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Dr. Django Paris, a professor at Michigan State University, developed the concept of culturally sustaining practice, which builds upon culturally responsive instruction. This approach recognizes and values various aspects of culture, including popular, youth, local, and ethnic culture. By embracing culturally sustaining practices, educators aim to honor and extend the languages, literacies, and practices of their students' diverse communities, preparing them for a pluralistic and multicultural society.

Culturally sustaining practice in education is about valuing and leveraging the diverse backgrounds of students, particularly those who are ELLs. It involves celebrating and utilizing students' cultures and backgrounds as strengths to support their learning. Educators can familiarize themselves with four main tenets: building cultural competence, maintaining high expectations, fostering critical consciousness, and sustaining pluralism.

To practice cultural competence, educators reflect on their own cultural beliefs and biases, and actively learn about the linguistic skills and practices of the populations they work with. Maintaining high expectations involves recognizing and building upon students' strengths, including their linguistic abilities, and providing appropriate supports and scaffolding. Fostering critical consciousness entails addressing inequities and advocating for change, challenging dominant narratives that may be biased or exclusionary.

In culturally sustaining classrooms, learning goes beyond personal and cultural experiences. It also provides a window to understand the perspectives of others, fostering empathy and expanding students' worldview. Moreover, it offers a doorway for students to explore new possibilities and equips them with the necessary skills to navigate a changing world. Literacy educators play a crucial role in creating culturally sustaining environments by providing mirrors that reflect students' experiences, windows that expose them to different perspectives, and doorways that lead to academic rigor and growth.

Dunham, H., Murdter‐Atkinson, J., Nash, B., & Wetzel, M. M. (2022). Building on Linguistic Strengths: Tenets of a Culturally Sustaining Teacher. The Reading Teacher, 75(6), 677–684. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.2094

International Literacy Association. 2017. Characteristics of Culturally Sustaining and Academically Rigorous Classrooms. https://www.literacyworldwide.org/docs/default-source/where-we-stand/ila-culturally-sustaining-classrooms-brief.pdf

Snyder, S. C., & Fenner, D. S. (2021). Culturally responsive teaching for multilingual learners : Tools for equity. Corwin Press.

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An equity audit is a powerful tool that helps schools identify and address inequities that may be deeply ingrained in their systems. Brown outlines four steps for conducting an equity audit: conducting focused observations, analyzing data, leading equity-conscious professional learning, and reflecting on the auditing process. The ultimate goal is to achieve systemic equity by addressing disparities and implementing sustainable changes in schools. By questioning prevailing assumptions and examining access and outcomes, schools recognize barriers that hinder students' opportunities and aspirations. Through surveys, analysis of data, and courageous conversations, an equity audit facilitates the identification of inequities and the development of strategies to promote equity and excellence for all students.

Some questions that could be used to conduct an equity audit at schools with ELLs include the following:

Are ELLs' individual needs being considered in instructional planning and assessment practices?

This question addresses the need to ensure that ELLs' individualized learning needs are taken into account when creating instructional plans. Are educators differentiating instruction, providing accommodations and modifications for ELLs, and taking into consideration ELLs' language proficiency levels when designing plans? This information might be acquired by reviewing instructional plans, scanning student work samples, and conducting focus groups with ELL students to gather their perspectives on instructional support.

What resources and support are provided to ELL families to ensure their equitable engagement in their child's education?

This question focuses on checking the school's efforts to involve and support ELL families. Are schools providing information on translation and interpretation services? Are culturally responsive communication strategies being used? What family involvement opportunities are being presented? This information might be acquired through surveying ELL families and/or by reviewing all communication records.

What professional development opportunities are available for teachers to support ELLs' academic and linguistic needs?

This question assesses whether teachers have access to training and resources to effectively support ELLs. Are teachers being given feedback? Are teachers reviewing data on student performances? This information might be acquired by reviewing the professional development opportunities available to teachers, conducting surveys and/or by analyzing student performance data.

