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English language learners (ELLs) are the fastest-growing population of students in the U.S. New York State public schools are exceptionally linguistically and culturally diverse, enrolling nearly 260,000 ELLs who speak over 200 different languages in the 2023–24 school year.

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Career and technical education is a powerful investment in our nation’s future, equipping students with the skills they need to earn good wages, help support their families, and contribute to our economy. As the United States faces profound economic changes that threaten middle-class stability, CTE provides a crucial link between education and the workforce, ensuring young people are prepared for the evolving job market.

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CTE State-Level Data (including EL counts)

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CTE State-Level Data (including EL counts)

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CTE in Your State - State Profiles and Comparisons - Advance CTE

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CTE in every state and territory helps meet the country’s challenges of economic development, student achievement and global competitiveness.

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English Learners and Career and Technical Education

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English Learners and Career and Technical Education

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Supporting Multilingual Learners in Accessing CTE Texts

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Supporting Multilingual Learners in Accessing CTE Texts

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Career and technical education, commonly referred to as career-tech ed or CTE, encompasses a wide array of industry-specific classes designed to enable high school students to explore career options and develop 21 st-century skills for the modern workplace. Classes range from preparation for immediate post-graduation jobs not requiring college degrees such as veterinary technician and cosmetologist to more intensive and academically rigorous programs in industries like cybersecurity and business management, intended as pathways to further education. Well-designed CTE offerings integrate career and academic skill building, along with soft skills valued in contemporary work contexts, such as teamwork, communicative competence, and ethical decision making (California Department of Education, 2024).

Enrollment in CTE programs can benefit secondary multilingual learners (MLs) enormously. The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) extolls the educational virtues of CTE participation for MLs, including improved high school graduation rates and greater transition to college than their non-CTE peers. For participants from recent immigrant families, CTE programs foster valuable employer-learner connections and extended networks.

Additionally, completion of CTE programs yields employment opportunities in high-demand careers such as health care and advanced manufacturing, with competitive salaries exceeding the national median wage

Of equal importance, CTE programs provide developing English speakers engaging hands-on opportunities for relationship building and "productive talk," in which peers work together to investigate solutions to a problem or create a product (Gregoire-Smith, 2024).

Obstacles to CTE Enrollment for Newcomers

Despite the boundless merits of CTE course enrollment for recent immigrants, institutional roadblocks can prevent aspiring multilingual candidates from enrolling in CTE programs. Newcomers, in particular, typically lack prerequisites for STEM programs while also having a daunting number of core academic courses to complete for high school graduation (Sugarman, 2023). To sustain ML participation in CTE programs, developing English speakers must complete required English language development (ELD) coursework to advance their English proficiency. Optimal CTE programs successfully pair English language instruction with occupational skill building and do not rely upon separate ELD coursework to solely shoulder the responsibility of advancing students' English language and literacy skills (Advance CTE, 2024).

CTE Reading Barriers for Multilinguals

Multilinguals who are enrolled in CTE coursework-yet still qualify for ELD services based on their most recent English language proficiency (ELP) data-face abundant challenges while attempting to access the demanding text and vocabulary that complement the hands-on activities of CTE courses. The average CTE instructor anticipates dedicating precious instructional minutes to technical presentation and relevant practicum, with an expectation that students will handle required reading prior to class. This is an unrealistic assumption, as emergent bilinguals are not yet equipped with the English language knowledge and reading proficiency to independently tackle the highly technical and procedural manuals, reports, articles, and textbooks of CTE curricula.

To thrive in CTE coursework during secondary school and beyond, MLs deserve accommodations that promote their technical and linguistic competence along with their ability to effectively deal with course reading demands. Because high school CTE courses of all kinds are increasingly viewed as on-ramps to some form of postsecondary career training, MLs should exit their high school programs with productive coping skills for independent reading and studying of course materials as they work toward certification in their chosen careers.

School districts should prioritize equipping CTE faculty with a research-informed and productive toolkit of strategies to help less-proficient readers and MLs gain access to course texts. Experienced ELD practitioners who have supported emergent bilinguals in secondary coursework are well suited to offer professional learning and coaching for CTE colleagues. However, a brief in-service training focusing upon stages of second-language acquisition, coupled with basic recommendations to use visual cues, real objects, the Frayer model, and modified verbal delivery, will likely backfire with practicum-oriented CTE colleagues hesitant to modify their syllabi with language and literacy guidance. Educator preparedness must concentrate on evidence-based instructional practices that will be perceived as relevant, manageable, and impactful by practitioners who may be industry leaders yet lack understanding of the complexity of learning a language and content simultaneously (Advance CTE, 2022). Further, professional development providers must utilize an asset-based approach to curriculum and instruction with STEM-oriented colleagues, integrating well-designed support materials that capitalize on students' diversity (NASEM, 2018).

Preparing MLs for CTE Reading Assignments

In this article, we will address high-leverage instructional practices promoting informational text access that can be effectively justified and demonstrated to CTE instructors and implemented across disciplines. The practical guidance we provide stems from our collective experiences working directly with high school and college faculty seeking productive ways to support English learners enrolled in their industry-focused classes. As every career-pathway curriculum includes a variety of informational texts, providing CTE educators with reading support that isn't too labor intensive or time consuming tends to be well received. Our three areas of focus for dedicated in-class instruction are 1) text previewing, 2) supported reading aloud, and 3) teaching high-leverage vocabulary.

Strategy 1: Guide Text Previewing

To support MLs and their classmates who are equally daunted by course reading material, CTE providers can dedicate a reliable fraction of instructional time each week to helping students gain entry-level access to their focal text. Whether the course material be a traditional textbook, a safety manual, or an industry article, less-proficient readers will benefit from a hands-on, explicated walk through the assigned selection. Informational text previewing, the process of surveying the text organization and features, is a productive strategy used by successful students and professionals with heavy reading loads.

Informational text previewing helps a student reader accomplish important goals. This preliminary survey of essential features enables the reader to identify the text focus, assess the level of complexity based on the content, language, and length, and determine an appropriate reading and study plan. An inexperienced and ill-equipped high school reader is apt to forego reading altogether or start on the first page of a complex text and read a brief amount until utter confusion and exhaustion set in. Coming to class at least having previewed an assigned technical selection provides a CTE candidate with a mental outline of the material and increased odds of being able to engage in the instructor's related presentation and hands-on practice.

Daugherty (2017) points out that common text features in STEM curricula such as headings over sections, bolded vocabulary, and visual representations help the reader identify important information presented in the material, call the reader's attention to essential terms, and explain what technical and academic words mean. Many MLs enter CTE coursework with keen interest in acquiring practical school-to-work skills but limited experience navigating technical materials in their home language or English. A step-by-step guided tour of the week's focal reading selection is a reasonable expectation for a CTE service provider serving a diverse student clientele, including adolescent emergent English speakers.

Steps in Guiding Text Previewing

We recommend that ELD support staff provide CTE educators with a compelling rationale for in-class text previewing and hands-on demonstration of the process. CTE colleagues in fields as diverse as nursing and computing will recall coping strategies they utilized during their career training to manage their course reading load. Prior to modeling the process of guided text previewing, consider facilitating a discussion with colleagues in small groups responding to this prompt: What process did you typically follow in your early career training to complete a demanding informational text reading and study assignment? Participants are likely to acknowledge that they completed an initial text preview to gauge the text focus, complexity, and supportive features they could rely upon to build basic understanding if time constraints made a thorough reading unlikely or impossible.

Following are some practical tips, drawing from well-received professional development endeavors:

Make a photocopy of the text selection to display, ideally using a document camera. This will provide a visual aid that can be marked as you offer guidance and explanations. If a core textbook is the only course reading source, provide students with a photocopy of the first chapter to practically interact with during the guided walk-through.

Direct students to have their copy of the focal selection in hand as you guide them through the process of reading, highlighting, and labeling each feature.

As you point out a key feature, audibly name it, clearly label it, and explain its function. (See Visual 1for common informational text features in CTE and STEM curricula.)

Read aloud the title, subtitle (if included), author's name, publication source, and date.

Read aloud the introduction or abstract (if included).

Read each heading and clarify what the section will discuss.

Point out bolded topic-specific technical terms and marginal glosses with additional high-utility academic words and their meanings.

Look over visual representations and aids such as tables, charts, graphs, and symbols.

Read aloud the text conclusion, summary, or last paragraph.

Glance quickly at end-of-text questions.

Point out the most essential section(s) within the text.

Assign a manageable amount of follow-up reading with a realistic time frame.

Strategy 2: Supported Reading Aloud

Emergent bilinguals depend upon their teachers for classroom practices that will advance their text understanding and literacy skills. To achieve entry-level access to challenge-level text, MLs must first be able to read the content relatively fluently. Fluent reading is the ability to read print material with accurate decoding, appropriate pacing, and prosody. Prosody-that is, meaningful expression-involves suitable rhythm, intonation, stresses, and pauses for the text. Because students acquiring English approach CTE course reading material with gaps in language knowledge, they cannot be expected to achieve fluency and grasp text meaning after only one pass at a priority text section. In career-focused classes as well as core subject areas, high school faculty can provide effective models of fluent reading to support all basic readers, English learners and English speakers alike (Kinsella, 2024).

Repeated reading is the most evidence-based practice for improving students' fluency skills (NICHD, 2000). Repeated reading incorporates two essential elements: 1) giving students the opportunity to read and then reread the same text passage, and 2) having students practice reading orally with teacher guidance provided as needed. Understandably, CTE faculty cannot be expected to devote multiple class sessions to guided oral reading of a course text. It is a reasonable expectation, however, for a career-tech educator employed by a school district to analyze an assigned text and identify critical content for supported in-class reading. Predictable priorities for teacher-led reading are the text introduction or abstract, summary or conclusion, and a few key sections with essential content related to hands-on activities.

The oral cloze fluency routine (Harmon and Wood, 2011; Kinsella, 2024) is a research-informed instructional sequence for teacher-mediated oral reading that models fluency while assigning students an observable task of involvement. Rather than passively listening as the teacher reads aloud a text section, students follow along, silently tracking, and chime in with the word the teacher has selectively omitted within a sentence.

Students pay close attention to the teacher's pronunciation, intonation, and timing and stay engaged because they are expected to fill in the missing word. The most struggling class readers may not be able to pronounce every omitted word,
but they will not be singled out or embarrassed and they will benefit from a skillful reading model.

Cloze Fluency Routine Defined

To build oral reading fluency and comprehension, the teacher reads aloud a text segment at a moderate pace with expression, omitting a few carefully selected strong word choices within different sentences, while students follow along silently and chime in chorally with the missing words to show they are accountably engaged in the reading process.

Steps in Using the Cloze Fluency Routine

Prepare the text: Look over the text sections you intend to read aloud and identify the words you plan to omit. Omit two to four words per paragraph, depending on the length and complexity of the text segment. Highlight strong word candidates at the ends of phrases or sentences, natural places to pause, while avoiding multisyllable words that will likely pose pronunciation difficulties. Use different colors to highlight words for the first read and a second read if time permits. Omitting words on the fly, sans preparation, may lead to poor choices that break up logical phrasing or to excessive omissions.

