Equity and Excellence for English
Language Learners
A Balancing Act for Administrators
Amy Christianson, OELA Project Coordinator
and
John Kibler, OELA Professional Development Coordinator
TESOL/Bilingual Department
School of Education
Edgewood College
Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners (ELLs):
A Balancing Act for Administrators
A Three Day Professional Development Series
Objectives for Session One:
• Participants will understand the second language acquisition and learning processes, academic English development and their
relationship to academic achievement
• Participants will reflect on federal, state, local mandates in the education of English language learners (ELLs) and learn about
the parameters for school and district compliance
• Participants will examine their educational context and programmatic approaches for ELLs and strategize plans for
Objectives for Session Two:
• Participants will review the most current research regarding educating ELLs and its implications on programmatic design and
instructional practice
• Participants will strategize professional development goals for their staffs that examine the major myths and realities about
second language learning, as well as development goals for future planning
• Participants will consider ways to utilize their existing resources for optimal student benefit by examining programmatic and
instructional contexts with regards to scheduling, instruction, leadership and instructional approach
Objectives for Session Three:
• Participants will consider ELL student assessment, an overview of the WIDA English language proficiency standards and the
ACCESS for ELLs assessment tool
• Participants will examine teacher performance considerations for effectively educating ELLs and develop guidelines for
considering contextual and pedagogical skills
• Participants will have the opportunity to individually work with the consultants to ask additional questions, clarify information
and consider district and school-based decisions.
2
Twelve Key Practices
This book provides step-by-step guidance for any administrator
committed to ensuring that the ELLs in their classes, schools, and
districts are successful and can reach high core content and English
language development standards.
Implementing Effective Instruction for English Language Learners
takes a comprehensive, systemic, and strategic approach to
educating all students, particularly ELLs. The 12 Key Practices
Framework is divided into four parts:
•
•
•
•
Shared practices at the district, school, and classroom levels
Common classroom practices for ALL ELL educators
Core instructional practices of every program for ELLs
Organizing the key practices into effective program configurations
Administrators, teachers, and leadership teams can use the 12 Key
Practices Framework and checklists to plan, implement, monitor,
evaluate, and improve ELL education in their districts and schools.
ELL Service Delivery Articulation and Action Plan
(SDAAP)
Over the course of our three sessions,
participants will complete an ELL service
delivery articulation and action plan that
documents reflection on current practice
and considers future implementation,
configuration, and professional
development considerations.
Equity and Excellence: Session One
AGENDA
•
•
•
•
Overview of Workshop
Introductions
Second Language Learning Overview with Research
Myths and Realities About Second Language
Learning
• Programmatic Overview
• Immigration Law and Wisconsin State Statutes
• Culminating Activity
5
Key Practice 1: Structuring Equitable School &
Classroom Environments
•
•
•
•
•
•
Ongoing Professional Development
District Policies and Procedures
Training in Sheltered Instruction Methods
Affirm Linguistic and Cultural Diversity
Plan Enriching Comprehensible Instruction
Ensure that ELLs are Actively Engaged
Key Practice 4: Embracing an Additive
Bilingualism Perspective
• Promote Bilingualism and Biliteracy Development
• Provide a Sequence of ESL Instruction to Support
Language Learning
• Plan Language Instruction Using Primary Language
(when possible) to Support, Preview, Clarify Concepts
INTRODUCTIONS
What is your name?
Your position and district?
What do you hope to gain from this training?
8
Professional Development Goals
TO INTERACTIVELY COUNTER FOUR MAIN MISCONCEPTIONS
ABOUT ELLS TYPICALLY HELD BY MAINSTREAM TEACHERS:
EFFORT IS THE MAJOR FACTOR IN LEARNING ENGLISH.
WHEN OTHERS USE A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH
AROUND ME THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT ME
WITHOUT ME KNOWING.
GOOD TEACHING IS GOOD TEACHING FOR ALL STUDENTS.
THE MORE TIME SPENT SPEAKING A SECOND LANGUAGE THE
BETTER AND FASTER IT WILL BE LEARNED.
The second language learning process
doesn’t always make logical sense to those
who haven’t experienced it.
It is important to remember that the length of
time it takes to learn a second language and the
degree of difficulty of that process for anyone
are dependent on a wide variety of factors.
Some of the factors like race/ethnicity and
socio-economic status are conditional in nature.
Others like prior educational experiences and the literacy
level of parents in their first language can also impact the
process greatly.