How culturally responsive is the curriculum for ELLs?

This question examines whether the curriculum reflects the cultural backgrounds and experiences of ELLs. Are culturally diverse material and resources being used in the curriculum? What strategies are used to integrate students' cultural backgrounds and experiences into the curriculum? This information might be acquired by conducting interviews or surveys with teachers, by examining instructional materials for cultural relevance and by collecting feedback from ELL students.

Brown, K. & Williams, D. (2019). Equity Audits: A Powerful Tool to Transform Teaching and Learning. Texas Elementary Principals and Supervisors Association. https://www.tepsa.org/resource/equity-audits-a-powerful-tool- to-transform-teaching-and-learning/

Fisher, D. & Frey, N. (2022). Making Equity Audits Matter. ASCD. Retrieved from https://www.ascd.org/el/articles/show-and-tell-a- video-column-making-equity-audits-matter

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The Universal Design for Learning framework supports

ELLs and their language development and academic success. The UDL guidelines are based on three principles: providing multiple means of representation, action and expression, and engagement. ELLs have diverse backgrounds, needs, and attributes, including varying English proficiency levels, limited first language proficiency, cultural expectations, shyness or gregariousness, and exceptional needs. The UDL framework is presented as a way for teachers to design instruction that addresses the needs of all learners, including ELLs, while also addressing core content and skills. It provides a set of guidelines that allow teachers to create flexible instruction and offer options that engage students and support their language learning processes. UDL can be applied at various levels of the curriculum and supports academic learning across content areas.

Examples of UDL-Aligned Strategies

Multiple Means of Representation:

Visual aids, such as images and videos.

Written instructions as well as verbal explanations to accommodate different learning styles.

Offer a variety of resources, including books, online articles, and interactive websites, to cater to diverse interests and preferences.

Multiple Means of Engagement:

Incorporate hands-on activities and experiments.

Allow for student choice by offering different topics to investigate.

Foster collaboration and discussion by incorporating group work and peer sharing opportunities.

Multiple Means of Action and Expression:

Provide options for students to express their understanding through various modes, such as writing, drawing, or presenting orally.

Offer scaffolding and support for students who may need assistance with organizing and presenting their findings.
• Encourage creativity and individuality in how students demonstrate their knowledge.

CAST (2018). Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2. Retrieved from http://udlguidelines.cast.org

Goalbook Toolkit. (2023). UDL-Aligned Strategies. Goalbook Toolkit. https://goalbookapp.com/toolkit/v/strategies

RAO, K.; TORRES, C. Supporting Academic and Affective Learning Processes for English Language Learners with Universal Design for Learning. TESOL quarterly ²⁰¹⁷, ⁵¹ (2), 460–472. https://doi.org/10.1002/tesq.342.

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Ellevation: ML Program Management Tools for K-12

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How do we go about creating successful co-teaching and co-planning partnerships to support English learners? What are some protocols that co-teaching and co-planning pairs should have in place to help mitigate any conflicts that may arise between co-teachers? How can school leaders support and amplify teacher collaboration to maximize impact on all students?

We discuss these questions and much more in our conversation with Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria G. Dove. Together, they have co-authored five best-selling Corwin books, including their most recent, Coteaching for English Learners: A Guide to Collaborative Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection (2018)

During our conversation, we reference the following books and resources:

Andrea Honigsfeld, EdD, is Associate Dean and Professor in the Division of Education at Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York. She directs a doctoral program in Educational Leadership for Diverse Learning Communities. Before entering the field of teacher education, she was an English-as-a-foreign-language teacher in Hungary (Grades 5-8 and adult) and an English-as-a-second-language teacher in New York City (Grades K-3 and adult). She also taught Hungarian at New York University.

