# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Expert Guidance and Resources from Laura Gardner from her 20 Years of Experience working in Education, Refugee Resettlement and Social Work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
This guide by Kristina Robertson shares ideas on how to get started with distance learning for English language learners, tools that can increase language production, and lessons learned about communicating with multilingual families during COVID-19.

See additional resources in our distance learning resource section.

These articles offer planning tools, strategies, recommended resources, and much more.

Part I: Instruction for ELLs

Part II: Building Partnerships with ELL Families

Webinars:
Upcoming on 8/6 at 2pm ET! Distance learning and ELLs Part II: What's Working, What's Not, and Getting Ready for Fall
Kristina Robertson of the Roseville School District; Glenda Gúzman Macal, Fort Bend AFT, TX and Katherine Kurjakovic from the United Federation of Teachers in NY for the continued discussion on the challenges of distance learning during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Archived Distance learning and ELLs Part I: What do we know so far?
This webinar features Diane Staehr Fenner from SupportEd; teacher and author, Larry Ferlazzo, and Lydia Breiseth with Colorín Colorado discussing the challenges of distance learning during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Distance Learning for ELLs: Colorín Colorado Guide

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This guide by Kristina Robertson shares ideas on how to get started with distance learning for English language learners, tools that can increase language production, and lessons learned about communicating with multilingual families during COVID-19. See additional resources in our distance learning resource section. These articles offer planning tools, strategies, recommended resources, and much more.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read the World Distance & Digital Learning Support

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This WIDA Focus Bulletin addresses how English Language Learners engage with technology within the classroom.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This is an example page. It's different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Draw Me Safe: Coloring and Conversation about a Pandemic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use Ricardo Morales' "What to Do in a Pandemic... Our Cousins Know" coloring series to be creative, pass the time, relieve stress and engage in family conversations with children about how to stay safe and well during the coronavirus pandemic.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Remote Learning Toolkit For Educators

iCivics Games

Put students into action with civics games. All games can be played in 30-45 minutes.

Game Odyssey

Think shelter in place means an end to adventure and excitement? Think again and #ShelterInPlay! The new iCivics Game Odyssey turns our free online games into an exciting quest for civics knowledge. Your students can play their way through a series of games each week, claim badges, share their successes, and learn important civics lessons on the journey to becoming a Civic Boss. We will release new Quests every week beginning Monday, April 20. Be sure you are subscribed to our email list to receive the newest Quests.

Lesson Plans

Civics is playing out before our students' eyes during this time. Use our most popular print-and-go lesson plans to help build knowledge of key concepts from how local and federal governments are working to keep the public safe to the balance between freedom and civic responsibility.

Amendment Mini-Lesson

Get Counted! (The U.S. Census)

Free Online Course: iCivics & Study Edge AP® U.S. Government & Politics

This year's AP exams will be administered online. Your students can prepare at home using our free online, on-demand course, created in partnership with Study Edge. The course includes more than 50 tutor videos and accompanying study guides that break down all of the essential content of the AP GoPo course. Email iCivics@studyedge.com to get your free access code. Free access will be available until August 31, 2020.

A More Perfect Union: When Civics Games Connect with ELA Writing Activities

Missed this webinar? You can register to view on-demand.

VIEW ON DEMAND >>

Learn about Teaching with iCivics from our Chief Education Officer, Emma Humphries

Live webinar recorded by Joe Schmidt of the Maine Department of Education.

VIEW ON DEMAND >>

Want full access to all of the iCivics resources? Simply register for a free account today!

Register Today

Get access to our full and comprehensive civics curriculum for all of your instructional needs.

Monitor student progress, manage classes, and assign games in one place with our single-sign solutions, including Google and Clever.

Use our resources to help your students become informed, more curious, and more engaged in civic life.

Stuck somewhere on iCivics? Find answers here.

SIGN UP TODAY

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Remote Learning Toolkit For Educators Put students into action with civics games. All games can be played in 30-45 minutes. Think shelter in place means an end to adventure and excitement? Think again and #ShelterInPlay! The new iCivics Game Odyssey turns our free online games into an exciting quest for civics knowledge.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Start Listening
Highest Aspirations

The Highest Aspirations podcast = important conversations about English Learners.

Recently, we spoke with Dr. Gretchen Oliver and Dr. Karen Gregory, professors of TESOL of Clarkson University. We discussed:

How can we help ELs keep learning during long term school closures?

What tech tools can teachers use to help support English learners while they are not able to come to school?

Subscribe to the podcast to make sure you get all new episodes!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ellevation Education | Distance Learning |

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Start Listening The Highest Aspirations podcast = important conversations about English Learners. Recently, we spoke with Dr. Gretchen Oliver and Dr. Karen Gregory, professors of TESOL of Clarkson University. We discussed: How can we help ELs keep learning during long term school closures?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In response to the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020, the sudden shift to remote learning (and the strong potential for continued remote learning through Fall 2020 and beyond) has posed an enormous challenge for mathematics teachers of all students. There are also a number of specific considerations that teachers of English Learners (ELs) must take into account during the transition to and continued employment of remote instruction and hybrid classroom models. Mathematics teachers are searching for meaningful ways to provide access to core content through prioritizing key concepts, competencies, and practices. At the same time, they are figuring out how to plan for formative assessment, embed ELs' home language in instruction, and determine what instructional supports are needed. When additional instructional supports are needed, the questions become: at what precise times should these supports be provided, and how does one provide them within a remote environment?

Although conditions are far from ideal, there is an opportunity to combine what we already know about teaching ELs with emerging practices from educators in the field to facilitate cognitively demanding math instruction for ELs remotely. Well-designed instruction facilitated by online resources, guided discussion, and teacher support can give students ample opportunities for rigorous content learning and productive struggle.

This resource was developed using research-based strategies for engaging ELs in mathematics instruction, structured interviews with practitioners and experts in the field, and survey data from teachers and administrators across the nation who have transitioned to remote learning for ELs. Each of these steps was imperative to highlight the voices and experiences of educators, and identify common themes specific to math instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ELSF | Resource: Not Less Than, but Equal or Greater Than: Remote Math Instruction for English Learners

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In response to the COVID-19 crisis in March 2020, the sudden shift to remote learning (and the strong potential for continued remote learning through Fall 2020 and beyond) has posed an enormous challenge for mathematics teachers of all students.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Successful English Learners (ELs) develop both language and content knowledge simultaneously, and they learn best in face-to-face interactions that both challenge and support them. However, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of schools are shuttered and more than five million ELs are learning from home. So, while there is limited research on the efficacy of distance learning and even less evidence-based guidance on how to best serve ELs in a completely digital PreK-12 environment, what we can offer teachers here is our best advice on making lemonade from lemons. We believe that in every crisis there is an opportunity, and by utilizing the recommendations below, teachers can refocus on what we know works when teaching ELs, reformat lessons to adapt research-based practices to online environments, and reimagine a system where all ELs demonstrate success.

In March, ELSF surveyed educators. We wanted to listen to teachers' authentic reactions and learn how our nation's quick shift to distance learning impacted their practice. The results from that survey indicated that while teachers were adapting at lightning speed and utilizing a myriad of online learning systems, apps and paper packets to promote continued learning, they still had unanswered questions about how to best serve their ELs in the new learning format. The Do's and Dont's below are our best thinking to address some common threads specific to ELA instruction.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ELSF | Resource: Distance Learning and English Learners: Making Lemonade from Lemons

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Successful English Learners (ELs) develop both language and content knowledge simultaneously, and they learn best in face-to-face interactions that both challenge and support them. However, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic, the majority of schools are shuttered and more than five million ELs are learning from home.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It is a well-known fact that a teacher's role and responsibility extend far beyond the corners of their classroom. That was the case long before a global pandemic completely upended the classroom experience.

Madison Leech knows a thing or two about the scope of teaching and navigating, as she aptly puts it, "this wild, unpredictable time."

Leech is an English Language Development (ELD) specialist and co-teacher of second and fourth graders at John Barclay Elementary School in Warrington, Pennsylvania, where she has helped develop the ELD program for the past five years. Even though Leech and her colleagues were on solid footing before the pandemic, she describes how things turned on a dime as the world responded to the challenges of COVID-19.

"As soon as we knew that we might not be coming back to school for some time, we thought of our families who didn't have devices at home and immediately distributed them along with school supplies and resources," Leech said. "It was amazing to see so many people work together to help each other during a time that could have looked like complete chaos - I know we were all feeling the uncertainty and anxiety bubble up."

Leech and her colleagues quickly developed a plan to focus on students' basic needs, like access to food and internet, so they could fully participate in the virtual classroom experience.

"I worked with the principal to distribute meals and get families connected to the internet; calling houses, knocking on doors - whatever we could to get them what they needed," Leech added.

The team at Barclay transformed a monthly farmer's market into a weekly one. From there they supply groceries and hygiene items to more than 200 families each week.

"Now, my weekly focus has shifted to include grocery distribution as well as posting daily lessons," Leech said. (For educators everywhere: she reveals that coffee helps her tackle these additional duties.)

"The most important thing to me is that in person or digitally, the students are able to see my face and hear my voice every day," Leech said. "I want them to know that I'm still here for them, showing up for them. And whether it's a good day or bad day, I'm there to ride the waves with them - we are in this together."

