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History and Finding Alignment

Historically, there have been divergent viewpoints between experts in the science of reading field and some experts who support English Learner/Emergent Bilingual(EL/EB) students. However, it is important to recognize that the shared objective among all stakeholders is to facilitate positive literacy outcomes for all students, ultimately aiming for proficient reading and writing skills.

Despite a broad consensus on numerous topics, such as the importance of building language and knowledge, having high expectations for students, and the important role of foundational reading skills, there have been instances when presentations and papers have perpetuated a narrative of disconnection between these groups. For instance, in 2022, the National Committee for Effective Literacy (NCEL) published a White Paper that extensively discredited practices associated with the "science of reading" approach. Interestingly, the frustrations expressed by the EL/EB community, which led to the development of this paper, often stemmed from practices that deviated from the scientifically supported evidence on how students acquire reading skills. These practices were implemented in schools where administrators mistakenly believed they were aligned with the science of reading. One notable example is the excessive emphasis on phonemic awareness or phonics instruction, with daily instruction lasting 90 minutes, at the expense of other critical literacy areas such as oral language development, vocabulary, and language comprehension. It is crucial to note that such practices are not congruent with the principles of the science of reading.

Overall, it will be important to draw upon our understanding of what the science of reading is, and what it is not, and proceed with a united message that evidence-aligned instruction must address all components of language comprehension, writing, word recognition and, for EL/EB students, English language development.

A response to the NCEL White Paper was drafted by Goldenberg et al. (2022) in an effort to find common ground. Following this response, The Reading League assembled a group of stakeholders to discuss some of the most critical points of contention in a series of meetings. The intent was to listen, learn, and build trust. This group knew that in order to truly unpack this disconnect, collaborative conversations had to occur that began from a place of mutual respect and understanding.

In March 2022 at the first virtual convening, the group of stakeholders agreed that proponents of the science of reading do not always place enough intentional emphasis on supporting the language needs of ELs/EBs. They also worked to dispel myths often perpetuated by many referring to the science of reading as a one-size fits all approach, a program of instruction, phonics-only, or any number of misinformed beliefs that describe anything other than what the science of reading is-a body of knowledge derived from decades of scientifically-based reading research.

The group convened multiple times from the spring to fall of 2022 with the objective of addressing significant topics, fostering clarity, and establishing trust. Through these discussions, several essential areas of agreement emerged, while other important questions surfaced that required further exploration. These shared alignments and questions served as the foundation for more in-depth discussions during the in-person gathering held in March, The Reading League Summit.

During these discussions, another group of EL/EB and science of reading experts had been meeting and discussing concrete alignments in California. This group developed an excellent resource that can serve as a foundation for conversations based on collaboration.
Pivot Learning published its final conclusions in this report:
The Reading League Summit, Joint Statement, and Report

In 2022-2023, efforts to bridge the disconnect between proponents of the science of reading and experts supporting the needs of EL/EBs led to the belief that the various stakeholder groups can move forward together. Continued conversations between The Reading League and friends and NCEL and friends led to an historic one-day Summit in Las Vegas on March 25, 2023.

The Summit featured four moderated panel discussions on a variety of topics. A video archive of the 2023 Summit is available here:

Register for the second annual The Reading League Summit 2024 on April 27, 2024, in San Diego, CA.
Joint Statement:
Following the Summit, panelists and moderators reconvened to address growing misconceptions about the science of reading. The following statement was drafted in order to continue the work of advancing literacy outcomes for all students, together.
Report:
Dr. Tanji Reed Marshall, director of P-12 Practice at The Education Trust, recounts the day's events in the following report.

Research
Is there scientifically-based research that helps us understand how to meet the literacy needs of ELs/EBs?
There is a claim made by certain individuals suggesting that all research conducted within the realm of the science of reading solely pertains to monolingual contexts. However, it is important to emphasize that all scientifically grounded research aimed at comprehending the process of reading acquisition-including studies explicitly addressing questions related to EL/EB students-falls within the scope of the science of reading. Although further research is warranted to gain a comprehensive understanding of effective support for EL/EB students, it is categorically incorrect to assert that no research exists regarding optimal strategies for assisting this particular student population.
There are multiple, reliable resources that have summarized research and lifted up best practices for EL/EB students including the following:

The Reading League has purchased the digital rights with a limited number of permitted downloads of the Developing Literacy in Second Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth (Executive Summary). We welcome you to download the PDF of this resource for future use while it is available.

Additionally, because our nation's classrooms have a growing number of EL/EB students, they have been participants in much of the research that is part of the body of knowledge known as the science of reading. For example, the initial 1990 study validating the Simple View of Reading was conducted on students along the Texas/Mexico border who spoke multiple languages.

There are also many scientifically-based research studies that help us understand how to meet the needs of ELs/EBs specifically. Unfortunately, many of them remain behind a paywall, but interested readers can contact the authors directly to request access. A sampling of just a handful of the studies that specifically address EL/EB students includes:

Curriculum and Instruction

Learning to read in a language you are learning is similar, but not identical, to learning to read in a language that is new to you. - Dr. Claude Goldenberg

One of the areas of continued discussion revolves around foundational skills. These are skills such as phoneme awareness, letter knowledge, phonics, phonic decoding, and encoding, that must be developed to automaticity in order to support accurate and automatic word recognition and spelling.

An element of instruction that is a frequent point of contention is the use of context cues when teaching reading. Emily Hanford's Sold a Story podcast explains the faulty logic and lack of research for relying on cues to decode words. An important distinction to understand is that cueing as a strategy to develop word recognition is not supported by research, but using cues to confirm the meaning of words once they have been read accurately can be beneficial for students, including ELs/EBs.
This article by Dr. Louise Spear-Swerling clarifies this distinction: Dr. Linnea Ehri and Dr. Susan Brady discuss the role of meaning:
For readers, our brains have three separate kinds of representations for words in different areas of the brain that make up words' lexical representations: 1) a phonological representation of how the word is pronounced; 2) a semantic representation that encompasses the word's meaning attributes, including how the word is used in different contexts and connects to the meanings of other words that have related meanings; 3) and an orthographic map that specifies the spelling of the word. The orthographic map results from code-based grapheme-phoneme mapping when a reader encounters a word in print and decodes it, or when the reader spells the word. Once an orthographic map is well-established for a word, the reader no longer needs to decode that word but automatically accesses the map when reading or spelling, and even just when hearing the word. The different kinds of representations become more strongly neurologically connected as the learner has experience with the word in language and in print. Thus when reading a known word, the semantic and phonological representations are activated as well as the orthographic map. For words to fully exist in our 'sight word' memory, they must have these other forms of representation well connected with the orthographic map. Research also indicates that connections with the motor region of the brain that controls handwriting are also activated when a word is used. Educational practices that integrate all aspects of word knowledge strengthen the connections, supporting automaticity of word recognition and comprehension.

Research on both monolingual and bilingual students has documented that explicit and systematic instruction in phoneme awareness and decoding are essential for orthographic mapping, however these skills are not sufficient to develop skilled reading if the other forms of representation are not established as well. If students are taught to decode the words, but do not know the meanings of the words they are reading, comprehension will not occur. Thus, ensuring that students know the meanings of words they are decoding is necessary, too. In short, EL/EB students need rich instruction in English oral language to build their second language expertise, supporting both their oral language use and providing necessary phonological and semantic representations for English words they are seeing in print.
According to Dr. Linnea Ehri in an interview for The Reading League Compass:
To be fully mapped and exist as a sight word in memory, the meaning must be connected to the spelling and pronunciation. Also the syntactic identity of the word needs to become connected to the other identities, that is, its function in sentences-especially if its meaning is only activated in sentences (e.g., function words like was, from, if, and with, and irregular past tense verbs that sound like nonsense words when produced in isolation like held, took, gave, and wrote). This would be especially important for EL students. These words need to be read in meaningful contexts in order for the connection forming processes to become complete and to establish high quality lexical representations of sight words in memory. A word isn't a word without meaning.

Thus, it is essential to undergird lessons whenever possible with meaningful vocabulary, language, and English language support is essential for EL/EB students.
Resources to further understanding
The Reading League's Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines (CEGs) include "red flags" (instructional practices that do not align with the science of reading) as well as aligned practices that support both word recognition and language comprehension. The CEGs also include specific, evidence-aligned components to support EL/EB students. Many of the evidence-aligned language comprehension components of the CEGs align directly with the WIDA English Language Development Standards (2020). Developing understanding of grammar, cohesive devices, syntax, and text structure is supported by the science of reading and advocated by those supporting EL/EBs. Understanding these connections and emphasizing these similarities will help us all move forward together to support all learners. Additionally, New Mexico's Structured Literacy and English Learners page provides helpful information on instruction and resources such as walkthrough tools and lesson templates.

The following excerpts from California's ELD Standards Publication are also helpful in thinking through the evidence-aligned needs of ELs/EBs.
English learners benefit from Reading Foundational Skills instruction.
Research Findings: Instruction in the components of reading foundational skills-such as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension (NICHD 2000)-benefits ELs.
Implications: Instruction in foundational literacy skills is essential for ELs. However, the instruction should be adjusted based on students' spoken English proficiency (they may or may not be familiar with the English sound system) and native language or English literacy proficiency (they may or may not be familiar with any type of writing system or with the Latin alphabet writing system in particular). Note that some ELs at any age may not be literate in any language when they arrive in the U.S. school system; their native language may not have a written form, or they may not have had opportunities to develop literacy in their native language or in a local language of wider communication.
Oral English language proficiency is crucial for English literacy learning.
Research Findings: Oral proficiency in English (including oral vocabulary, grammar, and listening comprehension) is critical for ELs to develop proficiency in text-level English reading comprehension. Word-identification skills are necessary, but not sufficient. Students who have learning disabilities (as diagnosed separately from their EL designation)-or whose literacy skills in either their native language or English remain below grade level after intensive and extensive instruction-may need specialized literacy intervention services.
Implications: Instruction for ELs in oral language knowledge, skills, and abilities must be explicit, intensive, and extensive. In order to be successful in reading English, ELs must develop proficiency in listening and speaking skills in English-depth and breadth of vocabulary, as well as grammatical structures-at the same time that they are developing foundational skills in reading and writing English.
Native language literacy skills facilitate English literacy learning.
Research Findings: ELs' native language literacy skills can help them learn English foundational literacy skills.
Implications: Instruction for ELs will need to vary based on variations among ELs' native language writing systems, as well as ELs' experiences with literacy in their native language. For example, students who are literate in a language that uses the Latin alphabet (such as Spanish) will be able to transfer decoding and writing skills more easily than a student who is literate in a language with a non-Latin alphabet (such as Arabic, Korean, or Russian) or a language with a symbol-based writing system (such as Chinese). Similarly, students who are literate in a language related to English (such as Spanish) will be able to use knowledge of cognates (words with similar meaning and spelling in both languages), whereas students who are literate in unrelated languages (such as Arabic, Chinese, or Korean) will not.

Multilingualism as an Asset

In our increasingly multilingual and multicultural society, it is important to consider the impact of bilingualism on the development of language, and how exposure to more than one language from a young age might shape an individual's brain both structurally and functionally. In the recent past, bilingualism was thought to impede cognitive and linguistic development, effectively 'confusing' the child's brain with multiple languages. We now know that this is NOT the case. (Arredondo et al, 2018)

A point that was universally agreed-upon at The Reading League Summit is that from a cultural, cognitive, and an academic perspective, multilingualism is an asset. For students, learning vocabulary and background knowledge in their home language can lead to positive transfer of this knowledge when learning the language of instruction, which supports comprehension. Dual language instruction is an optimal setting for this.

The reality, however, is that most EL/EB students are not afforded the opportunity to learn in a dual language setting that instructs, at least part time, in their home language. Thus, students must learn to read in a language they are learning to understand. Even in English-only settings, educators can still capitalize on the asset of a student's home language by leveraging cognates, or words in different languages that have a similar phonological, orthographic, and semantic form. Educators can also use a student's home language to highlight similar elements of phonology, orthography, morphology, syntax, and grammar and lessen the cognitive load of new learning by engaging in contrastive analysis, or the comparing of two languages to determine the similarities and differences of specific elements of the language. Teachers can also support better comprehension skills when they are able to choose texts that relate to children's previous experiences and world knowledge. In this way teachers can provide culturally relevant content that is more likely to be familiar to children and therefore more likely to be understood.

In this EdSource article (2023), Tim Shanahan states:
There are things that, depending on the language, might overlap with English and that the children might already know, in which case, those don't necessarily need to be retaught or certainly not to the same extent as with a first language student. For example, a lot of the sound letter matches are identical across Spanish and English, so if the child already knows how to read in Spanish, the classroom instructor wouldn't need to put a lot of time into teaching those things. On the other hand, there definitely are sounds that we have in English that don't exist in Spanish. And studies have found that it's useful to teach those quite explicitly and thoroughly. These resources are useful in helping educators understand elements of language that may be similar or different across languages:
Assessment

Dr. Lilian Duran of the University of Oregon offers the following advice for The Reading League Compass on assessment for ELs/EBs:

When planning assessment to learn more about the reading abilities of English Learners, it is important to understand their word recognition abilities, but one must also understand the role of language proficiency in both the child's home language(s) and English. Assessing literacy development in multilingual children requires attention to the child's level of proficiency in all of the languages that they have been regularly exposed to and how they will interact with the child's performance on the assessments administered.

In the context of the United States, most reading assessments are conducted only in English. Many children enter US schools speaking languages other than English at home and in their communities and are in the process of acquiring English. It is mandated that all children whose parents identify that a language other than English is spoken in the home are administered an English proficiency test with the goal of more effectively providing appropriate support for learning in predominantly English instructional environments.

