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Slide #13- Best Practices for Compliance

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Slide #13- Best Practices for Compliance

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-Effective teaching practices vary widely, depending upon the context of the teaching. In the classroom, however, certain configurations prevail, and certain methods qualify as best practices for ESL teachers.
Reviewing a few key practices as an instructor can help move the entire school toward a comprehensive
and culturally responsive approach to serving English Language Learners and their families:

-Make the curriculum relevant: Embed stories, readings and perspectives that focus on history, immigration and community into the
units you teach. This will create opportunities to bring personal stories to the classroom and show students that their lives are a part of the United States’ long history with changing borders and movements
of people.

-Providing resources and technical assistance to school districts to prepare bilingual and English as a New Language teachers to raise standards and achievement levels for ELLs.

- Familiarize yourself with cultural norms. Don’t make assumptions about ELLs without seeking out some information about the messages their
behavior may be sending.

-Get to know your students’ contextual skills and educational backgrounds. Making assumptions can impede your instructional relationship. Similarly, informally assessing kids for skills such as using
scissors, writing on lined paper, writing the date or using art supplies can save students from embarrassment in front of teachers and peers.

-Developing resource documents to support literacy development for ELLs

- Honor your students’ first languages. If you know a student is literate in another language, find ways to bring it into the classroom and
celebrate its use at home and at school.

-Administrators and staff can use best practices to create a comprehensive communication plan for families of ELL students.
1. Utilize appropriate staff; if necessary, reach out to the community to fill service gaps.
2.  Consider organizing a district-level bilingual parent
advisory committee.

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Resource Link: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED519412.pdf

This article emphasizes the need for education professionals supporting ELLs academically by:
1. Make success for ELLs a central issue
2. Choose an appropriate ELL program model and ensure that it is understandable by all staff members
3. Use consistent and reliable procedures to identify and place ELL students appropriately
4. Implement strategies that are supported by research and case studies
5. Build a connection to families and community members.
This insight can be a great effort in closing the achievement gap and creating inclusion within public institutions.

Reference

Stepanek, J., Raphael, J., Autio, E., Deussen, T., & Thompson, L. (2010). Creating Schools That Support Success for English Language Learners. Lesson Learned, 1(2).

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Resource Link: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/sbecrules/tac/chapter247/ch247.html

Standard 3.4. The educator shall not exclude a student from participation in a program, deny benefits to a student, or grant an advantage to a student on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, national origin, religion, family status, or sexual orientation.

Standard 3.4 connects to ELLs as they are often overlooked in United States public schools. Societal attitudes about ELLs often cause negative affects within their academic growth. This standard helps to prevent this within American institutions.

Reference

Tex. Edu. Code, §274.2 (3)(D)

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Slide #10- Texas Administrative Code Section 74.4	

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Slide #10- Texas Administrative Code Section 74.4	

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Resource Link: https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=74&rl=4

Important Information:
(1) The English language proficiency standards in this section outline English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for English language learners (ELLs). School districts shall implement this section as an integral part of each subject in the required curriculum. The English language proficiency standards are to be published along with the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for each subject in the required curriculum.

(2)  In order for ELLs to be successful, they must acquire both social and academic language proficiency in English. Social language proficiency in English consists of the English needed for daily social interactions. Academic language proficiency consists of the English needed to think critically, understand and learn new concepts, process complex academic material, and interact and communicate in English academic settings.

(3)  Classroom instruction that effectively integrates second language acquisition with quality content area instruction ensures that ELLs acquire social and academic language proficiency in English, learn the knowledge and skills in the TEKS, and reach their full academic potential.

(4)  Effective instruction in second language acquisition involves giving ELLs opportunities to listen, speak, read, and write at their current levels of English development while gradually increasing the linguistic complexity of the English they read and hear, and are expected to speak and write.

(5)  The cross-curricular second language acquisition skills in subsection (c) of this section apply to ELLs in Kindergarten-Grade 12.

(6)  The English language proficiency levels of beginning, intermediate, advanced, and advanced high are not grade-specific. ELLs may exhibit different proficiency levels within the language domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The proficiency level descriptors outlined in subsection (d) of this section show the progression of second language acquisition from one proficiency level to the next and serve as a road map to help content area teachers instruct ELLs commensurate with students' linguistic needs.

