whole school population, including "culturally and linguistically diverse students." (pg 12)

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"..collaboration is not a luxury but a necessity." (pg. 15)

As a teacher who joined CIS last year, we underwent a long process of figuring out how we can best collaborate as a team. I agree that collaboration is a necessity and it is still a work in progress for me.

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"When Learning Support and EAL stand together under the same umbrella, collaborative relationships form more naturally."p22 - Maybe a consideration by the school to make the work more collaborative could lead to a Support Services department next year, without a reduction in staff of course.

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"it is critical to involve parents in school."p24

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"it is critical to involve parents in school."p24

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Maybe from admissions through to the first day of school, we can work on reaching out to parents more. Just getting them connected to Toddle might not be enough. In elementary, I know I always feel like I wish I could've gotten to know the parents better earlier on in the year. "The home school partnership is critical."

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Decisions about student support are always dictated by ' deficit model, ..something is wrong or lacking...we should have a 'half-full ' mindset and build on already existing strengths.. page 24

Home language should be valued in an international school because that is part of their identity.

The cultural diversity that ELL students bring to the classroom is a valuable resource and should be tapped.

I feel that a student who has LS and ELL needs has to be supported by a team of LS,ELL ,mainstream teachers in close collaboration and in regular communication with the parents. LS and ELL experts should lead by suggesting workable strategies in day to day work..

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Consider how the LS and EAL teams can have opportunities for collaboration when their school locations are not close by. Consider how to reposition LS and EAL teams so that they can work together more efficiently by rethinking location/schedules.

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1. Universal Screener like MAP tests can test English fluency, but what about home language, any tests for that?

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2. Can we use home language in the classroom so that students can keep up with the content, but then scaffold modes of expression so that they can also participate and be seen as assets in the classroom?

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3. Do we need PD for teachers to make sure Tier 1 vs Tier 2 vs Tier 3 is understood across the school and intervention is aligned and ready to implement?

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Considering the need for true Tier 1, 2, and 3 interventions, especially in Elementary, we need to reconsider scheduling. Students should not be pulled from homeroom class subject areas to receive additional instruction in another space. They should 'double dip', meaning they should receive instruction twice. In order for that to occur consistently, the schedule needs to allow for additional 'flex' time where students who need remediation can receive it, which students who need extension can receive that too. Therefore, no students feels like they are 'missing out' on specialist classes. For example in ES, time is intentionally blocked out in the schedule for Tier 2 literacy (called Guided Reading). Homeroom, EAL, LS teachers and TAs can help provide Tier 2 instruction/interventions. Training is needed on how to do this intentionally with accurate data collection in order to monitor progress and have informed conversations as to whether students are making progress. If not, the instruction model needs to be adapted. While Tier 3 interventions are typically reserved for LS/EAL teachers.

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Page 31: "Once it is determined that a student is having challenges that are unexpected despite access to high quality instruction we move to the next phase in the process." At our school, how are we measuring and monitoring 'high quality instruction'?

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Pg. 31: "To ensure that students needs are identified it is important to gather descriptive data across multiple areas. Comprehensive data collection will more likely build a holistic profile of the learning which can lead to optimal instruction and intervention." Pg: 32 Considering, the areas: Personal & Family, Previous schooling, Oral Language & Literacy, Physical and Psychological, Academic Achievement and Instruction, etc. We often do not receive comprehensive information from our students's families and previous schools, nor do we have a universal screening assessment that we use to gather baseline student data.

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Family Background and Home Language Ability 

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Family Background and Home Language Ability 

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This was also suggested by WIDA (points 3 and 4 on page 33, Recommended Assessment Practices on page 34), but no suggestions of how to go about it.

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Circumstances related to the transition to a new school and culture (p. 29)

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Circumstances related to the transition to a new school and culture (p. 29)

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What is (can be?) being done for students with a negative attitude to their host country? Whose responsibility is this?

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Discussion as to how to best support EAL/LS students. Ideas about how to provide balanced support via sheltered instruction and inclusive classes. In regards to students receiving Learning Support, a balance of push-in and pull out sessions can help close gaps more efficiently and provide more targeted support.

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This section highlights important characteristics for EAL and LS teachers. I think we all hold the role of EAL and LS teachers. It is also important for us to be open to new learning- we are lifelong learners.

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I do not know what this is (pages 43-44)

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EAL and LS Teachers as leaders of adult learning

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EAL and LS Teachers as leaders of adult learning

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Opposition

Time

Buy in

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"We have heard of students being locked away in EAL or LS programs for years, receiving "support" in outdated, ineffective ways." We need to make sure that we are keeping students progressing according to language acquisition, as well as having teachers be "nimble" to keep up with the latest research and collaborate together to help the students.