Language is the foundation of literacy, and for EL students, measuring language development is critical to understanding the foundation they are bringing to the task of learning to read in English. Assessment in a child's home language is also important to provide a window into their ability to learn in general. Most children in the U.S. will be exposed to English-only instruction, but prior to school entry all of their learning, their concept knowledge, and their communication abilities are simply stored in a different language. Measuring vocabulary, semantic, and morphosyntactic development provides the teacher with more awareness of the student's strengths, abilities, and learning potential.

In addition to attending to the level of language development of students, it is also important to consider the language or languages of instruction. If children are only taught how to read in English, you cannot assume that the child will have reading skills in Spanish. However, if a child is in a dual language program that systematically teaches reading in both English and Spanish, then reading assessment in both languages is important and a better reflection of their overall ability level.

The main take-away for assessing reading skills for ELs is as follows: teachers must take a nuanced approach that strategically considers the quantity and quality of a child's exposure to their home language(s) and English and how this interacts with the language of their reading instruction. There is not a one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a decision-making process that should be undertaken to choose the appropriate assessments in the appropriate language that are most likely to capture the child's overall language and reading ability.
For more information on this topic:
Students Who Use Black English Should Be Included in Conversations

Dr. Altheria Caldera, TRL's DEIB consultant, offers the following advice for The Reading League Compass regarding speakers of Black English:

According to a 2021 infographic published by the Office of English Language Acquisition, only 2.9% of Black students are English Learners (ELs). Most of these non-native English speakers are foreign-born, with 8 of the top 10 countries being located in Africa. These Black English Learners are often "overlooked" in conversations around the needs of multilingual learners. This exclusion has significant implications for the reading education, with its recent focus on the importance of teaching foundational reading skills to beginning readers.

Black English, sometimes referred to as African American Vernacular English, is a dialect of English with syntactic and grammatical distinctions from Standard (also Dominant) American English. Important, too, is the differences in vocabulary, oral language, phonics, and phonemic awareness, all of which are integral components of structured literacy. As an example, a student who speaks Black English might read the word "flow" and understand it to be a surface on which one walks and may fail to recognize the word "floor" as the standard way the term is pronounced. The impact of dialectical differences such as this are examined in this 2012 article.

Questions surrounding implications for reading instruction for speakers of Black English have been pursued since at least the 1970s. Recent scholars like Ramona Pittman and Julie A. Washington, whose research and writing center students who speak Black English are urging the broader multilingual education community to include speakers of Black English, and other bi-dialectical students, in their efforts to advance the needs of multilingual learners.

Students who speak dialects other than English have needs similar to, though not identical to, needs as speakers of other languages. The former, sometimes referred to as Standard English Learners, deserve this nuanced classification along with corresponding support. California is one of the states leading the way in this language equity work. While it is arguable that speakers of Black English should be identified as ELs; unequivocally, students who speak Black English and other bi-dialectical students should be included in the literacy conversation, and their needs should be uplifted.

Resources

These additional resources are helpful to understand research as it relates to supporting English Learners and Emergent Bilinguals.

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English Learners / Emergent Bilinguals and the Science of Reading

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Explore the science of reading for English learners and emergent bilinguals. Join us in advancing literacy education.

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Follet Destiny- Multilingual Audio Books

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Follet Destiny- Multilingual Audio Books

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1. Login to Clever

2. Click Library

3. Search and Select Follett Destiny

4. Click George D. Steckel

5. Click Unite for Literacy

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Welcome to Whitehall-Coplay School District

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Quick Tips and General Strategies

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Allen, V. (1986). Developing contexts to support second language acquisition. "Language Arts," 63, 61-66.

Bissex, G. (1980). "GNYS AT WRK: A child learns to write and read." Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

Calkins, L. (1986). "The art of teaching writing." Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Edelsky, C. (1986). "Writing in a bilingual program: Habia una vez." Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Company.

Flores, B., et al. (1985). "Bilingual holistic instructional strategies." Chandler, AZ: Exito.

Genishi, C., and Dyson, A. (1984). "Language assessment in the early years." Language and learning for human service professions monograph series. Norwood, NJ: Ablex Publishing Company.

Graves, D. (1983). "Writing: Teachers and children at work." Exeter, NH: Heinemann.

Harste, J., Woodward, V., and Burke, C. (1984). "Language stories and literacy lessons." Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Hudelson, S. (1986). Children's writing in ESL: What we've learned, what we're learning. In P. Rigg and D.S. Enright (Eds.), "Children and ESL: Integrating perspectives." Washington, DC: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Hudelson, S. (1987). The role of native language literacy in the education of language minority children. "Language Arts," 64, 827-841.

Kreeft, J., et al. (Eds.) (1984). "Dialogue journal writing: Analysis of student-teacher interactive writing in the learning of English as a second language." National Institute of Education (NIE-G-83-0030). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics.

Myers, M. (1980). "A procedure for writing assessment." Urbana, IL: National Council of Teachers of English. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 193 676).

Rigg, P., and Enright, D.S. (Eds.) (1986) "Children and ESL: Integrating perspectives." Washington, DC: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Samway, K. (1987). "The writing processes of non-native English-speaking children in the elementary grades." Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Rochester, NY.

Urzua, C. (1987). "You stopped too soon": Second language children composing and revising. "TESOL Quarterly," 21, 279-304.

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In teaching second language learners how to speak and read English, it is important not to neglect their writing development. Here are some strategies for teaching ESL children to become writers.

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Explore our collection of cross-curricular graphic organizers for English Language Learners! Browse through grammar graphic organizers, academic content graphic organizers, reading and writing graphic organizers, and vocabulary graphic organizers.

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BrainPOP ELL Graphic Organizers | BrainPOP Educators

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Explore our collection of cross-curricular graphic organizers for English Language Learners! Browse through grammar graphic organizers, academic content graphic organizers, reading and writing graphic organizers, and vocabulary graphic organizers.

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Scaffolding Sentence Frames for different ELP levels

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Scaffolding Sentence Frames for different ELP levels

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WIDA English Language Development Standards K-12

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WIDA English Language Development Standards K-12

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What can your EL student do with academic content

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ESL Basics in PA

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There are more than 61,000 English Learners (ELs) speaking more than 200 different languages in Pennsylvania. The education of students whose dominant language is not English and who are ELs is the responsibility of every Local Education Agency (LEA). Title 22, Chapter 4, Section 4.26 of the Curriculum Regulations requires the LEA to provide a program for every student who is an English learner (EL).

The goal of language instruction educational programs (LIEPs) is to facilitate the development and attainment of English proficiency and academic achievement of students whose native or first language is not English. Without instruction in social and academic English and appropriate support for learning academic content, these students are at risk of losing the educational opportunities provided to non-EL students.

Educating English Learners (ELS) outlines program regulations and guidance related to the education of ELs in Pennsylvania.

Definition of English Language Development (ELD)

ELD is a required component of all language instruction educational programs (LIEPs). ELD takes place daily throughout the day for ELs and is delivered by both ESL teachers and non-ESL teachers.

ELD Delivered by ESL Teachers

English language development instruction, otherwise known as English as a second language, delivered by a licensed ESL teacher is its own content area. ELD in this context is driven by language, but it draws from general education content as a vehicle for instruction in order to contextualize language learning. It must be codified in a dedicated and planned curriculum specifically designed to develop the English language proficiency of ELs so that they are able to use English in social and academic settings and access challenging academic standards. ELD instruction provides systematic, explicit, and sustained language instruction designed to prepare students for the general academic program by focusing, in meaningful and contextualized circumstances, on the academic language structures that underpin social and academic constructs. It can be taught as a stand-alone class or course but may also be embedded within other courses with the direct support of an ESL program specialist as appropriate based on the program design and needs of the students.

ELD Delivered by Non-ESL Teachers

ELD must be incorporated into all classes taught by non-ESL licensed teachers in which ELs are enrolled. These teachers are responsible for deliberately planning for and incorporating language instruction as well as supports, modifications, and accommodations needed to allow ELs to access the standards to which the course is aligned.

English Language Development Standards

Pennsylvania's English Language Development Standards for English Learners (ELDS for ELs) have been carefully developed to meet compliance with federal requirements by providing a framework for standards-based instructional and assessment planning for ELs so that they may attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging academic content standards that all children are expected to meet.

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There are more than 61,000 English Learners (ELs) speaking more than 200 different languages in Pennsylvania. The education of students whose dominant language is not English and who are ELs is the responsibility of every Local Education Agency (LEA).

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See your students
Discover their Can Do Descriptors
Understand their WIDA test scores and progress

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When is it appropriate to translate and when do we need to provide more scaffolds for learning?

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A website with resources from ELL basics to instructional strategies at all proficiency levels

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A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners

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Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Get started for free!

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Follow us and connect with Colorín Colorado on the following channels:

Veteran teacher Larry Ferlazzo and some of his colleagues answer the question: How do I teach a newcomer, with next-to-zero English proficiency, who is placed in my mainstream classroom without any additional outside support being provided?

This report from Education Northwest outlines 14 key principles that will help guide classroom and content-area teachers in their planning for ELL instruction and provides instructional implications for each principle.

TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) International Association has defined a core set of principles for the exemplary teaching of English learners based on decades of research in language pedagogy and language acquisition theory.

This brief produced by the National Council of Teachers of English gives an excellent quick overview of ELL issues, including population statistics, recent ELL policy, and recommendations for effective instruction. There is also an extensive reference list where you can find other great resources.

This toolkit offers great ideas on a wide range of topics, including ways to promote literacy and math learning, fair assessment and evaluation practices, and suggestions for getting ELLs' parents actively involved in school. You'll find lots of "grab and go" resources like games, lesson plans, and graphic organizers, as well as step-by-step descriptions of effective classroom strategies, such as total physical response and cooperative learning.

Miscommunication between ELLs and native speakers can result from cultural differences, as well as language differences. This article describes how ESL teachers can help colleagues understand the role culture plays in their ELL students' interactions with others, and includes specific examples of cultural differences that sometimes cause misunderstandings.

Video Bonus: Advice for New ELL Teachers

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Follow us and connect with Colorín Colorado on the following channels: Veteran teacher Larry Ferlazzo and some of his colleagues answer the question: How do I teach a newcomer, with next-to-zero English proficiency, who is placed in my mainstream classroom without any additional outside support being provided?

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

There are many things you can do that will make a big difference to ELLs, and they often prove helpful for other students in the class as well.

Here are some ideas to help you begin. Look for a few ideas you can try and one or two topics where you would like to learn more information.

Note: This article also includes some research-based recommendations offered by Dr. Diane August in her 2018 American Educator article, Educating English Language Learners: A Review of the Latest Research.

Getting Started

1. Get to know your students.

ELLs are a tremendously diverse student group. In order to serve your students effectively, it will be helpful to:

In addition, it's helpful to know more about their home language, literacy skills in that language, prior schooling, and current levels of English proficiency (keeping in mind that students' levels may have changed during the pandemic since the last time they were assessed).

You don't have to do this all at once and it's best not to overwhelm students or families with a lot of questions at the beginning, but taking some small steps early on can make a big difference throughout the year. Learn more from the following:

Videos: Why building relationships with ELLs matters

2. Be mindful of your communication.

In order to communicate effectively with your students:

Speak clearly and naturally, without going too quickly or slowly.

Simplify language without "dumbing it down."

Be mindful of your body language.

Encourage your students through positive body language and expressions, especially when they make mistakes.

Be patient and encourage classmates to do the same if needed.

Encourage students to raise their hand if they don't understand a word.

Avoid slang and idiomatic expressions.

Video: Why positive body language matters when working with ELLs

3. Create a language-rich environment.

ELLs will benefit from increased exposure to print and language. A print-rich environment will include access to books and reference materials, labels (in students' languages and English) and posters, and student work on bulletin boards. Word walls are also a great support for ELLs, and may be organized around a number of concepts, including:

the alphabet and phonetic sounds

new vocabulary words

sight words

grammar rules

conversational phrases

writing structures.

Video: Using sentence frames with ELLs

4. Learn how to plan lessons that incorporate best practices for ELLs.

Take a look at our article on lesson planning for ELLs for ideas on how to:

identify background knowledge needed to understand the lesson

connect content to students' experience

identify content and language objectives

identify key vocabulary and academic language needed for the lesson

scaffold and differentiate instruction

incorporate peer learning into your instruction.

Video: Teaching ELLs the names of all 50 states

Language and Literacy Instruction

5. Learn some basic information about how students acquire a new language.

A good place to start is a basic overview of the process and stages of language acquisition. It's also important to learn about the four key domains, or skill areas, of language: speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students need instruction and practice all four of these domains.

Drs. Andrea Honigsfeld and Maria Dove include "interaction" in that list for the helpful acronym SWIRL:
Image credit: Input and output in language development. WelchEducation.com. Used with permission.
Keep in mind the following:

Students are assessed in the four language domains each year through their English language proficiency (ELP) assessment, although that assessment may have been disrupted or done under difficult circumstances during the pandemic. Your ESL colleagues should have access to that data and you can check your students' proficiency levels across different domains.

Students may be stronger in one domain than another.For example, a student may be more proficient in speaking than writing.

ELLs need explicit language instruction, scaffolding, and modeling in across all four domains.

Related resources

6. Teach academic oral language skills.

Oral language skills are an essential part of a student's language and literacy development. Students will need guided practice and modeling to develop the academic language needed for classroom discussions and presentations. You can see more ideas for how to do so in the resources below:

In order for ELLs to access grade-level content, they may need additional literacy support and instruction. Here are a few initial steps to take; much more information is available in the links below.