On top of being present and making sure her students have an exceptional virtual experience, Leech sprinkles fun and whimsy on the average online day. She's been caught on camera as a unicorn, chef and detective.

"I don't want to 'phone it in' because we're online," Leech said. "The teaching community has been so creative and innovative about distance learning and it is super inspiring!"

Leech comes to innovation and creativity quite naturally. Before becoming a teacher, she spent time as a tour manager for a rock band, a neurofeedback technician, a case manager for foster care, as well as working at a weight loss boarding school, a residential treatment facility and an alternative school.

Since officially settling on education, Leech says that she loves the community building component of teaching. She thrives on connecting with families and building relationships with students.

At Barclay, the teaching community puts a strong emphasis on co-teaching. And Leech spends part of her time as a content teacher.

"I'm collaborating with teachers outside of my expertise constantly, which is so necessary to becoming well-rounded and builds shared responsibility - rather than my student or your student, it's our student, our expectations," Leech said. "It's amazing to get to see your coworkers in action. There are so many talented educators in our own buildings - it's a treat to get to observe them."

Each week Leech and her colleagues challenge each other to creatively combine language objectives, classroom routines and expectations, as well as content objectives into each lesson. They rely heavily on the WIDA English Language Development Standards.

"WIDA has been one of the guiding forces as language classrooms continue to adapt and change," Leech said. "Whether I was teaching two students or a class of 25, WIDA has helped me to continually provide consistent, high expectations for each language learner and helped anchor me when students were struggling to find footing or I was struggling to navigate next steps with a student."

Madison Leech's go-to virtual resources*

Now that Leech has been #WFH (Twitter speak for Working from Home) for a good part of this term, she's come to rely on the following virtual resources:

Seesaw: I post daily assignments and am able to provide audio feedback for students, which makes it feel a little more personal if they can hear my voice as I speak to the specific strengths and things to work on with assignments. It also translates directions into the device's preferred language - an awesome feature!

Flipgrid: Weekly questions and responses help get our students get talking and comfortable with asking and answering questions.

Talking Points: An amazing resource for texting whole classes and groups with multiple home languages. I schedule and send daily texts to families with my website and food distribution info.

WIDA COVID-19 Resources and WIDA Educator Exchange Facebook Group: Both amazing resources for our quick transition to distance learning.

Reading A-Z: Can send leveled texts home, vocabulary resources and monitor students' fluency as they read and create recordings of books.

*WIDA does not advocate for or endorse any of these technologies for instruction. Schools, districts and states are responsible for making choices about appropriate and applicable technologies and products.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
June 2020 Featured Educator: Madison Leech

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
It is a well-known fact that a teacher's role and responsibility extend far beyond the corners of their classroom. That was the case long before a global pandemic completely upended the classroom experience. Madison Leech knows a thing or two about the scope of teaching and navigating, as she aptly puts it, "this wild, unpredictable time."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
For many English language teachers, the ones who didn't always know they wanted to pursue a career in teaching, there seems to be a precise moment - or series of moments - that directly influences a complete change in course and decision to become an EL teacher.

For Ryan Ariosa that moment happened during his time as a special education teacher. Ariosa bonded with a student with special needs who grew up speaking Russian. The two developed a strong connection over their mutual love of reggae music.

"This student made such an impact on me. I was so curious about every aspect of his education experience," Ariosa said. "Every Friday, someone I didn't know worked with this student. At some point, he told me he was an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher. As soon as I learned what that meant, I knew what I wanted to do, and I went back to school to get my master's degree in education."

Fast forward to today. Ariosa teaches eighth grade EL students at Commodore John Rodgers Elementary/Middle School. He's been teaching at Commodore for 10 years and has taught every grade from Pre-K to adults.

Commodore, a Baltimore City School, has nearly 900 students. Thirty-five percent are English Language Learners. Forty percent of all students are Latino (and many are former recipients of EL support services). As a Title I school, all students at Commodore receive free and reduced lunch.

This school year, Ariosa had a special opportunity to add to his duties at Commodore and join Teach for America as a content specialist. In his role, he mentors eight new ESOL teachers - teachers who did not receive any formal teaching training in college - in the Baltimore City School District.

"I didn't have a strong mentor when I started teaching," Ariosa said. "So, I want to be one for these new teachers, to help ground their ship."

Ariosa's leadership responsibilities don't end with his mentees. At Commodore, Ariosa serves as the school's lead ESOL teacher. There are nine ESOL teachers, one for each grade level.

"As the lead ESOL teacher, I host biweekly vertical meetings with the entire ESOL team. We collaborate, share ideas, and I share out district initiatives," Ariosa said. "Commodore is an inclusive school, so ESOL teachers work with general educators in each subject area and students are assessed in class using the WIDA Standards and WIDA Can Dos."

Ariosa stresses the importance of modifying units and lessons to meet each student's individual English language proficiency needs.

"The WIDA tools are the baseline to what we use to properly gauge the progress our students are making within their English language proficiency," Ariosa added.

"I found that backwards planning is the most effective method to use when developing scaffolds for ELs. Starting with the final assessment and creating modifications throughout each unit to ensure that English learners are learning the key concepts while reaching their language objectives for each lesson or unit."

When he's not thinking about lesson plans and in-classroom education, Ariosa likes to talk about an event that happens outside his classroom: multicultural night. It takes place once a year and Ariosa describes the night as an opportunity to watch "the cultures of our students come alive through shared cuisine and culturally unique performances."

"It's amazing to see the local community uniting on this night and celebrating our shared Baltimorean culture," Ariosa said. "We have a very vibrant El Salvadorian and Honduran student and family population-and I have become enthralled with their culture and cuisine."

It's clear that Ariosa feels he made the right decision when he followed his "Aha!" moment into the English learner classroom. For him, it always goes back to the students, and their families, and the mutual impacts they have on each other's lives - in and out of class.

"I love, love, love the students and their families, it is by far and away the best part of my job," Ariosa said. "The relationships that I have made with our families leave me feeling like part of their extended family. I have parents and students reaching out to me to make sure my family and I are doing alright during this difficult time."

Like their colleagues across the country, Ariosa and his team are trying to figure out how to best serve and support EL students in a virtual world. In an effort to make sure the education community has what it needs, the Commodore team put together a list of their go-to online resources.*
Distance learning teaching platforms
Through grants and fundraisers, we have been able to provide a computer or tablet to nearly every student in the building. Here are some of the online teaching platforms we use:

Camtasia is a tool that allows a teacher to record what's on their computer screen and make videos.

Zoom is an online meeting software that teachers use to lead classes from home.

Google Classroom is a useful tool that allows students to complete assignments on their own time, at home. Plus, students can directly communicate with their teachers when they need help.

Distance learning planning
When our team gets ready to plan, we share and interpret the WIDA ELD Standards. All team members should be involved, including the content area teachers and, if applicable, the special education teachers.

We use an educational tool called common curriculum. It helps us share, edit and make modifications to our lesson plans in real time. Three questions guide all of our planning:

What entry points are in place to provide learning and engagement to everyone?

What adaptations are needed for students with unique learning needs?

How does their work during this lesson relate to larger goals?

Tools that help assess student learning
At Commodore, every grade level has an acceleration period that focuses on the reading levels of every student. Here are the tools we use (listed in order of use):

Reading Horizons for all newcomer ELs, which starts with phonics and helps develop sight words to sentence level to paragraph level.

Reading 180 helps ELs with their academic language progress - especially within the writing domain.

Seesaw helps to track and gauge EL student's oral language development.

Commodore resource
Commodore has a dedicated webpage that lists all of our go-to student resources. Many of these are great for at-home use.
*WIDA as an organization does not advocate for or endorse any of these technologies for instruction. Schools, districts and states are responsible for making choices about appropriate and applicable technologies and products.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
April 2020 Featured Educator: Ryan Ariosa

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
For many English language teachers, the ones who didn't always know they wanted to pursue a career in teaching, there seems to be a precise moment - or series of moments - that directly influences a complete change in course and decision to become an EL teacher.

# data[].attributes.headline
Teacher Collaboration During a Pandemic article

# data[].attributes.subject
Teacher Collaboration During a Pandemic article

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
An Educational Leadership Special Report | Volume 77
A New Reality: Getting Remote Learning Right Pages 47-50

Andrea Honigsfeld and Jon Nordmeyer

How can staying farther apart bring us closer together? Millions of families around the world-and the many dedicated educators who continue to serve them-are navigating school closures and sudden shifts to new ways of learning due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. We are also seeing unprecedented global cooperation among educators. While collaboration in virtual spaces might not happen the same way as it does in person, connecting with each other, planning around diverse student needs, and figuring out what works has become essential in our current environment.

In many parts of the United States, remote learning has only just started; elsewhere it has become the new normal. We have been working to support professional learning in independent K-12 international schools around the world, many of which have been teaching and learning virtually for months. Both nationally and internationally, educators have been generously sharing what they have learned with us, as well as on Twitter, Facebook, FlipGrid, YouTube, and other digital platforms.

Below, we outline five key takeaways from this work. While these recommendations initially grew out of teaching English learners, we believe they can serve all learners.

