Leadership
in English Language
Learning
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
ielena@utep.edu
The fastest growing segment of the school age
population are students with limited English
proficiency, English Language learners (ELLs).
New Mexico classrooms
serve the highest percentage of Hispanic
students in the nation.
Classrooms all around the U. S. have ELL students
who are providing a big challenge for teachers who
are not prepared to instruct these students and for
districts that are being held accountable for the
education of all students.
ELLs and Schooling
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
Leadership in
English Language Learning
What do we really know
about English Language
Learners?
What is an ELL?
How many ELLS in your school?
Discussion
DR. ELENA IZQUIERDO
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
English Language
Learners
ELL
•Students whose primary or home
language is other than English,
including recent immigrants
ELL
•Students from heritage language
groups needing enrichment and
further development of academic
English, some of whom maintain
degrees of fluency in their heritage
language;
ELL
•Any other students needing
enrichment and further development
of academic English.
The New Mexico English Language
Learner Defined
A Snap
Shop
at our data
Bilingual
Program
Exited
Bilingual
Program
Parent
Denials
Not Served
ELLS
Who are our ELLs?
Discussion
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso

How are ELL students doing
academically?
Nationally, the achievement gap
between ELLs and all public school
students is significant.
Data from the National Assessment
of Educational Progress indicates
that many ELLs are performing poorly.
NCLB, through regulations, allows
students to remain in the English
language learner subgroup for two
years for AYP purposes which
assumes incorrectly that all English
language learners will learn English
at the same rate.
Whether measured
by state tests
required under No
Child Left Behind
or by the NAEP
When compared to their native
English-speaking peers in all
grades and content areas, this
subgroup lags behind.
Nation’s Report Card: 29% of
eighth-grade ELLs scored at or
above the basic achievement
level in reading, compared to
75% of non ELLs.
Similar gaps were
demonstrated in mathematics
(National Center for Education
Statistics, National Assessment
of Educational Progress
(NAEP): Reading and
Mathematics).
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
While the number of
students with limited
English proficiency
continues to grow their
level of achievement
has lagged significantly
behind that of their
native English speaking
counterparts that has
created a gap.
ELLs and
Schooling
Numbers are misleading!
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
Program 1:
Program 2:
Program 3:
Program 4:
Program 5:
Program 6:
Two-way bilingual education
One-way bilingual education
Transitional BE, including ESL Content
Transitional BE, including ESL, both taught traditionally
ESL taught through academic content
ESL Pull out
Final
Average
NCE
60 50 N 40 C
E
30 20 -Elementary Gains
range: 3-4 NCEs/yr
Gap closure for all
programs except
Proposition 227
10 -
1
3
Middle School Gains
range:-1 to +4 NCEs/yr
Little / no gap closure
for most programs
except dual language
5
7
61
1 - Two-way
Developmental BE
including Content ESL
52
2 - One-way
Developmental BE
including Content ESL
40
3 - Transitional BE
including Content ESL
35
4 - Transitional BE+ESL
both taught traditionally
34
5 - ESL taught through
academic content (no L1)
24
6 - ESL Pullout - (no L1)
taught traditionally
High SchoolGains
range: -3 to +2 NCEs/yr
Gap increase
for most common
programs
9
11
Programs:
7 - Prop 227 in CA
Spring 1998-spring 2000
by grades
Copyright 8 2001, Wayne P.Thomas &
Virginia P. Collier
INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS
A. Dual Language Programs
 B. 3-Hour Bilingual Education
Program (Maintenance)
 C. 2-Hour Transitional Bilingual
Program

Three
bilingual education models

are used in Las Cruces Public
Schools.
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso

At the middle and high school levels,
grades 6-12, students are provided a 4560 minute period of Spanish for native
speakers (equivalent in time to the
English language arts class offered to
English speakers) and a period of 45-60
minutes of English as a Second Language.


The rest of the curriculum is in English,
with sheltered content instruction.
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
Establish state-level
English language
proficiency standards;
Annually administer a standardsaligned English language
proficiency assessment to
measure progress in the
acquisition of academic English
language skills;
Define annual achievement
objectives for increasing and
measuring the level of LEP
children’s development and
attainment in English
language proficiency; and
No Child Left
Behind Act
expects them to
achieve at the
same high level
as their
Englishproficient peers
in all content
areas.
Include LEP students in academic
content assessments in English
language arts, mathematics, and
science.
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
Leadership in
English Language Learning
To these ends, states must
establish English language
proficiency standards and
measure student achievement
toward these standards
What do these English Standards
look like?
DR. ELENA IZQUIERDO
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT EL PASO
1. Social and
Instructional
2. The
language of
3. The
language of
language
Language Arts
Mathematics
4. The
language of
5. The
language of
Science
Social Studies
NM English Language Proficiency
Standards - 5
THE NEW MEXICO PREK-12 ENGLISH LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT
(ELD)
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
STANDARDS, 2009 EDITION
System-wide
 Sheltered Instruction
 Revisit Literacy
 Revisit Program
Models
 Extensive Profession
Development in the
ELDs
Next
Steps
Dr. Elena Izquierdo
University of Texas at El Paso
LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
IS EVERYTHING!
Reading:
A Process of Constructing Meaning
Syntactic
Semantic
Graphophonics
Second Language
Acquisition &
Learning in a
Second Language
Reading in L/2
phonology
syntax
Semantics
Content
Literacy
Reading in L/1
&
Academic Language
Quality Professional Development