Explain the task: Direct students to follow along silently as you read each sentence aloud and to chime in with the words you omit. Emphasize that you will only omit a few words, one at the beginning, middle, and end of the text segment, and that you will choose strong words (vs. prepositions, articles, etc.) you know they can pronounce. Encourage students to look carefully at the words, rather than passively listen, and use their finger, pencil, cursor, or guide card to track the text and silently follow along.

Read aloud: Read aloud at a moderate rate with enhanced expression, leaving out a few pre-taught or familiar words that come at the end of a meaningful phrase, each within a different sentence. Pause briefly after omitting a word for students to respond chorally. If some students do not chime in, or if they struggle with pronunciation of a word, clearly restate the word and repeat the sentence to get students back on track. Repeat the process as needed, picking up the pace slightly and omitting different words.

Strategy 3: Teaching High-Leverage Vocabulary

Highly targeted and persistent vocabulary instruction can dramatically improve reading ability and lesson engagement for students acquiring English as a new language (August and Shanahan, 2006). After synthesizing studies addressing English-learner academic achievement, Baker and research colleagues identified explicit instruction of prioritized curriculum-aligned words over several days as the most impactful lesson practice to support emergent bilinguals in content-area coursework (Baker et al., 2014).

Since planned, explicit vocabulary instruction has such a pedagogically defensible track record with MLs for improving reading and lesson comprehension, CTE educator preparedness must concentrate on a few viable instructional practices for addressing high-leverage technical and cross-disciplinary words within course texts. Informational texts tend to include resources and visual aids for addressing technical and topic-specific terms. While guiding the text preview, a CTE educator can point out critical boldface terms, which are typically followed by definitions, explanations, and examples. Marginal glosses highlight additional technical terms, often low-incidence words less central to the unit focus.

CTE faculty can avail themselves of visual aids and representations within their course material to address technical terms essential to the unit focus. Similarly, concrete objects and diagrams, pictures, or video embedded in presentation slides can support students in grasping the meaning and function of technical vocabulary. During demonstrations and hands-on activities, educators can highlight words in context and conscientiously emphasize pronunciations and meanings to engage students and promote retention.

To achieve basic access to current text assignments and develop adequate reading skills for future CTE coursework, MLs at all levels of English proficiency require more than clarification of essential unit technical vocabulary. Career-tech ed texts, from manuals to technical reports, are written with complex syntax and lexical precision. They include cross-disciplinary words, uncommon in casual conversation or narrative texts, that appear with regularity in technical explanations, descriptions, processes, and comparisons. The words highlighted in Visual 2 are examples of high-frequency academic words CTE candidates must learn in order to advance in their technical studies and attain a position in their desired career paths.

To navigate their CTE course materials and improve their speaking and writing skills, MLs need to develop a productive working knowledge of words that are used with regularity in professional communication in their field of study. A careful review of even a few sections of a CTE text assignment will yield a plethora of widely used academic words aligned with key language purposes for academic and professional communication. Notice the high number of cross-disciplinary nouns and verbs identified in a relatively brief three-page article "Oxyfuel Cutting: Safety Inspection" for a CTE welding course (see Visual 3). CTE educators, like their high school science, math, and social studies colleagues, must assume some responsibility for building their students' toolkit of these cross-disciplinary words for informational text reading and writing rather than abandon them to Google Translate.

Steps in Teaching High-Utility Academic Words

Explicit, interactive vocabulary instruction has a clear goal of guiding students in gaining ownership of critical new words. The process of building productive word knowledge, the ability to use a word competently in speech, begins with actively involving students with reading, pronouncing, chorally repeating, and accurately copying the target word. To get a conceptual handle on a new academic word, students require an efficiently explained meaning conveyed in accessible language such as a familiar synonym, rather than a protracted formal definition that includes other unfamiliar words. A widely used but abstract academic word such as identify or impact may be challenging to convey with a simple sketch or concrete object. Alternatively, an illustrative example sentence, complemented by a related picture, can help students create a vivid mental image while also helping them understand how the word functions syntactically and semantically in an academic statement.

The vocabulary note-taking guide profiled in Visual 4 was prepared to explicitly introduce high-utility academic vocabulary students would encounter in a focal text within a high school CTE welding course. The guide includes key elements that should be addressed when developing precise understandings of a high-utility academic word.

Without an opportunity to see and correctly pronounce the target word, explore a relevant example, and take some form of notes for review purposes, few learners will recall the meaning or hazard using the word in the context of a future lesson. The blanks provide opportunities for students to focus on engaging in repetition and listening comprehension while taking a few important notes, including copying the word and its cognate or translation and completing the meaning and example sentence provided by the instructor. This explicit instructional process is stepped out in Visual 5, highlighting the teacher's sequential moves and the students' cued, accountable responses.

To support developing English speakers in competently using the word and interacting with peers, a CTE instructor can enhance the guide with a response frame. Rather than simply posing a question and hoping for voluntary responses, a response frame focusing upon a common topic deepens students' understanding and facilitates effective application. A well-crafted response frame should include the target word in a context familiar to students, allowing for a range of ideas for successful completion. To illustrate, note in Visual 4 the diverse ways in which the response frame designed for the adjective adequate could be completed by a high school student, ranging from passing a class to being eligible for a scholarship. An added advantage of a relevant response frame is that MLs have a supported opportunity to flex their second-language muscles, be recognized by peers, and further enhance their word knowledge by actively listening to their peers' engaging contributions.

Concluding Thoughts

We must prepare CTE educators who have the desire and skills to engage linguistically diverse students in their course literacy tasks as well as their practical applications. For many professionals newly teaching the tools of their technical trade to multilingual learners, this is unchartered territory. By integrating into professional preparedness some practical strategies for assisting ML scholars with text access, we can help our CTE colleagues create a more welcoming and successful pathway toward high school graduation and career entrance.

References

California Department of Education. (2024). "CTE Fact Sheet for School Leaders."

Advance CTE. (2022). "Making Good on the Promise: Improving equity and access to quality CTE programs for English learners."

Advance CTE. (2024). " Supporting English Learners in Career Technical Education."

August, D., and Shanahan, T. (Eds). (2006). Developing Literacy in Second Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth. Center for Applied Linguistics.

Baker, S., Lesaux, N., Jayanthi, M., Dimino, J., Proctor, C. P., Morris, J., Gersten, R., Haymond, K., Kieffer, M. J., Linan-Thompson, S., and Newman-Gonchar, R. (2014). Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School (NCEE 2014-4012). US Department of Education.

Daugherty, M. K., Kindall, H. D., Carter, V., Swagerty, L. M., Wissehr, C., and Robertson, S. (2017). "Integrating Informational Text and STEM: An innovative and necessary curricular approach," Journal of STEM Teacher Education, 52(1). doi.org/10.30707/JSTE52.1Daugherty

Gregoire-Smith, M. (2024). "Paving Pathways for Multilinguals." Language Magazine.

Harmon, J., and Wood, K. (2010). "Variations on Round Robin Reading. Middle Ground, 14(2).

Kinsella, K. (2024). "Supporting Multilingual Learners in Developing Reading Fluency across the School Day." Language Magazine.

NASEM. (2018). English Learners in STEM Subjects: Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives. National Academies Press.

NICHD. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching Children to Read.

Sugarman, J. (2023). "Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English learners' equitable access to career and technical education." Migration Policy.

Kate Kinsella, EdD ([email protected]) has served as the pedagogy guide on three recent US Department of Education-funded research initiatives focused upon advancing achievement of K-12 multilingual learners. The author of researched-informed curricula supporting English language development, including English 3D and READ 180, she provides training and consultancy throughout the US to equip colleagues with understandings and skills to educate MLs with respect and efficacy.

Jennifer Finney-Ellison, MSEd ([email protected]) is a teacher educator and ELD curriculum writer with extensive experience in providing professional learning, coaching, and consultancy to K-12 educators and agencies across the US. She is the co-author of a research-informed ELD curriculum, English 3D, Grades K-3.

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Supporting Multilingual Learners in Accessing CTE Texts

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Kate Kinsella and Jennifer Finney-Ellison offer practical ways in which CTE teachers can help students grapple with course reading demands

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Career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs offer opportunities for multilingual learners (MLs) to meet their educational and career goals. State education agencies and school districts are required to provide MLs equal opportunities to participate in all available programs and activities, including CTE programs (U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, & U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, 2015). Equitable access to these programs is not only a right, but a promising pathway for preparing MLs for postsecondary education and careers.

CTE courses and programs prepare students for the workforce in a wide variety of industries and occupations such as architecture and construction, education and training, finance, hospitality and tourism, and information technology (ACTE, 2022). Secondary students that successfully complete CTE coursework can earn industry certifications and licenses which support them with transitioning into postsecondary education and careers. In this article I will define what ML representation looks like in secondary CTE programs, explain why CTE is an important option for MLs, explore barriers and potential solutions for ML participation and success in CTE programs, and offer ideas for next steps in this work.
What does ML representation look like in CTE?
MLs are all students whose parents or guardians report speaking one or more language(s) other than or in addition to English at home. MLs may or may not qualify for English Language Development (ELD) services based on their most current English language proficiency (ELP) scores (Snyder et al., 2023), but for the purposes of this article, I am specifically focusing on MLs that do qualify for ELD services. At the secondary level, as of 2020, MLs that qualify for ELD services account for 6.78% of the public-school high school population. They represent 7.7% of 9 th graders, 7.4% of 10 th, 6.4% of 11 th, and 5.6% of 12 th graders (National Education Statistics, 2023). These numbers are significant as we explore MLs' equitable access to CTE programs.

During the 2019-20 school year, MLs students across the country participated in high school CTE programs at roughly the same percentage rate as their share of the high school population in their state (Sugarman, 2023). For example, in North Carolina, MLs students make up 5.1% of total enrollment in high school and 5.3% of CTE participants in high school. While these findings are certainly encouraging, the data does not disaggregate based on different ML groups, such as by ELP level. It is important for schools and districts to analyze their own data on ML participation in CTE programs and to use that information as a springboard for further investigation to identify possible issues around access for MLs. For instance, upon investigation, a district may find that MLs that have recently arrived in the U.S. and are at the beginning stages of English language proficiency are underrepresented in their CTE programs due to limited outreach conducted in ML families' home languages about the CTE programs available, or CTE program entrance requirements that make it challenging for these students to take part. This finding could then prompt the district to develop targeted outreach to this group of MLs through collaboration between ELD teachers and family liaisons.
Why is CTE an important option for MLs?
In April 2022, the Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) released an infographic on preparing MLs for postsecondary education and careers through CTE. The infographic highlights many of the benefits of CTE for MLs, including higher rates of high school graduation, college attendance, and employment for CTE concentrators versus non-CTE concentrators. It also notes that CTE programs open doors to careers in high-demand occupations that have elevated growth and earning potential in fields such as technology, engineering, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing.

Additionally, CTE programs include a hands-on approach to learning that tends to be concrete and provides immediate relevance for MLs. Many CTE classrooms provide regular opportunities for productive talk in which students are working together to solve a problem or create something, making these classrooms an ideal place to learn and practice language. These features of CTE classrooms can have a positive impact on language acquisition and should be intentionally supported and planned for.