1. Take Care of Each Other

First and foremost, let's acknowledge that this new normal is not normal. As human beings we seem to be more vulnerable than ever before. As educators, this time we really do not have all the answers. What we do have, however, is each other. Physical distancing cannot and should not mean professional isolation. Just the opposite: We need to start by supporting each other, our students, and their families. As we work together, we not only need to focus on student learning, but also on the overall well-being of our colleagues through empathy, honesty, and generosity.

As we collaborate with colleagues, we can offer social-emotional support and lead honest conversations about what works and what doesn't in this new learning environment. We can share everything: teacher-created materials, freely available resources, curated course content, successes, challenges, and even total fails. For example, Alycia Owen, at the American International School of Guangzhou, China, recently shared best-practice ideas on Twitter for staying connected with students and families, as well as maintaining personal and professional interactions with colleagues. Many educators have looked to their professional learning networks on social media for encouragement through virtual book clubs, Twitter chats, or wellness challenges.

In the weeks and months ahead, we must consider: What can we do for others? and How can we fully embrace the ethics of care? (Held, 2006) At the core of this principle is educational altruism, or selfless concern for other educators, students, and their families.

2. Plan to Collaborate and Collaborate to Plan

In the past, some teachers might have appreciated the autonomy that closing their classroom door provided them. But in this new context, most teachers don't want to go it alone. As a result, we have witnessed a seismic shift toward a more collaborative mindset. To both support and learn from colleagues, teachers can build in time each week to plan together. Whether working with a grade-level team, department colleague, or support specialist, two heads are better than one. This is especially true when navigating new waters.

A simple co-planning protocol (Dove & Honigsfeld, 2018) has helped many international educators to structure this shared planning time more efficiently:

1. Pre-planning to agree on norms: When and how will we meet online, by text, phone, or other modalities? What will we discuss?

2. Co-planning to ideate: What will we teach and how will we assess? What will be the sequence of learning experiences?

3. Post-planning to divide tasks: Who will find or create specific resources? How will we differentiate?

Because digital practices are so portable, teachers can easily share resources with colleagues within the same school and across schools, countries, and even continents. We seem to have entered a new reality in which collaboration is no longer a luxury; instead, it is a lifeline that allows for teachers to learn about new digital tools, to integrate new teaching activities (both high-tech and low-tech), and to share responsibility for creating online or take-home resources.

In this video, Alexandra Gustad from the American School of Bombay explains how teachers at her school co-plan. And in this video, Gina Ballesteros from the International School of Beijing shares how she co-plans to support multilingual learners in 2nd grade.

3. Take an Asset-Based Approach

Rather than focusing on "remote" or "distance" or "virtual" classrooms, we can leverage teaching and learning from home as an asset. It is important to shift from a deficit-based view of the "challenge" of translating face-to-face instruction into an online classroom, to an asset-based view: finding new and different opportunities in home learning. When we highlight the assets of parents, siblings, pets, and the things around us that make up a home-rather than just a lonely student stuck in front of a screen-it helps us build on what we know about culturally sustaining pedagogy, place-based learning, and funds of knowledge. For example, when a student's home is multilingual, teachers can build on this resource by encouraging parents to read aloud or discuss assignments in their home language and inviting students to create multilingual projects. This approach helps us to recognize what we can do when learning goes home.

How can we make "learning at home" feel more real than virtual? What kinds of offline activities might support students? Teachers can find opportunities to connect curriculum and concepts to students' lived experiences and immediate environment. For example, students might interview siblings for a project or parents can join the classroom morning meeting. Students can also use pets or nearby objects to make connections with their learning. Meghan Wilson at Shekou International School in China shared on Twitter how her students and colleagues are staying connected, active, and creative at home.

4. Think in Chunks: Link Lessons, Resources, and Communication

Most teachers are in the process of building an entirely new online learning ecosystem, or, in the best-case scenario, repurposing an online platform that used to complement face-to-face teaching before the novel coronavirus-related school closures. Since there are so many resources available, teachers often utilize a combination of multiple apps, media, websites, and teacher-created content. This can get overwhelming fast. In order to avoid fragmentation or confusion, teachers can build connections across resources, activities, and lessons.

Building a one-stop shop and sharing a weekly learning plan with students and parents gives them a birds-eye view and road map of the curriculum. Tan Huynh at Saigon South International School in Vietnam shared how he uses a weekly learning plan or "week at a glance" to prepare students and parents for what lies ahead.

5. One Size Does Not Fit All

We know that every student is different. We also know that teaching a class with a variety of languages, cultures, abilities, and identities enriches the experience for all learners. In online classrooms, teachers must recognize the unique strengths and needs of every student by providing both high challenge and high support ( Mariani, 1997). Every teacher and every school will adapt to the current reality differently based on their unique context and available resources. Teachers recognize the need to collaborate across borders and boundaries, to share what works and what doesn't. As teachers pay attention to linguistic diversity and neurodiversity in their classes, they can rely on the global education community to help provide options for students.

Equity is a critical consideration for online learning: Not all students have the same access to technology, and consistent high-speed internet may not be available in all homes. How can teachers collaborate to ensure learning activities and materials meet the needs of all learners? To ensure they're accessible and mobile-friendly? For example, PDFs are generally more accessible for students with disabilities who may rely on screen-readers.

Choices are an important key to unlocking access for all students in a virtual classroom. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework that helps teachers to plan for multiple means of engagement, multiple modes of representations, and multiple ways for students to take action or express themselves. For example, Chelsea Wilson from Nansha College Preparatory Academy in China explains how she makes complex texts more accessible by using multilingual and multimodal resources. And Lindsay Kuhl from Seoul Foreign School in Korea shares how she scaffolds texts by using screencasting for guided reading.

Continue the Conversation

As the global K-12 landscape continues to evolve online, collaboration holds the promise of transforming professional relationships, with profound implications for everyone's learning (Nordmeyer, 2015). In the current circumstances, a historical preference for independence and autonomy may be replaced by reciprocal learning.

So let's all continue the conversation. Teachers from four continents are sharing their experiences teaching and collaborating on this FlipGrid page. As we learn together at home and around the world, join these global colleagues and share your insights, questions, or feedback.

References

Dove, M. G., & Honigsfeld, A. (2018). Co-teaching for English learners: A guide to collaborative planning, instruction, assessment, and reflection. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Held, V. (2006). The ethics of care. New York: Oxford University Press.

Mariani, L. (1997). Teacher support and teacher challenge in promoting learner autonomy. Perspectives, 23(2).

Nordmeyer, J. (2015). Collaboration: Scaffolding student learning and teacher learning. EARCOS Tri-Annual Journal. East Asia Council of Overseas Schools.

Andrea Honigsfeld is associate dean and professor in the School of Education and Human Services at Molloy College in New York. Jon Nordmeyer is the international program director at WIDA, a nonprofit research center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where his research focuses on teacher collaboration and global learning networks. He has taught in international schools in the Netherlands, Taiwan, Turkey, China, and Thailand. Follow them on Twitter @AndreaHonigsfel and @nordmeyerj.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Teacher Collaboration During a Global Pandemic

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An Educational Leadership Special Report | Volume 77 A New Reality: Getting Remote Learning Right Pages 47-50 Andrea Honigsfeld and Jon Nordmeyer How can staying farther apart bring us closer together? Millions of families around the world-and the many dedicated educators who continue to serve them-are navigating school closures and sudden shifts to new ways of learning due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
WIDA Educator Exchange has 2,823 members. The WIDA Educator Exchange is a space to exchange ideas, share resources, and engage in discussion to help multilingual learners succeed. WIDA does not...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Association of International Schools in Africa - Reflecting and Relearning our Craft: Supporting Multilingual Learners Online

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Teaching Assistant / Instructional Assistant Professional Learning

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Share this Report

This toolkit and a companion Developer's Toolkit are based on insights from the findings of the National Study of English Learners and Digital Learning Resources conducted by the U.S. Department of Education, Policy and Program Studies Service, on behalf of the Office of English Language Acquisition and the Office of Educational Technology. Both toolkits focus on use of technology that is software or "digital learning resources," that is, the apps, programs, or websites that engage students in learning activities and support students' learning goals. The toolkits do not focus on the use of hardware (such as laptops, computers, tablets, or other devices).The study provides the first national data on how districts and teachers of English learners (including general education teachers and English learner specialists) use educational technology in instructing English learners. The study conducted surveys, case studies, and meetings with experts in the field, including educational technology publishers, researchers, and educators. To learn more about the study and the toolkits, you can read a brief description on page 22.

The study's final report describes how districts and teachers identify and use technology in instructing English learners as well as related supports and barriers. This toolkit builds awareness of the role technology can play and notes areas where educators can improve the use of technology and related supports for their English learners, based on needs suggested by the study.

Guiding Principles

1. Understand what educational technology offers for instructing English learners

2. Discover the types of educational technology available

3. Maximize the supports that educational technology offers English learners

4. Seek out hands-on, instruction-focused professional development

5. Learn more about English learners and educational technology

Principle I: Understand what educational technology offers for instructing English learners

As we've entered the 21st century, the landscape for students in kindergarten through grade 12 (K-12) has changed, and developments in the world of instruction and instructional resources continue. Key changes for educators in many schools and classrooms include enrollments of new English learners and rapid increases in educational technology use. The technology offers important new ways for English learners to access learning academic content and language.

