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SIOP Strategies for Teachers of EL Students

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SIOP Strategies for Teachers of EL Students

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SIOP Strategies for English Language Learners

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SIOP strategies according to the 8 components of SIOP. Strategies for English Language Learners. Lesson preparation, building background...

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Summer Reading: Program and Evidence (Allyn and Bacon 2007) Fay Shin and Stephen Krashen Posted: 2015-06-03

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AN OVERVIEW OF About CAL SIOP Services Digital Badging Program Evaluations Professional Development CAL SIOP Resources Lesson Plans Handouts What Is CAL SIOP? The original Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model was developed by researchers Jana Echevarria, Mary Ellen Vogt, and Deborah J. Short under the auspices of the CAL and Center for Research on

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by: Tonya Ward Singer

Book: EL Excellence Every Day

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by: Tonya Ward Singer

Book: EL Excellence Every Day

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by: Tonya Ward Singer

Book: EL Excellence Every Day

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ELPA Guide to Differentiated Instruction

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ELPA Guide to Differentiated Instruction

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Workshop Overview

The differentiating instruction workshops answer the question: "How do I plan instruction for the varying ELP levels in my classroom?" These full day workshops provide a framework for planning, delivering, and evaluating classroom instruction based on students' diverse ELP levels. They offer a way to differentiate instruction to ensure all students receive appropriate support, regardless of their English proficiency. At the end of the Differentiating Instruction workshops, participants will:

Become familiar with research on differentiated instruction and academic English language

Integrate differentiated instruction and academic English language into classroom instruction and assessment.

Define academic English language, distinguish academic content, and use tools and strategies to teach English learners at different proficiency levels.

To register for the Differentiating Instruction for English/Multilingual Learners Level 1 or Level 2 workshop, contact info.shop@nabe.org.

Testimonials
"I attended the Differentiating Instruction [workshops] and have used the handouts to not only determine [student] differences but also to determine how to differentiate instruction." - English as a Second Language Teacher, Iowa "I attended several virtual training sessions on differentiating instruction and found them useful. [The sessions] provided handouts that could be used during campus professional development to help teachers in their work with English Learners." - English Learner Consultant, Arkansas "[The] classroom strategies were very helpful, specifically pointing out which methods provided the most scaffolding and help to ELs." - English Learner Development Program Specialist, Arkansas

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The differentiating instruction workshops answer the question: "How do I plan instruction for the varying ELP levels in my classroom?" These full day workshops provide a framework for planning, delivering, and evaluating classroom instruction based on students' diverse ELP levels. They offer a way to differentiate instruction to ensure all students receive appropriate support, regardless of their English proficiency.

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The ELP Standards provide a framework for English learners to acquire the content knowledge and English proficiency needed for school success. These standards correspond to states' college- and career-ready standards, and reflect a shift in focus from language possession to language use within the content areas.

Communication Over Correctness

While previous ELP standards focused on grammar and vocabulary attainment as the primary indicators of English language proficiency, ELPA21's standards focus on receptive, productive, and interpretive English language skills. These standards consider the correctness of grammar and spelling as secondary to the overall function of language.

Organization of the Ten ELP Standards

The ten ELP Standards are organized according to how language skills relate to English language arts, math, and science standards across six grade bands. The ELPA21 standards give teachers, curriculum developers, and states flexibility on how best to reach each standard and descriptor.

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The ELP Standards provide a framework for English learners to acquire the content knowledge and English proficiency needed for school success. These standards correspond to states' college- and career-ready standards, and reflect a shift in focus from language possession to language use within the content areas.

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20210715_Organization of the ELP Standards_ELPA21.pdf | Powered by Box

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1

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ISL ESL - Powerpoints, Worksheets, Videos and More

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ISL ESL - Powerpoints, Worksheets, Videos and More

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191000+ English ESL free printable worksheets, EFL video lessons

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A treasure trove of free English ESL handouts pdf & doc, slides, video quizzes with reading & listening comprehension exercises, vocabulary & grammar practice

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Habbi Habbi - BiLingual Resources and materials on website as well

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Habbi Habbi - BiLingual Resources and materials on website as well

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"bilingual books" "bilingual learning" "spanish for kids" "chinese for kids"

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Bilingual learning made fun, easy, and accessible - for heritage and non-native families. Our magical Reading Wand ® brings our collection of learning materials to life with audio. Available: Chinese - Mandarin, Spanish, French, Korean, Hindi. Learn more at https://www.habbihabbi.com/

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BiLingual Common Core Vocabulary Glossaries and Cognates in top 25 Languages in US 

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BiLingual Common Core Vocabulary Glossaries and Cognates in top 25 Languages in US 

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

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

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

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These glossaries are to provide permitted testing accommodations of ELL/MLL students. They should also be used for instruction during the school year.