It is critical that districts and schools work to ensure equitable ML representation in CTE programs and to promote high-quality educational experiences for the MLs enrolled in these programs. Our current workforce demands diverse, multilingual candidates and MLs are uniquely equipped with these skills. CTE programs are one way for MLs to leverage these skills to be competitive in today's workforce. When MLs are intentionally included in secondary CTE programs, they can have the opportunity to succeed in whichever path they choose. However, when educators are not intentional about including MLs in CTE programs or don't support their equitable access to CTE content through research-based instructional strategies, they may inadvertently do MLs a disservice.

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When MLs are intentionally included in secondary CTE programs, they can have the opportunity to succeed in whichever path they choose.

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What barriers exist for ML access to and engagement in CTE programs?
While CTE programs offer many benefits for MLs, it is important to acknowledge that barriers do exist. The first layer of barriers that some MLs face is access to CTE programs. Students and families may not be aware of the opportunities to engage in CTE programs within their school or district due to limited multilingual outreach. Schools or districts may also have specific rules for enrollment into a CTE program, such as a minimum grade point average or a prerequisite academic class, which could lead to MLs being disproportionately kept out of CTE programs (Sugarman, 2023). Issues with scheduling CTE coursework into MLs' course of study may prevent students from being able to fully access CTE opportunities in their school. Schools often find this especially difficult for newcomer MLs who may have a number of core academic courses that have to complete in order to accumulate all the credits needed to graduate (Sugarman, 2023). Additionally, transportation and program fees can become an issue for students. For instance, some CTE programs or classes may be held at a different location than a students' home school or there may be participants or industry certification fees associated with the program. Beyond access to programs, challenges around educator preparedness and appropriate instruction may exist. CTE teachers may not have specialized pedagogical training in working with MLs. Without training in best practices, instruction will not likely be scaffolded to meet the strengths and needs of MLs.
How can schools and districts support ML participation and success in CTE programs?
While barriers exist for MLs' access to and engagement in CTE programs, there are several strategies schools and districts can take to support MLs students' participation and success in these programs.

ML recruitment and retention efforts are necessary for MLs to successfully engage in CTE programs. Schools and districts can utilize trusted staff, like ELD teachers, counselors, and family liaisons to encourage participation and support the application process for ML students and families. They can also share information about the benefits and address any concerns or misconceptions families may have about the programs (Advance CTE & ACTE, 2024; Najarro, 2023; Gregoire-Smith, 2022). Multilingual outreach should be intentional and align to the needs of students and families, including written materials, phone calls, and social media posts. Schools and districts can also elevate the voices of current ML CTE students with site visits to encourage MLs entering high school to participate. For example, MLs could shadow current ML CTE students during their classes, or ML CTE students could present their experience in CTE and talk about the benefits of the program. To retain MLs in CTE programs, schools can find creative ways to include flexible learning opportunities such as offering early morning or evening classes, creating summer school options, and providing work-based learning credit for jobs students already have (Najarro, 2023; Sugarman, 2023).

Educator preparedness can greatly impact MLs experience and success within a CTE program.To ensure educators are prepared to meet the strengths and needs of the MLs in their courses, professional learning should focus on implementing research-based best practice in instruction and curriculum for MLs (Advance CTE, 2022). Such strategies include the use of peer learning opportunities, explicit vocabulary development, individualized writing support, academic language mini-lessons, and exam preparation using multiple modalities (Gregoire-Smith, 2023a, 2023b). ELD teachers can support this learning through coaching, co-teaching, curriculum writing, and delivering professional development (Advance CTE & ACTE, 2024; Office of the English Language Acquisition & U.S. Department of Education, 2022). The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) identifies MLs as a "special population" under the law and allows funds to be used to hire, recruit, and train teachers. It specifically calls for professional learning "to give educators of students who are English learners [MLs] in career and technical education programs or programs of study the knowledge and skills to provide instruction and appropriate language and academic support services to those students, including the appropriate use of curricula and assessments" (p. 12 - 13).

Collaboration across departments and offices has the potential to greatly impact MLs access to and success in CTE programs. ELD departments cannot be solely responsible for the serving MLs, it must be a collaborative effort. When departments collaborate, there are opportunities to join forces in providing equitable access to CTE for MLs. For example, the CTE and ELD departments can come together to evaluate their current policies and practices related to MLs and CTE, identify areas of strength and need, and develop plans to address issues they unsurfaced. Additionally, collaboration efforts can be used to plan for and fund both teachers and professional learning. In fact, Title III of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) explicitly allows funding to provide CTE to MLs (Sugarman, 2023). In their 2022 brief around supporting MLs in CTE, Advance CTE and ACTE call for "federal policy braiding" in which leaders leverage federal funding from Perkins V and ESSA Title III to improve CTE for MLs.
What are our next steps in moving this work forward?
School and district leaders are in a powerful position to ensure CTE is leveraged in their context to support MLs in achieving their educational and career goals. Begin by collaboratively reviewing your context using the following guiding questions.

ML Representation: Is the percentage of MLs in your CTE program smaller than, about the same as, or greater than the percentage of MLs at the school? Do discrepancies exist based on ELP levels? If you don't know, how might you find out?

Opportunities and Barriers: Do any barriers exist for MLs entering CTE programs in your school or district (e.g., scheduling, proficiency level requirements, or prerequisites)? If so, what are those barriers and how might they be removed?

Recruiting and Retaining MLs in CTE Programs: What strategies does your school or district use to recruit (e.g., multilingual outreach, trusted staff, site visits) and retain (e.g., flexible learning opportunities, work-based learning credit) MLs in CTE programs?

Educator Preparedness: What experience and training related to working with MLs do CTE educators in your context have? Are there opportunities for professional learning related to supporting MLs?

Collaboration Across Departments: To what extent does collaboration across departments in support of MLs exist in your context? How might you work to increase collaboration in support of MLs access to and participation in CTE programs?

Secondary CTE programs offer exciting opportunities for MLs to achieve their personal education and career goals. And it is imperative that schools and districts take the time to leverage CTE as an opportunity for MLs. Wherever you are in the process, I encourage you to celebrate your current successes and consider the idea presented here to prioritize your next steps.
References
Advance CTE. (2022, June). Making good on the promise: Improving equity and access to quality CTE programs for English learners. https://careertech.org/resource/making-good-on-the-promise-improving-equity-and-access-to-quality-cte-programs-for-english-learners/

Advance CTE, Association for career and Technical Education (ACTE). (2024, February). Supporting English learners in career technical education. https://careertech.org/resource/supporting-english-learners-in-cte/

Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE). (2022, February). What is career and technical education?. https://www.acteonline.org/why-cte/what-is-cte/

Gregoire-Smith, M. (2022, October). EL advocacy case study #3: Multilingual leaners in career and technical education programs during COVID-19. SupportEd, National Education Association (NEA). https://supported.com/el-advocacy-case-study-3-multilingual-learners-in-career-and-technical-education-programs/

Gregoire-Smith, M. (2023a, April). Supporting English learners' participation in high-quality CTE. Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE).

Gregoire-Smith, M. (2023b). Supporting multilingual learners' participation in secondary career and technical education programs series. SupportEd. https://supported.com/mls-in-career-and-technical-education-programs/

Najarro, Ileana. (2023, April 21). How districts can ensure English learners have CTE access. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/how-districts-can-ensure-english-learners-have-cte-access/2023/04

National Center for Education Statistics. (2023). English Learners in Public Schools. Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/cgf.

Office of the English Language Acquisition, U.S. Department of Education. (2022). Career and Technical Education: Preparing K-12 Multilingual Learners for Postsecondary Education and Careers. https://ncela.ed.gov/resources/infographic-career-and-technical-education-preparing-k-12-multilingual-learners-for

Perkins V Act. (2018). https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/COMPS-3096/pdf/COMPS-3096.pdf

Snyder, S., Staehr Fenner, D., Smith, S., & Singh, J. (2023, March). Terminology to describe multilingual learners: labels and their implications. SupportEd. https://supported.com/terminology-to-describe-multilingual-learners-labels-and-their-implications/

Sugarman, Julie. (2023, April). Unlocking opportunities: Supporting English learners' equitable access to career and technical education. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/research/english-learners-career-technical-education

U.S. Census Bureau. (202). Characteristics of people by language spoken at home, 2020 American community survey 5-year estimates subject tables. The Census Bureau. https://data.census.gov/table/ACSST5Y2020.S1603?q=S1603:%20Characteristics%20of%20People%20by%20Language%20Spoken%20at%20Home

U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights, & U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. (2015, January). Dear colleague letter: English learner students and limited English proficient parents. https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf

Meghan Gregoire-Smith, M.A., is a multilingual leaner (ML coach) with SupportEd ( https://supported.com), a woman-owned small business dedicated to advocacy and educational equity for multilingual learners and their families. In this role, she provides professional development, coaching, and technical assistance to organizations, districts, and educators in support of multilingual learners and their families. She is the co-author of Unlocking Multilingual Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible, 2nd Edition.

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Paving Pathways for Multilinguals - Language Magazine

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Career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs offer opportunities for multilingual learners (MLs) to meet their educational and career goals. State education agencies and school districts are required to provide MLs equal opportunities to participate in all available programs and activities, including CTE programs (U.S.

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Career Exploration for Teens | CTE Handbooks

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Help students navigate their plans for life after high school with the CTE Journeys handbooks. These handbooks explore careers, with a deep focus on opportunities that do not require a degree from a traditional four-year college program.

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Supporting English Learners in Career Technical Education Brief

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Supporting English Learners in Career Technical Education Brief

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In the Renton School District, we believe it is vital for schools to prepare students for college, careers, and opportunities to live a well-rounded and productive life. Our commitment is to provide students opportunities to explore, compete, and succeed as lifelong learners as well as ensure they are prepared to make informed decisions about their paths in high school and beyond.

Through our Career and Technical Education (CTE) classes, students engage in hands-on learning experiences where they develop skills they will use their entire lives. Additionally, they are exposed to a multitude of potential career opportunities and pathways in such areas as STEM (science, technology, engineering, math), business and industry, teaching, health care, the arts, and humanities. Our CTE Department collaborates with industry partners to ensure that our courses are helping to meet the demand and needs in our local and national economies.

This CTE Career Guide details course offerings, discusses the knowledge and skills needed for today's high-demand jobs, and serves as a planning guide to help you and your student set a course for success in school and beyond.

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Career Guide - Renton School District 403

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Career Guide - Renton School District 403

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Example of Adding Comprehensible Input to a Lesson Plan 

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Example of Adding Comprehensible Input to a Lesson Plan 

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Example from Becca L'Amour (Renton School District, WA)

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A Guide to Using Academic Language Mini-Lessons and Exam Preparation to Elevate Instruction for MLs in Secondary CTE

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A Guide to Using Academic Language Mini-Lessons and Exam Preparation to Elevate Instruction for MLs in Secondary CTE

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Article Series - Part 4

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Multilingual Learner Coach at SupportEd

Meghan Gregoire-Smith began working at SupportEd to further her commitment and passion for supporting educators of ELs. She has been working with English learners and supporting educators of ELs for over 10 years. Meghan began her career teaching English as a foreign language to young adults in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her time in Ecuador sparked her love of language teaching.