She was the recipient of a doctoral fellowship at St. John's University, New York, where she conducted research on individualized instruction and learning styles. She has published extensively on working with English language learners and providing individualized instruction based on learning style preferences. She received a Fulbright Award to lecture in Iceland in the fall of 2002. In the past twelve years, she has been presenting at conferences across the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, Sweden, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates. She frequently offers staff development, primarily focusing on effective differentiated strategies and collaborative practices for English-as-a-second-language and general-education teachers. She coauthored Differentiated Instruction for At-Risk Students (2009) and co-edited the five-volume Breaking the Mold of Education series (2010-2013), published by Rowman and Littlefield. She is also the co-author of Core Instructional Routines: Go-To Structures for Effective Literacy Teaching, K-5 and 6-12 (2014), published by Heinemann. With Maria Dove, she co-edited Coteaching and Other Collaborative Practices in the EFL/ESL Classroom: Rationale, Research, Reflections, and Recommendations (2012) and co-authored Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners (2010), Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades K-5: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades 6-12: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), Beyond Core Expectations: A Schoolwide Framework for Serving the Not-So-Common Learner (2014), Collaboration and Co-Teaching: A Leader's Guide (2015), Coteaching for English Learners: A Guide to Collaborative Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection (2018), five of which are Corwin bestsellers.

Maria G. Dove, EdD, is Associate Professor in the Division of Education at Molloy College, Rockville Centre, New York, where she teaches preservice and inservice teachers about the research and best practices for developing effective programs and school policies for English learners. Before entering the field of higher education, she worked for over thirty years as an English-as-a-second-language teacher in public school settings (Grades K-12) and in adult English language programs in Nassau County, New York.

In 2010, she received the Outstanding ESOL Educator Award from New York State Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (NYS TESOL). She frequently provides professional development for educators throughout the United States on the teaching of diverse students. She also serves as a mentor for new ESOL teachers as well as an instructional coach for general-education teachers and literacy specialists. She has published articles and book chapters on collaborative teaching practices, instructional leadership, and collaborative coaching. With Andrea Honigsfeld, she coauthored five best-selling Corwin books, Collaboration and Co-Teaching: Strategies for English Learners (2010), Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades K-5: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), and Common Core for the Not-So-Common Learner, Grades 6-12: English Language Arts Strategies (2013), Collaboration and Co-Teaching: A Leader's Guide (2015), Coteaching for English Learners: A Guide to Collaborative Planning, Instruction, Assessment, and Reflection (2018). The same writing team also co-edited, Coteaching and Other Collaborative Practices in the EFL/ESL Classroom: Rationale, Research, Reflections, and Recommendations (2012), published by Information Age. With Audrey Cohan, she also coauthored Beyond Core Expectations: A Schoolwide Framework for Serving the Not-So-Common Learner (2014).

Be sure to subscribe to Highest Aspirations on iTunes or wherever you listen to podcasts so you never miss an episode. Also, please consider leaving us a rating and review on iTunes to let everyone know how we're doing. This will help us get the word out and bring in more great guests.

Finally, we love to crowdsource from the community! If you have an idea for a topic or guest for an upcoming episode, please reach out to stevens@ellevationeducation.com.

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Co-planning, Co-teaching, and Collaboration for EL Instruction with Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria G. Dove

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How do we go about creating successful co-teaching and co-planning partnerships to support English learners? What are some protocols that co-teaching and co-planning pairs should have in place to help mitigate any conflicts that may arise between co-teachers? How can school leaders support and amplify teacher collaboration to maximize impact on all students?

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The ELL Standards document is a tool for educators to help support ELL students in accessing the provincial curriculum and succeeding in the academic environment.

The ELL Standards:

Support existing approaches for ELL student support in school districts

Establish a common language for describing language proficiency across schools and districts

Facilitate communication with ELL students and their parents

Foster collaboration among educators to address language proficiency and support needs of ELL students.