Learn more about students' literacy skills in their home language and in English. If students need to develop their foundational skills, work with an ESL teacher and reading specialist together to identify some helpful strategies and resources to use.

Provide students with opportunities to engage more deeply with grade-level text. Some strategies for doing so are available in the resources below, but you may wish to request additional training for staff in this area since it takes some practice.

Give students numerous opportunities to write across content areas and for a variety of audiences. Ideas for scaffolding ELLs' writing follow below.

To see some related strategies in action, take a look at our Classroom Video library. Many of these videos and classroom materials were developed as part of our Common Core and ELLs project developed with Dr. August.

Related resources

8. Try only one new thing at a time.

Teaching multiple new things at the same time often doesn't work! When introducing new material, remember the following:

If you are teaching new language, use old content.

If you are teaching new content, use old language.

Video: Try one new thing at a time

Students' Home Languages as a Resource

9. Draw upon students' home languages as a resource.

Students' home languages are a valuable resource. Even if you don't speak those languages and are not working in a bilingual setting, there are way to tap into them to support instruction.

For example, Dr. August shares a number of research-based strategies that draw upon the home language such as the following:

using bilingual glossaries

providing background information in students' home languages

peer work in students' home languages

explicit instruction in how to use cognates or build on their own skills in their home language.

Related resources

Learn more about what using students' language can look like in this related series from Larry Ferlazzo on Education Week, this resource guide on translanguaging, and these recommendations from Tan Huynh.

Monitoring Student Progress

10. Use informal assessment on a regular basis.

It's important to use informal tools to monitor student progress in addition to more formal measures. That might mean something like quick comprehension checks during a lesson or exit tickets. You may also wish to use tools such as graphic organizers. More ideas are available in the resources below.

Coming up with a correction/feedback policy

While it is difficult to know when to correct students, constructive and effective feedback is essential to student progress. Nevertheless, it is important to balance between encouragement and error correction. One way to do this is to focus on one or two concepts at a time when listening to or reading student work. Let students know what you will be focusing on so that they in turn can focus on those particular concepts in the assignment.

Another strategy is to circle errors in writing assignments, and have students try to figure out what the mistakes were. Most of the time students are able to correct their own writing errors once they focus on the circled area. If they are still stuck, try giving them the answer and asking them to explain why it is correct. If they don't know the answer, ask them to consult with a classmate. If no one else knows the answer, review the structure as a group.

Related resources

Video: Assessment for ELLs

11. If a student is struggling, proceed with care.

If a student is struggling, it's important to proceed carefully and in collaboration with colleagues. Discuss your concerns with an ESL teacher to identify some targeted areas of instruction and ideas for progress monitoring. (Dr. August shares some ideas towards the end of the her research review for this kind of monitoring.) In addition, talk with the student's family to determine whether there is any important information you should know about factors that might impact the student's learning.

Keep in mind the following:

Nationwide, ELLs are both over-identified and under-identified for special education. Over-correction in one direction can lead to misjudgments in the other.

There is no single checklist or factor that can determine when a student needs extra support and what kind of support that might be, which is why it is imperative to work in close collaboration with ESL educators, family members, special educators, and reading/speech specialists if you are reviewing a student's situation.

The types of support that students receive in special education are different than those that students receive in ESL classes. Referral to special education is not a silver bullet where students will "at least get some help." A special education referral is a step that should only be taken after careful progress monitoring and targeted instruction (in the absence of an immediate and obvious need for services) and in consultation with a team that includes ESL educators and the student's family.

Related resources

Video: Having enough data to look at progress over time

Tips for Collaboration

12. Reach out to your ELL colleagues for ideas.

Don't hesitate to reach out to ELL colleagues in your building or district (they may have a wide range of titles). They are experts in supporting ELL instruction. Even if schools have not made formal collaboration time a priority, you can start with small steps. A concrete question or example is often a very good place to start collaboration.

If you find the collaboration helpful, share your successes with colleagues and administrators - you may be able to advocate for more collaboration time in the future! While it may be difficult to find time to meet on a regular basis, increased collaboration among all of the educators working with ELLs will improve their chances for success.

Video: Collaborating to support an ELL with special needs

Closing Thoughts

There is a lot of information here, but remember that it's ok to start with small steps. And when something doesn't work, don't hesitate to go back to the drawing board! Make some adjustments and try again, and if it still doesn't work, move on to a new strategy. You will soon find what works for your students and will come to appreciate the privilege to be a part of their journey.

Video: When new strategies don't work

Discussion Questions

What are some strategies that you can try here on your own?

What are some topics you would like to learn more about in professional development?

What is an example of a lesson you might teach differently in the future?

What are some ways you can try collaborating with your other ESOL or bilingual colleagues?

Recommended Resources

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12 Ways Classroom Teachers Can Support ELLs

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If you are a classroom or content-area educator trying to figure out how to teach English language learners (ELLs), you are not alone! You are off to a good start by looking for ways to support your students!

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This publication is a guide for English language development specialist. Its purpose is to support the participation, development, and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each section provides questions to help guide discussion. English Language Development Specialists can utilize the IEP Planning Notes column to support their planning and participation for an upcoming IEP meeting.

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This publication is a guide for English language development specialist. Its purpose is to support the participation, development, and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each section provides questions to help guide discussion. English Language Development Specialists can utilize the IEP Planning Notes column to support their planning and participation for an upcoming IEP meeting.

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Learning to read is a complicated process. If you teach English language learners (ELLs), however, there are a number of ways you can support their literacy and language development through targeted instruction.

This article highlights ELL instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as outlined in Teaching Children to Read by the National Reading Panel (2000). This report is a study of research-based best practices in reading instruction and it focuses on the following five instructional areas: Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency, Comprehension. In addition, the article includes information related to two additional important areas of instruction for ELLs, oral language and the role of the home language.

Each of these topics is explored below, and each section includes:

a definition

an explanation of why the component is important when learning to read

challenges that ELLs may face

strategies for ELL instruction

You will find references to more in-depth information about ELLs and effective reading instruction from recommended resources below.

Note: Since this article includes in-depth information on a number of topics, we encourage you to use it in professional learning communities, jigsaw activities, and other collaborative settings!

What does the research say?

Before jumping in, it's important to note that, in general, what we know about effective literacy instruction for English speakers holds true for ELLs, but modifications and adjustments may be needed (Goldenberg, 2008). Since the original National Reading Panel did not include ELLs' literacy development as part of its research review, a subsequent panel reviewed the research related to language learners and released a report authored by principal investigator Dr. Diane August and panel chair Dr. Timothy Shanahan titled Developing Literacy in Second-Language Learners: Report of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth.

Within the executive summary of that report, the authors note that, "Instruction that provides substantial coverage in the key components of reading - identified by the National Reading Panel (NICHD, 2000) as phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension - has clear benefits for language-minority students." They continue, "However, while approaches that are similar to those used with native-language populations are effective, the research suggests that adjustments to these approaches are needed to have maximum benefit with language-minority students." (p. 3)

For example, many practices may need modifications or scaffolds which may not be reflected in different reading programs or materials (August, 2018; Goldenberg, 2008), and in some cases, certain strategies may not be appropriate even with adjustments. In addition, the authors note the important role of two areas that were not addressed in the original National Reading Panel: students' home language and oral language.

Many examples of specific modifications are outlined in the strategies below, along with discussion of home language and oral language. You can find additional research resources at the end of the article, including a recent working paper published by Pivot Learning, Narrowing Down to Find Common Ground: Shared Agreements for Effective Literacy Instruction in California.

An in-depth video book study highlighting Literacy Foundations for English Learners by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan is also publicly available on YouTube.

When working with ELLs, students' home languages are a powerful tool that educators can use - even if they don't speak those languages or are working in a classroom with students who speak many languages. Drs. August and Shanahan write, "Oral proficiency and literacy in the first language can be used to facilitate literacy development in English" (2006, p. 5). And in hisColorín Colorado article about the value of students' home language, Dr. Fred Genesee writes:

Extensive research, again from around the world, has found that children who are learning to read in a second language are able to transfer many skills and knowledge from their first language to facilitate their acquisition of reading skills in the second language. The best evidence of this comes from studies showing that students with strong reading skills in the home language also have strong reading skills in their second language. Much of this work has been done on ELLs in the U.S. (August & Shanahan, 2006; Riches & Genesee, 2006).

Tapping into students' home languages (also referred to as a first or native language) as a resource can take different forms:

Helping students make connections between their language and English in order to identify similarities and differences, such as English/Spanish cognates

Providing opportunities to use the home language in the classroom for reading, writing, and discussion

Encouraging students to draw on all of their language skills across languages, which is called translanguaging

Promoting biliteracy through bilingual or dual-language instruction, which can support students' future opportunities and family ties (not to mention brain health!), with initiatives such as the Seal of Biliteracy, which has been adopted in many states

It is important to keep in mind that the extent to which a student's literacy skills from their first language transfer depends on many factors, such as how similar the alphabetic systems between the two languages are and whether they share any connection in their origins, such as two languages that both derive from Latin (Nieser & Cárdenas-Hagan, 2020, p. 65). The students' levels of literacy in their home language will also have an impact on their literacy development in their new language. Learning more about the languages students speak can help educators target instruction, notice patterns among speakers of the same language, and help students understand the relationship between their language and English

You can also provide students and families with access to bilingual books and texts and encourage families to continue using and developing the home language through activities such as rhymes, storytelling, and conversation at home. You will also find specific strategies related to home language throughout the key components below.

Recommended resources

In addition, as you will see below, oral language has a role to play across all reading skills, yet it often does not receive much attention as a critical part of ELLs' language and literacy development. Drs. August and Shanahan write, "Instruction in the key components of reading is necessary - but not sufficient - for teaching language-minority students to read and write proficiently in English. Oral proficiency in English is critical as well - but student performance suggests that it is often overlooked in instruction." (2006, p. 5)

Oral language supports students' literacy skills in different ways. For example, students need to be familiar not only with the sounds and letters they are learning but also the words in which they appear in order to support their word recognition and comprehension. Other more global oral language skills, such as facility with English syntax and grammar, and the ability to navigate specific language functions like describing, predicting, and comparing, also contribute to both reading and writing development for ELLs.

In addition, strengthening oral language supports students' ability to participate in peer groups and their proficiency in speaking and writing using academic language. Students need opportunities to practice applying their emerging oral language skills through partner talk and peer work (scaffolded with supports such as sentence frames), activities such as partner reading, and responding to comprehension questions using academic language.

Dr. Carrie Simkin, the director of our sister site AdLit.org, offers the following suggestions related to oral language:

Make it a learning target for lesson planning (e.g. be intentional about planning for it).

Consider how much of the learning time in your classroom is text based vs. discussion. Do students have opportunities to discuss ideas or do they mostly respond in written formats? We want to engage students in lively discussions!

Consider if students have opportunities to work in pairs as well as small groups and not just respond to teacher-generated questions.

Have you modeled how to orally respond to questions using the question as a sentence starter? Do you have sentence starters visible for share-outs?

Our strategies related to oral language are also woven throughout the components below.

Recommended resources

Note: You can read more about the role of oral language in the foreword of Comprehension and English Language Learners.

Phonemic Awareness and ELLs

Keeping the areas of home language and oral language in mind, let's dive into the five key skill areas, starting with phonemic awareness.

Phonemic awareness is an important indicator of how well children will learn to read. Sometimes it is difficult, however, for speakers of a second language to "hear" and say sounds in the language they are learning. If you have had a student who could not master a particular sound in English, the sound may not have been a part of the student's native language.

In her chapter of Literacy Foundations for English Learners, Dr. Virginia Lovelace-Gonzalez notes that, "Phonological awareness skills can transfer across languages when students have opportunities to build these skills in their native language and English" (2020, p. 53).

For example, there are multiple sounds in English and Spanish that will directly transfer between languages, even if the sounds are associated with different letters (p. 50). Dr. Lovelace-Gonzalez writes, "For ELs, phonemic activities in English can be complicated by having to recognize sounds in English that do not exist in their native language...Instructionally, it is important for teachers to determine some of the similarities and differences between English and the student's native language to ensure the opportunity to learn" (p. 53).

Phonemic Awareness: Considerations and Strategies

What: The ability to hear and manipulate the different sounds in our language.

Why it matters: Phonemic awareness is the foundation for spelling and word recognition skills.

Considerations for ELLs

Learn more about the students' home languages.

Start by visiting a resource such as MyLanguages.org or Omniglot.com, which shares an overview of many different global languages.

Ask bilingual colleagues about how their languages are similar or different from English and common areas that need attention when learning English. For example, a group of Ukrainian teachers shared some of the questions that Ukrainian speakers have when learning English in this Colorín Colorado article.

Identify whether there are any sounds that your students' languages share with English. Use these as a starting point in your instruction. In addition, find out which sounds might be new to your students and be sure to include explicit practice of those sounds.

Help students think about the connection between their language and English.

Ask students how their language is the same or different than English in terms of how the language is written, the sounds that letters or symbols make, and words that might be related.

Help students become familiar with sounds, letters, and symbols that are shared between languages, as well as those that are not shared between the languages. (Some examples across different languages are included in Literacy Foundations for English Learners.)

Ask students if they have words that begin with a particular sound, or if there are any words related to a particular word in English. This can work with students who have limited literacy skills in their first language too.

Help beginning readers learn to identify sounds in short words.

Have students practice identifying the sounds in the beginning, middle, and end of these words. You may wish to use words that begin with a consonant, have a short vowel, and end in a consonant (CVC words) such as mat, top, and bus.