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These resources for English Language Learners (ELLs) from Colorín Colorado are age-specific and are organized by grade. Some resources may be adaptable for younger or older students.

Each section contains a variety of resources, including articles, videos, webcasts, tip sheets, and recommended websites.

What You'll Find in This Section

This section focuses on the early education of young English language learners (ELLs). Resources include a webcast, classroom strategies, parent tips, research and policy recommendations, and recommended books and websites.

These resources offer grade-specific ideas for teaching and supporting English language learners (ELLs) in early and upper elementary school. Ideas include tips for classroom teachers as well as ESL teachers.

This section focuses on the early education of young English language learners (ELLs). Resources include a webcast, classroom strategies, parent tips, research and policy recommendations, and recommended books and websites.

These resources offer grade-specific ideas for teaching and supporting English language learners (ELLs) in early and upper elementary school. Ideas include tips for classroom teachers as well as ESL teachers.

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These resources for English Language Learners (ELLs) from Colorín Colorado are age-specific and are organized by grade. Some resources may be adaptable for younger or older students. Each section contains a variety of resources, including articles, videos, webcasts, tip sheets, and recommended websites. This section focuses on the early education of young English language learners (ELLs).

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All students come into the classroom with a collection of lived experiences, which vary-sometimes drastically. Say there's an upcoming unit on ocean ecosystems. We can't assume all students come in with the same knowledge about an aquatic environment. One student may have had the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean and snorkel among sea creatures in a coral reef. Another student may have only seen a school of fish on a tablet screen. So how can we bridge gaps and ensure all students develop an understanding of the topic at hand?

Before diving headfirst into a lesson, it's essential to access and activate students' existing knowledge. Doing so better supports students in building on their understanding and making connections. And for English language learners, who come with diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds, building on the rich background knowledge they bring with them supports their comprehension of new information presented in English.

A note on language: we use the common phrases multilingual learner, English learner, and English language learner, along with the acronym ELL, but we also recognize that students who are learning English do not fit neatly into a single label.

Building Background Knowledge for ELLs

Background knowledge, also referred to as prior knowledge or content knowledge, is the information students bring to the classroom, either learned formally at school or informally through real-world experiences. Students can gain background knowledge through reading a book, watching a movie, or chatting with family.

Students' background knowledge serves as the foundation for their learning. In fact, studies indicate that the more knowledge learners have on a topic, the better they will understand and retain new information.

Support multilingual learners in learning new information and building on their background knowledge with the following strategies.

Make Use of Visuals: Visual tools, like pictures, videos, photographs, and realia (real-life objects), can help students better grasp the concept and relate it to their existing knowledge.

Preview Vocabulary: Prior to starting a lesson, pre-teach content words and academic vocabulary words. Display visuals and examples of the terms that will pop up in the lesson. Previewing vocabulary is not limited to content-specific or academic language. Students may need support in understanding figurative language like idioms, so plan to define and explain this language as well.

Provide Experiential Activities: Hands-on activities and real-life experiences help students make connections to their background knowledge. So, lead a demonstration, go on a field trip, or conduct an experiment to build on background knowledge.

Activating Prior Knowledge for English Language Learners

Before introducing new information, teachers should gauge what is already known by activating prior knowledge. Activating prior knowledge is the process in which teachers elicit students' content knowledge and make connections between what they know and what they will learn.

Students may need support in tapping into their background knowledge. Consider the following strategies to help ELL students activate their prior knowledge.

Pose a Question: To get students thinking about what they know, pose an opening question. For a unit on the ocean ecosystem, this could be something like, what do you know about coral?

Use Graphic Organizers:Graphic organizers are visual tools that help students organize their background knowledge and understanding. Use graphic organizers that are useful to English language learners, like KWL charts, so students can identify what they know about a topic and what they want to know.

Get Students Talking: Whether in a whole-group discussion or small-group conversation, open the floor for students to talk about what they know. Use response frames to help multilingual learners confidently brainstorm their ideas aloud and share what they know with their peers. provides response frames to activate student's prior knowledge.