Regardless of these, simple logic would seem to lead many monolingual
people to believe that the more time I am immersed in learning a second
language, the better and faster I’m going to achieve that goal.“
IN OTHER WORDS:
“Doesn’t it just make sense that the earlier and more
intensively children are placed in all-English instruction at
school the better their English achievement will eventually be?”
The reality couldn’t be more
“counterintuitive”.
It is incredibly important when thinking about second
language learning to remember that our “common sense”
or “intuition” can be wrong.
Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that
an individual’s background in their first language has the
most impact on how fast they will learn a second
language.
In other words, the better they speak, read, write and listen
in their first language, the better and faster they will learn
their second language.
But the key is
understanding how and
why that is true. . . .
And that’s where we’ll begin.
16
Sequence Story
1.
Seven “Volunteers”
18
A sequence story is simply a spoken story told by a
variety of people, one right after the other.
ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN TO THE STORY AND
CONTINUE IT WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN.
19
When I raise my hand and point to you, you speak.
When I pull my arm down, you stop.
I WILL ORCHESTRATE
THE STORY
When I point to someone else, he/she picks up the story exactly
where it was left off.
ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LISTEN INTENTLY AND FOLLOW MY
DIRECTIONS.
About our story. . .
A setting, two characters and a conflict
A husband and wife named Johnny and Sally
At the Mall
Sally drags Johnny to the
mall to shop when he’d
rather be home watching a
pivotal basketball playoff
game.
LET’S BEGIN………….
First, let’s look at the story itself.
We’ll look at the emotions involved in a
minute.
What happened to the story as we moved from
the first telling to the second and then the third?
Be as specific as you can.
COMPARE
25
STORYTELLERS: How did it feel as we
moved from the first telling to the
second and then the third?
Be as specific as you can.
How did it feel?
Listeners --• What was going on emotionally
for those of you listening to the
story?
• As the process got harder, what
were you feeling?
• What role did effort play in the
telling?
• How much longer would it have
taken for the process to lose its
humor and become tedious?
Associative
vs.
Cognitive
Storytellers: Which version of the
process would you choose to use,
the first, the second or the third?
WHY?
29
What did the facilitator do
wrong? How could the
facilitator have aided the
storytellers? What specific
strategies could have
been used to make this
cognitive process as
associative as possible?
Who had the power to
make the storytellers
more successful? If the
modification doesn’t
happen, could the
storytellers have
succeeded?
Let’s examine what we know about second
language learning. . .
• Associative vs Cognitive
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acquisition vs. Learning
BICS and CALP
About the research…
Linguistic Systems
Complexity of English
Let’s Put It Into Action
Let’s examine what we know about second
language learning. . .
• Associative vs Cognitive
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acquisition vs. Learning
BICS and CALP
About the research…
Linguistic Systems
Complexity of English
Let’s Put It Into Action
Acquistion vs. Learning
•
•
•
•
•
•
ACQUISITION
Similar to first language
acquisition
“Picking up” a language
May not be in conscious
awareness
Implicit knowledge
Errors accepted
Formal teaching does
not necessarily help
•
•
•
•
•
•
LEARNING
Formal knowledge of a
language
Knowing about a
language
Deliberate and
conscious effort
Explicit knowledge
Errors corrected
Formal teaching helps
Let’s examine what we know about second
language learning. . .
• Associative vs Cognitive
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acquisition vs. Learning
BICS and CALP
About the research…
Linguistic Systems
Complexity of English
Let’s Put It Into Action
HOW ARE SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC
PROFICIENCY DIFFERENT?
35
To gain what we refer to as “social proficiency” in a second
language takes between six months
and two years.
In other words, for an individual to comfortably speak and
interact socially in a new language takes anywhere from six
months to two years.
To gain what we would refer to as “academic proficiency”
in a second language takes typically from five to ten years.
For example, an ELL who had no schooling in their first language
took 7 – 10 years to develop academic proficiency in English while
those who had 2 to 3 years of formal schooling in their native
countries took 5 – 7 years.
6 months to 2 years
Cristina
Cristina
L1
CALP
ELL with formal education in L1 (literacy)
and no social language in L2
Cristina
Maria
L1
ELL with no formal education in L1
(literacy) and no social language in L2
Pablo
L1
L2
ELL with inconsistent education in either
L1 or L2 education and stunted literacy
Edwidge
L1
L2
ELL with stunted development in social
language in both L1 and L2 and little to no
CALP development
Let’s examine what we know about second
language learning. . .