The ELL Standards are organized into continua:

Reading (and viewing)

Writing (and representing)

Oral Language (listening and speaking)

Students needing literacy support may:

Lack literacy skills in their first language

Have little or no experience with print and sound/symbol relationships

Be unfamiliar with the mechanics of writing utensils

Have no concept of reading and writing proceeding from left to right and top to bottom

Show limited awareness of school organization or culture

Feel discouraged from even attempting tasks due to insufficient language

This may be due to any number of factors, including:

Schooling being interrupted because of war, poverty, or migration

Coming from a remote or rural setting

Coming from low-literacy communities

Having little previous opportunity for formal schooling.

BC ELL Standards. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/kindergarten-to-grade-12/teach/pdfs/ell/ell-standards-full.pdf

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Assessing ELLs' language and literacy development requires a varied approach that considers listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. By applying a combination of assessments strategies, teachers can gather insightful information about students' language abilities. When assessing, it is always important to ensure you approach assessments with cultural sensitivity, provide necessary accommodations, and use assessment data to inform instructional planning. Frequent collaboration with other teachers will further enhance assessment practices and support ELLs' language and literacy competencies.

Assessment principles guide educators in conducting fair, valid, and meaningful assessments that support ELLs' language and literacy growth. By applying the principles, teachers can gather accurate information about students' progress and provide targeted instruction to meet their unique needs.

Key Assessment Principles:

Assessment as a Tool for Learning: Assessment should be viewed as an ongoing process that supports student learning and provides feedback and guidance to students to help them improve their language and literacy skills.

Authentic Assessment: Assessments should reflect real-life language and literacy tasks and contexts. They should involve meaningful and purposeful activities that allow students to demonstrate their language abilities in relevant and authentic ways.

Multiple Measures: Assessments should employ a variety of measures and sources of evidence to gather comprehensive information about students' language and literacy development. This may include observations, interviews, student work samples, portfolios, and standardized assessments.

Collaboration: Collaboration among teachers, ELL specialists, and other stakeholders is essential for effective assessment practices.

Differentiated Assessment: Assessments should be tailored to meet the individual needs and abilities of ELLs.

B.C. Ministry of Education. (2018). English Language Learning Policy Guidelines 2018. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade- 12/english-language-learners/guidelines.pdf

LearnAlberta. Considerations for Assessing Language Proficiency – Language Proficiency Assessment. (n.d.). https://www.learnalberta.ca/content/eslapb/languageproficiencyassessment_consider ations.html

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Practice The 4 P's
1. Pause

- Pause before responding to allow time for thinking discussion, and decision-making
2. Paraphrase

- Acknowledge/clarify to better understand one another

3. Pose questions
- Explore and specify thinking. Inquiring into others’ ideas before advocating one’s own.

4. Presume positive presuppositions
- Facilitates meaningful dialogue and discussion, and prevents unintentional put-downs.

Communicate Often

Commit to constant and consistent communication when co-teaching. Both teaching partners should participate in all decision making regarding lesson planning, curriculum selection, instructional strategies, assessing student work and reflecting on previous lessons or practices.

Respect

Clear, open, and respectful communication helps build a better co-teaching relationship. When co-teaching respect each others comfort zones, but encourage each other to be adventurous.

Identify Roles and Responsibilities

Administrators will help teachers in understanding co-teaching expectations and responsibilities.Regardless of the co-teaching model used, teachers will need to thoughtfully plan who will take on what responsibilities. A successful co-teaching team has a plan and sticks to the plan.

Corwin. (2021, May 27). Honigsfeld & Dove: Collaboration for English learners [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=0UPxCPA4aXE&t=7s

Ellevation Education. (Host). (2020, September 22). Co-planning, co-teaching, and collaboration for EL instruction with Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria G. Dove (S5 E14) [Audio podcast]. https://ellevationeducation.com/podcast/co- planning-co-teaching-and-collaboration-el- instruction-andrea-honigsfeld-and-maria-g-dove

Honigsfeld, A., & Dove, M. G. (2019). Collaborating for english learners: A foundational guide to integrated practices. Corwin Press.