Upon completing her Master's in TESOL from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Meghan began working as an ESOL teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) in Maryland. There she taught elementary ELs in grades K-5 for five years using pull out, push in, and co-teaching models of instruction. She then went on to serve as an ESOL Teacher Specialist for AACPS.

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A Guide to using Academic Language Mini-Lessons and Exam Preparation to levate Instruction for Multilingual Learners in Secondary Career and Technical Education, Part 4

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A Guide to using Academic Language Mini-Lessons and Exam Preparation for Multilingual Learners in Secondary Career and Technical Education.

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Three Strategies to Elevate Instruction for MLs in Secondary CTE Programs

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Three Strategies to Elevate Instruction for MLs in Secondary CTE Programs

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Article Series - Part 3

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Three Strategies to Elevate Instruction for Multilingual Learners in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs, Part 3

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MLs in Career and Technical Education from peer learning and writing support

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How to use Scaffolding to Support MLs’ Participation in Secondary CTE Programs

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How to use Scaffolding to Support MLs’ Participation in Secondary CTE Programs

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Article Series - Part 2

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Multilingual Learner Coach at SupportEd

Meghan Gregoire-Smith began working at SupportEd to further her commitment and passion for supporting educators of ELs. She has been working with English learners and supporting educators of ELs for over 10 years. Meghan began her career teaching English as a foreign language to young adults in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her time in Ecuador sparked her love of language teaching.

Upon completing her Master's in TESOL from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Meghan began working as an ESOL teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) in Maryland. There she taught elementary ELs in grades K-5 for five years using pull out, push in, and co-teaching models of instruction. She then went on to serve as an ESOL Teacher Specialist for AACPS.

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How to use Scaffolding to Support Multilingual Learners' Participation in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs, Part 2

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​​​​​Supporting Multilingual Learners' Participation in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs, part two of the four part series.

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Article Series - Part 1

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Multilingual Learner Coach at SupportEd

Meghan Gregoire-Smith began working at SupportEd to further her commitment and passion for supporting educators of ELs. She has been working with English learners and supporting educators of ELs for over 10 years. Meghan began her career teaching English as a foreign language to young adults in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Her time in Ecuador sparked her love of language teaching.

Upon completing her Master's in TESOL from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Meghan began working as an ESOL teacher in Anne Arundel County Public Schools (AACPS) in Maryland. There she taught elementary ELs in grades K-5 for five years using pull out, push in, and co-teaching models of instruction. She then went on to serve as an ESOL Teacher Specialist for AACPS.

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​​​​​Supporting Multilingual Learners' Participation in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs, Part 1

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Supporting Multilingual Learners' Participation in Secondary Career and Technical Education Programs with SupportEd

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Advance CTE - State Leaders Connecting Learning to Work

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Advance CTE supports State CTE Directors and leaders in advancing high-quality and equitable policies, programs and pathways to learner success.

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We are pleased to announce the next iteration of the CTE Research Network! Learn more...

Career and technical education (CTE) prepares students with academic, technical, and employability skills for success in the workplace and in further education. Most high school students take at least one CTE course, and postsecondary students commonly pursue credentials in CTE. However, more research is needed to understand the effects of CTE on student outcomes. The CTE Research Network seeks to meet this need by increasing the number of CTE impact studies and strengthening the capacity of the field to conduct and use rigorous CTE research.

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Home | Career and Technical Education Research Network

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We are pleased to announce the next iteration of the CTE Research Network! Learn more... Career and technical education (CTE) prepares students with academic, technical, and employability skills for success in the workplace and in further education. Most high school students take at least one CTE course, and postsecondary students commonly pursue credentials in CTE.

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Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible 

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Unlocking English Learners' Potential: Strategies for Making Content Accessible 

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Curious about upcoming releases from SupportEd? Visit our Upcoming Releases page to stay up-to-date on the latest resources and solutions.

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US Department of Education English Learner Toolkit Chapter 4: Meaningful Access to Core Curricular, Extra Curricular Programs

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US Department of Education English Learner Toolkit Chapter 4: Meaningful Access to Core Curricular, Extra Curricular Programs

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CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

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Today, ACTE released a Spanish-translated version of our "CTE Works!" fact sheet to help CTE supporters inform learners and families in the Spanish-speaking community about recent research on CTE's benefits.

This resource provides an evidence-based overview of CTE's impact on student achievement, education and employment outcomes, and the skills gap and economy in the Spanish language.

We encourage you to share this fact sheet with Spanish speakers currently involved or new to CTE as well as those who interact with the Spanish-speaking community, including students and families; educators, counselors and administrators; and federal, state and local education and workforce leaders.

Click here to access the English version of this resource.

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Spanish Translation: "CTE Works!" Fact Sheet

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Today, ACTE released a Spanish-translated version of our "CTE Works!" fact sheet to help CTE supporters inform learners and families in the Spanish-speaking community about recent research on CTE's benefits. This resource provides an evidence-based overview of CTE's impact on student achievement, education and employment outcomes, and the skills gap...

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CTE Policy Watch: A blog for CTE advocates

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As CTE Month comes to a close, ACTE has released a Spanish-translated version of our "What is CTE?" infographic to help CTE supporters inform about CTE in the Spanish-speaking community.

This resource providers an overview of CTE and highlights the benefits that CTE can provide for students, businesses and communities in the Spanish language.

We encourage you to share this resource with Spanish speakers new to CTE as well as those who interact with the Spanish-speaking community, including students and families; educators, counselors and administrators; and federal, state and local education and workforce leaders.

Click here to access the English version of this resource.

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Spanish Translation: "What is CTE?" Infographic

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As CTE Month comes to a close, ACTE has released a Spanish-translated version of our "What is CTE?" infographic to help CTE supporters inform about CTE in the Spanish-speaking community. This resource providers an overview of CTE and highlights the benefits that CTE can provide for students, businesses and communities...

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Preparing English Learners for Work and Career Pathways

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Preparing English Learners for Work and Career Pathways

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LINCS | Adult Education and Literacy | U.S. Department of Education

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What Educators Say
"I found Unit 3 [of the Professional Development Module] extremely informative and thought provoking as I have been wrestling with thoughts regarding how contextualized English curriculum will look and feel in my local district as well as statewide...." "I appreciated the organization of the module as it presented content in step-by-step method. This approach enables me to clearly see the educational impact, and I can't wait to share it at our PLC [professional learning community]."
Contextualizing instruction provides English learners with the specific English and technical skills they need to be successful. This suite of resources offers tools, practical ideas, and hands-on strategies for educators who help adult ELLs in preparing for work or training in career pathways.

Issue Brief

This brief describes key considerations for serving adult ELLs in the workforce, suggests models for implementation, and offers practical ideas for contextualizing instruction to career pathways.

PD Module

This interactive, self-paced online module offers approaches, models, and instructional practices for linking immigrants who are not yet proficient in English to jobs and to career and technical training. Learn the following:

What is meant by contextualizing English Language Acquisition (ELA) to career pathways

Which instructional strategies can help beginning ELLs to be successful

How to apply this to your own work context

Companion Learning Resource

This practice-oriented resource illustrates current, effective instructional models for integrating vocational training with academic instruction. It demonstrates key concepts for integrating academic skill development across many ELL levels to assist with learners' transition to postsecondary education in preparation for work.

Resources

Learn about Open Educational Resources (OER), how they can be used in instruction, and how they can enhance student learning.

Study Circle Resources

Study circle resources for Preparing English Learners for Work and Career Pathways are designed for use by professional trainers to enhance participants' ESL instructional skills. This study circle's resources include the Facilitators Guide and four assignments ( 1, 2, 3, 4).

Review the Other LINCS ESL Pro Resources Suites
Back to LINCS ESL Pro Main Page

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Preparing English Learners for Work and Career Pathways

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What Educators Say "I found Unit 3 [of the Professional Development Module] extremely informative and thought provoking as I have been wrestling with thoughts regarding how contextualized English curriculum will look and feel in my local district as well as statewide...."

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Literacy Skills in Career and Technical Education Classes

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Literacy Skills in Career and Technical Education Classes

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CTE classes are a great place for literacy lessons as students are presented with authentic texts like technical manuals, computer programs, and blueprints.

© iStock.com/Steve Debenport

In 2015, the majority of high school seniors performed at or below basic on the reading assessment section of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The results of the writing assessment administered in 2011 were similar. This means that 50 to 60 percent of students had difficulty reading passages and performing tasks like interpreting information, making inferences, and drawing conclusions. While I do not want to place too much emphasis on standardized assessments, I do think they shine a light on an area that needs our attention.

Efforts to improve adolescent reading and writing skills are numerous, but few focus on increasing literacy through career and technical education (CTE). It is a common misconception that literacy instruction should occur only in English class. CTE teachers can teach literacy quite effectively-it is normal in the CTE classroom for students to be presented with a range of authentic texts, such as blueprints, technical manuals, computer programs, profit-loss statements, lab reports, and floor plans. Presenting students with texts that align with their interests has been proven to inspire even the otherwise unengaged student to actively participate in reading and writing activities.

Incorporating literacy strategies in CTE classes can be difficult at first for both teacher and student. When I taught business classes, there were always a few students who would say, "Why are we doing so much writing? This isn't English class." Nevertheless, it was my duty to teach the course content and provide students with the strategies needed to read, write, listen, design, and speak in a manner that prepared them for life after high school.

Here are four literacy strategies that I found to be useful in CTE classes, though I know they can be used in any classroom. Please note that these strategies are intended to be temporary literacy scaffolds; thus, students no longer need to be provided the strategy when they naturally begin to use the related skills on their own. For instance, the first example is showing students how to summarize an article using a graphic organizer. Once they master how to find the right information and arrange it in a logical manner, the scaffold (i.e., the graphic organizer) is no longer needed. This is a great sign that students are strengthening their literacy skills.

Four Literacy Strategies for the CTE Classroom

1. Read and summarize an article. This may seem like a simple task, but I have received papers in which students either missed the key points or nearly plagiarized an entire article. A graphic organizer helps solve those problems. The organizer allows students to identify the right information, place it in the correct order, and synthesize their thoughts before writing a formal summary.

2. Think critically and ask questions. The world of work requires that students have critical thinking skills and, more specifically, critical questioning skills. Students need to learn how to properly question what they read, see, hear, and think. This skill comes naturally for some, but others may need help. I found that the Creative Questions section of this worksheet (page 8) was a quick and easy way for students to learn the language of critical questioning.

3. Reflect on and respond to what they see. Video clips were a large part of my instructional resource library, including everything from YouTube videos to documentaries to movies. I would often ask students surface-level questions about the content of the video (just to make sure they were paying attention), but I also wanted them to reflect on what they learned, connect it to prior knowledge, and create a proper written response. The art of reflection is a difficult one to teach, but it is vital to learning. Using Sentence Starters for Reader Response helped students find the appropriate words to reflect on and respond to videos, and helped the class have more genuine conversations about what they had just learned.