What to know

English learners bring significant assets of language and culture to enrich their classrooms and schools, and their backgrounds and experiences will inform different instructional needs. For example, English learners who will use educational technology may:

Have had very different experiences before coming into their K-12 classrooms. Many will have been born in the United States, but others will have just entered the United States for the first time, perhaps after difficult experiences as refugees;

Have grade-level skills and knowledge based on a high-quality education in their country of origin but not yet have proficiency in English;

Have had little or no formal education, or some years of interrupted education, prior to entering schools in the United States;

Appear proficient in English based on their fluency in everyday conversations but not yet have the level of academic English proficiency they will need to succeed in learning academic content;

Differ in their level of acquisition and use of their home language, and some may not be literate in that language. This has implications for their path to English literacy;

Have had little or no experience using technology, and may not understand many of the basics about using computers or navigating in a website or software program;

Come from cultures with very different norms and expectations around education. For example, some may expect collaboration to be the norm, while others may expect that students work alone; and

Have disabilities, and some may require the use of assistive technology, including software to support their accessibility needs.

Educational technology opens up a new breadth and depth of resources for instruction and learning. These resources can be particularly valuable for supporting English learners' engagement in instruction and access to content in many ways. For example, technology resources can:

Offer multi-modal means of presenting information. Visual images, short videos, and interactive features can expand English learners' ability to understand academic content.

Present examples and images of events, daily life, and other cultural information from many countries and population groups. These can help students share languages, cultures, and experiences to understand one another's backgrounds.

Offer important supports to assist students to more fully participate in learning activities. Embedded support features, such as short videos or images used to define new vocabulary, can assist English learner (and other) students in understanding content. In addition to these supports, there are audio recordings and translation functions that can help English learners in communicating content as they collaborate with their peers. When such embedded support features comply with accessibility requirements, English learners with disabilities also may be able to benefit from these supports in addition to, or in conjunction with, any assistive technologies, including accessible software, that they may use.

Offer instruction that is differentiated to the English learner's level of proficiency and academic learning needs.

Many educators are using educational technology in their classrooms, but they are really just beginning to understand how best to use these new resources effectively with English learners.

What to do

Consider the needs of your English learners. What are the instructional goals necessary to meet each student's needs? You'll want your choices of technology to always be based on these.

Learn about the range of English learners, their acquisition of a second language, and what we know about promising and effective instructional practices for English learners. A recent summary developed by a committee of experts can guide you to understanding what we know thus far: Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures (https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24677/promoting-the-educational-success-of-children-and-youth-learning-english). The summary includes an overview of what the field knows about promising and effective instructional practices for English learners in grades Pre-K to 12. Note that you don't need to purchase the book: You can read the whole book online or download a free pdf. Also, scroll down to the list of "Resources at a Glance," which includes blogposts and webinars on several key topics.

Explore visions for the future of educational technology in instruction, such as through the National Educational Technology Plan. See: Reimagining the Role of Technology in Education: National Educational Technology Plan (https://tech.ed.gov/netp/). The plan includes discussions on several aspects of technology use that educators will find of interest and applicable to instructing all students, including English learners. Note that pages 21-23 focus on ways in which technology can support all learners, addressing their different needs, through a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach to designing new resources. While UDL initially focused on designing for accessibility for students with disabilities, it applies to resources for all students and their needs (e.g., see the box on page 23). This includes English learners, for whom multiple modes of understanding and communicating offer important supports.

What to ask

General Education Teachers and English Learner Specialists

How can educational technology:

Help me engage and support English learners in learning grade-level academic content and academic language skills? In what ways does it assist in scaffolding language learning?

Assist English learners to collaborate and work with their peers, including English-proficient peers?

Help differentiate instruction to better meet English learners' needs?

Administrators

How can our selection of educational technology resources best support English learners in learning academic content and making gains in English language proficiency?

What will best support our teachers in planning for and using educational technology in instructing English learners?

Principle 2: Discover the types of educational technology available

There are thousands of educational technology options. As an educator, you will want to know where to begin in determining which resources best fit your English learners' needs and your instructional goals for students.

Whether a teacher or an administrator, the challenge is the same: How do you begin to choose the right educational technology for your English learners from among the thousands available? To help you make those choices, it may help to first think about the following broad categories of technology resources available and to explore the different types within each.

Digital Academic Content Tools offer academic content resources or engage students in activities to learn academic content or skills including, but not limited to, language and literacy content or skills. Examples are a tutorial on a new math skill, a simulation of a physics concept, or visual resources such as a short video that describes a geographic formation.

Digital Productivity Tools offer resources to help students plan, document, organize, and analyze content. These tools don't contain academic content; examples include a slide presentation tool, a timeline tool, or a concept-mapping tool.

Digital Communication Tools offer resources students can use to communicate, collaborate, network, or share information. These tools don't contain academic content; examples include document-sharing tools to support joint work, or a journal or blog tool.

Explore the different types of educational technology within each of the three categories of resources. These are outlined in the Digital Learning Resources Matrix, a summary matrix showing three categories and types of technology resources that was developed for the study. Are you aware of the wide range of resources available?

Consider new types of resources to try with your English learners to meet their language and content goals. Reflect on how you might use them in the future as part of your lesson plans to help English learners-as well as other students-meet their learning goals.

Share the Digital Learning Resources Matrix in discussions with other teachers. Can the categories and types be useful as a common reference for talking about the technology resources you use?

Explore a wide range of educational technology. Look online to sites that offer collections of educational technology and examine the reviews many offer, talk with other teachers, and look at publishers' websites.

Find examples of educational technology that will help your individual English learners to gain English proficiency, learn grade-level academic content, and collaborate with peers on academic tasks. Consider whether these tools provide content and images that reflect your English learners' languages, backgrounds, and experiences.

Be alert to protecting student information, especially when you are selecting tools that help you tailor instruction to individual students. Be aware of the individual student information that the resource gathers and ensure that it adequately protects students' personally identifiable information. You can learn more at: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/Apps and at: https://www2.ed.gov/policy/gen/guid/ptac/pdf/idea-ferpa.pdf.

As you explore the types of educational resources in the Digital Learning Resources Matrix, ask yourself the following questions:

General Education Teachers

Are English learners able to fully participate when the class uses educational technology during academic instruction?

Are there digital resources that will help my English learners gain English proficiency while working on academic content with their English learner and English-proficient peers?

English Learner Specialists

Are there types of educational technology that my English learners don't use but I should explore? What might these offer for them?

When I discuss educational technology with general education teachers, do we discuss ways we can use technology to support English learners in learning content and in using language to communicate about grade-level content?

Administrators

Do our English learners use and benefit from the educational technology provided by the district? In what ways? How do we know?

Are there other types of educational technology that our district doesn't provide but could consider using to better support our English learners?

Principle in Action
Mr. Ruiz, a high school math teacher The day of the lesson, Mr. Ruiz begins non-digitally, showing a shoebox, first whole, and then cut through at an angle, showing the resulting 2D shapes. Next, he uses the app to show cuts through a cylinder, using different angles, and does the same with other 3D shapes, such as rectangular and triangular pyramids. Later, as they work in groups, all of the students, including the English learners Ms. Shore's kindergarten class In circle time, students make predictions as the teacher reads the story and they talk together about it. They are excited as they break into groups to draw pictures of the story: each group draws the first, middle, or last part. When they finish, Ms. Shore creates new groups of three to include students from all three story parts. The groups create digital videos, with each student in the group telling his or her part of the story, holding a drawing to illustrate. The groups view and redo their videos. They save the videos in digital portfolios (e.g., Seesaw, FreshGrade) and share with each other. Ms. Shore shares the videos with the students' families. Ms. Sayed's seventh-grade earth science class is studying geologic processes and learning about plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes. She assigns groups of students to research an earthquake or volcanic eruption that has occurred in the past 30 years, and to provide their explanation of factors leading to the event they have chosen. One group includes Monica, an English learner from a Spanish language background, who is a high beginner English learner. Ms. Sayed encourages Monica to make use of the support features in the research resource they use, which she introduced to Monica earlier. As the students do their research, Monica does her part, too, working with her English-proficient peers to search within an online science curriculum resource their class uses. She joins them in identifying information about the earthquake they have selected. She finds and clicks on an embedded video tutorial that accompanies the text they are reading to understand the event overall. The text about the earthquake is still a bit difficult for her, and so when she returns to reading it, she sometimes accesses the translation feature that shows her the Spanish word or definition of an English term she doesn't recognize. As the group works, they use an embedded document-sharing function, and she and the other students edit and mark up the group product. includes Mr. Sato In the lesson, the English learners read in pairs and look engaged as they access the supports. But Mr. Sato also notices that some who are new to working with computers are having trouble with the multi-step navigation needed to use the support features. The students keep losing their place. Mr. Sato plans to work more individually to guide them in using the supports. He makes a mental note to look for resources with more direct interfaces for his students. is eager to give his third-grade English learners more independence in reading about their social studies topics. He finds an academic content resource that includes digital texts on several topics aligned with the curriculum. He is glad to see several support features that his English learners can use. There are definitions of key terms that are both visual and in text, so that the students can understand visually and connect with the new terms. There is an auditory, text-to-speech feature that lets them hear the new vocabulary so they can connect the sounds with the written words and phrases. This will help them to build their reading skills. When he introduces the resource, he shows students how the features can work and gives guidelines for using them. English learners from many different language backgrounds. She wants to plan a lesson where they talk about and retell a story they are reading. Her local English learner specialist helps with the lesson plan, suggesting that using digital productivity tools such as slides or videos could give the students chances to practice and improve their English. As they discuss, Ms. Shore also notes that students can use digital communication tools such as shared portfolios or workspaces to let one another know what they created. , look fully engaged as they predict and confirm the resulting 2D shapes. , wants to be sure that all of his students, including his four English learners, understand 2D and 3D geometry concepts. To find the right resource for his lesson plan, he talks with other math teachers, who suggest various digital academic content tools Mr. Ruiz goes online to check out the fit of the suggestions with his plan and searches technology sites he knows. He looks at what several tools offer and reads online reviews. He wants his students to understand the relationship between the 2D planes that result from different cuts through 3D objects. Realizing that his students will "get it" better if they can actively engage with a number of examples, he selects an open source dynamic modeling geometry app (e.g., GeoGebra, Geometer's Sketchpad).
Principle in Action