One very effective method is having students match pictures of words that have the same beginning, middle, or ending sound.

Use words that students already know in English.

Videos

Learn how to pronounce the 44 phonemes in English.

Phonics and ELLs

Phonics instruction aims to help new readers understand that there are systematic and predictable relationships between written letters and spoken sounds. Students benefit from learning and practicing sounds and symbols, including blended combinations. ELLs often show many strengths in mastering early phonics skills but it's important to remember that decoding while reading and correctly spelling words does not ensure good comprehension.

That's why it's important to ensure that ELLs are familiar with the words they are learning to decode in order to support their comprehension. The authors of Words Their Way with English Learners write, "English learners need structured opportunities to learn many new words to add to their repertoires so that these words can become the material of their literacy learning" (2011, p. 79).

Phonics: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

Use a word study approach.

Word study is a powerful approach that connects letters, sound, meaning, word parts, and usage so that students are learning explicit foundational skills within a meaningful context. For example, ELLs need lots of opportunities to connect the sounds, letters, and words they are learning.

The authors of Words Their Way with English Learners write, "What is key to literacy development for English learners in the emergent stage is that they use language with teachers and peers and see oral language they understand captured in print" (Helman et al, 2011).

Look for opportunities to reinforce phonics in context.

Using literature and content material, you can introduce and reinforce:

letter recognition

beginning and ending sounds

blends

rhyming words

silent letters

homonyms

Vocabulary and ELLs

Vocabulary plays an important part in learning to read, as well as in understanding what is read.

As students learn to read more advanced texts, they must learn the meaning of new words that are not part of their oral vocabulary. For ELLs, vocabulary development is especially important as students' develop academic language - in all subjects and activities! There are numerous ways to support explicit vocabulary instruction, which is essential for developing students' vocabulary knowledge. Dr. Coleen D. Carlson writes,

For EL students, drawing attention to unknown words during the initial presentation of the text, providing appropriate levels of definitions (e.g., providing English labels for words for which concepts and labels in one's native language are understood, quick definitions or demonstrations for simple words) and tying to background knowledge is critical. No amount of simply reading and rereading words will produce knowledge of unknown vocabulary. (2020, p. 97)

Vocabulary: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

Draw upon students' home languages.

You can draw upon students' home languages to build vocabulary by:

It is important to give students as much exposure and experience with new vocabulary words as possible before asking students to use them in a lesson or activity.

Select words that will support the reader's understanding of the story or text, as well as for other phrases and connectors that affect comprehension (even though, except, etc.). You can pre-teach vocabulary by using English as a second language (ESL) methods such as:

Role playing or pantomiming

Using gestures

Showing real objects

Pointing to pictures

Doing quick drawings on the board

Using the equivalent in students' languages and then asking students to say the word in English

Providing a student-friendly definition

Using graphic organizers

Cognates are words in different languages that are derived from the same original word or root. About 40% of all English words have cognates in Spanish (such as the English/Spanish cognate "family/familia"). This is an obvious bridge to the English language for Spanish speakers if the student is made aware of how to use this resource.

Teach students to recognize and use cognates, or words that are related across languages, and encourage students to be on the lookout for cognates from other languages as well.

Give students an opportunity to practice using new words.

As the teacher, you can explicitly teach word meanings to improve comprehension. However, to know a word means knowing it in all of the following dimensions:

The ability to define a word

The ability to recognize when to use that word

Knowledge of its multiple meanings

The ability to decode and spell that word

The ability to use different definitions word accurately in different contexts

Ensure students understand a new word by asking them to produce it themselves either orally or in writing.

I taught a summer school unit on habitats and healthy environments, and every student had to learn the phrase, "Reduce, reuse, recycle." Over the course of four weeks I gave students many opportunities to use those words to describe what we were doing: "We are reusing the grocery bag," or "We reused the scratch paper."

Build students' academic vocabulary.

You can increase students' academic vocabulary by teaching common structures and terms used in a specific content area. For example, sentence frames are a great way to get students familiar with these structures and can be used in writing and speaking:

You can learn more strategies in this related article.

The _____ is ______ than the _____.

I can conclude ______ because _______.

Videos

ESOL Specialist Sheila Majdi: Using sentence frames with ELLs

ESOL specialist Sheila Majdi from Arlington, VA explains what a sentence frame is and how she might use this strategy with ELLs.

Interactive reading of a story

In this classroom clip, first-grade teacher Albuquerque teacher Ali Nava leads her students through an interactive reading of Burro's Tortillas, a Southwestern adaptation of "The Little Red Hen."

Focusing on language in literacy instruction

In this classroom clip, fifth-grade teacher Clara Gonzales-Espinoza helps her students expand their understanding of the way language is used in a picture book version of Cinderella.

Instruction of key academic vocabulary with high school ELLs

In this lesson, students read a letter that Captain John Smith of the English Army wrote to Queen Anne in 1616. You can see lesson materials and reflection interviews from ELL teacher Anne Formato in our related classroom module.

Fluency and ELLs

Fluency is a tricky area when it comes to ELL reading instruction. For native English speakers, fluency and reading comprehension often share a strong correlation because fluent readers recognize words and comprehend at the same time. This is not always the case for ELLs.

Many ELLs can be deceptively fast and accurate in their reading because they are good readers in their primary language and have strong decoding skills. Yet they may demonstrate little understanding of the text, and hearing the text out loud may not necessarily provide a step towards comprehension as it is likely to do for native speakers. One important factor in the connection between fluency and comprehension is ELLs' oral language skills, which Dr. Carlson describes as "an important foundation that supports the role of fluency as a bridge to comprehension" (p. 93).

Fluency: Considerations and Strategies

Inaccurate indicator of ELLs' comprehension

It is not unusual for an ELL student to read a passage beautifully and then not be able answer more than a couple of comprehension questions correctly. Decoding skills (sounding out words) and comprehending the text are two different skills.

Limited benefit from hearing texts read aloud

Native speakers who are not strong decoders can often comprehend text that is read to them better than text that they read themselves. That's because when someone else is doing the reading, they can focus on meaning without having to struggle to get the words off the page.

With ELLs, however, comprehension problems tend to be associated with limited vocabulary and limited background knowledge. Thus, listening to text read by someone else won't enhance comprehension.

Comprehension and ELLs

Comprehension is the understanding and interpretation of what is read. To be able to accurately understand written material, children need to be able to 1) decode what they read; 2) make connections between what they read and what they already know; and 3) think deeply about what they have read. Comprehension can be the most difficult skill to master, however, and can elude students who have mastered word-level skills. According to the executive summary of the National Literacy Panel on Language-Minority Children and Youth,

An important finding that emerges from the research is that word-level skills in literacy - such as decoding, word recognition and spelling - are often taught well enough to allow language-minority students to attain levels of performance equal to those of native English speakers. However, this is not the case for text-level skills - reading comprehension and writing. (p. 4)

ELLs at all levels of English proficiency, and literacy development, will benefit from explicit instruction in comprehension skills along with other skills because improved comprehension will not only help them in language arts and ESL classes - it will help them in content-area classes and in daily activities. It will also improve the chances of their interest in reading for pleasure.

Learn more from the following articles:

Comprehension: Considerations and Strategies

Considerations for ELLs

ELLs who struggle with comprehension may read more slowly, have a hard time following a text or story, have a hard time picking out important events, and feel frustrated. They may also have problems mastering new concepts in their content-area classes or completing assignments and assessments because they cannot comprehend the texts and tests for these subjects.

Check comprehension frequently.

As students read, ask them open-ended questions about what they are reading, and informally test students' ability to sequence material from sentences or a story by printing sentences from a section of the story on paper strips, mixing the strips or word order, and having students put them in order.

Use questions after reading.

After the ELLs and/or whole class have completed the reading, you can test their comprehension with carefully crafted questions, taking care to use simple sentences and key vocabulary from the text they just read.

These questions can be at the:

Videos

This video showcases a 5 th-grade team planning a science lesson about the difference between vascular and non-vascular plants. ESOL specialist Katy Padilla plays a key role in advocating for ELLs throughout the lesson planning process and sharing her strategies for engaging and supporting students.

Making Dual-Language Immersion Work

This video provides an introduction to Claremont Immersion School's dual language model and shows how teachers collaborating to develop a language arts language in English and Spanish.

Assessment for ELLs

Learn how third-grade teacher Samantha Kirch uses informal assessment in her classroom to better evaluate ELLs and their progress.

Story setup: Pre-reading strategies for comprehension

Learn about pre-reading strategies that will lay the groundwork before high school newcomer ELLs tackle a new text.

Teaching ELLs in upper elementary, middle school, and high school

Older ELLs bring a lot of valuable experience and interests to the classroom. At the same time, they face the double challenge of needing to learn content and a new language at the same time, which is further complicated if their literacy skills are limited. While they may still need foundational skills work, it can be hard to find materials that are age-appropriate. You can learn more about specific tips for supporting this diverse population from the following resources:

For great classroom videos at the secondary level, see our classroom video library!

Concluding Thoughts

This is a lot of information, but we hope that these resources and recommendations can inform your work with students as well as the conversations about literacy in your setting. The more familiar your team is with best practices for ELLs, the more effectively you can determine which practices and resources will best support your students in their ongoing literacy development - and future successes!

Recommend Resources

This new working paper released by Pivot Learning reflects collective consensus among literacy experts on key topics concerning (1) literacy and multilingual and English learner students; (2) early screening and assessment; and (3) foundational skills.

To learn more about the paper and how it was developed, see Can common ground be found on teaching reading in California? (EdSource)

Research articles and chapters

Books

Literacy Foundations for English Learners by Dr. Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan (You can see the related book study on YouTube.)

Words Their Way with English Learners: Word Study for Phonics, Vocabulary, and Spelling (2nd Ed.) by Dr. Lori Helman, Dr. Donald R. Bear, Dr. Shane Templeton, Dr. Marcia Invernizzi, and Dr. Francine Johnston

Literacy Instruction for English Language Learners by Dr. Nancy Cloud, Dr. Fred Genesee, and Dr. Else Hamayan

Dual Language Instruction from A to Z: Practical Guidance for Teachers and Administrators by Dr. Else Hamayan, Dr. Fred Genesee, and Dr. Nancy Cloud

Webcasts

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Reading 101 for English Language Learners

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Learning to read is a complicated process. If you teach English language learners (ELLs), however, there are a number of ways you can support their literacy and language development through targeted instruction. This article highlights ELL instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as outlined in Teaching Children to Read by the National Reading Panel (2000).

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Reading 101 for English Language Learners

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Get the basics on how to support the literacy achievement of your English language learners. You'll find instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as well as oral language and the role of students' home language.Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages

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Reading 101 for English Language Learners

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Get the basics on how to support the literacy achievement of your English language learners. You’ll find instructional strategies based on the five components of reading as well as oral language and the role of students’ home language.Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Agency for EDUimages

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Academic Language and English language learners

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Importance of Names and creating a welcoming enviornment

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How to Create a Welcoming Classroom Environment for ELLs

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On a daily basis, ELLs are adjusting to new ways of saying and doing things. As their teacher, you are an important bridge to this unknown culture and school system. There are a number of things you can do to help make ELLs’ transitions as smooth as possible.Photo by Allison Shelley/The Verbatim Age…

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As a classroom teacher, I was largely ignorant of, and definitely suspicious of, research. I believed that researchers could make their studies come out any way they wanted them to, and that a good teacher who reflected on her own teaching knew much more about how to be effective with her students than any researcher did. Later, as a university professor, I learned how important good research can be, and how difficult it is to do really good experimental research in a field such as education, where it is impossible to control all the variables.

For that reason, I was pleased in 1997 when Congress funded the National Reading Panel (NRP) to evaluate research about teaching children to read. The panel's charge was to review existing studies, choose those that were well designed and well implemented, and synthesize their findings. The results were published in 2000 (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 2000), and became the basis of the Reading First grant program included in the No Child Left Behind legislation of 2001. Although there was initially a good deal of controversy about the findings of the report, all U.S. elementary school teachers were soon very aware of the five "essential elements" of reading instruction (phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension).

Teachers of English language learners (ELLs), however, were left to wonder if and how the findings of the NRP applied to their students. How do you teach phonemic awareness and phonics in English to students who can't yet hear and distinguish the sounds? How do you teach fluency to students whose control of the structures of the English language is still limited? How do you teach them grade-level vocabulary when their vocabulary knowledge starts so far behind that of their English-speaking peers? How do you teach reading comprehension in English when they don't yet comprehend the English language?

Now there appears to be help. In 2002, the U.S. Department of Education funded the National Literacy Panel on Language Minority and Youth to survey, select, and synthesize research on teaching language-minority students to read and write. Their report was published recently (August & Shanahan, 2006).

How much help will this report provide for teachers of ELLs? A preliminary review of the Executive Summary (August, 2006) and the section of the full report on "Educating Language Minority Students" reveals these four potentially important general recommendations:

Literacy in the native language is an advantage.

We already knew this (see, for example, Collier & Thomas, 1997), and it doesn't help teachers working in situations where literacy instruction in the native language is not possible.

Substantial coverage of the five essential elements of reading instruction helps.

However, this finding is based on only 14 studies that looked at instruction of the essential elements of reading with ELLs. Because of the small number of studies, this recommendation is based on the fact that there is nothing in these 14 studies that contradicts the findings of the numerous studies of native speakers that were reviewed by the National Reading Panel. Also because of the small number of studies, no specific practices could be advocated for teaching the essential elements of reading to ELLs.