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How to Build on Background Knowledge for ELLs

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Find strategies and best practices on how to build background knowledge for ELLs.

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Student Experience and Native Language Supporting Classroom Connections

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Student Experience and Native Language Supporting Classroom Connections

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All students bring their unique backgrounds, experiences, and knowledge to the classroom. This prior knowledge, sometimes called background knowledge or schema, is foundational to the ability to learn new information.

Activating prior knowledge involves two processes: identifying what students already know and then building the background knowledge necessary for accessing instructional content. This strategy is beneficial to all students, but it is particularly helpful for English language learners (ELLs).

Our ELLs have unique and diverse life experiences. As we tap into our ELLs' prior knowledge, we can close the gap between what they know and what we want them to know-helping them master new content more easily.

Keep reading to learn about the importance of activating prior knowledge, planning tips for building background knowledge, and examples of schema-building activities.

What Does Research Say About Background Knowledge?

Countless studies have confirmed the important role that well-developed schema plays in acquiring new information.

Psychologists at Carnegie Mellon determined that it's easier to learn something new when we can connect it to something that we already know.

According to Lynne Reder, professor of psychology, " This [study] has implications for how to optimize instruction, specifically that concepts should be introduced to students in a way that they have a good grasp and familiarity with those concepts before trying to combine them into more complex informational structures. "

Research from Deborah Short and Jane Echevarria, developers of the SIOP Model for English learner instruction, demonstrates that background knowledge is key for English learners to acquire academic language.

In education, schemas are the building blocks for learning. When you're introducing new information to a diverse student body, tapping into their experiences will help create a bridge to make learning both meaningful and accessible for them.

Building Background Knowledge for ELLs

Building prior knowledge for your English learners includes research and intention when planning your lessons. The following steps can help you to be strategic in both activating and strengthening your students' schema ahead of your lessons.

Identify key background knowledge needed for understanding

In this step, ask yourself the following questions:

What key concepts do students need to know to understand this lesson?

Are there any cultural references that my ELLs may not know?

What vocabulary is needed to understand the content?

Determine your students' existing prior knowledge

It is important to remember that your strategies for identifying your ELLs' background knowledge should align with your students' language levels.

Newcomers may feel more comfortable representing their knowledge through drawings or identifying visuals, whereas students with higher language proficiency may choose to write their responses. Consider the following strategies:

Allow students to communicate with their peers in their native language. You may also consider using translation apps to assist in communication.

Use graphic organizers to identify what your students already know about a topic. Encourage your ELLs to share what they know using drawings or other visual representations.

Find culturally relevant resources

When choosing books for your classroom, take some time to evaluate the background of the author. Not only does this ensure authentic storytelling, but it also provides opportunities for students of diverse backgrounds to make connections with the text.

Consider going beyond the textbook to ensure culturally responsive instruction.

When considering first-person resources, Dr. Cynthia Lundgren and Giselle Lundyh-Ponce offer a word of caution:

" Consult more than one internet or library source and do not expect a student to be your sole 'ambassador' or resource for finding out about a whole culture or ethnic background. Multiple sources are always a good idea for formulating knowledge about a particular subject.

More importantly, do not put a particular student on the spot without asking them beforehand if they are comfortable sharing information with the whole class. Each student is an individual and their experiences may or may not be similar to that of the group they represent. "

7 Activities for Activating Prior Knowledge

Activating your students' prior knowledge can take many different forms-the creative possibilities are endless. The best strategies for activating background knowledge are meaningful, authentic, and engaging.

We've compiled a list of some of our favorite activities for building background knowledge for ELLs; however, native speakers will also benefit from these activities. Many of the activities below can be used for any grade level or subject area (with some adaptations).

Realia

Realia is a term used to describe real-life objects that can be used to teach a concept or idea. Not only do concrete objects ignite curiosity, they can deepen students' understanding of concepts.

Realia offers students an authentic, memorable experience for learning. Using realia is one of the best ways to support language acquisition for ELLs.

If your lesson doesn't lend itself to bringing in concrete objects, consider using pictures instead. Picture dictionaries are an excellent resource for students to build vocabulary and strengthen connections.

Visual Analysis

When realia isn't an option, visuals are your next best tool. All students benefit from multiple modalities of instruction, but visuals are especially powerful for ELLs.

There are many places where you can find databases of free stock and historical images. Our favorites include The Library of Congress, The National Archives, The Inference Collection, and Unsplash.