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English Language Learning Policy Guidelines

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English Language Learning Policy Guidelines

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The Policy Guidelines aim to ensure consistency, high-quality standards, and equitable access to ELL services, while also accommodating flexible and adaptable approaches.

ELL Planning & Services

To identify a student as an ELL, an initial assessment of their language proficiency in all areas of development (oral language, reading, writing) should be conducted.

Ongoing assessments should also be carried out periodically to track language acquisition progress and determine eligibility for ELL Supplemental Funding in subsequent years.

The initial assessment can take place upon the student's arrival or at any point when there is an indication that ELL services may be required for them to access the curriculum effectively.

Assessments should be age-appropriate, consider cultural and linguistic diversity, avoid discrimination, and acknowledge varying levels of proficiency across different language areas.

Assessment methods can include oral interviews, review of written samples, evaluation of reading and listening comprehension, observation reports, and standardized language proficiency tests.

Parents should be informed about their child receiving ELL services, and an ELL Specialist should be involved in writing or reviewing the AIP.

ELL services should focus on enabling students to achieve curriculum outcomes, develop their potential, and acquire language proficiency and skills for academic success and societal contribution.

Discontinuation of ELL services should be determined by the board of education based on individual student needs, even if the maximum five years of ELL Supplemental Funding have been received.

ELL Funding

The Ministry provides supplemental funding to eligible school districts for ELL services.

The funding is available for up to five years for each English language learner.

Consistent service must be provided throughout the ten months of the school year to qualify for funding.

The level of service should be proportionate to the student's level of need.

Teachers of ELL Students

Work collaboratively to identify, plan and provide services to ELL students

Provide effective ELL and/or integrated instruction

Provide ongoing ELL assessment / review

Update Annual Instructional Plans (AIPs)

Report progress

B.C. Ministry of Education. (2018). English language learning policy guidelines 2018. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/education/administration/kindergarten-to-grade-12/english-language-learners/guidelines.pdf

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TrillEDU:  Culturally Responsive Pedagogy...  | Jeffrey Dessources | TEDxNewJerseyCityUniversity

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Video on Collaborating for English Learners

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Video on Collaborating for English Learners

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Honigsfeld & Dove: Collaboration for English Learners

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Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners

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Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners

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The video explains the importance of differentiating instruction to meet the needs of every student. The goal is always to make your lesson accessible to all students and this video suggests ways in which educators can succeed in doing so.

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Differentiating Instruction: A Guide for Teaching English-Language Learners

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Supporting Multilingual Learners through MTSS is crucial as it recognizes their unique needs and challenges. By considering their cultural and linguistic backgrounds, educators can provide appropriate support, focusing on language development and literacy skills. This ensures that multilingual learners receive effective instruction in general education and targeted interventions if needed, before considering special education. Prioritizing oral language development and explicit English instruction helps these students succeed and bridge the gap between languages. A comprehensive MTSS framework enables multilingual learners to reach their full potential and thrive in their education.

Jechevarria. 2021. Supporting Multilingual Learners Through MTSS. https://www.janaechevarria.com/?p=2950

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Academic Success for All Students: A Multi-Tiered Approach

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Honigsfeld, A., & Dove, M. G. (2021). Co-planning : Five essential practices to integrate curriculum and instruction for english learners. (pp. 96-137). Corwin Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.queensu.ca/lib/queen-ebooks/reader.action?docID=6709821&ppg=16

National Education Association (2015). How educators can advocate for English Language Learners. National Education Association.

SupportEd, LLC. (2018, April 23). How teacher can advocate for English learners webinar [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfdUV5m0ANY&ab_channel=SupportEd%2CLLC

Vintan, A., & Gallagh, T. (2020). Effective Collaborative Practices in ESL Education: Conditions That Nurture Best Practices. Education Canada, ⁶⁰(2), 41–43.