Reading programs for ELLs should include intensive language development as well as instruction in literacy strategies and skills.

This recommendation is not based specifically on the research, because there were no studies that addressed the inclusion of intensive language development in reading instruction for ELLs. It is instead a hypothesis drawn from several other findings: (1) native speakers benefit more from instruction in the essential elements than do ELLs; (2) ELLs with greater language proficiency benefit more from instruction in the essential elements than do those with less proficiency; and (3) instruction in the essential elements with ELLs has a greater effect on decoding and fluency than on comprehension.

Instruction needs to be adjusted to meet the needs of ELLs.

The report, however, states that there is not enough research to be able to identify specifically how those adjustments should be made. I could find only seven specific suggestions that would be useful to teachers of reading classes that include ELLs:

Provide additional work on English phonemes that are not present in the students' native language.

If students are literate in their native language, focus on differences between that language and English, with less attention given to elements that will transfer.

Provide extra practice in reading words, sentences, and stories.

Use cognate words in the native language as synonyms when teaching vocabulary.

Identify and clarify difficult words and passages.

Consolidate knowledge of the text through the use of summaries.

Find appropriate ways to use the native language.

These seven findings do not constitute a reading program for ELLs. We obviously need much more research. However, given the fact that teachers cannot wait until research catches up with their needs in order to implement effective practices with their ELL students, I think it is important to look not only at the research that is available, but also at what experienced, reflective teachers of ELLs (and observers of those teachers) consider to be best practices. The rest of this article will discuss the implications of available research on instructional practices in the teaching of the five essential elements of reading to ELLs, based on the findings of the National Literacy Panel as much as possible, but also drawing on information from reliable sources such as The Knowledge Loom: Spotlight on Elementary Literacy (The Education Alliance at Brown University, n.d.), as well as my own experience.

Phonemic awareness

Phonemic awareness is difficult for ELLs because they may not yet have enough experience with English to be able to distinguish sounds that differ from those of their native language. There are three aspects of phonological awareness when learning to read in a second language that are important for teachers of ELLs to remember and incorporate into their instruction:

ELLs cannot develop phonological awareness in English until they are familiar with the sounds of English.

This means that before explicit instruction in phonological awareness begins, children should have extensive experiences with fun and appealing songs, poems, chants, and read-alouds that will allow them to hear and reproduce the sound patterns of English.

Once explicit instruction has begun, modifications must be made to allow for more practice with sounds that can potentially cause confusion.

These are sounds that either don't exist in the native language (most of the short vowel sounds of English don't exist in Spanish, for example), or sounds that are perceived as different in English but the same in the native language (such as /r/ and /l/ for speakers of Japanese, or /b/ and /v/ for speakers of Spanish). Because these differences vary from one language to another, teachers will have to become familiar with which sounds of English will need extra practice, depending on the language backgrounds of their students.

Once phonological awareness has developed in any language, it transfers to other languages that are learned.

Therefore, students who are literate in their native language will not need to develop this skill again in English; they will only need to become familiar with the sounds of English and to learn to discriminate sounds that are different between their native language and English.

Phonics

Phonics can be problematic because ELLs often have difficulty discriminating between similar sounds, and because the English language does not have a regular system of correspondence between letters and sounds. Here are some issues related to phonics instruction for ELLs, with discussion of their implications:

Systematic phonics instruction can be very effective in helping ELLs, even those at fairly low levels of language proficiency, learn to decode words.

However, this skill does not facilitate reading comprehension if students' oral language proficiency is not developed to the level of the texts they are expected to read. For this reason, reading instruction should be combined with intensive development of the oral language needed to understand the text.

The most effective reading programs for ELLs combine systematic phonics instruction with a print-rich environment that provides exposure to appealing reading materials in varied genres.

Skills practice that is embedded in meaningful texts helps ensure that decoding skills don't progress beyond students' ability to comprehend the text.

Many of the components of phonics instruction need to be modified to meet the particular needs of ELLs.

For example:

Before phonics instruction begins, students must have the phonemic awareness skills they need in order to perceive individual sounds in words. This is particularly important for sounds that are problematic because of the native language.

Teachers must be aware of whether a students' native language uses a non-Roman alphabet or is non-alphabetic. Even if ELLs have had no instruction in reading in the native language, environmental exposure to a different writing system can negatively affect the ease with which they learn to recognize the letters of the English alphabet.

ELLs must be able to hear and reproduce English sounds with a degree of accuracy commensurate with their pronunciation abilities, before they are taught to make associations between those sounds and particular letters.

It is helpful to explicitly point out different letter combinations that have the same sound, and provide extra practice with them. Multiple spellings of the same sound can be very confusing for ELLs, particularly if they have had some reading instruction in a language such as Spanish, which has almost completely regular sound-symbol correspondences.

Teachers must pay attention to the meanings of the words used to teach phonics skills. Teaching students to decode words they don't know only reinforces the idea that "reading" is pronouncing sounds out loud rather than creating meaning.

Automatic recognition of frequent words is very important for ELLs, whether the words follow phonics rules or not. Although ELLs may develop good decoding skills, their lack of total proficiency in the English language will always slow them down somewhat. Automatic recognition of words can help mitigate this difficulty.

Most ELLs will need additional time to master phonics. Given the need for extra practice to learn to hear and produce the sounds of English, to learn the meanings of the words used in phonics instruction, to learn the multiple combinations of letters that make the same sound, and to learn many more sight words than English speakers need, additional time for phonics instruction should be built into reading programs for ELLs.

Fluency

Fluency is difficult for ELLs because their lack of proficiency in English slows down their ability to decode words and hinders their ability to understand the meanings of the words and how the words combine to produce meaningful sentences and discourse. These suggestions will help teachers adapt fluency instruction for ELLs:

ELLs cannot achieve fluency in oral reading before they have achieved fluency in speaking.

Repeated readings of texts that contain unfamiliar vocabulary and sentence structures will not increase fluency. When working on developing fluency, be sure that students are reading texts that they are familiar with and can understand. Students' own language experience stories are a very good choice, as are read-alouds that students have heard several times and discussed.

ELLs' normal self-consciousness about accents and errors can affect their reading fluency, especially if they are asked to read aloud in front of the entire class.

This effect will be magnified if students are openly corrected or criticized. Fluency practice for ELLs can be facilitated by having them read along with the teacher, or by reading chorally with a group. If individual oral reading is necessary, provide an authentic purpose for the reading (such as a theatrical performance, or delivering information that the rest of the class needs), and let students practice first with a partner.

Decoding skills, fluency in oral reading, and reading comprehension interact in various ways.

The ability to decode words easily is obviously necessary for fluency, and it also facilitates comprehension by allowing the reader to pay more attention to meaning. Comprehension, in turn, facilitates fluency by making it easier to recognize new words. Effective instruction for ELLs integrates these three elements of reading (plus vocabulary learning) into the same lessons using the same text, as each element helps build and reinforce the others, producing a multiplier effect.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary is difficult for ELLs; even for quite proficient learners, the extent of their knowledge of vocabulary is only a fraction of what it is for native speakers of English, and the failure to understand even a few words of a text can have negative effects on comprehension. There are many things teachers can do to help ELLs improve their reading vocabulary, including the following:

ELLs need more vocabulary instruction than their native-speaking peers.

If a native-speaking child enters kindergarten knowing about 5,000 English words, and an ELL with no previous exposure to English enters the same class knowing no English words, it's obvious that the same instruction for each of them will not produce the same results. Everything a teacher of ELLs does should revolve around vocabulary acquisition-explaining, demonstrating, drawing, repeating, reading, writing, and playing with words throughout every aspect of instruction.

ELLs need instruction in different vocabulary words than their native-speaking peers.

ELLs lack many of the basic words that native speakers know, so just teaching the vocabulary words that are suggested in the reading materials you are using will not be sufficient. Here are some of the many types of words that need to be explicitly taught:

words that are crucial for understanding a text;

words that are encountered in a wide variety of contexts;

frequently used words that contain word parts (roots, prefixes, suffixes) that can help students analyze other unknown words;

words with multiple meanings, whether spelled differently (homophones such as to, two, and too) or spelled the same (such as a dining room table and a multiplication table);

figurative language and idiomatic expressions;

academic words that indicate relationships among other words (such as because, therefore, and since to indicate cause and effect).

ELLs need different vocabulary teaching techniques and strategies than their native-speaking peers.

Handing out a list of definitions or asking students to put the words into sentences won't help ELLs learn the meanings of the words. Here are some things to keep in mind:

ELLs who are literate in a language that has many words that are similar in meaning and form to English words should be taught to recognize these cognates and use them to create meaning.

The meanings of words are acquired through multiple opportunities to hear, say, read, and write the words in slightly different meaningful contexts. Teachers will have to create these contexts in the classroom, since incidental learning of vocabulary cannot be relied on for ELLs.

Explicit explanations of unknown words should include contextual support through real objects, pictures or drawings, gestures, examples, demonstrations, or experiments that accompany the verbal explanations.

The use of context clues to infer meaning is not always successful with ELLs because they may not understand the context well enough to infer an accurate meaning.

Having to explain what a word means to other students helps develop comprehension of the full meaning of the word.

Comprehension

Reading comprehension is more difficult for ELLs than for native speakers for various reasons. Three of the most important reasons are discussed here:

ELLs are more likely than native speakers to lack the background knowledge necessary for understanding texts.

ELLs' prior educational experiences may have been substandard or interrupted, so reading texts that assume certain prior knowledge becomes difficult. Even for students with good educational backgrounds, cultural differences and culturally based assumptions can result in a lack of background knowledge and thus loss of comprehension. Whatever the reasons for a lack of necessary background knowledge, before asking ELLs to read a particular text, teachers must identify information that is prerequisite for understanding the text, evaluate students' prior knowledge of these prerequisites, and fill any gaps that are found. The best kinds of activities for building background knowledge are those that get students involved in manipulating language and concepts, rather than just receiving information from the teacher. These include experiential activities such as science experiments, classification activities, role playing, previewing a reading and generating questions about it, and sharing predictions about the answers to those questions.

The language level of the text to be read, compared with ELLs' language proficiency, is a major factor in how much they will understand of the text.

Even advanced ELLs and those who have been redesignated as fluent in English will experience difficulty with unusual vocabulary, figurative language, very complex sentence structures, or unfamiliar styles and genres (just as many native speakers of English do). For this reason, the integration of intensive language development with reading instruction is highly recommended for ELLs at all levels of language proficiency.

Reading comprehension instruction for ELLs needs to be modified to address their needs.

Asking ELLs to read the same texts and do the same activities as everybody else will only result in frustration for teachers and failure for students. This is not a matter of "dumbing down" the curriculum or applying different standards. It is a matter of implementing the curriculum at a language level that makes it accessible to ELLs, while at the same time working to develop their oral language so they will be able to comprehend texts at higher levels. Here are some general principles for modifying reading instruction for ELLs:

Provide as much nonverbal support for reading comprehension as possible, including pictures, diagrams, real objects, gestures, acting, and graphic organizers. The support can be used both for helping students understand a reading passage and for assessment, so students can show what they have understood in ways that are not entirely dependent on verbal ability.

Explicitly teach comprehension strategies, such as reader-generated questions, summarizing, and monitoring comprehension. Remember, however, that teaching strategies is not enough; students must practice them with texts that are accessible at their level of language proficiency. If students don't experience successful application of the strategies, they won't even try to use them with other texts.

Plan interactive activities around reading and interpreting texts. Sharing ideas, comparing perspectives, and coming to agreement (or agreeing to disagree) are all ways that students use the language of the text in meaningful ways, and thus progress to higher levels of language proficiency and reading comprehension.

Conclusion

The original intention of this article was to provide specific suggestions for modifying reading programs to meet the needs of English language learners, based on the findings of the National Literacy Panel. Because of the paucity of appropriate research studies, however, the recommendations made in the NLP report are not extensive enough to help teachers build appropriate reading programs for ELLs. I therefore looked beyond the NLP findings and included theory and experience as well as research.

I hope that readers will take this synthesis of research, theory, and experience and integrate it into their ongoing examination of what they do in their classrooms, what happens as a result of what they do, and why it happens. Research can tell us which kinds of practices are effective in general, but ultimately only individual teachers can determine what is most effective for them and the particular group of students they are teaching at the moment.

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What Does Research Tell Us About Teaching Reading to English Language Learners?

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As a classroom teacher, I was largely ignorant of, and definitely suspicious of, research. I believed that researchers could make their studies come out any way they wanted them to, and that a good teacher who reflected on her own teaching knew much more about how to be effective with her students than any researcher did.

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Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. This lesson provides useful reading comprehension strategies for English language learners.

Reading Comprehension Strategies

Read Carefully & Get the Gist

What is the text mainly about?

What questions are you asking yourself?

What do you notice right away?

Circle words that you don't understand.

Use context clues to figure out unknown words.

Read Again & Dig Deeper

Why did the author write the text?

What text features stand out?

Underline key vocabulary words.

Summarize the text.

Read One Last Time & Think

What inferences did you make about the text?

What connections did you make to the text?

Use the text to answer question.

Gather text evidence from the text.

Ways to Read A Book

1. Read the pictures

2. Read the words

3. Retell the story

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Reading Comprehension Strategies for English Language Learners

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Comprehension is the reason for reading. If readers can read the words but do not understand or connect to what they are reading, they are not really reading. This lesson provides useful reading comprehension strategies for English language learners. What is the text mainly about? What questions are you asking yourself?

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WHAT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY AS A CLASSROOM TEACHER IN SUPPORTING ELS?