4. Take a stand and support it with evidence. A CTE curriculum is often problem-based; it challenges students to evaluate a problem, devise a solution, and present evidence to support the solution. Whether that means presenting safety-gear recommendations for a construction site or a new marketing campaign to revitalize an old brand, it is important for students to know how to articulate their ideas in a logical, clear manner. I found the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning framework to be a helpful strategy. Though this framework is usually associated with science, I found it applicable anytime students were asked to make an argument and support it with evidence.

Increasing adolescent literacy rates is a complex challenge that needs to be addressed from multiple perspectives. With 97 percent of students completing at least one CTE course by the time they graduate from high school, CTE programs are naturally positioned to help students build literacy skills in preparation for future success in college, careers, and life.

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Literacy Skills in Career and Technical Education Classes

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CTE classes are a great place for literacy lessons as students are presented with authentic texts like technical manuals, computer programs, and blueprints.

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Engaging Families & Communities to Support Special and Underserved Populations in CTE

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Engaging Families & Communities to Support Special and Underserved Populations in CTE

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners’ Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners’ Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Once considered a less-rigorous high school pathway, career and technical education (CTE) has experienced a renaissance since the 1990s, as more high-skilled and white-collar professions have been included in these elective course options. Research indicates that participation in CTE-especially taking more than one course in a single occupational area-is correlated with benefits in graduation rates and earnings as an adult.

As CTE's scope and audience have grown, educators and advocates have brought attention to the need to ensure equitable access for historically marginalized student groups. For high school English Learners (ELs), who often face challenges to college and career readiness, CTE can play an important role in helping them stay engaged in school, graduate, and get on a path to a career providing a family-sustaining wage.

This report explores policies and practices that can support ELs' participation in CTE courses. It includes an overview of how CTE has changed over time, state-level data on EL participation rates, and a close look at the opportunities and barriers to EL enrollment and participation, drawing in part on interviews with state and district CTE and EL administrators. The report concludes with recommendations for state and local educators seeking to further strengthen policy and practice.

1 Introduction 2 The Evolution of CTE 3 Federal Support through the Perkins Act 4 Participation of ELs in CTE
5 Opportunities and Barriers
A. EL Access to CTE Instruction
B. Fitting CTE into a Course of Study
C. Teachers and Professional Development
D. Student Recruitment
E. Connections across Administrative Offices
F. Challenges Combining Work and School
6 Conclusions and Recommendations

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners' Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Increasing equitable access to educational opportunities is a major focus for U.S. educators and others. For English Learners, the hands-on courses offered through career and technical education (CTE) programs can play an important role in helping them stay engaged in school, graduate, and get on a path to a career providing a family-sustaining wage.

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ACTE: CTE Supports English Language Learners

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ACTE: CTE Supports English Language Learners

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My educator service began over a decade ago, with the most amazing opportunity to teach in a bilingual third grade classroom. In accordance with a federal consent decree, Denver Public Schools (DPS) must meet the needs of our multilingual learners. I was trained to ensure my students experienced Integrated Content Language Development (ICLD); rigorous, content-based instruction scaffolds to support all learners. Shared strategies and intentional instruction are critical for English language and career development.

My students thrived when they could be critical thinkers, creators, and when they were given freedom and support to talk academically. And it was not just happening in Spanish; they were sponges for the terminology in English with supporting scaffolds.

I remained in close contact with many of these students throughout my educational journey. By the time they became juniors and seniors, I was serving as an administrator and career and technical education (CTE) director in a working-class community high school in the heart of Denver, Colorado. The Mile High City, which serves 90,000 students, provided 18,701 college and career education classes in 2020-21. In addition to recruiting to grow my school's programs, I wanted to share the opportunities that CTE offered with students I had taught in Spanish over the years. I knew they would thrive in CTE because it was so hands-on.

As I began reaching out, I was surprised to learn that students identified as still needing to master English experienced barriers in accessing CTE and other opportunities. Our secondary school scheduling places CTE classes and English language development classes in the same elective block.

CTE SERVEs English learners.

Many of our bilingual students were demonstrating proficiency to earn a Seal of Biliteracy upon graduation, proficient in two or more languages. Open doors to CTE, combined with the gift of language, increase opportunities for valuable education and employer connections. When faced with the challenge of access, the Multilingual Education Department (MLE) was determined to make a win for our English learners. We wanted to support teachers in understanding that CTE classrooms are the ideal place to learn language. MLE created so many amazing resources. We just had to take the supports they had and look at them with a CTE lens.

S: Student talk that is frequent, accountable and structured

Clear expectations and modeling of academic language

Techniques to ensure equal participation (collaborative structures, turn-taking, roles, choral response)

Strategic grouping

Opportunities for students to discuss in home language, when appropriate

E: Explicit instruction and modeling of the academic language needed

Target language for instruction, such as academic vocabulary (word level), grammatical structures or academic phrases (sentence level), and academic conversation skills (discourse level)

Descriptive feedback is provided, both on the use of academic language and on the content, throughout the lesson.

R: Rigorous grade-level content

Connection to personal experiences and prior knowledge, and building of background knowledge

Differentiated sentence frames, sentence stems, and questioning

Wait time and opportunities to process with a peer

Multiple exposures to important ideas, reviewing/summarizing main points

Home language materials provided when needed

V: Extensive use and interaction with visual resources

Pictures, photographs, videos

Gestures

Realia

Graphic organizers, diagrams and charts with color-coding

Digital technology

Modeling procedures and exemplar work

E: Respectful, equitable and encouraging learning environment

Clear and consistent rituals and routines

Modeling of encouraging, enthusiastic and effort-based learning

Validation, respect and encouragement of varied cultural perspectives and use of home language(s)

Culturally responsive practices

Our CTE classrooms are the perfect place for English learners because our work is so hands-on. Whether students are reading blueprints or using high-level technical language, ensuring our students can speak and read the world of their work gives them a competitive edge in the work- force and grows our economy.

At DPS, the many diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds that our students bring to the classroom enrich our schools. DPS (n.d.) believes every student's home language and culture are assets that [when] combined with our English language skills, help students achieve success in school and life."

Elina Martinez Medina is an educational specialist in Denver, Colorado. Before working as a CTE specialist in Denver Public Schools, she was a high school administrator and bilingual elementary educator for over a decade. Medina works to ensure CTE programs create equitable opportunities, particularly engaging students in high-wage, talent pipeline growth in trade skill work. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from University of Denver. She is the proud mother of two adult sons and a teenage daughter. Medina currently resides with her daughter and her two pups. Email her.

This article originally appears in Techniques, in print, in April 2021.

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CTE classrooms are the perfect place for English learners because our work is so hands-on. Read Techniques to learn more.

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For English learners (ELs), their access to career and technical education (CTE) can be limited due to a variety of factors. These include language proficiency restrictions, limited translation services and lack of family outreach. Educators must act with urgency to support representation and engagement. Because when ELs are intentionally included, they may succeed in whichever path they choose.

Review data on EL enrollment to assess representation and identify any barriers that exist. For example, there may be limited outreach conducted in EL families' home languages about the CTE programs available to students. To address this challenge, set up outreach structures. This outreach can come in many different forms such as field trips, flyers, and application support services. Then the focus can shift to effective instructional practices.

In this article I will outline how scaffolding instruction can support ELs in CTE programs. And how educators can implement five strategies to support ELs in CTE.

Incorporate explicit vocabulary development into instruction.

Provide writing support based on strengths and needs.

Embed peer learning opportunities into instruction.

Include mini lessons on academic language as appropriate.

Prepare for certification exams using multiple modalities.

How can scaffolding support ELs in CTE programs?

CTE takes a hands-on approach to learning. Instruction tends to be concrete and provides immediate relevance for all students. CTE programs provide regular opportunities for productive talk in which students work together to solve a problem or create something, making it an ideal place to learn and practice language. CTE can have a positive impact on ELs' language acquisition. By adding scaffolds to instruction, teachers can help ELs in CTE programs reach their full potential. Scaffolds can help make CTE accessible to ELs at all stages of English language proficiency. And they should be provided based on individual students' strengths and needs.

Incorporate explicit vocabulary development into instruction.

CTE classrooms are full of technical terms. And we know that vocabulary development is an important part of effective education for ELs in all content areas. Begin by introducing new terminology.

There are many ways to introduce new words, and it is best to use multiple strategies to ensure strong understanding. Use visuals to bring words to life. For example, in a culinary class, the teacher can use items available in the kitchen to model the term mise en place (to have all your ingredients and equipment prepared before you start cooking).

Provide writing support based on strengths and needs.

To support ELs in becoming successful writers, CTE teachers can incorporate explicit writing lessons with appropriate scaffolds that align with individual students' strengths and needs. For instance, students at the beginning level of English language proficiency may benefit from the use of a model essay or a word bank when writing.

Embed peer learning opportunities into instruction.

Consider how ELs may lack experience in using the English language as a function: to make requests, provide explanations, and discuss problems. Role plays and simulation activities can be valuable tools for language practice. They help students prepare for the situations they will find at work.

Include mini lessons on academic language as appropriate.

Language mini lessons provide an opportunity to teach new language structures as needed throughout a unit. These brief lessons can take place with the whole class or as a small group and connect the language taught to the course content. In other words, the students should use the language in context.

Prepare for certification exams using multiple modalities.

Certification requirements vary by industry and state. No matter, it is important to support ELs in preparing for these exams. Provide students the time to practice and engage with the language and exam structures they will experience. Review exam materials to analyze the language demands of the test. What terms do they need to know? Also, how will the questions be written? Then conduct practice exercises. For instance, multiple-choice exam questions with negative construction (e.g., "All of the following statements are true except one.") can be challenging to understand without explicit instruction.

Final thoughts

As you consider how best to support ELs in CTE programs, think about the types of supports that individual students need. Secondary CTE programs offer pathways for diverse students across the country. And it is exciting to see educators advocating for ELs' engagement within these programs.

Meghan Gregoire-Smith, M.A., is a multilingual learner coach for SupportEd.

Learn more about SupportEd

SupportEd is a woman-owned small business with a vision to reimagine the landscape of education for English learners. They provide support to empower students and their educators. Over the past few years, SupportEd has collaborated with educators at Southern Westchester BOCES Center for Career Services, a secondary CTE school in Valhalla, New York, to embed supports for ELs into CTE curricula and instructional practices. This article emerged from lessons we learned through this ongoing collaborative partnership.

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For English learners (ELs), their access to career and technical education (CTE) can be limited due to a variety of factors. These include language proficiency restrictions, limited translation services and lack of family outreach. Educators must act with urgency to support representation and engagement.

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Webinar Recording: Career and Technical Education as a Bridge to High School English Learner Success

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Webinar Recording: Career and Technical Education as a Bridge to High School English Learner Success

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Career and Technical Education as a Bridge to High School English Learner Success

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This webinar looks at career and technical education programs and federal, state, and school district policies that support English Learners' inclusion in these programs.

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Office of English Language Acquisition: ELs in Career and Technical Education

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Office of English Language Acquisition: ELs in Career and Technical Education

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Career and Technical Education: Preparing K–12 Multilingual Learners for Postsecondary Education and Careers 

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Career and Technical Education: Preparing K–12 Multilingual Learners for Postsecondary Education and Careers 

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners’ Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners’ Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Once considered a less-rigorous high school pathway, career and technical education (CTE) has experienced a renaissance since the 1990s, as more high-skilled and white-collar professions have been included in these elective course options. Research indicates that participation in CTE-especially taking more than one course in a single occupational area-is correlated with benefits in graduation rates and earnings as an adult.