Resources

The Digital Learning Resources Matrix describes three categories of resources and lists several types of educational technology within each. You may find it useful as a tool for thinking about different types of technology or for organizing your thinking about technology you might use in instructing your English learners.

There are online sites that offer links to many different technology resources, and many offer the ability to filter for resources, for example, in specific subject areas or for English learners or other students. Two examples of sites that offer collections of educational technology are:

For further information on protecting student privacy, you can access several webinars at: https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/content/recorded-webinars.

Principle 3: Maximize the supports that educational technology offers English learners

In the digital world, teachers and students have access to a range and number of supports that can mean important new opportunities for English learners in engaging with academic content.

Digital Support Features are specific embedded features in educational technology that assist students in understanding or communicating the content and/or activities presented in a resource. There are many types of Digital Supports, and you can see examples listed in the Digital Support Features Matrix. It includes four categories of support features that can be important for English learners in particular.

Visual Support Features provide visual images or other visual support to assist a student in understanding and/or communicating a concept or idea. The visual content replaces or lessens the language proficiency that would otherwise be required. Examples are images, graphics, or short videos to explain a concept to students.

Auditory Support Features provide speech and/or other use of sound to assist a student in understanding or communicating a concept or idea. Examples are a text-to-speech or "read-aloud" function and a record and playback function. These features allow students to hear text or hear their own speech played back to them for review before sharing the recording.

Translation Support Features provide embedded functions to translate from one language to provide a word, phrase, or longer text in another language, either spoken or in print. For example, an embedded translation function could let a student hear the Spanish version of a sentence in English.

Collaboration Support Features provide functions to help students communicate, collaborate, work, or share information about academic content. For example, collaboration support features might offer students functions that assist them in sharing and jointly working on a document or

Look for embedded support features in resources. Determine if resources include supports to assist your English learners when you review any educational technology for possible use or purchase.

Ask vendors to provide information on the types of digital support features a resource includes that may be particularly helpful for English learners. For example, does the resource include auditory supports such as text-to-speech ("read aloud") functions? Does it offer visual tutorials to help explain concepts?

Assess how easily students can access and use specific support features. Keep in mind, some English learners may be just learning to use computers. For example, observe whether they have difficulty in following the navigational steps needed to access the features.

Plan how you will guide your students in using support features. Plan ways to facilitate students' use of the support features so that they can use them productively-especially if they are working on their own.

General Education Teachers and English Learner Specialists

What support features are there in the resources I already use? Are there any that I was not aware of but that may help my English learners to more fully participate in and benefit from instruction?

What languages do the resources I use offer? How well do these match with the languages of my English learners?

Are the supports such as those that provide images, content, or other examples appropriate to my English learners' backgrounds and experiences?

Can my English learners easily access and make use of the support features in the educational technology we use in class? Do they use the features productively and appropriately?

Administrators

What support features does our district (or school) look for when we make educational technology purchase decisions? Do we consider our English learners, including those with disabilities, when we review the support features available?

Do we consider the languages, backgrounds, and experiences of our English learners as we review the supports provided?

Are the teachers in our district (or school) familiar with the support features in the resources they are using, and are they comfortable in using them in instructing English learners? Do we provide professional development to assist teachers in using and facilitating students' use of support features? Does the resource provide implementation support for teachers-perhaps as embedded modules on how to access and use the supports in instruction?

Principle in Action

Principle in Action

The Digital Support Features Matrix describes the four categories of supports: visual, auditory, translation, and collaboration supports. It also lists and describes examples of the different types of supports within each category.

Principle 4: Seek out hands-on, instruction-focused professional development

You'll want to be sure that professional development leads to appropriate choices of educational technology and that it helps to build capacity to use technology in instructing English learners as well as other students.

Many teachers-English learner specialists in particular-receive very little professional development (PD) related to educational technology.

Teachers request PD that shows them examples of instructional practice with English learners and not just the descriptions of the "nuts and bolts" of a resource.

Teachers often turn to local technology leaders-that is, other teachers whom they view as experts in technology and who are willing to share what they know. Teachers value these technology leaders because they are embedded in the local context and so they give very practical suggestions that fit the teachers' goals and their students' needs.

Both formal and informal collaboration are important to teachers in learning how to use educational technology. Collaboration gives ongoing support in trying new resources and practices.

General Education Teachers and English Learner Specialists

Request PD sessions on educational technology that are hands-on and relevant to your classroom instruction.

Let administrators know that you want to receive information on all PD on educational technology that the district offers. This may be especially important if you are an English learner specialist.

Ask about embedded supports for English learners and how to use them effectively whenever you participate in PD on a specific resource. For example, ask what visual or auditory supports are located within the resource that will assist English learners. Are these appropriate to the languages, cultures, and experiences of your students? Ask whether it includes translation supports in the languages of your students and/or if there are other functions that will help English learners to collaborate in their work.

Reach out to other teachers. Work as a pair with another teacher and/or work with a group of teachers. Meet face to face with others in your school, or collaborate remotely with teachers in other schools or districts. Share with one another examples of how you are using educational technology with your English learners.

Join online communities of practice that can connect you with a wide range of other teachers of English learners. Use social media to find other teachers who are using technology outside of your local community. Share your approach to identifying and using technology and learn from their experiences. Online communities of practice can bring you in contact with many teachers and opportunities that will align with your interests and challenges.

Be sure to connect with other teachers who work with your same English learners. It is particularly important for general education teachers and English learner specialists of the same English learners to collaborate on instruction and the use of technology.

Administrators

Provide support for all teachers of English learners to collaborate in discussing their planning, selection, and use of educational technology in instructional activities with their students.

When providing PD on specific technology resources, ensure that it goes beyond the "nuts and bolts." Teachers want guidance on instructional use and best practices for English learners, as well as opportunities for ongoing support for using the technology with their English learners.

Be aware of the local technology leaders to whom teachers turn for guidance. However, recognize that these technology leaders--whether formally designated technology specialists or teachers recognized by their peers as having technology expertise-may not be aware of English learners' needs. It will be important to ensure that they receive ongoing PD on promising and effective practices for English learners.

General Education Teachers and English Learner Specialists

Do I talk with other teachers to share what we've learned in using technology with our English learners?

Have I explored connecting with teachers in online communities of practice to draw upon the experiences of participants from other regions and with similar challenges and goals?

When I participate in PD on a specific technology resource, do I ask about how it can contribute to supporting my English learners?

ADMINISTRATORS

Are teachers receiving PD that will guide them in using technology so that their English learners participate in and benefit from instruction?

Do I ensure that English learner specialists, including those who are itinerant across schools, receive information about and participate in PD on using educational technology?

Principle 5: Learn more about English learners and educational technology

Educators can visit a number of online resource sites to learn more about English learners and the use of educational technology in instruction-and to find educational technology for instructing their English learners. Explore these sites to learn more.

The National Clearinghouse on English Language Acquisition (NCELA) disseminates information on education of English learner students. NCELA disseminates data on the numbers and language backgrounds of English learners nationally and by state. It also provides links to information and publications on English learners published through the U.S. Department of Education, Office of English Language Acquisition, and maintains a resource library of over 20,000 items on English learners. For example, searching on the term "digital" will pull up documents that describe use of digital technology relevant to English learners.

There are several online sites that offer collections of educational technology. Many include descriptions and reviews of resources by teachers and/or site reviewers. In several of these sites, there is a filtering function that allows users to search by keywords, including terms such as English learner and English language learner. (However, note that the sites may vary in how the site defines and manages criteria for search keywords and for English learner-related keywords.) You may also be able to search by content area and/or grade levels, depending on the site.

Explore online sites that offer descriptions of educational technology products and resources, and try out searches for those that will meet your English learners' needs. Be aware, however, that these resources may vary in their value for your English learners.

Read reviews of specific educational technology products and look for discussions of actual instructional practice using these with English learners.