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Frequently Asked Questions

FAQs respond to the most commonly asked questions. Users may scroll through the questions or use the keyword search option.

If an LEA receives a letter from the Department of Homeland Security that states a
student is receiving their US citizenship, do we remove the immigrant status on
their enrollment page in the LEA's student management system? Do we need to
do anything else?

I am seeking PA Department of Education recommended word-to-word
translation glossaries for the Biology Keystone and Science PSSA (4th and 8th). I
see a list of distributors on the state's Accommodation for ELs document,
however, I do not see any specific resources recommended.

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FAQs respond to the most commonly asked questions. Users may scroll through the questions or use the keyword search option. If an LEA receives a letter from the Department of Homeland Security that states astudent is receiving their US citizenship, do we remove the immigrant status ontheir enrollment page in the LEA's student management system?

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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.

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Our library provides effective, research-based classroom strategies to help strengthen your students' skills in phonological awareness, decoding, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.

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Gimkit is a game show for the classroom that requires knowledge, collaboration, and strategy to win. Get started for free!

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Nonverbal Signals: An Evidence-Based Behavior Strategy

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Using nonverbal signals — also called silent signals — is an effective way to foster communication while limiting interruptions during instruction. Learn how to use this strategy and why it works, and see it in action.

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Newcomer Toolkit - Chapters:

1. Who are our Newcomers?

2. Welcoming Newcomers to a Safe and Thriving School Environment

3. Supporting Newcomers' Social, Emotional, and Mental Health Needs

4. Providing High-Quality Instruction for Newcomers

5. Establishing Partnerships with Families

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The Newcomer Tool Kit is designed to help U.S. educators; elementary and secondary teachers, principals, and other school staff who work directly with immigrant students--including asylees and refugees--and their families.

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The following resources can support schools' partnerships with the multilingual families of English language learners (ELLs), with a special focus on newcomer families and resources for educators who are new to working with ELLs.

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The following resources can support schools' partnerships with the multilingual families of English language learners (ELLs), with a special focus on newcomer families and resources for educators who are new to working with ELLs.

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We've heard from educators who would like to know what steps they can take to ensure that front office staff are up-to-date about relevant policies. This has been an ongoing effort of ours and we continue to make sure all of our schools are aware of our efforts. I meet periodically with our principals on this issue and others to coordinate our efforts. - Scott Kizner, Superintendent of Stafford County Public Schools (former Superintendent of Harrisonburg Public Schools) It is expected that they are keeping their staff informed.
Overview
The 1982 U.S. Supreme Court case Plyler v. Doe ruled that undocumented students have a constitutional right to receive a free, public K-12 education. All students, regardless of their citizenship or residency status, are entitled to attend school. School districts that either prohibit or discourage students from enrolling in schools because they or their parents are undocumented immigrants may be in violation of federal law and the Equal Protection Clause (of the Fourteenth Amendment) to the U.S. Constitution...Schools cannot bar a student from enrolling because the student lacks a birth certificate or social security number or has a record that indicates a foreign place of birth. (p. 1)
All students have the right to a free, public K-12 education, regardless of their immigration status or that of their parents. This includes access to services and programs such as free- and reduced-priced meals, English-language development classes, special education, and school activities. The American Federation of Teachers produced a fact sheet (2017) explaining:

Students' civil rights
To comply with these Federal civil rights laws, such as Titles IV and VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as the mandates of the Supreme Court, school districts must ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, or national origin, and that students are not barred from enrolling in public schools at the elementary and secondary level on the basis of their own citizenship or immigration status or that of their parents or guardians. (U.S. Department of Education, 2015, p. 7)
In addition, a federal guide on supporting undocumented students published in 2015 notes:

The rights of English language learners

In addition to the rights described above, English language learners (ELLs) and their parents have specific rights described in these resources from the U.S. Department of Education:

You can also learn more in this article about landmark court rulings regarding ELLs by Dr. Wayne E. Wright at Purdue University.

English language learners and special education

English language learners identified with special education needs also have the right to receive both language services and special education services, and their parents have the right to receive information about evaluations, IEPs, support services, and other related topics in their home language. Immigration status does not impact students' or parents' right to access these services.

You can learn more about this topic in the following:

Recommended videos

Ensure all staff understand immigrant students' rights

Why this matters

Students will come into contact with a variety of staff and personnel throughout the school. All of these adults have an obligation to protect students' privacy and access to an education. Violations of those rights could not only have an impact on the educational climate and cause a chilling effect on attendance or enrollment, but could also result in legal action.

Note: For additional information on early childhood settings, see our section on young children in immigrant families.

Use the resources in this section to become more familiar with these laws.

Consult with district officials or community partners on questions you have.

Review forms and policies to see which may need to be updated (see related recommendations in the following strategy).

Make sure you and your staff have up-to-date information on students' civil rights and educators' legal obligations to protect those rights.

Provide professional development and training as needed.

Tips for getting started

Keeping staff well-informed

immigration status has no bearing on a student's right to:

Ensure that all K-12 school staff understand that:

immigration status should not be requested, shared, or reported in public or private

staff should not tolerate bullying by other students or adults in the building

violations will not be tolerated and will be grounds for disciplinary action.

◦ enroll in elementary, middle, or high school
◦ receive school services, such as free- and reduced-priced meals, special education, or ESL classes
◦ participate in activities, such as field trips
◦ receive medical treatment

Who needs to know this information?

administrators, teachers, and paraprofessionals

front office staff and counselors

janitorial, nursing, bussing, and cafeteria staff

substitute teachers and school resource officers/security personnel.

In addition, it is critical to underscore that these guidelines apply to all staff, including:

Sports participation: Some independent athletic associations throughout the country require certain types of documentation from students who wish to participate on a high school athletic team, such as a social security number. You can read more about these policies, as well as one high school's creative approach to starting a soccer league for immigrant students who were determined to play, in this article from The Hechinger Report, Immigrant Students Find Hope in Soccer, But Some States Won't Let Them Play.

Field trips: If there are any questions about required documentation for a school field trip, consult with district leaders and attorneys as needed. A principal in Maryland was placed on leave after sending home a bilingual notification related to a trip to the White House stating, "If a scholar is not classified as a U.S. Citizen, they will not be able to attend the field trip." While there were requirements for documentation for the White House visit, the district released a statement saying it "would not have approved any form or activity that 'excluded students based on citizenship, race/ethnicity, sexuality, religion or ability.'"

Extra-curricular activities and field trips

Recommended resources

Fact sheets and briefs

Let Us Learn: FAQs for educators

students' rights to a K-12 public education

extracurricular activities and free- and reduced-price meals

information/documents that can and cannot be requested during school enrollment.

Another useful resource is the FAQs for Educators from Let Us Learn: Schools for Every Child entitled "How does a child's immigration status affect their enrollment in school?" It addresses:

Note: Let Us Learn, an initiative of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, sent letters to all state attorneys general in the Fall of 2017 reminding them that all students have the right to enroll in K-12 public schools.

Recommended videos

Enrolling ELL and immigrant students: Attorney Roger Rosenthal

Why schools shouldn't ask about immigration status

Why this matters

As explained in our information on the legal rights of immigrant students at the beginning of this article, schools are not permitted to (a) ask about immigration status for purposes of enrollment or (b) ask any questions that would dissuade immigrant students or families from enrolling or have any kind of chilling effect. If families are asked for such information, they may be concerned that the information could be shared with an immigration enforcement agency. As a result, schools may need to review their registration forms. For example, a recent audit in California school districts found that at least 75 districts were asking about immigration status in the enrollment forms (Californians Together, 2017).

It is critical that front office staff have accurate information about enrolling immigrant students. They will not only set the tone for families' experience, but will have significant influence on whether the families feel comfortable sharing personal information - or even enroll at the school at all.

Review registration forms, home language surveys, or other forms related to school services/activities. Look for and remove any mention of immigration status.

Become familiar with alternate documents permitted for school enrollment, including paperwork related to residence in the district, proof of age, and guardianship. If you are uncertain about what is required, check with administrators or the district's legal office.

Explain to families what their rights are under federal privacy laws, detailed in the next section on protecting student privacy.

Be mindful of the language used on other school forms, such as report cards or other family correspondence. Terms like "citizenship grade" or "legal student absences" can create fear and confusion among immigrant families (Mangual Figueroa, 2017).

Tips for getting started

Social security numbers

how the social security number will be used and why the district is requesting it (CSBA, 2017)

that providing the number is voluntary

what kinds of paperwork will be accepted instead

that not providing a social security number will not bar students from enrolling in/attending school.

Districts should avoid asking for social security numbers; if they do, they must explain:

"Public charge" question: Free- and reduced-price meal applications

Note: Schools are receiving questions about whether free- and reduced-price meal enrollment will be counted against a green card application as part of the proposed "public charge" rules. It will not. You can read more about these proposed rule changes in this section of our guide.

Recommended videos

Enrollment questions on Social Security numbers, birth certificates, and more: Attorney Roger Rosenthal

Protect student privacy

Why this matters

Students have certain legal privacy protections regardless of immigration status. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is a federal law that protects the privacy of student education records for all students. The American Federation of Teachers notes that, "Under FERPA, schools are prohibited, without parental consent, from providing information from a student's file to federal immigration agents if the information would potentially expose a student's immigration status."
FERPA does not allow schools to turn over a student's file to federal immigration agents. The school can turn the file over if a parent consents and gives them permission or if the information does not contain the student's immigration status. School officials are non-reporters. They are not required to report undocumented immigrants.
According to Illinois Legal Aid Online:

Note: The California School Boards Association shares the following reminder, "School leaders should review with legal counsel any request for student information submitted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement" (p. 4).

Review these regulations and your own school policies to see if any changes are needed.

Determine if there are other privacy policies that should be reflected in school policy/procedures at the district, city, county, or state level.

Ensure that all staff have updated information regarding student privacy laws, particularly those who are working on student enrollment.

Tips for getting started

Recommended resources

Find out what resources your district and state have about serving immigrant students

Why this matters

The challenges that immigrant students currently face speak to the importance of creating an environment in which (a) students and families feel welcome and comfortable in the educational setting and (b) all leaders and staff members understand students' rights and their obligations in protecting those rights.

District, school, and early childhood program leaders have addressed these issues in a variety of ways within (and beyond) their communities. Some leaders have focused on internal communication with staff, while others have made public statements regarding their immigrant students. Some districts that have such guidelines or resolutions have called themselves "sanctuary districts," "safe zones," or "safe havens."

These statements vary in content, length, scope, and method of delivery. Some leaders have collaborated with their school boards to draft resolutions or formal statements supporting all students' access to education. These statements have been delivered in writing or in person through press conferences, events, or interviews with local media in families' languages.

a welcoming message affirming the value of immigrant families to the community

an affirmation of all students' right to a free, public education, as well as their civil rights, regardless of immigration status

a reminder of existing policies that address discrimination, bullying, and bias

an explanation of steps for protecting student and family privacy

clarification of policies related to immigration and law enforcement activity

information on new or updated policies, such as the Los Angeles school board's directive to the superintendent to "develop a plan within 90 days that will train teachers, administrators and other staff on how to quickly respond to immigration enforcement agents"

messages that try to prevent drops in enrollment or attendance due to family concerns.

Common themes in this communication include:

These statements can serve as an important step in creating a climate of respect and trust for immigrant students, families, and staff members while also reiterating districts' legal obligations towards students and families.

The California School Board Association (2017) notes that,

While these resolutions do not provide further or greater legal protection for students than already exists in the law, they do help school districts utilize their lawful discretion to establish policies and procedures to ensure that the district is providing equal access to public education to all students and to ensure the safety and security of its students attending school to the best of its ability. They also direct staff how to respond to potential immigration enforcement activities by ICE or other immigration enforcement officers or agents. (p. 5)

The role of states

States also have an important role to play in communicating related state and federal laws. For example, New York State has published a section on its website titled Information Regarding Recent Immigration-Related Actions, available in more than two dozen languages, as well as guidance related to the enrollment of undocumented and unaccompanied youth.

California has published multiple documents clarifying existing rules and also has gone beyond what previously existed to create new policies, guidelines, and models for districts to use as they determine their policies at the local level.

In addition, California passed a statewide law, AB 699, increasing protections for immigrant students. You can see fact sheets and infographics about the law in English and Spanish here and also from the Immigration Legal Resource Center. The following documents were published in California as well:

Learn more from Informed Immigrants' section on Understanding state/local immigration-related policies.

Find out what kinds of resources, documents, and statements your district and state already have available and if those resources are available in multiple languages.

Keep in mind that:

Tips for getting started

In school districts that have refrained from making a formal statement about immigration-related policies, educators might find it helpful to communicate the following kinds of information to decision-makers:

◦ school districts are legally obligated to share information in a language that families understand (see multilingual versions of district statements in the "Recommended resources" below).
◦ school and district leaders may not realize the extent to which immigration policies are impacting families locally, as seen in this article written for Colorín Colorado. Helping leaders better understand the student population is an area in which educators working with ELLs and immigrant students can have a significant impact.
◦ many of these strategies are appropriate for early childhood settings as well.

◦ examples from other schools or districts, such as statements of support, resolutions, and other documents
◦ information on the impact of immigration policies on local students
◦ related policies at the district, city, county, or state level that might impact immigrant students.

How to frame the issue
As a public leader you always worry about the consequences of a decision, a statement, or an action and you want to examine issues from multiple perspectives. Who might gain from a decision? Who might be harmed? As we discussed our district support, we recognized that the heart of the matter was keeping students safe and supporting their continued learning. This meant that we needed to measure our actions by how they related to supporting the students' learning and social-emotional well-being. This has been helpful in empowering leaders as they make decisions in response to new situations.
Consider framing these issues in terms of student well-being and learning as a helpful starting point. ELL administrator Kristina Robertson notes,

Recommended resources

The following list shares a sample of documents published by districts around the country.