As CTE's scope and audience have grown, educators and advocates have brought attention to the need to ensure equitable access for historically marginalized student groups. For high school English Learners (ELs), who often face challenges to college and career readiness, CTE can play an important role in helping them stay engaged in school, graduate, and get on a path to a career providing a family-sustaining wage.

This report explores policies and practices that can support ELs' participation in CTE courses. It includes an overview of how CTE has changed over time, state-level data on EL participation rates, and a close look at the opportunities and barriers to EL enrollment and participation, drawing in part on interviews with state and district CTE and EL administrators. The report concludes with recommendations for state and local educators seeking to further strengthen policy and practice.

1 Introduction 2 The Evolution of CTE 3 Federal Support through the Perkins Act 4 Participation of ELs in CTE
5 Opportunities and Barriers
A. EL Access to CTE Instruction
B. Fitting CTE into a Course of Study
C. Teachers and Professional Development
D. Student Recruitment
E. Connections across Administrative Offices
F. Challenges Combining Work and School
6 Conclusions and Recommendations

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Unlocking Opportunities: Supporting English Learners' Equitable Access to Career and Technical Education

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Increasing equitable access to educational opportunities is a major focus for U.S. educators and others. For English Learners, the hands-on courses offered through career and technical education (CTE) programs can play an important role in helping them stay engaged in school, graduate, and get on a path to a career providing a family-sustaining wage.

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EL Advocacy Case Study #3: Multilingual Learners in Career and Technical Education Programs

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EL Advocacy Case Study #3: Multilingual Learners in Career and Technical Education Programs

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This case study is the final of three that focus on advocating for multilingual learners (MLs) during the Covid-19 pandemic.We developed this case study based on conversations we have had with teachers of MLs as well as research and best practices we read about.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic a number of inequities including a higher dropout rate, lower graduation rate, and a wide opportunity gap existed for MLs in comparison to their non-ML peers. A report by the U.S. Department of Education, Education in a Pandemic: The Disparate Impacts of COVID-19 on America's Students, demonstrated that many of the inequities that existed for MLs were exasperated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, in school year 2022 - 2023, while the pandemic still lingers, schools across the country are operating in-person and educators have the opportunity to make changes based on lessons learned over the past two school years.

One possible avenue for change is through career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs. CTE education encompasses courses and programs of study in which students acquire challenging academic, technical, and employability skills to succeed in post secondary education and in-demand careers. High-quality CTE can increase student success in high school and post secondary education and accelerates workforce development. Additionally, it provides MLs with real-world opportunities to explore, engage in, and pursue rewarding careers. This case study will focus on advocating for MLs' access to and engagement in CTE courses and programs.

About SupportEd
SupportEd, LLC is a woman-owned small business based in Fairfax, VA specializing in Multilingual Learners (MLs). Founded in 2011 by Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner, best-selling author and ML expert, SupportEd meticulously crafts customized solutions to fit each client's strengths, needs, and provides teachers and administrators the practical tools necessary to champion MLs' success within and beyond the classroom. All SupportEd team members have prior experience in the classroom which enables the SupportEd team to provide realistic, actionable solutions. Services include online and in-person immersive professional development workshops, easy-to-implement tools and resources, and an array of supporting services. Visit getsupported.net or call (202) 660-1444 to learn more.

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EL Advocacy Case Study #3: Multilingual Learners in Career and Technical Education Programs - SupportEd

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This case study is the final of three that focus on advocating for multilingual learners (MLs) during the Covid-19 pandemic.We developed this case study based on conversations we have had with teachers of MLs as well as research and best practices we read about.

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August, 2018

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It's October in the Rio Grande Valley; the summer heat has receded and the school year is in full swing. Rolando Diaz teaches sixth-grade science at Del Valle Middle School. His class is a mix of English language learners (ELLs) with varying levels of English proficiency. He also has a few newcomer students, mostly from Mexico and Central America. Although all the students are Latino, they have varying degrees of Spanish proficiency.

Today, Mr. Diaz is teaching a lesson on ecology. To prepare for it, he has added several scaffolds to the district-mandated science curriculum. He presents slides to guide the lesson, providing students with visual support for what they hear him say.

Students also have a workbook that corresponds to the slides. For each slide, students engage in an activity that helps them process information. In this case, it is "partner talk" requiring them to describe a variety of habitats in terms of food, shelter, and temperature. They also use a bilingual glossary with pictures and English and Spanish definitions for the lesson's target vocabulary words. The glossary asks students to answer a question about each word and draw a picture or provide an example. For instance, for "ecosystem," they describe one near their house.

Mr. Diaz begins the lesson by introducing the content and language objectives for the day. Next, he explains several general and domain-specific words using the slides.

He quickly gives each definition in English, asks a student to read the definition in Spanish, presents an example for each definition, and asks students to discuss each word's meaning. A few weeks ago, he taught a mini-lesson on recognizing English-Spanish cognates, so they discuss whether "habitat" and "ecosystem" are also cognates.

Students then form groups to explore the schoolyard habitat. In each group, students are assigned various roles-mapmaker, bug collector, vegetation inspector, soil sampler, or data collector-and they complete a corresponding chart. For example, the vegetation inspector measures and records the height of the tallest vegetation and works with the mapmaker to record the location.

At the end of the lesson, students listen and follow along as Mr. Diaz reads the section of the grade-level text that discusses features of the ecosystem in Yellowstone National Park. After each section of text, students answer questions orally about the text, illustrations, and other visual displays. Mr. Diaz provides sentence starters and sentence frames to scaffold responses for his students with lower levels of English proficiency.* He intentionally pairs newcomers with bilingual peers so they can converse in Spanish before writing in English.

A longtime teacher, Mr. Diaz has effectively planned and carried out instruction on a specific science topic. He has ensured that students with varying degrees of English proficiency can access the academic content, strengthen their literacy skills, and engage with and learn from their peers.

I've worked with Mr. Diaz and many others like him to incorporate these best practices into their teaching. His teaching reflects the latest research on educating ELLs. In this article, I discuss this research, which includes seven principles from a recent consensus report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 1 The report, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures, examines what the research tells us about learning English from early childhood through high school, identifies effective practices for educators, and recommends steps policymakers can take to support high-quality educational outcomes for children and youth who are learning English.

These principles and practices build on findings from previous reviews on the same topic, 2 as well as U.S. Department of Education best-evidence syntheses. 3 While dual language programming for ELLs is effective for developing English proficiency and content-area knowledge in English-with the extra benefit of maintaining and developing students' first language, validating their culture, and providing opportunities to enhance cross-cultural understanding4-this article focuses on instruction delivered in English, an important component of dual language programs. (For more on dual language programs and early childhood education, see " Encouraging the Development and Achievement of Dual Language Learners in Early Childhood.")

1. Provide Access to Grade-Level Course Content

For ELLs, exposure to grade-level course content provides crucial access to the language required for academic achievement and for becoming fully proficient in English. 5 This exposure helps students develop the concepts and skills needed to master grade-level coursework as they move up through the grades. Grade-level coursework, in turn, helps ensure students perceive the materials as worth working on, engaging, and meaningful. 6

In the reviewed studies that focus on the elementary grade levels, a variety of authentic materials were used to support learning. For example, in an English language arts intervention, newspaper articles, diaries, and historical and fictional accounts were used to teach students about immigration across different time periods. 7 In an intervention for young children, the read-aloud books and videos focused on habitats. 8 A middle-grades science intervention used the same texts and experiments used with gifted and talented students. 9

It is important to keep in mind that many skills and types of knowledge transfer from students' first language to their second, and that ELLs may have already acquired core content in their first language. 10 For example, students who have learned math concepts and skills in their first language do not need to relearn the concepts and skills, but do need to learn the English academic language associated with them. ELLs whose first language shares cognates with English do not need to learn meanings for cognates whose meanings they know in their first language-only English labels for these cognates.

Because grade-level materials in English are challenging for ELLs, instruction using these materials must be coupled with methods that support ELLs. The following principles elaborate on this theme.

2. Build on Effective Practices Used with English-Proficient Students

Many of the practices that have proved effective for ELLs are adapted from practices that have proved effective for English-proficient students. For example, in the area of literacy interventions, it is helpful to teach ELLs the same skills as their English-proficient peers-the skills of hearing the individual English sounds or phonemes within words (i.e., phonemic awareness); using the letters and spelling patterns within words to decode the pronunciation (i.e., phonics); reading text aloud with appropriate speed, accuracy, and expression (i.e., oral reading fluency); using strategies to learn new words; thinking about what they are reading (i.e., reading comprehension); and writing with the organization, development, substance, and style appropriate to the task and audience. 11

Effective practices for middle-grades students similarly build on practices that have been effective with English-proficient students. For example, in science, the 5-E approach-Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate-has been used to guide successful interventions for ELLs. 12 Approaches deemed effective for building vocabulary in English-proficient students have also been used in successful interventions for ELLs. 13 Examples include teaching vocabulary in the context of rich and varied language experiences, teaching individual words, teaching word-learning strategies, promoting word consciousness, and using words in writing. 14 In social studies, approaches include reading and writing about informational passages that provide multiple perspectives on historical events. 15

That said, not all practices deemed effective for English-proficient learners are effective for ELLs. For example, one study16 found that the use of literacy practices that included only higher-level questioning and discussion about the meaning of text had a strong relationship to improved reading comprehension for English-proficient students, but had little discernible benefit for ELLs. The study also found differences with respect to teacher-student interactions. "Telling"-defined as the teacher providing students with information, rather than engaging them in the creation of information through coaching, recitation, or other forms of interaction-had a statistically significant positive effect on ELLs' reading comprehension, but a negative effect on the comprehension of English-proficient students. The researcher posits that in the first case, the literacy practices (e.g., higher-level questioning and discussion) may have been at too high a level for ELLs to benefit without the appropriate supports. In the case of "telling," the researcher suggests that ELLs benefited because they were provided with more support for engaging with core content in English-a level of support that was not necessary for English-proficient students.

3. Provide Supports to Help ELLs Master Core Content and Skills

ELLs also benefit from visual and verbal supports. 17 For students in the elementary grades, visual supports include the strategic use of pictures, short videos, and graphic organizers to represent complex vocabulary and concepts. 18 Verbal supports include student glossaries; words glossed in context by the teacher; and whole-class, small-group, and partner discussions that focus in part on clarifying key ideas. 19 In the middle grades, visual supports include graphic organizers such as diagrams, tables, and concept maps for science, and illustrations and multimedia for language arts. Verbal supports include bilingual glossaries, as well as sentence and paragraph frames. In several studies, students were taught strategies to support learning; 20 in one such study, students learned strategies to help them write. 21

For ELLs who are newcomers, especially those in the upper grades, core content provided in their home language will support them in developing their knowledge and skills while they are acquiring proficiency in English.