• Associative vs Cognitive
•
•
•
•
•
•
Acquisition vs. Learning
BICS and CALP
About the research…
Linguistic Systems
Complexity of English
Let’s Put It Into Action
The Craziest of Languages
We’ll begin with a box and the plural is
boxes; but the plural of ox should be
oxen not oxes.
Then one fowl is a goose, but two goose
are called geese, yet the plural of moose
should never be meese.
You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of
mice; yet the plural of house is houses,
not hice.
The Craziest of Languages
If the plural of man is always called men,
why shouldn’t the plural of pan be
called pen?
If I spoke for my food and show you my
feet, and I give you the boot, would a
pair be called beet?
If one is a tooth and a whole set are
teeth, why shouldn’t the plural of
booth be called beeth?
The Craziest of Languages
Then one may be that, and three
would be those, yet hat in the
plural would never be hose.
And the plural of cat is cats, not
cose.
We speak of a brother and also of
brethren, but though we say
mother, we never say methren.
The Craziest of Languages
Then the masculine pronouns are
he, his, and him, but imagine the
feminine as she, shis, and shim.
So English I fancy you will agree, is
the craziest language you ever did
see.
What do we know?
What do our attitudes reveal?
Language Impacts
Every Facet of Our
Lives
48
HOW ARE THE LIVES OF IMMIGRANTS DIFFERENT
TODAY THAN IN THE DISTANT AND NOT SO
DISTANT PAST?
Who Said What About
Immigrants?
Quote One
“America’s culture, customs, and language are
under assault from foreigners who come to live
here and, instead of learning the American way
of life, choose to impose their own alien cultures,
languages, and institutions upon us. . .”
“America’s culture, customs, and language are
under assault from foreigners who come to live
here and, instead of learning the American way
of life, choose to impose their own alien cultures,
languages, and institutions upon us. . .”
(1) 1753, Editorial,
Pennsylvania Legal Tract,
Benjamin Franklin, in reference to the
Germans.
Quote Two
“These cheap slaves fill every place. Their
dress is scant and cheap. They hedge twenty in
a room, ten by ten. They are. . .mean,
contemptible. . .They have no wives, children
or dependents. They are in every place. . .
.Boys work, girls work; it is all alike to them.”
“These cheap slaves fill every place. Their
dress is scant and cheap. They hedge twenty
in a room, ten by ten. They are. . .mean,
contemptible. . .They have no wives, children
or dependents. They are in every place. . .
.Boys work, girls work; it is all alike to them.”
(2) 1847, Editorial, Chicago Post,
in reference to the Italians.
Quote Three
“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any
man who says he is an American, but something
else also, isn’t an American at all. . .We have
room for but one flag, the American flag. . .We
have room for but one language here, and that
is the English language. . .and we have room for
but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the
American people.”
“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any
man who says he is an American, but something
else also, isn’t an American at all. . .We have
room for but one flag, the American flag. . .We
have room for but one language here, and that
is the English language. . .and we have room for
but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the
American people.”
(3) 1915, Address to Knights of Columbus,
President Theodore Roosevelt, in reference to the
immigrants from southern Europe
Quote Four
“The _____ fill our prisons. Scratch a convict
or a pauper and chances are that you tickle
the skin of a __________. Putting them on a
boat and sending them home would end
crime in this country”
“The _____ fill our prisons. Scratch a convict or a
pauper and chances are that you tickle the skin of
a __________. Putting them on a boat and
sending them home would end crime in this
country”
(4) 1878, Editorial,
Indianapolis Times,
in reference to the Irish
Quote Five
“The laws should be rigidly enforced which
prohibit the immigration of a ______ class to
compete with American labor, with no
intention of acquiring citizenship, and
bringing with them and retaining habits and
customs repugnant to our civilization.”
“The laws should be rigidly enforced which
prohibit the immigration of a ______ class to
compete with American labor, with no intention
of acquiring citizenship, and bringing with them
and retaining habits and customs repugnant to
our civilization.”
(5) 1885, March 4 Inaugural Address,
President Grover Cleveland, in reference to
all immigrants.
Quote Six
"We have become the world's melting pot.
The scum of creation has been dumped on
us. Some of our principal cities are more
foreign than American. The most dangerous
and corrupting hordes of the ______ have
invaded us.... The manufacturers are mainly
to blame. They wanted cheap labor; and they
[don’t] care how much harm to our future
might be the consequence of their heartless
policy.“
"We have become the world's melting pot. The scum of
creation has been dumped on us. Some of our principal
cities are more foreign than American. The most
dangerous and corrupting hordes of the ______ have
invaded us.... The manufacturers are mainly to blame.