School district resources: FAQs and guides

School district resources: Public statements and resolutions on serving immigrant students

Related resources

Related news items

Recommended videos

References

See our complete reference list for works cited in this article.

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Immigrant Students' Legal Rights: An Overview

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We've heard from educators who would like to know what steps they can take to ensure that front office staff are up-to-date about relevant policies. This has been an ongoing effort of ours and we continue to make sure all of our schools are aware of our efforts.

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Copy of Can Do Descriptors Adapted from WIDA

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentSentence frames and sentence starters are a helpful way to support students’ academic language development both in their writing and speaking by prompting students to discuss content with more complex structures and thinking. Using these structures allows students to focus on the content concepts or skill without providing the answers. They also indirectly teach how content-specific language appears in context.Sentence frames can be used for writing and in discussions.

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentAs students listen to a short text multiple times, they take notes, confer with partners, and work with others to reconstruct the text by focusing on including key vocabulary, complex sentence structures, and discourse markers.Text reconstruction is a strategy that builds listening comprehension and develops students’ ability to use complex sentence structures in their own writing. Working with a partner to negotiate the meaning and structure of the text also builds their speaking skills.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

A sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.

These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts. A sentence patterning chart can make students' speech and writing more structured and accurate.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Make a table that contains columns for the essential elements of the sentence pattern students will need to communicate about the topic: nouns, verbs, and details (adjectives, adverbs, prepositions).

2. In each column, provide a list of possible content-specific words or phrases.

3. Have students speak or write in sentences using the chart.

Lessons Learned

Choose a model sentence with the pattern students will be practicing from a familiar text or context.

Work with the students to list additional words and phrases for each column.

Model the first few sentences for students.

Point out the explicit sequencing of the parts of the sentence (e.g., an adjective goes before a noun, an adverb can go before or after the verb).

While the columns can be labeled with linguistic terms (nouns, verbs, prepositional phrases, etc.), teachers do not need to spend a lot of time teaching those terms to students in early phases of English acquisition.

Start with an image to build comprehension of the words and phrases in the chart.

Differentiation

Entering/Emerging

Include a visual for each of the words and phrases on the chart (e.g., pictures of the nouns, picture for verb actions, arrows to show preposition).

Use students' heritage language as needed.

Offer sentence pattern charts with simple sentence structures (noun, verb, object).

Begin with the Picture Word Induction Model to build sentence patterns with a detailed image.

Developing

Create sentence pattern charts for more complex sentence structures such as those that start with a dependent clause (e.g. Although...; While...; Since...)

Have students contribute more of the words and phrases to the chart for each column.

Expanding

Choose a lengthy complex sentence from the text used in class. Have advanced students identify the 'sentence pattern' in that sentence and create their own sentence pattern chart.

Have students work in teams to complete the chart with possible words and phrases for each column in their chart.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Develop a grade-level speaking or writing prompt.

2. Write a grade-level model response.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Review the model response for one or two simple sentence patterns students will need to speak or write in their responses.

2. Create a sentence pattern chart with several columns.

3. Ask students for ideas for words and phrases to add to the chart.

4. Hold a discussion to reflect on how this strategy can be used in another class.

Examples

Type of chart

Sample charts

Chart w/ visuals

Sentence examples

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentA sentence pattern chart sequences each component of a sentence and provides words that students can put together to communicate their own ideas. Charts can include images, icons, and examples for student modeling.These charts build students' ability to speak and write with 'sentence patterns' that can be used in multiple contexts.

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentMultilingual learners are often told to “add details” or “expand on their ideas,” but may not have the skills to do that. This strategy develops the skills of adding more details to a sentence, as well as writing sentences that match the discipline-specific writing task within content areas.Step-by-Step InstructionsProvide students with a simple sentence related to the content or context of the unit.

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Strategy OverviewBackground knowledge plays a huge role in content-area instruction.

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Teaching vocabulary from "Burro's Tortillas"

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation, such as 'information' in English and 'información' in Spanish. While English may share very few cognates with languages that use a different written system, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish. For Spanish-speaking ELLs, cognates are an obvious bridge to the English language and are particularly common in content areas such as math, science, and social studies.

These resources offer ideas on how to use cognates in the classroom and provide examples of English / Spanish cognates.

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Cognates are words in two languages that share a similar meaning, spelling, and pronunciation, such as 'information' in English and 'información' in Spanish. While English may share very few cognates with languages that use a different written system, 30-40% of all words in English have a related word in Spanish.

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In this excerpt from Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8, authors Susan Lenski and Frances Verbruggen offer strategies focused on how to teach and assess spelling with ELLs, including discussion on error correction. The authors have created a hypothetical school setting based on their extensive research and observations in classrooms around the country, presenting educators' questions and challenges, as well as their collaborative conversations with colleagues.

In this example, Ms. Bowden and Ms. Brennan are mainstream teachers interested in designing more effective writing lessons and activities for their ELLs, and Ms. Ramos is the school's literacy coach.

Spelling and native language influence

Spelling, like handwriting, is a transcription skill that helps students to write with fluency. During writing workshop in her classroom, Ms. Bowden found that when students stopped writing in order to ask for help with spelling or to look up a word in the dictionary, the flow of the students' thinking was interrupted and they would often have difficulty picking up their train of thought. For ELLs, who need to use the bulk of their cognitive resources to organize and express their ideas, fluent spelling is an important part of fluent writing.

For ELLs, the transfer of linguistic knowledge from the home language to English can have both benefits and drawbacks. For the Spanish speakers in Ms. Bowden's class, phonological and orthographic transfer from Spanish to English accounted for many spelling errors in words containing /k/, /b/, and /h/ allophones, /sk/ blends, all clusters, and phonemes, such as /e/, /pr/, and /u/ (Fashola, Drum, Mayer, & Kang, 1996). Her Spanish-speaking students tended to make more errors than native English-speaking students in words containing these phonemes. There appears to be a significant amount of Spanish influence in the spelling of words that Spanish-speaking students spell incorrectly. Much of Spanish-speaking students' spelling errors can be accounted for by interference from the transfer of phonological knowledge from Spanish (Dressler, 2002). Spanish-speaking students are not the only ones for whom spelling can be challenging. Example 1 shows the work of a fifth-grade Dutch-speaking student who had been in the United States for 1 year, which illustrates that point. This student, like many ELLs, spells words the way she hears them.

Because of the challenges for teaching ELLs to spell, Ms. Ramos suggested that a phonetically organized spelling program would provide Ms. Bowden's students with explicit practice in the organizational patterns of the English language, and could improve their writing and other English language skills (Wright, 2001).

Correcting spelling and usage errors

Teachers used to correct every error with a red pen to indicate mistakes in writing. Mina Shaughnessy (1977) questioned this practice in her classic Errors and Expectations. One of Shaughnessy's maxims was that errors count but not as much as most teachers think. Research supports this viewpoint. Teachers who mark every error may feel like they're doing the right thing, but research suggests that marking errors does not make a difference in student writing (Rob, Ross, & Shortreed, 1986). Most errors tend to distract readers rather than distort meaning. Although the goal of writing is to communicate meaning without distractions, errors are actually a natural part of language development and are a window into a writer's development (Schleppegrell & Go, 2007). According to Díaz-Rico (2008), "persistent errors, rather than random mistakes, provide insight into the learner's rule set" (p. 246).

Understanding the kinds of errors that ELLs make in writing is critical. According to Parker and Riley (2010), spelling errors tend to be a direct result of the phonology of English. For example, words that have unstressed syllables, such as the second syllable in the word interest, are often deleted. In this case, the word is spelled intrest by novice spellers. This example and many others cause ELLs to have difficulty spelling correctly. Furthermore, ELLs do not unlearn their first language when they learn English. ELLs develop an interlanguage (Selinker, 1972) as they move from their first language to English. This interlanguage reflects the English rules they are learning as they intersect with the rules governing the first language. The way ELLs apply the rules of English is revealed by the errors they make when they write. Analyzing errors can help teachers identify patterns that ELLs are using while learning English.

Ms. Brennan decided to try an error analysis of some of her ELLs' writings. She was especially concerned about Rosi, who was a fairly recent immigrant from Mexico. Rosi was learning English rapidly and was beginning to apply several of the grammatical and usage rules that she had been taught. Ms. Brennan used Rosi's sample writing of a biography (see Example 2) to decide how to best scaffold her writing.

After carefully reading Rosi's paper, Ms. Brennan decided that Rosi was making sufficient progress in writing considering the time she had spent in the country. She developed a chart that detailed what she learned from Rosi's writing (see Chart 1) and concluded that she would have Rosi concentrate on some of the areas in which Rosi had demonstrated learning. She decided to remind Rosi to capitalize proper nouns, especially names. She also gave Rosi extra assistance in writing simple sentences. Finally, Ms. Brennan reviewed when to use me and when to use my. Ms. Brennan recognized that Rosi had additional errors in her writing, but she knew that overwhelming Rosi with too many areas to learn all at once would not be beneficial. Instead, Ms. Brennan tried to help Rosi focus on just three areas for her next piece of writing.

Spelling assessments

Spelling tests are another type of assessment that most of us know from school. The teacher assigned a set of words, and at the end of the week the words were dictated, usually in sentences for context. We would write the words, hopefully with the correct spelling. This kind of assessment is still useful for checking students' mastery of spelling words. Mrs. Ramos told the teachers that there are a few variations on the traditional spelling test that teachers could try. First, instead of dictating the words, show the students a picture that illustrates the meaning of the word and have them write the word. A second variation would be to give the students a multiple-choice test, with various options for spelling the word, to see whether they can recognize the correct spelling (Brown, 2004). This alternative might be especially useful when a word has several different spellings, each with a different meaning, such as there, their, and they're, or two, to, and too, in which case the teacher could assess word meaning as well as spelling.

Citations

Reprinted with permission. Lenski, S. and Verbruggen, F. Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8. 12, 126-7, 147-8. New York: Guilford Press. 2010.

References

Brown, H.D. (2004). Language assessment: Principles and classroom practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson: ESL.

Dressler, C.A. (2002). Inter- and intra-language influences on the English spelling development of fifth-grade, Spanish-speaking English language learners. Unpublished dissertation, Harvard University.

Fashola, O., Drum, P., Mayer, R., & Kang, S. (1996). A cognitive theory of orthographic transitioning: Predictable errors in how Spanish-speaking children spell English words. American Educational Research Journal, 33(4), 825-843.

Parker, F., & Riley, K. (2010). Linguistics for non-linguists: A primer with exercises (5th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Rob, T., Ross, S., & Shortreed, I. (1986). Salience of feedback on error and its effect on EFL writing quality. TESOL Quarterly, 20(1), 83-93.

Schleppegrell, M. J., & Go, A. L. (2007). Analyzing the writing of English learners: A functional approach. Language Arts, 84, 529-538.

Selinker, L. (1972). International Review of Applied Linguistics in Language Teaching, 10(3), 210-231.

Shaughnessy, M. P. (1977). Errors and expectations: A guide for the teacher of basic writing. New York: Oxford University Press.

Wright, D. (2001). Phonetically organized spelling because-. The Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin, 67(4), 30-33.

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For any reprint requests, please contact the author or publisher listed.

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Teaching Spelling to English Language Learners

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In this excerpt from Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8 , authors Susan Lenski and Frances Verbruggen offer strategies focused on how to teach and assess spelling with ELLs, including discussion on error correction.

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In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner and John Segota discuss the ways in which language proficiency and teaching standards can help shape the instruction of English language learners.

They also discuss the relationship between these different sets of standards and their connection to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

Why Standards Matter

In a standards-based curriculum, all students — particularly English language learners (ELLs) — face demanding academic and cognitive requirements across content areas and grade levels. To fully and successfully participate in school, ELLs must simultaneously acquire English language proficiency (ELP) and achieve academically across content areas. In fact, two kinds of language proficiency are necessary for school success: the social and intercultural competence of using English in the classroom, and the academic language necessary to access the content areas such as English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies.

Standards provide a tool for defining the language as well as the content that ELLs are expected to achieve. In order for ELLs to succeed academically in US schools, both ELP standards and professional teaching standards for English as a second language (ESL) teachers are needed to ensure achievement for ELLs.

ELP Standards

English language proficiency standards act as a starting point for identifying the language that ELLs must develop to successfully access and negotiate content in and beyond the classroom. ELP standards do not stand alone, but provide the bridge to the content-area standards expected of all students in U.S. classrooms. Although academic content-area standards mandate high levels of achievement in content learning for all students, they do not provide educators strategies needed to assist English language learners because they assume student proficiency in and ability to use English to engage with content. ELP standards are therefore used in conjunction with content-area standards to provide guideposts for educators in helping English language learners develop the academic language proficiency in English necessary to reach the high levels of achievement outlined for all students.

The first national ELP standards in the U.S. were published by TESOL International Association in 1997. Entitled ESL Standards for Pre-K-12 Students, these standards were the first to promote a vision of effective education for the growing population of English language learners in the U.S. With the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), the federal government recognized the need for language standards to assist English language learners in developing English proficiency, and thus mandated for the first time that each state develop ELP standards for their English language learners. As a result, each U.S. state -either on their own or within different state consortia — developed ELP standards for use within their school systems. The standards developed by the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortia are now used in 27 states, and were adapted and augmented by TESOL International Association in the revision of its own standards in 2006.