Am I keeping the needs of English learners in mind as I seek out and explore educational technology, including searches focused on resources for general education instruction? For example, do I ask whether the resource will support the specific languages of my English learners or their levels of English language proficiency? Are the resources culturally appropriate?

Resources for Searches of Educational Technology

There are a number of educational technology collection sites to explore. The list below includes the two sites presented earlier and some additional sites. All provide access to many different resources. Several include Open Educational Resources (OER), which are free, openly licensed resources that you can use, reuse, adapt, and share. Some offer user and/or expert reviews. The lists provide collections of available resources and are not lists of research-based resources. Also, they offer a wide range of resources that are not specific to English learners.

The sites vary in how users are able to search. Some allow several different filters; others have less functionality. As you use the filters to search, be aware that the criteria for meeting the definition of a resource that is for English learners will vary.

Common Sense Education (https://www.commonsense.org/education/). The Common Sense Education product review site allows browsing of educational technology products, using filters to sort by grade level, subject, platform, and more. In-depth editorial reviews by educators provide detailed information on educational apps and teaching tips to help educators decide what is best for their students.

My Digital Chalkboard (https://www.mydigitalchalkboard.org/). My Digital Chalkboard is an interactive online environment that allows educators to search for teaching resources and participate in an online community of teaching professionals.

OER Commons (https://www.oercommons.org/). OER Commons is a public digital library of open educational resources. It is a site where educators from around the world explore, create, and collaborate. The site provides curated collections of technology, and users can search by keywords and refine the search results with filters.

The EdSurge Product Index (https://www.edsurge.com/). EdSurge is "an independent information resource and community for everyone involved in education technology." The EdSurge Product Index site lists and organizes a number of educational technology products from various sources, and provides users with a means of searching for needed educational technology. Educators can select subcategories and browse through the options currently listed, filtering by age and learner, curriculum type, tech and requirements, cost, and usage.

Resources for General Information

The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) website (https://ncela.ed.gov) provides a range of resources, including current demographic data on English learners, and information on federal grant programs and policy. NCELA also publishes NCELA Nexus (https://ncela.ed.gov/ncela-nexus), a semimonthly e-newsletter. It shares new resources, upcoming events, and other announcements, and provides links to opportunities for jobs, education, and funding related to the education of English learners. Nexus subscribers may also receive occasional, time-sensitive announcements from OELA and NCELA.

The Office of Educational Technology (OET) website (https://tech.ed.gov/) provides links to recent reports on professional development and instructional practices using educational technology, among other resources. Explore the website for additional information that, while not specific to English learners, can inform your thinking about technology use.

Learn About the Study

The National Study of English Learners and Digital Learning Resources is a national descriptive study conducted in the 2016-17 school year by the U.S. Department of Education, Policy and Program Studies Service, on behalf of the Office of English Language Acquisition and the Office of Educational Technology under contract number ED-PEP-11-O-0088/TO27. The study included a nationally representative survey of districts, a survey of teachers, and six case studies, and meetings with experts to examine what digital learning resources are used in instructing English learners and how they are used. The study provided findings that describe the use of digital learning resources in instructing English learners in grades K-12 in U.S. public schools.

The study provided descriptive data to identify current uses of digital learning resources, needs for additional information and/or supports in their uses, professional development on use of technology in instructing English learners, and areas in which educators wished to see improvements in the digital learning resources available to them for instructing English learners.

The full study report is posted on the Department's website at: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/opepd/ppss/reports.html#ells.

Disclaimer

Examples Are Not Endorsements

This document contains examples and resource materials that are provided for the user's convenience. The inclusion of any material is not intended to reflect its importance, nor is it intended to endorse any views expressed, or products or services offered. These materials may contain the views and recommendations of various subject matter experts as well as hypertext links, contact addresses, and websites to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations. The opinions expressed in any of these materials do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of any outside information included in these materials. Mentions of specific programs or products in these examples are designed to provide clearer understanding and are not meant as endorsements.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Educator Toolkit | Using Educational Technology - 21st Century Supports for English Learners - Office of Educational Technology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Introduction U.S. Department of Education data show that English learners in grades K-12 in U.S. public schools in the 2015-16 school year numbered over five million students-about 10 percent of all enrolled students-and that roughly three-fourths of public school districts included students who are English learners.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Supporting Multilingual Learners during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Supporting Multilingual Learners during COVID-19

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Check out the What to know: WIDA assessments in 2021-22 school year news article to learn about what's new with WIDA Screener and ACCESS for ELLs.

These WIDA resources provide information on using ACCESS for ELLs and WIDA Screener during the 2020-21 school year:
*The guidance in this documentation reflects WIDA's analysis of current best practices. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace or amend any guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), your state, your county or your district.
As multilingual learners return to the classroom, educators may need language proficiency data to immediately address the learning needs of students. WIDA MODEL is a flexible, on-demand language proficiency assessment that can be administered at any time during the school year, depending on the needs of the district, school, teacher or student. WIDA MODEL can be used to:

Serve as an interim assessment during the school year, providing information that informs instructional planning and other decisions related to students' education

Predict student performance on ACCESS for ELLs and/or guide instructional and curricular decisions while waiting for ACCESS for ELLs score reports

Determine tier placement on ACCESS for ELLs

WIDA does not support remote administration of WIDA MODEL, as remote administrations risk the validity and reliability of test scores. WIDA has no plans to develop remote administration protocols for these assessments at this time.

Assessment Best Practices During COVID-19 for WIDA MODEL* is a WIDA resource designed to support test coordinators and test administrators administering WIDA MODEL during the COVID-19 pandemic.
*The guidance in this document reflects WIDA's analysis of current best practices. It is not medical advice, and it does not replace or amend any guidance provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or your local health authority. Remember to always adhere to health and safety requirements within your school. Updated June 30, 2021

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
During the COVID-19 pandemic, WIDA is taking measures to maintain service to our educators in a safe and practical way. WIDA is working with each of the 40 member states, territories and federal agencies of our domestic consortium to determine their specific plans relative to screening (including temporary remote alternatives) and assessment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Colorín Colorado is a national multimedia project that offers a wealth of bilingual, research-based information, activities, and advice for educators and families of English language learners (ELLs). Colorín Colorado is an educational service of WETA, the flagship public broadcasting station in the nation's capital, and receives major funding from the American Federation of Teachers and National Education Association.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
This WIDA Focus Bulletin focuses on the needs of students who have limited or interrupted formal education. Because the vast majority of students in this group are enrolled in grades 6 through 12, we will focus on those grade levels. However, many of the tips and suggestions can be applied in lower…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To everyone in our community, all of us at WIDA would like to say thank you. Thank you for what you do every day to serve your students and their families. We know that for many of you, the school year already feels like it is months underway with all the ongoing changes and uncertainty, as well as planning and replanning. All the time and energy you put into your work makes a difference in the lives of multilingual children and youth, and ultimately ensures their access to quality education. We have always supported you and will continue to do so, always.

Today we recognize you and how your daily efforts have helped your students, their families and your community.

You filled backpacks with books and other learning activities and delivered them to each newcomer's home.

You continued to meet with your newcomer families virtually and made sure to voice their needs and concerns to your school's leadership team.

You set up mentorship programs so that newcomers could interact and build trust with a seasoned multilingual learner student.

You noticed that some of your multilingual families were not receiving pertinent pandemic information, so you worked with local media and community leaders to ensure they had equitable access to information.

You invited family members to take part in virtual lessons, which created a sense of community and helped everyone practice their academic language.

You used Screencastify to record videos that helped families work on language development at home. You also made sure these videos were translated into many languages.

You used TalkingPoints to support around-the-clock communication with families.

You made sure that your students - and your entire community - had enough to eat. Some of you set up farmers' markets and delivered lunches - complete with thoughtful, encouraging notes.

You partnered with school counselors to make sure your students had someone to talk to, and even found a counselor who spoke a student's native language.

You started a YouTube channel, inviting school leadership to read stories to students at a designated time each day or week.

You put a plan in place to ensure your students with disabilities received the services they need at home.

You made sure every student had access to technology. In many cases, you and your colleagues hand delivered Chromebooks and tablets to students' homes. Some of you are even working to improve Wi-Fi capabilities in your town. And in at least one case, you put hotspots in buses and then told families where the buses were parked so that they could use the internet.

You delivered daily lessons via a local TV channel. Sometimes you delivered virtual lessons dressed in costume.

You learned. You spent hours learning new platforms and technology, working alone and with peer groups. You joined chatrooms, organizations and learning communities in order to come together and rapidly exchange ideas and find solutions. Supporting and helping each other along the way.

You used these tools*

Remind to send messages to families and students about lessons.

A cellphone, sometimes it worked better to conduct a lesson over the phone.

WriteReader to encourage students to write books (some of you are encouraging students to chronicle life during the pandemic).

Classcraft to share messages, create dynamic lesson plans and keep track of assignments.

Flipgrid to pose and respond to weekly questions, and to help get students talking and comfortable with asking and answering questions.

Reading A-Z to send leveled texts home, vocabulary resources and monitor students' fluency as they read and create recordings of books.

Reading Horizons to help newcomers with phonics and incrementally developing sight words into sentences and paragraphs.

Reading 180 to help students with their academic language progress, especially within the writing domain.