Display a relevant, meaningful image to the class before the lesson begins. Use questioning to help students use higher-order thinking skills.

Depending on your content and grade level, some of the following questions may be used:

What is the person thinking? What makes you say that?

What are they feeling? Why do you think that?

What type of person do you think is shown in the photograph? What makes you say that?

Why did the photographer take the photo? Why do you think that?

What happened right before the photo was taken? What makes you say that?

What happened right after the photo was taken? Why?

What time of year do you think this photograph was taken? Why?

What do the details of the image suggest?

What are the social, economic, political, and/or historical implications of the image?

Anticipation Guides

Anticipation guides help teachers formatively assess what students know before a lesson. As a reading comprehension strategy, they help students set a purpose for reading as well as pique their curiosity.

These can be adapted to any grade or language level, but the key is to keep them short and simple. Write four to six statements about key ideas in your lesson. Create a mix of true/false and yes/no questions and have students answer before you teach.

For English learners, you'll need to differentiate according to their language proficiency. You may have them complete the guides verbally or modify the number of statements you include.

After the lesson, have the students revisit the anticipation guides to evaluate their learning. Reading Rockets offers examples of different types of anticipation guides for various subjects.

Picture Walk-the-Room

You are likely already familiar with the concept of a picture walk. Get students moving and incorporate kinesthetic activity by creating a "Picture Walk-the-Room."

Instead of having students flip through their textbook or storybook, post pictures around the room for students to preview ahead of a lesson. Students can walk through the classroom with a partner, discussing the images.

At the end of the picture walk, students can write their ideas on sticky notes and place them on the whiteboard. As a class, review the ideas before and after your lesson.

This activity can be adapted to different grade levels or content areas. Teaching science? Post pictures of a plant life cycle around the room. Teaching language arts? Post pictures from your read-aloud and have students make predictions or inferences.

Concept Sorts

Depending on your objective, this activity can be done with photos or cards with words printed on them. Students can work in a whole group, in small groups, or in pairs to complete.

If you're teaching the concept of seasons, gather a selection of photos to represent the four seasons. If you're teaching vocabulary words, choose a group of key terms from the text.

You may want to provide students with categories ahead of the activity or you may do an open sort, where students put the cards into meaningful groups. There are benefits to either strategy, however, student-created groups can offer important insight into your students' existing schema.

Power Preview

Similar to a picture walk, this strategy helps students strategically preview a text before the lesson. This strategy works especially well for nonfiction texts, which use features such as headers, boldface terms, and definitions.

Point out text features and have students skim the text, focusing specifically on these features. Have students note anything that stands out to them.

You can help students make connections to previous learning by pairing this activity with a graphic organizer like a K-W-L chart. This activity can also help to reduce the cognitive load for English learners by focusing only on limited aspects of the text.

Alphabet Brainstorm

An alphabet brainstorm is a quick and easy way to activate prior knowledge before a lesson. As a bonus, it can also help to reinforce letter knowledge for newcomers and early readers.

Display a table with a cell for each letter of the alphabet. Present students with the topic of your lesson and give them time to think about what they already know. After about five minutes, have students pair up and share the ideas that they generated.

Ask students to share and fill out the alphabet grid as a whole group. Depending on the number of students in your class, their language proficiency, and the topic, this activity could be modified in several ways. You may include less than 26 cells or have students complete the activity in pairs.

Activating prior knowledge is key to bridging the gap between what students already know and what we want them to learn. By recognizing the importance of prior knowledge, we can create a more inclusive and equitable learning environment that empowers ELLs to succeed in their academic journey.

Looking for more teaching tips and resources for your English language learners (ELLs)? Check out our ESL Resource Center!

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Activating Prior Knowledge for ELLs: 7 Activities to Make Learning Meaningful | Continental Educational Publisher

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Learn about the importance of activating prior knowledge, tips for building background knowledge, and examples of schema-building activities.

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Strategy Overview

How This Strategy Supports Language Development

Showing students real objects (realia) in their natural contexts can be a vivid and engaging way to teach vocabulary and build comprehension and background knowledge. For example, a lesson about pollinators might include realia such as a beekeeper suit, like the one pictured above. These items can be brought into the classroom, discovered during actual or virtual museum visits and field trips, or found in the community.

Using realia can also involve all the senses and make concepts more concrete and memorable. For example, seeing a carburetor in an internal combustion engine, comparing different kinds of moss, or holding a replica of an ancient atlatl (spear thrower) cultivates curiosity and establishes comprehensible input.