4. Develop ELLs' Academic Language

Academic language is defined as language used in school, in written communications, in public presentations, and in formal settings. 22 Academic proficiency is "knowing and being able to use general and academic vocabulary, specialized or complex grammatical structures, and multifarious language functions and discourse structures-all for the purpose of acquiring new knowledge and skills, interacting about a topic, and imparting information to others." 23

It is important to note that academic language differs across content areas. In science, for example, the challenges of mastering academic language apply to vocabulary (e.g., learning everyday words with science meanings, general academic vocabulary, and discipline-specific vocabulary); syntax (e.g., passive voice, compound and complex sentences, and the nominalization of verbs, adverbs, and adjectives); and discourse (e.g., learning to attend to precise meanings in science text and talk). Students must also learn to master the nonlinguistic forms of language prevalent in content areas like science and math (e.g., diagrams, graphs, charts, maps, and equations). 24

One series of experimental studies developed academic language in the context of teaching mainly science content. 25 The studies used the types of visual and verbal supports previously described to help students make sense of content, develop general academic and domain-specific vocabulary, engage in opportunities to talk in pairs and small groups, and practice writing to extend their learning. These studies are well reviewed in two U.S. Department of Education practice guides for educators. 26

With regard to vocabulary instruction, recent research indicates embedded instruction is a promising technique for developing ELLs' vocabulary when that vocabulary is not conceptually complex. 27 In embedded instruction, students are given access to word meanings through on-the-spot child-friendly definitions of the target words (and, in some cases, examples and gestures). The research also indicates that instructional condition interacts with word type, with conceptually complex words much harder for students to acquire and thus needing more instructional support. 28 (For more on helping students with their oral language development, see " Meaningful Classroom Talk.")

5. Encourage Peer-to-Peer Learning Opportunities

One of the key principles of instruction in a second language is enabling students to interact via speaking, listening, reading, and writing with peers in their second language. 29 Speaking is important to generate feedback, encourage syntactic processing, and challenge students to engage at higher proficiency levels. As a result, it is no surprise that in many of the studies cited thus far, peer-to-peer learning was an important component of the intervention. In fact, in some studies, it was the focus.

For example, in one study implemented in the elementary grades, peer-to-peer learning was used to develop first-graders' literacy skills in a dual language program. 30 Using the Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS) program, the peer-to-peer learning classrooms provided a structured routine in which the teacher modeled the language activities of the day; students practiced the activities in pairs for 15 minutes while the teacher supervised; and students then turned to story sharing, a partner reading activity that lasted for another 15 minutes. Teachers paired high-performing readers with low-performing readers and then taught the students to use the PALS procedures. During each segment of the session, the high-performing students performed the role of coach first, and the low-performing students followed. On average, PALS students demonstrated significantly greater growth than control students in phoneme segmentation, nonsense word fluency, and oral reading fluency.

In the middle grades, many of the interventions that had positive outcomes for ELLs also provided opportunities for collaborative peer learning. 31 An important feature of these studies is that peer talk, in pairs or small groups, focused on course content.

In planning for peer-to-peer interactions for adolescents, teachers need to consider students' growing awareness of their social status in peer groups in school and their community. 32 For ELLs, this includes how they are perceived by peers proficient in English. 33

6. Capitalize on Students' Home Language, Knowledge, and Cultural Assets

Studies on cross-language transfer 34 indicate significant relationships between performance in ELLs' first and second languages in word reading, spelling, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading strategies. Findings from evaluation studies comparing bilingual programs with mostly English-only programs indicate that, over time, ELLs instructed bilingually either perform on par with or outperform ELLs instructed only in English, 35 providing indirect evidence of positive transfer.

Experimental studies 36 conducted with elementary school children suggest that instructional routines that draw on students' home language, knowledge, and cultural assets support literacy development in English. Examples of the instructional routines include previewing and reviewing material in children's first language, storybook reading in students' first language, 37 providing opportunities for students to engage in conversational exchanges during instruction that permits some interpretation to take place in their first language, 38 providing first-language definitions for the targeted vocabulary, 39 providing instruction in word-learning strategies that help ELLs uncover the meanings of cognates when encountered in English texts, 40 and introducing key concepts by connecting them with children's prior knowledge or experiences at home and in their community. 41

As was the case for studies conducted with children in grades K-5, middle-grades studies that showed positive effects capitalized on ELLs' assets. While none of the studies were implemented in bilingual settings, the interventions included bilingual glossaries, background materials in students' home languages, teacher explanations in students' home languages, partner work in students' home languages, and instruction to help ELLs take advantage of their home-language knowledge and skills. 42

7. Screen for Language and Literacy Challenges, Monitor Progress, and Support ELLs Who Are Struggling

Historically, ELLs have been both overidentified and underidentified as having a disability. 43 Both cases-identifying students as having a disability when they do not in fact have one (i.e., overidentification) and failing to identify students for special education services that they need (i.e., underidentification)-are problematic. Measures used to assess ELLs for reading and language challenges must distinguish language development from disability.

Most intervention research has focused on ELLs with reading difficulties. Findings from numerous studies cited in previous reviews of promising and effective instructional practices for ELLs 44 suggest that districts should establish procedures and provide training for schools to screen ELLs for reading challenges, consider collecting progress monitoring data more than three times a year for ELLs at risk, and use data from screening and progress monitoring assessments to make decisions about necessary instructional supports.

The studies also suggest the types of reading skills that should be assessed at different grade spans to determine whether ELLs are in need of additional instructional support. For kindergarten and first grade, skills include phonological awareness, familiarity with the alphabet and alphabetic principle, the ability to read single words, and knowledge of basic phonics rules. For children at the end of first grade and in the next few grades, skills include the ability to read connected texts accurately and fluently. For students in grades 2-5, oral reading fluency should also be assessed. However, these grade spans are predicated on ELLs beginning their schooling in kindergarten and must be adjusted for students entering U.S. schools in later grades and who may have already acquired these skills in their first language.

The studies provide two other recommendations: first, districts with performance benchmarks should use the same standards for ELLs and English-proficient students in the early grades, but should make adjustments in instruction when ELL progress is not sufficient; and second, teachers should be trained to use formative data to guide instruction. 45 With regard to formative data, one study suggests that students' writing samples should be used on an ongoing basis to determine areas for improvement. 46 Students' writing samples are excellent sources for formative assessment because they shed light on language challenges common to all children, as well as challenges and opportunities related to primary language influence on English. 47

Almost all studies related to screening, monitoring, and intervening are studies of ELLs in elementary grades. 48 Recommendations based on these studies include implementing intensive small-group interventions for at least 30 minutes in small homogeneous groups, and providing training and ongoing support for teachers, interventionists, and other school personnel on how to deliver small-group instruction effectively, as well as how to implement effective teaching techniques that can be used outside small-group instruction (e.g., instructional pacing, error corrections, and modeling). 49 Another important recommendation is that additional supports should be provided to ELLs struggling in English literacy that address the other skills crucial for success in school, such as vocabulary, listening, reading comprehension, and writing. 50

Where Additional Research Would Help

While there are some studies on effective practices for ELLs in science, studies focused on math and social studies are still very limited, compared with studies of English-proficient students. More research is also needed on promising and effective teaching methods for developing ELLs' home language, knowledge, and skills, and equalizing the social status of students from different ethnic/language backgrounds with the social status of white and native English-speaking students in schools.

For bilingual programs in particular, research is needed on the features that influence the successful acquisition of language and content. These features should include student ratios of English speakers to partner-language speakers in two-way programs, the number of instructional hours allotted to each language, the proportion of school staff and leadership who are bilingual, and the use of target languages within and across content areas. 51 And since most of the intervention research focuses on ELLs in grades K-2, and on pre-reading and reading skills, additional research is needed to understand how to intervene with older ELLs struggling in reading and with ELLs at all grade levels struggling in math, science, and social studies.

Finally, the social and emotional factors that influence student dispositions toward learning and academic performance (e.g., student motivation and engagement) must also be studied. More effective instruction, positive teacher attitudes toward teaching ELLs and high expectations that they can succeed, and engaging school climates can foster ELLs' motivation to learn and commitment to their educational success in the elementary school years and beyond. 52

Experienced teachers knowledgeable about supporting ELLs, such as Mr. Diaz, already incorporate many of these principles in their instruction. But more needs to be done to make sure this research gets into the hands of all classroom teachers, and to ensure additional research is conducted that can strengthen teaching and learning.

Diane August is a managing researcher and the director of the Center for English Language Learners at the American Institutes for Research. Previously, she was a senior research scientist at the Center for Applied Linguistics and a senior program officer at the National Academy of Sciences. This article is drawn from chapters 7 and 8 of the report Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures, published in February 2017 by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, which is available online.

*For more on scaffolding, see " One Sentence at a Time" in the Summer 2017 issue of American Educator. ( back to the article)

†A useful resource for finding reading and math programs deemed effective for all students is this website created by the Center for Research and Reform in Education at Johns Hopkins University. ( back to the article)

‡Nominalization refers to using a word that is not a noun (e.g., a verb, adjective, or adverb) as a noun or as the head of a noun phrase (e.g., using the adjective "rich" as a noun, as in "the rich"). ( back to the article)

§For more on ways English language learners bring cultural assets to schools, see " The Potential and Promise of Latino Students" in the Spring 2017 issue of American Educator. ( back to the article)

Endnotes

1. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures (Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2017).

2. Diane August and Timothy Shanahan, eds., Developing Reading and Writing in Second-Language Learners: Lessons from the Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (New York: Routledge, 2008); Fred Genesee et al., eds., Educating English Language Learners: A Synthesis of Research Evidence (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 245; and Claude Goldenberg, "Unlocking the Research on English Learners: What We Know-and Don't Yet Know-about Effective Instruction," American Educator 37, no. 2 (Summer 2013): 4-11, 38.

3. What Works Clearinghouse, which has particularly high standards for evidence of effectiveness, has two publications related to English language learners: Scott Baker et al., Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School, NCEE 2014-4012 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2014); and Russell Gersten et al., Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction for English Learners in the Elementary Grades: A Practice Guide, NCEE 2007-4011 (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2007).

4. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth.

5. Lily Wong-Fillmore and Charles J. Fillmore, "What Does Text Complexity Mean for English Learners and Language Minority Students?" (Stanford, CA: Understanding Language, Stanford University, 2014), http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/06-LWF%....

6. Ellen A. Skinner and Jennifer R. Pitzer, "Developmental Dynamics of Student Engagement, Coping, and Everyday Resilience," in Handbook of Research on Student Engagement, ed. Sandra L. Christenson, Amy L. Reschly, and Cathy Wylie (New York: Springer, 2012), 21-44.

7. Maria S. Carlo, Diane August, and Catherine E. Snow, "Sustained Vocabulary-Learning Strategy Instruction for English-Language Learners," in Teaching and Learning Vocabulary: Bringing Research to Practice, ed. Elfrieda H. Hiebert and Michael L. Kamil (Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2005).

8. Rebecca Silverman and Sara Hines, "The Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction on the Vocabulary of English-Language Learners and Non-English-Language Learners in Pre-Kindergarten through Second Grade," Journal of Educational Psychology 101 (2009): 305-314.

9. Diane August et al., "The Impact of an Instructional Intervention on the Science and Language Learning of Middle Grade English Language Learners," Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 2 (2009): 345-376; and Diane August et al., "Helping ELLs Meet the Common Core State Standards for Literacy in Science: The Impact of an Instructional Intervention Focused on Academic Language," Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 7 (2014): 54-82.