Professional Teaching Standards for ESL

As with the standards movement in general, the 1990s and 2000s saw a great deal of variety in the field of English as a Second Language (ESL) and the preparation of teachers to teach ESL. During this period of time, the number of ELLs at the P-12 level in school was increasing dramatically, particularly on the east and west coasts. California, New York, and Florida, along with Texas and other states in the Southeast, experienced an exponential growth in the numbers ELLs they served. Education Week (2011) reports that from the 1997-1998 school year to the 2008-2009 school year, the number of ELLs enrolled in public schools increased from 3.5 million to 5.3 million, or by 51%.

When TESOL International Association became a member organization of the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) in 1999, it was because the association felt it was in the best position to help define the field for teachers who would be teaching these students English. The association began developing standards for the national recognition of P-12 ESL teacher education programs that were first put into practice in 2001. These standards, which were revised in 2009, represent what pre-service teaching candidates earning their initial licensure in ESL should know and be able to do in order to effectively teach ELs. More than 200 institutions of higher education have used the TESOL P-12 Professional Teaching Standards as the framework for their ESL programs for national NCATE recognition purposes.

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) first developed its standards for "accomplished" teachers of English as a new language (ENL) in the late 1990s, and then revised them in 2010. Currently, there are over 1300 Nationally Board Certified teachers in English as a New Language using the NBPTS ENL standards as a framework. Both sets of standards' revisions reflect recent changes in the educational landscape for ELLs and their teachers such as accountability expectations and assessment requirements for ELLs, emphasis on academic language learning, expansion of ESL teacher roles, developments in technology and its application to education, research-based understandings of the nature of language and language learning, the role of language and culture in learning, and the role of advocacy in the education of ELLs.

Both TESOL International Association and NBPTS revised their professional standards for ESL teachers during the same timeframe, and their standards could reflect the current state of the field of teaching ELs. Although the TESOL and NBPTS standards' formats and purposes differ (see Table 1), they do have similarities (Harper & Staehr Fenner, 2010). Both are professional standards for ESL teachers, focus on teacher qualifications in US school settings, and represent high-quality teaching of ELLs. They also both include a performance-based review process that uses standards-based evidence and documentation of the impact on student learning.

Table 1. TESOL and NBPTS' Professional Teaching Standards

TESOL P-12 Professional Teaching Standards | NBPTS English as a New Language Standards
Developed for ESL teacher education programs | Developed for individual ESL teachers
Address teacher competence at the initial ESL licensure/certification level | Address teacher competence at the accomplished level after at least 3 years of classroom experience
Provide national recognition of ESL teacher education programs | Award certification to individual ESL teachers
26 states require participation; other ESL teacher education programs voluntarily undergo the process | Voluntary participation by individual ESL teachers

What is most important about the commonalities between the TESOL and NBPTS standards is that they both recognize a unique academic discipline that is both separate from other content areas yet serves to complement them, and one that is increasingly important for the U.S. education system.

Common Core State Standards

In addition to the developments in the field described previously, the introduction of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is also having a marked impact on ESL education. When they were first introduced in 2010, many uncertainties existed regarding how these standards would be implemented and assessed for ELLs. Although the CCSS did include some basic information about implementation with ELLs, much research still needs to be done in this area. Several prominent organizations and researchers have begun work looking at this question, recognizing that the implementation of the CCSS for ELLs is important for all teachers as increasing numbers of educators across the content areas work with ELLs.

Addressing the question of ELLs and the CCSS, the following are some activities that are currently underway:

WIDA is in the final stages of updating its ELP standards, which will be called English language development (ELD) standards, to illustrate the alignment with the CCSS.

TESOL International Association is also developing ancillary information for its standards that show the relationship to the CCSS.

Other states, beyond those that are members of WIDA, are also having conversations about revising their ELP standards to align them with the CCSS, creating new ELP assessments, and providing specialized professional development for teachers regarding the impact of the CCSS on ELLs.

How These Standards Work Together

While it's important that all teachers receive professional development and information on best practices on working with ELLs, professional development is simply a baseline and is not sufficient in and of itself. Just as ELP standards do not work alone, the same is true for academic content standards when it comes to ELLs. Similarly, the expertise of both ESL teachers and content teachers is needed to help ELLs achieve, so it's critical to have professional teaching standards for ESL educators such as those provided by TESOL and NBPTS.

In order to provide effective professional development for those who teach ELLs, teacher educators must first have an understanding of the systematic role that content area and ESL teachers have in teaching ELLs. Within this framework, each of the three components (teachers, standards, and assessment) constantly interacts and influences each other as parts of an inseparable system. An optimal system triangulates these elements and develops them equally so that ELLs are able to learn content and language simultaneously. One component cannot be neglected, or the other two will not flourish. Figure 1 represents the multifaceted approach to teaching ELLs that triangulates the relationship between content standards, ELP standards, content assessments, and ELP assessments to support overall academic achievement for ELLs.

Figure 1

Policy Questions/Needed Areas of Research

However, much more research needs to be undertaken to effectively implement the CCSS for ELLs and determine the role of ELP and teaching standards in future conversations about teacher preparation and evaluation. Below we frame potential research needs as policy questions.

ESL teacher certification requirements vary dramatically from state to state, resembling a patchwork quilt. With such tremendous variation among these credentials each state offers, what are the specific credentialing requirements among the states?

What is the impact of ELL teacher preparation on ELL achievement?

How can the TESOL P-12 Professional Teaching Standards as well as the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' ENL Standards add to the conversation on how to meet the needs of ELLs as they work within the CCSS framework?

In order to truly provide guidance on how ESL teachers' expertise can best be utilized to implement the CCSS, we need much more information on their current roles. What is the role of the ESL teacher across multiple contexts in the United States?

Because the population of ELLs in US schools will only continue to grow, ELL issues and ESL educators must be central to the conversations that are currently taking place regarding the implementation of the CCSS, not an add-on or an afterthought. This level of collaboration will help make sure that ELLs are considered during this groundbreaking phase in the US education system.

About the Authors

Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner

A trilingual educator and researcher with two decades of experience in the instruction, assessment, and support of English Learners (ELs), Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner is president of DSF Consulting. Her interests lie in student achievement of ELs, including ELs with disabilities, and in improving teacher education and professional development for those who teach ELs in K-12 classrooms. Dr. Staehr Fenner earned her Ph.D. in Multilingual/Multicultural Education from George Mason University with an emphasis in Literacy.

In addition to her work on policy and practice issues at the national, state, and local levels, Dr. Staehr Fenner has an extensive instructional background in K-12, including ten years teaching and assessing ELs in Fairfax County Public Schools (Virginia) as well as experience teaching EFL as part of a Fulbright Scholarship. She was a committee member for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards' recent revision of its English as a New Language Standards and a committee member to revise Florida's ESOL teacher performance standards.

Dr. Staehr Fenner also has supported TESOL International Association as its National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Program Coordinator and she is the lead author of a book, to be published by TESOL in March 2012, that applies the TESOL professional standards for ESL teacher education program development, NCATE accreditation, and professional development purposes in districts and states. She is also authoring a book focused on educating ELs that will be published by Corwin Press in early 2013. You can learn more about Dr. Staehr Fenner's work from her website, DSF Consulting, LLC.

John Segota

John Segota has been with TESOL since 1996. Mr. Segota's responsibilities at TESOL include government relations, policy analysis, media communications, and management of TESOL's advocacy activities. He works closely with TESOL's executive director and Board of Directors on issues management and elements of strategic planning, and has also assisted with the development of several standards projects. Part of Mr. Segota's ongoing duties also include serving as TESOL's liaison to groups such as the National Coalition for Literacy, Hispanic Education Coalition, and the Joint National Committee for Languages, as well as serving as a staff liaison to the TESOL Standards Committee, Global Professional Issues Committee, and Employment Issues Committee.

Mr. Segota serves on the Board of Directors for the National Coalition for Literacy and is on the Advisory Board for USA Learns. Mr. Segota has a BA in Political Science with a concentration in International Studies from the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, and a graduate certificate in Project Management from the Keller Graduate School of Management.

Acknowledgements

Our policy section is made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Corporation. The statements and views expressed are solely the responsibility of the authors.

References

Harper, C., & Staehr Fenner, D. (2010, March). Comparing the revised TESOL/NCATE and National Board Teaching Standards. Paper presented at the 44th Annual TESOL Convention and Exhibit, Boston, MA.

National Board for Professional Teaching Standards. (2010). English as a new language standards (2nd ed.). Arlington, VA: Author.

The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition. (2011). The Growing Numbers of English Learner Students, 1998/99-2008/09. Retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/9/growingLEP_0809.pdf

NCATE. (2010). Transforming teacher education through clinical practice: A national strategy to prepare effective teachers. Retrieved from http://www.ncate.org/Public/Publications /TransformingTeacherEducation/tabid/737/Default.aspx

Staehr Fenner, D. & Kuhlman, N. (2012). Preparing effective teachers of English language learners: Practical applications for the TESOL P-12 Professional Teaching Standards. Alexandria, VA: TESOL International Association.

TESOL International Association. (2010). TESOL/NCATE standards for the recognition of initial TESOL programs in P-12 ESL teacher education. Retrieved from http://www.tesol.org/s_tesol/seccss.asp?CID=219&DID=1689

TESOL International Association. (2006). PreK-12 English Language Proficiency Standards. Alexandria, VA: Author

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Standards That Impact English Language Learners

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In this article written for Colorín Colorado, Dr. Diane Staehr Fenner and John Segota discuss the ways in which language proficiency and teaching standards can help shape the instruction of English language learners. They also discuss the relationship between these different sets of standards and their connection to the implementation of the Common Core State Standards.

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As a parent, you may be wondering whether you should be reading to your children in Spanish or English. You may be afraid that reading to them in Spanish will confuse them as they try to learn English, and that it will make it harder for them to read in English. You may also be concerned that you shouldn't read to them in English if you don't feel comfortable with your own English skills.

While it is important to encourage and support your child's efforts to learn English, research shows that children who are read to in their native language (such as Spanish) will have an easier time learning to read in their second language (such as English). The benefits are even greater for children who learn to read first in their native language. This means that by developing your child's literacy skills in Spanish, you will be making it easier for them to learn to speak, read, and write English in the future. This article provides information about the research done on this topic, and suggestions of ways that you can help your child develop his or her literacy skills in your family's native language.

Research Findings

Definitions

Academic language: "the language necessary to speak, listen, read, and write in an academic environment" (Anstrom, 1999).

Cognitive foundation: the development of the brain's ability to process information

Native language: the first language a person learns to speak

Second language: the second language a person learns to speak

A number of studies have been conducted about the ways in which children learn to read in a second language most effectively. Some of the results of those studies include the following findings:

1. Young children who were exposed to age-appropriate books and literature in their native language developed stronger pre-literacy skills than children who were only exposed to books in their second language (Association for Childhood Education International, 2003).

2. Children who learn to read in their native language first will have an easier time learning to read in their second language than children who never learned how to read in their first language (Anstrom, 1999). Children who can read in their native language understand the process of reading, even if they need to learn new letters, sounds, and words to attain reading proficiency in a second language. Children who are learning to read for the first time in their second language have twice as much work to do because they are learning the process of reading from the beginning at the same time that they are learning a new language (Short & Fitzsimmons, 2007).

3. Although children seem to learn new languages very quickly, without a strong cognitive foundation in their first language, children learning a second language "will tend to take much longer to acquire cognitive academic language skills in the second language" (Ramirez et.al, 1991).

4. The first three years of a child's life are critical to brain development, and increased exposure to a child's native language lays an important foundation for strong literacy skills when the child is older (Department of Education, Archived Information). In addition, when a child's brain is exposed to language at a very young age, the brain develops a life-long capacity to learn language, including foreign languages (McGill University, 2002).

5. Infants exposed to spoken language (reading out loud, talking, singing, and listening to music) show more language proficiency and better reading skills once they enter school than those who had not heard a lot of spoken language during their infancy (Center for Early Education and Development, 2001).

Creating a Print-Rich Environment in Your Native Language

Now that you know some of the reasons that it is important to encourage literacy in your child's native language, how can you get started? Creating a rich language environment at home in your family's native language will stimulate your child's cognitive, linguistic, and social development, and will enforce his/her early literacy skills. You can do this by:

Reading books in Spanish with your child on a daily basis

Talking about the stories you have read together

Playing rhyming games and singing songs in Spanish together (Example: I'm thinking of an animal that rhymes with globo: lobo)

Encouraging your child to write in Spanish

Keeping Spanish print material in your home such as books, greeting cards, magazines, and newspapers

Exposing your child to games, puzzles, and music in Spanish

Encouraging your child to use Spanish to tell stories

Expanding your child's Spanish vocabulary by teaching him/her new words, pointing out and naming objects, and helping him/her improve pronunciation

Visiting the public library regularly to check out books and other resources

Libraries, bookstores, and community centers in your neighborhood may offer books in Spanish that you can read with your children. Even if you can't purchase books to take home, you can make special "reading trips" to these places to enjoy books with your children. If you can't find any children's books in Spanish in your community, talk with other parents about ways to create a collection of books or Spanish-language resources that many families can enjoy.

So when you see Spanish-language books at your library or bookstore, don't hesitate to pick them up and take them home - they may be just what you need to get your child on the road to reading and to becoming a successful English language learner!

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Why Reading to Your Kids in Your Home Language Will Help Them Become Better Readers

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As a parent, you may be wondering whether you should be reading to your children in Spanish or English. You may be afraid that reading to them in Spanish will confuse them as they try to learn English, and that it will make it harder for them to read in English.