In addition, manipulating objects like blocks, chips, or cards creates a hands-on path for understanding math, science, language arts, or other content concepts. Manipulating selected objects can make complex concepts more concrete, which is one effective way to scaffold comprehension of grade-level concepts.

Finally, it's important to remember that students can engage with all kinds of hands-on learning activities while developing new language skills. Hands-on activities can be a low-risk, high-reward way for students to show what they know, demonstrate their skills, and feel successful.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Review the unit or text for key concepts and new vocabulary.

2. Determine the realia (real items) or manipulatives that would best support students' comprehension of the key concepts of the unit.

3. Locate the realia or create the manipulatives needed for the unit and bring the objects to class.

4. Show the objects to the class during the lesson. Label them with vocabulary cards and refer to them throughout the class.

5. Choose a routine for students to view the realia or interact with the manipulatives. (See-Think-Wonder and Parts-Purposes-Complexities are two visible thinking routines from Harvard Project Zero that work well with realia.)

6. Look for opportunities to use peer learning. For example, partnerships working with manipulatives are effective in building comprehension. Students could take turns explaining why they are interacting with the manipulative (categorizing, sequencing, etc.) in a certain way.

7. Ask students to talk about and write about the realia as it applies to the unit or lesson.

8. After the experience with the realia or manipulatives, bring the whole group together to review the learning outcomes, check on comprehension, and answer questions that came up during the experience.

Lessons Learned

Whenever possible, make sure all students (or at the minimum, pairs of students) have a set of manipulatives. As many students as possible should have the opportunity to work with the objects.

Develop clear, consistent expectations for how students should interact with the realia or manipulatives.

Give students time to examine and touch the realia, whenever possible.

If the object is small and inexpensive, give every student one to hold, manipulate, and examine.

If the realia is fragile (bird's nest, artifact, etc.), show the real object and provide guidance on how to examine it.

If students do not respect the objects, put them away and try again at another time.

Invite parents, instructional coaches, administrators, or other adults into the room when introducing realia or using manipulatives. The extra adults in the room can support content and language development, as well as appropriate use of the materials.

In order for students to closely view different kinds of realia, consider creating small group stations on the day you introduce the realia. This way, students can get closer to or even touch (if appropriate) the objects.

Take a picture of the real object for reference after the object is no longer available in the classroom.

Once students have seen the real object, provide replicas or labeled pictures for them to manipulate and work with throughout the unit.

Digital realia (videos, pictures, artifacts) work, too, but the videos or pictures should show the actual size and color of the object, so students gain comprehension of the concept or key vocabulary.

Differentiation

Create small, purposeful groups for rotation stations to view realia or manipulate objects. Guide each group through the observation routine or interaction with the manipulatives so that they develop both language and concepts while at the station.

Label the parts of the realia or manipulatives in English and students' heritage languages whenever possible. If students are discovering the parts (during the Parts, Purposes, Complexities routine for example), label the parts after the exploratory phase.

Connect the realia and manipulatives to items from the students' background. Ask students to bring in something from their cultural background that represents the concept, if appropriate.

When students are working with manipulatives, provide clear written instructions with visual icons for steps they should follow. Include sentence frames and a word bank for them to use while interacting with the manipulatives.

Co-Teaching Considerations

Content or Grade-Level Teacher

1. Determine the key concepts students need to know for the unit.

2. Determine the language expectations for the lesson/unit. Which words will students need to use to show mastery of the content?

3. Collaborate with the ELD teacher to locate realia or make manipulatives for the unit.

English Language Development Teacher

1. Suggest realia or manipulatives that could support students in grasping that concept. Bring in some of these items.

2. Develop activities for students as they interact with the realia or manipulatives. (See-Think-Wonder and Parts, Purposes, and Complexities are two thinking routines that work well with realia.)

3. Show the realia or work with the manipulatives with a small group of entering/emerging level students. Provide heritage language labels and support as necessary.

4. Create sentence frames and visual word banks for partnerships as they interact with manipulatives.

Examples

Realia

Technology from previous eras: typewriter, old fashioned telephone, cassette tape

Items from nature: abandoned paper wasp nest, animal bones, snake skins, plants, flowers

Food: root vegetables, exotic fruit, whole spices and herbs

Clothing that people wear on their jobs: scrubs, firefighter uniform, construction helmet, postal worker uniform

Household items: spatula, whisk, egg beater

Connecting realia to content

Plants in a terrarium could support a science lesson on photosynthesis.