Seesaw to track and gauge a student's oral language development.

Camtasia to record and make videos.

Quizlet to create study tools like flashcards and games.

*WIDA does not advocate for or endorse any of these technologies for instruction. Schools, districts and states are responsible for making choices about appropriate and applicable technologies and products.
Thank you again for all you have done and continue to do to support multilingual children and youth, and all students, during this challenging time, and always.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
WIDA recognizes incredible efforts by educators to support students, families

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
To everyone in our community, all of us at WIDA would like to say thank you. Thank you for what you do every day to serve your students and their families. We know that for many of you, the school year already feels like it is months underway with all the ongoing changes and uncertainty, as well as planning and replanning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to your information hub for empowering immigrant children and their families. Bridging Refugee Youth and Children's Services (BRYCS) aims to strengthen the capacity of refugee-serving and mainstream organizations across the U.S. to empower and ensure the successful development of refugee children, youth, and their families.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
“A delicate and heartbreaking mystery story...Thorpe’s book is a reminder that in an era of nativism, some Americans are still breaking down walls and nurturing newcomers, the seeds of the great American experiment.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Extraordinary. . . . The Newcomers puts a human face on the refugee question. The book is a journalistic triumph. Thorpe . . . pens a masterful book that lets readers see the humanity instead of the facts and figures and politics of the immigration debate.” —The Denver Post

“I loved this book. It brims with teenage life, with a sense of America being reborn, of new Americans being made. Cultures converge in a high school classroom where teenagers—with all the energy, earnestness, and embarrassment we expect, but also with trauma—learn English with the help of a teacher who appreciates all the ways it’s not easy. The Newcomers teaches us about parts of the world we can barely imagine and also takes us into their new American homes. Helen Thorpe, herself the child of immigrants, is a terrific writer and a steadfast character witness to these people so many of us fear.” —Ted Conover, author of Coyotes, Newjack, and Immersion

“Few books could be more vital, in this particular moment or in any moment, than this book. Helen Thorpe writes expansively about one school, one classroom, one teacher, one group of students—students who hail from the most severe places in the world and come together at South High. Confused, troubled, bright, magnificent: they converge, ostensibly to learn English, learning so much more than a language—learning about us and about themselves, all the bad and all the good. You need to meet these young people. Once you do, everything you read or hear or say will be illuminated and changed.” —Jeff Hobbs, author of The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

“Helen Thorpe didn’t miss a detail during the year she spent watching twenty-two young refugees begin to learn how to speak English (difficult) and how to be American (even more difficult). No one with a pulse could fail to be moved by this beautifully reported book.”
—Anne Fadiman, author of The Wine Lover's Daughter‎: A Memoir and The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down

“In this time of great anxiety, this splendid, humane, beautifully crafted book is a reminder of America’s proud, historic role as a beacon of hope to the world. And it is a terrific story.”  —Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of No Ordinary Time, Team of Rivals, and The Bully Pulpit

“Helen Thorpe has taken policy and turned it into literature.”  —Malcolm Gladwell

“Thorpe writes with great compassion … Her story will entertain and enlighten readers, creating a wider, more sympathetic view of the world and its inhabitants—certainly something we need right now.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An extensive, riveting account that presents the manifold challenges of the refugee crisis through the microcosm of one classroom.” —Booklist

“Thorpe provides a layered portrait of the students and explains the daunting refugee crisis in America and elsewhere . . . . [and] puts an agonizing human face on a vast global problem.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Meticulously researched, thoughtful and timely, The Newcomers provides a vital and joyous window into the lives of teenagers searching for a new home in the U.S., and asks important questions about Americans' willingness to welcome the stranger.” —Shelf Awareness

“Thorpe’s fascinating chronicle of a year in an English-acquisition class at a Denver high school provides a timely and much-needed perspective on the global refugee crisis…[She] once again demonstrates her talent for immersive reporting and compassionate narrative as she depicts her youthful subjects doing the hard, and occasionally exhilarating, work of adapting to life in America.” —The National Book Review

“This book is not only an intimate look at lives immigrant teens live, but it is a primer on the art and science of new language acquisition and a portrait of ongoing and emerging global horrors and the human fallout that arrives on our shores… The teens we meet have endured things none of us can imagine…But we learn a great deal, and that’s never been more crucial than at this moment.” —USA Today

“Thorpe’s fascinating chronicle of a year in an English-acquisition class at a Denver high school provides a timely and much-needed perspective on the global refugee crisis.” —Los Angeles Times

Helen Thorpe was born in London to Irish parents and grew up in New Jersey. Her journalism has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, New York magazine, The New Yorker, Slate, and Harper’s Bazaar. Her radio stories have aired on This American Life and Sound Print. She is the author of Just Like Us, Soldier Girls, and The Newcomers and lives in Denver.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Amazon.com: The Newcomers: Finding Refuge, Friendship, and Hope in an American Classroom: 9781501159091: Thorpe, Helen: Books

# data[].attributes.headline
Free, online software that improves reading, learning, and teaching

# data[].attributes.subject
Free, online software that improves reading, learning, and teaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
From frustration...

...to understanding

Don't let an abstruse lexicon heighten your trepidation. Rewordify.com can assuage your anxiety.

Don't let a difficult and confusing word list increase your fear and nervousness. Rewordify.com can calm your fear and stress.

Rewordify.com simplifies difficult English. Enter hard sentences (or whole chapters) into the yellow box at the top of the page. (You can also enter a web site URL.) Click Rewordify text and you'll instantly see an easier version, for fast understanding. The reworded words are highlighted- click them to hear and learn the original harder word. You can change how the highlighting works to match the way you learn!

Do you dislike dictionaries because they're confusing and unhelpful? You'll love Rewordify.com's clear, easy-to-understand definitions-they change to match the original word or phrase's part of speech, verb tense, and singular/plural form, so they make sense. Our amazing Rewordifying Engine is what makes it all possible, and no other web site has it.

Want to see something now? Click Classic Literature at the top and start reading-easier.

Learn more words faster. Our exclusive Learning Sessions actively teach you words so you learn them. Any time you paste in a block of text, our software finds all the hard words, lets you pick which ones you want to learn, and then teaches them to you in a Learning Session.

A Learning Session isn't an online quiz: it's an effective, step by step process where you hear words and phrases, type them, and read them. The software re-teaches you exactly what you need when you need it, and moves ahead when you're ready. When you've learned a word, the site stops "rewording" it, so the site grows with you as you learn! Learn more about Learning Sessions.

Learn the way you want-from what you want to read. You can change the way the site works to fit your learning style as you read and learn from almost any text passage or web page. See the different highlighting styles in the box? You can pick any of them, and lots more options. Click the Settings link (at the bottom of the page now, or at the top of any page) to see all the choices you have. (The demo text in the box here never changes.)

Chart your progress and have fun. You can keep track of your learning with lots of detailed charts that show how you're doing. Plus, as you use the site, you earn points and get Learning Stars -a fun reward for reading and learning!

Now you can easily get your students involved in their learning: let them select the text that interests them. Let them print and complete the activities with which they're most comfortable. Imagine each student learning vocabulary customized to his or her interests, while you have time to teach instead of typing. Could differentiation by interest or readiness be any easier? You can start doing it today, for free.

You never have to type another vocabulary list or quiz again.

Type (or copy-paste) in any block of text in the yellow box at the top of this page, click Rewordify text, and click the Print/Learning activities button. Here's how. You (or your students!) can select from a rich variety of quizzes and learning activities, with or without answer keys.

Do you need to teach (or not teach) particular vocabulary words and phrases? Rewordify.com gives you the exact control you need for specialized vocabulary instruction. You can make customized word lists so the site rewords and teaches any word or phrase exactly the way you want.

Learn the way you want-from what you want to read. You can change the way the site works to fit your learning style as you read and learn from almost any text passage or web page. See the different highlighting styles in the box? You can pick any of them, and lots more options. Click the Settings link (at the bottom of the page now, or at the top of any page) to see all the choices you have. (The demo text in the box here never changes.)

Chart your progress and have fun. You can keep track of your learning with lots of detailed charts that show how you're doing. Plus, as you use the site, you earn points and get Learning Stars -a fun reward for reading and learning!

Now you can easily get your students involved in their learning: let them select the text that interests them. Let them print and complete the activities with which they're most comfortable. Imagine each student learning vocabulary customized to his or her interests, while you have time to teach instead of typing. Could differentiation by interest or readiness be any easier? You can start doing it today, for free.

Save all your documents online so anyone can read them and learn from them at any time.

Just log in, rewordify something, and click the Share button.

Select how public or private you want the document, enter the title, author, etc., and you're done!

You get a link that you can put in your online lesson plans, teacher web pages, or blog. No more rewordifying the same thing over and over again!

You can view, manage and edit all your documents from any computer. Just log in (or create a free, safe account) and start building your learning library. Here's how to do it.

At Educator Central, you can create and manage student accounts, monitor your students' learning, and get detailed reading and learning analytics that help you make smart classroom decisions. For free. Now.
(In a hurry? Log in. Click Educator Central at the top.)

In a few minutes, you can create student accounts on Rewordify.com, and easily monitor your students' reading and learning progress. Get actionable learning and error analytics as your students read and learn from any document you post, or from any document or web page they want to read.