10. Cheryl Dressler and Michael L. Kamil, "First- and Second-Language Literacy," in Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth, ed. Diane August and Timothy Shanahan (Mahwah, NJ: L. Erlbaum Associates, 2006), 197-238.

11. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth.

12. August et al., "Impact of an Instructional Intervention"; and August et al., "Helping ELLs."

13. Michael F. Graves, The Vocabulary Book: Learning and Instruction, 2nd ed. (New York: Teachers College Press, 2016).

14. Nonie K. Lesaux et al., "Effects of Academic Vocabulary Instruction for Linguistically Diverse Adolescents: Evidence from a Randomized Field Trial," American Educational Research Journal 51 (2014): 1159-1194.

15. Sharon Vaughn et al., "Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension for Seventh-Grade English Language Learners: Findings from Two Experimental Studies," Journal of Research on Educational Effectiveness 2 (2009): 297-324.

16. Jennifer O'Day, "Good Instruction Is Good for Everyone-or Is It? English Language Learners in a Balanced Literacy Approach," Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk 14 (2009): 97-119.

17. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth.

18. Bryan A. Brown, Kihyun Ryoo, and Jamie Rodriguez, "Pathway towards Fluency: Using 'Disaggregate Instruction' to Promote Science Literacy," International Journal of Science Education 32 (2010): 1465-1493; Silverman and Hines, "Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction"; and Lorena Llosa et al., "Impact of a Large-Scale Science Intervention Focused on English Language Learners," American Educational Research Journal 53 (2016): 395-424.

19. See, for example, Maria S. Carlo et al., "Closing the Gap: Addressing the Vocabulary Needs of English Language Learners in Bilingual and Mainstream Classrooms," Reading Research Quarterly 39 (2004): 188-215; and Fuhui Tong et al., "Integrating Literacy and Science for English Language Learners: From Learning-to-Read to Reading-to-Learn," Journal of Educational Research 107 (2014): 410-426.

20. August et al., "Impact of an Instructional Intervention"; August et al., "Helping ELLs"; Vaughn et al., "Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension"; and Lesaux et al., "Effects of Academic Vocabulary Instruction."

21. Jung-In Kim and Kara M. Viesca, "Three Reading-Intervention Teachers' Identity Positioning and Practices to Motivate and Engage Emergent Bilinguals in an Urban Middle School," Teaching and Teacher Education 55 (2016): 122-132.

22. Catherine E. Snow and Paola Uccelli, "The Challenge of Academic Language," in The Cambridge Handbook of Literacy, ed. David R. Olson and Nancy Torrance (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009), 112-133.

23. Alison L. Bailey, The Language Demands of School: Putting Academic English to the Test (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2007), 10-11.

24. Helen Quinn, Okhee Lee, and Guadalupe Valdés, "Language Demands and Opportunities in Relation to Next Generation Science Standards for English Language Learners: What Teachers Need to Know" (Stanford, CA: Understanding Language, Stanford University, 2014), http://ell.stanford.edu/sites/default/files/pdf/academic-papers/03-Quin....

25. See, for example, Brown, Ryoo, and Rodriguez, "Pathway towards Fluency"; Carlo et al., "Closing the Gap"; Llosa et al., "Impact of a Large-Scale Science Intervention"; Kihyun Ryoo, "Learning Science, Talking Science: The Impact of a Technology-Enhanced Curriculum on Students' Science Learning in Linguistically Diverse Mainstream Classrooms" (PhD dissertation, Stanford University, 2009); Silverman and Hines, "Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction"; Tong et al., "Integrating Literacy and Science"; and Vaughn et al., "Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension."

26. Baker et al., Teaching Academic Content and Literacy; and Gersten et al., Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction.

27. Michael D. Coyne, D. Betsy McCoach, and Sharon Kapp, "Vocabulary Intervention for Kindergarten Students: Comparing Extended Instruction to Embedded Instruction and Incidental Exposure," Learning Disabilities Quarterly 30 (2007): 74-88.

28. Diane August et al., "The Moderating Influence of Instructional Intensity and Word Type on the Acquisition of Academic Vocabulary in Young English Language Learners," Reading and Writing 31 (2018): 965-989.

29. See Rod Ellis, Instructed Second Language Acquisition: A Literature Review (Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry of Education, 2005). The purpose of this literature review is to examine theory and research that has addressed what constitutes effective pedagogy for the acquisition of a second language in a classroom context. In other words, the review seeks to answer the question: How can instruction best ensure successful language learning?

30. Mary Beth Calhoun et al., "Effects of a Peer-Mediated Program on Reading Skill Acquisition for Two-Way Bilingual First-Grade Classrooms," Learning Disability Quarterly 30 (2007): 169-184.

31. August et al., "Impact of an Instructional Intervention"; August et al., "Helping ELLs"; Nonie K. Lesaux et al., "The Effectiveness and Ease of Implementation of an Academic Vocabulary Intervention for Linguistically Diverse Students in Urban Middle Schools," Reading Research Quarterly 45 (2010): 196-228; Lesaux et al., "Effects of Academic Vocabulary Instruction"; and Vaughn et al., "Enhancing Social Studies Vocabulary and Comprehension."

32. Brooke K. Cisco and Yolanda Padrón, "Investigating Vocabulary and Reading Strategies with Middle Grades English Language Learners: A Research Synthesis," RMLE Online 36, no. 4 (2012): 1-23; and Kim and Viesca, "Three Reading-Intervention Teachers' Identity Positioning."

33. Guadalupe Valdés, Learning and Not Learning English: Latino Students in American Schools (New York: Teachers College Press, 2001).

34. Dressler and Kamil, "First- and Second-Language Literacy."

35. Ilana M. Umansky and Sean F. Reardon, "Reclassification Patterns among Latino English Learner Students in Bilingual, Dual Immersion, and English Immersion Classrooms," American Educational Research Journal 51 (2014): 879-912; and Rachel A. Valentino and Sean F. Reardon, "Effectiveness of Four Instructional Programs Designed to Serve English Learners: Variation by Ethnicity and Initial English Proficiency," Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 37 (2015): 612-637.

36. Carlo et al., "Closing the Gap"; Lauren Aimonette Liang, Cheryl A. Peterson, and Michael F. Graves, "Investigating Two Approaches to Fostering Children's Comprehension of Literature," Reading Psychology 26 (2005): 387-400; Llosa et al., "Impact of a Large-Scale Science Intervention"; and William M. Saunders and Claude Goldenberg, "Effects of Instructional Conversations and Literature Logs on Limited- and Fluent-English-Proficient Students' Story Comprehension and Thematic Understanding," Elementary School Journal 99 (1999): 277-301.

37. Liang, Peterson, and Graves, "Investigating Two Approaches."

38. Saunders and Goldenberg, "Effects of Instructional Conversations."

39. Llosa et al., "Impact of a Large-Scale Science Intervention"; Diane August, Lauren Artzi, and Christopher Barr, "Helping ELLs Meet Standards in English Language Arts and Science: An Intervention Focused on Academic Vocabulary," Reading and Writing Quarterly 32 (2016): 373-396; and Silverman and Hines, "Effects of Multimedia-Enhanced Instruction."

40. Carlo et al., "Closing the Gap"; and Darci A. Burns, "Examining the Effect of an Overt Transition Intervention on the Reading Development of At-Risk English-Language Learners in First Grade" (PhD dissertation, University of Oregon, 2011).

41. Llosa et al., "Impact of a Large-Scale Intervention."

42. August et al., "Impact of an Instructional Intervention"; and August et al., "Helping ELLs."

43. Ester Geva and Katherine Herbert, "Assessment and Interventions for English Language Learners with Learning Disabilities," in Learning about Learning Disabilities, ed. Bernice Wong and Deborah Butler, 4th ed. (Amsterdam: Academic Press, 2012), 271-298.

44. Baker et al., Teaching Academic Content and Literacy; and Gersten et al., Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction.

45. Gersten et al., Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction, 6-7.

46. Paul Black and Dylan Wiliam, "Assessment and Classroom Learning," Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy and Practice 5 (1998): 7-74.

47. Kim and Viesca, "Three Reading-Intervention Teachers' Identity Positioning."

48. Burns, "Examining the Effect of an Overt Transition Intervention"; Carolyn A. Denton et al., "Intervention Provided to Linguistically Diverse Middle School Students with Severe Reading Difficulties," Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 23 (2008): 79-89; Barbara Gunn et al., "Supplemental Instruction in Decoding Skills for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Students in Early Elementary School: A Follow-Up," Journal of Special Education 39 (2002): 69-79; J. Ron Nelson, Patricia F. Vadasy, and Elizabeth A. Sanders, "Efficacy of a Tier 2 Supplemental Root Word Vocabulary and Decoding Intervention with Kindergarten Spanish-Speaking English Learners," Journal of Literacy Research 43 (2011): 184-211; Carolyn R. Ransford-Kaldon et al., Implementation of Effective Intervention: An Empirical Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of Fountas & Pinnell's Leveled Literacy Intervention System (LLI); 2009-2010 (Memphis, TN: Center for Research in Educational Policy, 2010); Emily J. Solari and Michael M. Gerber, "Early Comprehension Instruction for Spanish-Speaking English Language Learners: Teaching Text-Level Reading Skills while Maintaining Effects on Word-Level Skills," Learning Disabilities Research and Practice 23 (2008): 155-168; Sharon Vaughn et al., "Effectiveness of an English Intervention for First-Grade English Language Learners at Risk for Reading Problems," Elementary School Journal 107 (2006): 153-180; and Sharon Vaughn et al., "Effectiveness of a Spanish Intervention and an English Intervention for English-Language Learners at Risk for Reading Problems," American Educational Research Journal 43 (2006): 449-487.

49. Gersten et al., Effective Literacy and English Language Instruction, 10-11.

50. Baker et al., Teaching Academic Content and Literacy.

51. Andrea Boyle et al., Dual Language Education Programs: Current State Policies and Practices (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, 2015).

52. For a general review, see Allan Wigfield, Jessica R. Gladstone, and Lara Turci, "Beyond Cognition: Reading Motivation and Reading Comprehension," Child Development Perspectives 10 (2016): 190-195; and Tahir Jahan Khan, Azlina Murad Sani, and Sarimah Shaik-Abdullah, "Motivation to Read in a Second Language: A Review of Literature," International Journal of Research in English Education 2, no. 4 (2017): 41-50.

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It's October in the Rio Grande Valley; the summer heat has receded and the school year is in full swing. Rolando Diaz teaches sixth-grade science at Del Valle Middle School. His class is a mix of English language learners (ELLs) with varying levels of English proficiency.

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U.S. Department of EducationOffice of Career, Technical, and Adult Education (OCTAE) 2015

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Educational and Employment Barriers for Adult & Adolescent ELs

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Educational and Employment Barriers for Adult & Adolescent ELs

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners: Tools for Equity

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Culturally Responsive Teaching for Multilingual Learners

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What will you do to promote multilingual learners’ equity? Our nation’s moment of reckoning with the deficit view of multilingual learner…