Typewriters and telephones with cords could introduce a unit on technological advancements.

Pieces of different rock types (igneous, metamorphic, sedimentary) could help students understand the rock cycle.

Herbs and spices could make a description of food in a novel come to life.

A circuit board could help explian concepts of electricity.

Manipulatives:

chips

beads

blocks

flashcards

sticky notes

fraction tiles

plastic figures (like teddy bear counters)

pictures from a text

puzzle pieces of a map or other document

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Strategy OverviewHow This Strategy Supports Language DevelopmentShowing students real objects (realia) in their natural contexts can be a vivid and engaging way to teach vocabulary and build comprehension and background knowledge. For example, a lesson about pollinators might include realia such as a beekeeper suit, like the one pictured above.

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"english learners" esl esol teaching literacy coteaching "sheltered instruction" multilinguals "emergent bilinguals"

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An advocate for multilingual learners and teachers who serve MLs.

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Comprehensible Input Demo for Language Rich Classrooms Training

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The Importance of ELL Strategies - Immersion (Moises in Math Class)

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MSEC English Language Learner PD 2024-2025

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MSEC English Language Learner PD 2024-2025

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“Coffee Talk” English Learner PD Series-September 11th Session | Mountain State Educational Cooperative Services

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Files for Support of EL students by Federal Legislation and Policy

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Files for Support of EL students by Federal Legislation and Policy

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The current federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, is the next iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known for a period as No Child Left Behind.

Learn more about how the law has evolved from the following resources, as well as from experts who weigh in on topics such as the legislation's assessment requirements, implications for ELL instruction, and the definition of ELL success.

ESEA & NCLB: What's in a name?

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is also referred to as The Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The following timeline offers an overview of NCLB's evolution.

ESEA: The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was enacted in 1965 under President Lyndon Johnson.

NCLB: In 2001, ESEA was reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act under President George W. Bush.

ESEA Flexibility: In 2011, the U.S. Department of Education under President Barack Obama invited each state educational agency to request flexibility on behalf of itself, its local educational agencies, and schools.

ESSA Signed Into Law: On December 10, 2015, President Obama signed the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which reauthorizes the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

Both "ESEA" and "NCLB" appear in policy discussion.

See this timeline on ESEA's history from Education Week.

NCLB and ELL Guidelines

This article by Kristina Robertson offers a brief overview of what No Child Left Behind says about the assessment of ELLs, as well as discussion of what these guidelines mean for schools.

This excerpt from Foundations for Teaching English Language Learners: Research, Theory, Policy, and Practice ( Caslon, 2010) provides a user-friendly introduction to topics such as accountability, assessments, English language proficiency standards, and Title III guidelines.

This printable guide, written for Colorín Colorado by Dr. Debbie Zacarian, provides a more detailed introduction to federal laws regarding ELLs, including information about assessment under NCLB. This guide is strongly recommended for program directors, administrators, district leaders, and policy makers.

Discussion Topics

This article written for Colorín Colorado by Kathleen Leos and Lisa C. Saavedra of The Global Institute for Language and Literacy Development discusses the strengths and challenges of ELL provisions in No Child Left Behind, as well as some of the reasons why the authors believe those provisions were needed.

In this excerpt from English Language Learners at School: A Guide for Administrators, 2nd Edition ( Caslon, 2012), Else Hamayan discusses three trends informing pedagogical decisions that she feels are counterproductive and potentially harmful for ELLs.

In this article written for Colorín Colorado, James Crawford and Sharon Adelman Reyes share some of the benefits of dual-language learning and pedagogy that are documented in their new book, Diary of a Bilingual School (DiversityLearningK12, 2012). They also discuss ways in which they feel accountability measures under NCLB discourage schools from implementing native language instruction and bilingual/dual-language programming.

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.

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The current federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, is the next iteration of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known for a period as No Child Left Behind. Learn more about how the law has evolved from the following resources, as well as from experts who weigh in on topics such as the legislation's assessment requirements, implications for ELL instruction, and the definition of ELL success.

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Newcomer Vocabulary Worksheet For Content Specific Vocabulary

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

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

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

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These glossaries are to provide permitted testing accommodations of ELL/MLL students. They should also be used for instruction during the school year.

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Keep it Simple 1 Khanmingo AI for Materials and Assessments (1)