References

Tex. Admin. Code §74.4

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Slide #9-The Bilingual Education Act of 1968

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Slide #9-The Bilingual Education Act of 1968

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,Source of Law: Constitutional Law
Link for full text: https://education.uslegal.com/bilingualism/landmark-legislation/bilingual-education-act-1968/

Important Information:
The Bilingual Education Act (BEA), Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1968 took place once the United States federal legislation recognized the needs of Limited English Speaking Ability (LESA) students.  While many states such as California and Texas already had local and state policies to help language minority students, the BEA established the first federal policy aiding students of LESA. The purpose of this act was to provide school districts with federal funds, in the form of competitive grants, to establish innovative educational programs for students with limited English speaking ability.

References

Bilingual Education Act of 1968, Pub.L. No. 90–247, § Stat 816

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Slide #8- No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001

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Slide #8- No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001

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Source of Law: Administrative
Link for full text: https://www.congress.gov/bill/107th-congress/house-bill/1

Important Information: NCLB  supported standards based on education reform based and the premise that setting high standards and establishing measurable goals could improve individual outcomes in education. This Act required states to develop assessments in basic skills. To receive federal school funding, states had to give these assessments to all students at select grade levels.
No Child Left Behind requires all public schools receiving federal funding to administer a nationwide standardized test annually to all students. Schools that receive Title I funding through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 must make adequate yearly progress or institution will lose funding opportunities.

References

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Pub. L. No. 107-110, § 115, Stat. 1425 (2002).

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Slide #7- Title VI, Civil Rights Act, 1964

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Slide #7- Title VI, Civil Rights Act, 1964

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Source of Law: Judicial Law
Link for full text: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/oasam/regulatory/statutes/title-vi-civil-rights-act-of-1964

Important Information:
-§2000d Prohibition against exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on ground of race, color or national origin

No person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.

Title VI allows individuals to file administrative complaints with federal departments and agencies alleging discrimination based on race, color, or national origin by recipients of federal funds.

References

Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.

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Slide #6- Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. § 1703

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Slide #6- Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. § 1703

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Source of Law: Constitutional Law
Link for full text: https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?path=/prelim@title20/chapter39/subchapter1&edition=prelim

Important Information:
-No State shall deny an equal educational opportunity to an individual on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, by:

(a) the deliberate segregation by an educational agency of students on the basis of race, color, or national origin among or within schools;

(b) the failure of an educational agency which has formerly practiced such deliberate segregation to take affirmative steps

(c) the assignment by an educational agency of a student to a school, other than the one closest to his or her place of residence within the school district in which he or she resides, if the assignment results in a greater degree of segregation of students on the basis of race, color, sex, or national origin among the schools of such agency than would result if such student were assigned to the school closest to his or her place of residence within the school district of such agency providing the appropriate grade level and type of education for such student;

(d) discrimination by an educational agency on the basis of race, color, or national origin in the employment, employment conditions, or assignment to schools of its faculty or staff, except:

(e) the transfer by an educational agency, whether voluntary or otherwise, of a student from one school to another if the purpose and effect of such transfer is to increase segregation of students on the basis of race, color, or national origin among the schools of such agency

(f) the failure by an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs.

References

Equal Education Opportunity Act, 20 U.S.C § 1703

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Slide #5- English-Learners and Graduation: How ESSA Could Penalize ELLs and Their Schools

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Slide #5- English-Learners and Graduation: How ESSA Could Penalize ELLs and Their Schools

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Resource Link:
https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2019/04/essa_may_penalize_some_english_learners.html
Summary: - Within public education graduation rates are a very prominent part of school accountability plans.
-The Every Student Succeeds Act could potentially lead administrators who work in public education or traditional high schools to turn away older ELLs who may need additional time to earn their high school diplomas.
-The report from the institute's National Center on Immigrant Integration Policy also examines why high-school age ELLs do not finish school, how graduation rates are calculated, and how a heavy emphasis on graduation rates can affect how schools design instructional programs for ELL populations.
-While federal laws have helped close opportunity gaps for ELL by requiring schools to document and publicly report on their educational progress, ESSA could disproportionately categorize English-learners as failures or incentivize schools to push such students into inappropriate educational pathways or not to serve them at all, for fear of the consequences attached to being labeled as a school in need of improvement.