Imagine each student learning different words based on his or her interest or ability level. It's easy to do: Rewordify.com designs and teaches individualized vocabulary lessons with our highly effective Learning Sessions, so you have the time to teach students the important stuff: how to learn, how to break through obstacles, how to believe the words "I can do it."

As your students read and learn, get detailed charts and reports that tell you what you need to know-by student, by class, or for all your classes.

Effectively match interventions with students, based on detailed error breakdowns that let you see what you need to see in a few clicks.

Student accounts are anonymous, and they keep your students safe and focused on learning.

Start using it now: Log in and click on Educator Central at the top. Read more about Educator Central.

Rewordify.com is free online software. You're using it now. There's nothing to buy or install. It works on any computer, tablet, or smartphone. Just point your browser to Rewordify.com and start reading and learning. Yes, it's tablet-friendly-no mouse needed. Yes, your whole school district can create teacher and student accounts, without entering any personal information. When? Now.

It's fast. Wasting your (and your students' time) is bad. That's why Rewordify.com was designed from the ground up to be lightning-fast and use very little data. The site doesn't have a hundred images of puppies and kittens and a hundred links to a hundred lists. What it does have is speed and ease of use, which are very nice when you have to teach a room full of teenagers. Or adults.

It's an app. Want the app? You're using it. Wasn't that easy? The site is a web app, which is great for you, because you get almost-daily site updates automatically -so you can read and learn, not download and install app updates.

We keep kids safe online. Rewordify.com requires no personal information. Student accounts are completely anonymous and cannot post or share anything. Read more about how we protect children's privacy.

Rewordify.com can display simplified versions of web pages. Our state-of-the-art web filtering technology blocks millions of inappropriate sites and questionable language, to protect kids online and keep them reading only what they should be reading. Read more about how we protect children from inappropriate material.

Difficult English is intelligently simplified with our exclusive Rewordifying Engine

Saves time when reading hard text, improves comprehension and self-confidence, and increases total reading time

Copy-paste entire text passages into the yellow box and press Rewordify text. You'll see a simplified version. Read more.

Definitions are easy to understand, context-aware, and match verb tense and part of speech

Reduces frustration and improves comprehension by maximizing time spent reading versus dictionary research

Copy-paste any text passage into the yellow box and "rewordify" it. Click the highlighted words. Read more.

Learning Sessions actively teach individualized vocabulary lessons with research-proven multimodal techniques

Improves vocabulary and word retention

After you "rewordify" text, you'll see a purple bar at the top. Click the buttons to pick hard words and learn them in an effective Learning Session. Read more.

Site carefully monitors student reading time, learning progress, and learning errors, and gives educators full-color, real-time charts and reports

Gives actionable learning data that helps improve student learning outcomes

Create an account. Click on Educator Central. Create free student accounts. Post assignments online. Get learning data. Make smart classroom decisions based on valid data. Read more.

Site identifies and extracts over 58,000 difficult words and phrases from any text and creates a rich variety of learning activities with answer keys

Saves time when teaching and gives students individualized learning activities

Copy-paste any text passage into the yellow box and "rewordify" it. Click Print/Learning Activities. Pick the quizzes, activities, vocab lists, cloze activities you want, with keys. Print them. Read more.

Software allows users to change the difficulty level and presentation style of the output text

Improves engagement by allowing easy differentiation by learning style and readiness

Copy-paste any text passage and "rewordify" it. Click Settings. Change the text presentation style, "rewordifying level" (difficulty level), even the highlighting style. Read more.

Site works as an app on any device, using a minimum of data

Allows for easy district rollout on nearly any existing device while conserving Internet bandwith

Point any device's browser to Rewordify.com and it works like an app. Here's how to make an app icon on your home screen or desktop.

Site calculates accurate text complexity measures, including our exclusive READ score

Improves engagement and learning through the selection of appropriate reading materials

Rewordify any text passage. Click the Stats button. Read more.

Site's browser app (bookmarklet) extracts most web pages to Rewordify.com for learning in one click

Improves engagement and total reading time through independent selection of high-interest materials

Install our free browser app. Browse the web. At any page, click the "Rewordify text" button. Read the extracted text on Rewordify.com.

You can post any document and share it publicly, privately, or with a password

Increases reading time and organization of learning materials

Log in. Paste in a document and "rewordify" it. Click the Share button, share it, and get a link. Post the link to your teacher page. Or, add it as a Rewordify.com assignment. Here's how to post documents. Here's how to create assignments.

Site calculates points and displays Learning Stars based on total minutes read and words learned

Increases reading time and engagement by making the site more fun

Log in and start reading and clicking on the purple bar to do Learning Sessions. Points and Learning Stars will display. Click My Learning/My Documents to see charts of your progress. Read more.

Over 300 pieces of classic literature are available

Improves comprehension of the classics-from Shakespeare to Douglass to Austen

Click Classic literature at the top. Or, type a word like Frankenstein into the search box at the top.

Here's what to do next:

First, do the demo. You'll be an expert in five minutes: Click here for the demo.

Learn the site, step by step. Our First-Time User Guide clearly shows you how to get started.

Teachers: Learn about Educator Central and all it can do to help improve student learning outcomes. Also, you can print lots of free, full-color literature to help you get started in the classroom.

Have some fun. Are you up for a vocabulary challenge? Play Rewordo. Be aware: it's not easy.

Browse some classics. Want to be more sure of Shakespeare, or brush up on Bronte? Scroll to the top, and click the Classic Literature link. It's a fast way to get started using the site. Or, use the Search bar at the top. Try entering the word raven to understand the deal with Poe, that black bird, and the "Nevermore" thing.

Check out the goodies. You can install our One-Click Learning browser applet that lets you rewordify most web pages in one click. Our cool (and free, of course) School Clock tells you the current time and date, what class period you're currently in, countdowns to the next period, and more. You can customize it for any school's schedule, and make as many different School Clocks as you have different day schedules. Use it now.

Show the love! Please tell us about mistakes the site makes when "rewording" and defining words. That feedback is the single most valuable thing you can do to help the site (and learners around the world). Click here to contact us. Do you want to help defray the site's operating costs, and read a great thriller at the same time? You can! Get your copy of Electric Dawn.

Contact us. We want to help you! Please use the Contact page with any questions or comments.

Site summary: Rewordify.com helps with reading comprehension and vocabulary development by simplifying English to a lower reading level. It lets you reword a sentence or reword a paragraph. It will simplify English by reducing text complexity. It's a dictionary alternative that will improve comprehension and teach vocabulary. It's an important part of reading instruction and vocabulary instruction for ESL students, people with reading disabilities, people with a learning disability, or anyone who wants to improve reading skill.

35650 / 9.0

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rewordify.com | Understand what you read

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rewordify.com helps you read more, understand better, learn new words, and teach more effectively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
ESL English Language Learning - Adult Literacy - Listening & Reading - Audiobooks - Stories

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ESL English - Adult Literacy - Listening, Reading, Audiobooks, Short Stories, Songs, PET exam

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Helping ELL Newcomers: Things Your Students Need to Know

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
As a teacher of English language learners (ELLs), you are often the most important link between your students, their families, the school, and the greater community. You are probably also the person in your school best prepared to anticipate challenges and communication gaps that ELLs and their families may experience.

# data[].attributes.headline
Newcomer Students in Rural and Suburban Schools

# data[].attributes.subject
Newcomer Students in Rural and Suburban Schools

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Newcomer Students in Rural and Suburban Communities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
One challenge for school districts not used to newcomers is maintaining high expectations. In these cases, advises Wagner, "You don't reduce the rigor. You change the supports." While EL students likely need assistance accessing academic content, they are entitled to an education that is just as rigorous as their native-speaking peers.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
These glossaries are to provide permitted testing accommodations of ELL/MLL students. They should also be used for instruction during the school year. These glossaries may be downloaded, printed and disseminated to educators, parents and ELLs/MLLs.

Bilingual glossaries are an essential and expected test accommodation for ELLs/MLLs in the State of New York. The languages of these glossaries cover the top 10 languages at the state level, with new languages added based on changing language populations in the NY State student demographic data.

Schools should provide testing accommodations to ELLs/MLLs, as needed, on all NYS ELA and content-area assessments (i.e., Mathematics, Science and Social Studies). Districts/schools must make all necessary arrangements to make these accommodations available for ELLs/MLLs who need them. Please click here for the New York State Office of Bilingual Education and World Languages Webpage on "Assessment and Testing Accommodations".

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
These glossaries are to provide permitted testing accommodations of ELL/MLL students. They should also be used for instruction during the school year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
Seesaw | Elementary Learning Experience Platform

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Elementary Learning Experience Platform | Seesaw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Seesaw is a Learning Experience Platform with 25M+ users, enhancing elementary education, engagement, and school culture while improving academic success.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.provider_name
TalkingPoints - Improving student outcomes through meaningful school-family partnerships.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.authors[].name
TalkingPoints - Improving student outcomes through meaningful school-family partnerships.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Welcome | ML Instruction | Empowering ELLs

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Sharing ELL strategies that work. Helping ELL teachers implement classroom-tested, research-backed ELL strategies that develop social and academic language