References

Mitchell, C. (2019, April 29). English-Learners and Graduation: How ESSA Could Penalize ELLs and Their Schools. Retrieved from https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2019/04/essa_may_penalize_some_english_learners.html

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Slide #4- As More States Adopt Bilingualism Seal, Equity Concerns Arise

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Slide #4- As More States Adopt Bilingualism Seal, Equity Concerns Arise

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Resource Link: https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2019/05/seal_of_biliteracy_equity_ells.html
Summary: -This article discusses the seal of biliteracy that acknowledges  ELLs and native speakers. This seal is affixed to high school diplomas or transcripts as official proof that students can speak, read, and write in more than one language.
-While nearly 40 states and the District of Columbia are now offering special recognition for students who demonstrate fluency in two or more languages, this label has been promoted and implemented in schools in a way that may be shutting English-learners and low-income students out of the process all together.
-Most demographic information on students earning this bilingual acknowledgment seal is not tracked in many states, the work suggests that English-learners and students from low-income families may be on the wrong side of an equity gap, with their opportunities to demonstrate their bilingualism restricted by their financial, social, or academic circumstances.

References

Mitchell, C. (2019, May 13). As More States Adopt Bilingualism Seal, Equity Concerns Arise. Retrieved from https://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/learning-the-language/2019/05/seal_of_biliteracy_equity_ells.html

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Resource Link: http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB32_ELL11.pdf
Summary of Importance: This article is important for instructors teaching ELLs as it emphasizes the importance for effective policy and programs for a quality education and professional development. The NEA (National Education Association) advocates for a quality education for all students. This article addresses the importance of establishing comprehensive education
systems that are well-aligned from kindergarten
to grade 10, that will ensure opportunity or academic success among all ELL students. Quality instruction to English language learners requires educators who are skilled in a variety of curricular and instructional strategies.  There must also be an explicit effort to make sure that public
education teachers and other school professionals
who teach ELLs are equipped with the necessary skills
and knowledge to close the achievement gap.

References

NEA Quality School Programs and Resources Department . (2011). Professional Development for General Education Teachers of English Language Learners . Retrieved from http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB32_ELL11.pdf

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Interviewee: Ms. Clarke Cooper
Field/Position: Elementary School/Early Education Instructor
Location: Guilford County Schools.

Ms. Cooper, an early education educator in Guilford County Schools explained the importance of inclusion within diverse student populations especially those learning English as a second language. She explained that as these student populations are rapidly increasing, it is important to understand the implications of improving the current system. Without a legal guide it can be very difficult to accomplish inclusion for ELLs on a state level. She briefly discussed the current state of public education in relation to ELL academic achievements. "Standardized test data is the primary source to monitor progress for students and can prevent ELLs from receiving the academic attention they need due to institutional lack of knowledge and consistency.  Legal policies and practice enable school districts to move toward a more inclusive academic environment." stated Clarke. Ms. Cooper also discussed best practices for ELL inclusion and methods to maintain ELL academic achievement:
1. Always keep the community involved in the academic process. This creates a sense of partnership and trust within diverse communities.

2. Develop a multicultural committee or professional development seminar to prepare instructors for legal and other inclusive challenges when teaching ELL populations.

3. Provide training for academic institutions that incorporates administration as well as instructors. It is important to remain on the same page with institutional goals. This is a great way to get everyone invested in the same vision.

Ms. Cooper further explains that an emerging legal issue for ELLs and their instructors remains in school funding. Without the proper tools to professionally train and prepare educators for diverse ELL populations, many institutions increase graduation drop out rates. This never ending cycle will not change unless education professionals are ready to take the lead and make lasting change.

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I will be addressing this legal guide from the perspective of an instructor within Texas public education. My audience represents all Texas public education professionals who teach English Language Learners (ELLs) within their academic environment.

In order to give instructors strong, consistent support in closing the achievement gap for ELLs and providing them with equal opportunities, the best strategies and methods need to
reach, inspire, and teach English language learner students. A majority of ELL students are served in bilingual programs for a few years and are then transitioned to regular all-English curricula and instruction while a portion are never provided with the appropriate program services and are underserved. For this reason, Texas educators must be prepared to implement the legal policies necessary to close the achievement gap within ELL populations. I decided to choose this topic as I am an ELL instructor and  have a great passion for teaching diverse populations. This legal guide provides instructors and institutions with the necessary tools and laws to help increase ELL overall academic success.