They wanted cheap labor; and they [don’t] care how
much harm to our future might be the consequence of
their heartless policy.“
(6) 1924, Campaign Trail,
Presidential Candidate, Thomas E. Watson,
in reference to the Jewish of eastern Europe
Quote Seven
“Confronted with the requirement . . . .that
__________ immigrants carry an identity
card proving they were in the country
legally or face deportation, thousands
refused to submit to what they called the
‘___________ Law’ thus undertaking one of
“perhaps the largest acts of civil
disobedience in the United States.”
“Confronted with the requirement . . . .that
__________ immigrants carry an identity card
proving they were in the country legally or face
deportation, thousands refused to submit. . . thus
undertaking one of “perhaps the largest acts of
civil disobedience in the United States.”
(7) 1896, DRIVEN OUT: THE FORGOTTEN WAR
AGAINST CHINESE AMERICANS
by Jean Pfaeizer
Quote Eight
“The old employments by which we have
heretofore gained our livelihood, are
gradually, and it may seem inevitably, passing
into other hands. Every hour sees the
________ elbowed out of employment by
some newly arrived immigrant whose hunger
and whose color are thought to give him a
better title to the place."
“The old employments by which we have
heretofore gained our livelihood, are gradually,
and it may seem inevitably, passing into other
hands. Every hour sees the ________ elbowed
out of employment by some newly arrived
immigrant whose hunger and whose color are
thought to give him a better title to the place."
(8) 1853, Letter, Frederick Douglas,
in reference to the Germans
One Last Quote
“Few of their children know English. Nor do they
wish to. . .ads, street signs, and even legal
documents are in their own language. . .unless
the stream of these people can be turned away
from this country to other countries, they will
soon outnumber us so that we will not be able to
save our language or our government.”
“Few of their children know English. Nor do they
wish to. . .ads, street signs, and even legal
documents are in their own language. . .unless
the stream of these people can be turned away
from this country to other countries, they will
soon outnumber us so that we will not be able to
save our language or our government.”
1753, Editorial, Pennsylvania Legal Tract,
Benjamin Franklin, in reference to the Germans
NOW LET’S RETURN TO OUR LIST
AND SEE IF OUR IDEAS HAVE
CHANGED
Connecting Teachers to English Language Learners (CTELL)
Different Programs = Different Goals
• ESL
• Instruction for ELLs in an English educational environment
• Focus on English language acquisition and academic content
knowledge
• 1st language is used to scaffold and differentiate (clarify,
pre-teach, re-teach)
• Bilingual (Transitional – Developmental)
• Provide instruction in first language (80% Spanish) to support
and develop1st language
• Ensure ELLs are learning academic material in Spanish while
developing English language
• Dual Language Immersion
• ELL’s and Native English Speakers
• Provide instruction in two languages
• Obtain full language proficiency in both targeted languages (1st
and 2nd languages)
Service Delivery Models
• Instruction in general ed. classroom
with ESL/bilingual support
• ESL academic content class
• ESL newcomer class
• Push-In
• Pull-Out
• Bilingual Instruction
Service Delivery: Warm Up
• Articulating the Type of Services Your School &
District Offers Based on ELL Student Needs
• Support from Building and Central Office
Administration
• Examining Existing Resources Activity: How would
you describe your existing services for ELLs?
Federal Statutes
Lau v. Nichols
THE 1974 SUPREME COURT CASE LAU V. NICHOLS RESULTED IN PERHAPS THE MOST
IMPORTANT COURT DECISION REGARDING THE EDUCATION OF LANGUAGE-MINORITY
STUDENTS. THIS CASE WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BY CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN
THE SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO WERE PLACED IN MAINSTREAM
CLASSROOMS DESPITE THEIR LACK OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH, AND LEFT TO "SINK OR
SWIM." THE DISTRICT HAD ARGUED THAT IT HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG, AND THAT
THE CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENTS RECEIVED TREATMENT EQUAL TO THAT OF OTHER
STUDENTS
The influence of Lau on federal policy was substantial. After the court's
decision, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights
created the Lau Remedies. Whereas Title VII Bilingual Education Act
regulations applied only to funded programs, the Lau Remedies
applied to all school districts and functioned as de facto compliance
standards.
Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA),
THE ESSENCE OF LAU WAS CODIFIED INTO FEDERAL LAW THOUGH THE EQUAL
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ACT OF 1974 (EEOA), SOON AFTER THE CASE WAS
DECIDED. SECTION 1703(F) OF THIS ACT DECLARES: "NO STATE SHALL DENY EDUCATIONAL
OPPORTUNITIES TO AN INDIVIDUAL ON ACCOUNT OF HIS OR HER RACE, COLOR, SEX, OR
NATIONAL ORIGIN BY … (F) THE FAILURE OF AN EDUCATIONAL AGENCY TO TAKE
APPROPRIATE ACTION TO OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE EQUAL
PARTICIPATION BY ITS STUDENTS IN ITS INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS."
Serna v. Portales
SERNA V. PORTALES (1974) WAS THE FIRST CASE TO RAISE THE ISSUE OF BILINGUAL
EDUCATION OUTSIDE OF THE CONTEXT OF DESEGREGATION (DEL VALLE, 2003). THE CASE
DEALT WITH A WHITE-MAJORITY SCHOOL IN NEW MEXICO THAT FAILED TO MEET THE
UNIQUE NEEDS OF "SPANISH-SURNAMED STUDENTS." IT WAS ARGUED UNDER TITLE VI
OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF
"RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN" IN ANY PROGRAM THAT RECEIVES FEDERAL
FUNDING. THE COURT FOUND THE SCHOOL'S PROGRAM FOR THESE STUDENTS TO BE
INADEQUATE..
The judge declared, "It is incumbent on the school district to reassess and enlarge its
program directed to the specialized needs of the Spanish-surnamed students" and to
create bilingual programs at other schools where they are needed. This case was first
decided in 1972. Later it was appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and decided in
1974 just six months after Lau. Like Lau, it makes clear that schools cannot ignore the
unique language and educational needs of ELL students
Castañeda v. Pickard
THE RIGHT TO BILINGUAL EDUCATION SUFFERED A FURTHER BLOW IN 1981 IN
CASTAÑEDA V. PICKARD. THE CASE ORIGINATED IN TEXAS, WHERE PLAINTIFFS CHARGED
THAT THE RAYMONDVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS FAILING TO ADDRESS
THE NEEDS OF ELL STUDENTS AS MANDATED BY THE EEOA. THE FEDERAL COURT IGNORED
THE OLD ASSUMPTION THAT LAU AND THE EEOA MANDATED BILINGUAL EDUCATION.
NEVERTHELESS, IT DID FIND THAT RAYMONDVILLE FELL FAR SHORT OF MEETING THE
REQUIREMENTS OF THE EEOA. A MAJOR OUTCOME OF THIS CASE IS A THREE-PRONGED
TEST TO DETERMINE WHETHER SCHOOLS ARE TAKING "APPROPRIATE ACTION" TO
ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF ELLS AS REQUIRED BY THE EEOA.
The Castañeda standard mandates that programs for language-minority students must be
(1) based on a sound educational theory, (2) implemented effectively with sufficient
resources and personnel, and (3) evaluated to determine whether they are effective in
helping students overcome language barriers (Del Valle, 2003).
1982
Plyler v. Doe
U.S. Supreme Court denies the
states' right to exclude the children
of illegal immigrants from public
schools.
No Child Left Behind
•
•
•
•
•
Federal policy for language-minority students learning English changed
dramatically with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
(NCLB) (Public Law 107-110),
Bilingual Education Act became Title III: Language Instruction for Limited
English Proficient and Immigrant Students
Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (responsible for
administering Title VII grants) became Office of English Language
Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited
English Proficient (LEP) Students
The National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education became The National
Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction
Educational Programs
LEP student issues are also featured prominently in changes to Title I,
"Improving the Academic Achievement of the Economically Disadvantaged,"
which addresses issues of accountability and high-stakes testing.
No Child Left Behind
•
•
•
•
Whereas grants under the former Title VII Bilingual Education Act were competitive, Title
III provides formula grants to state education agencies. These agencies, in turn, make
subgrants to eligible local education agencies (i.e., school districts and charter schools)
that apply to the state for the funds. The funds doublexd but because these federal funds
are now spread more thinly, fewer dollars are available for each eligible LEP student.
Unlike recent versions of the Bilingual Education Act, Title III does not make any
distinctions between bilingual and nonbilingual programs. The federal law now requires
only that LEP students be placed in "language instruction education programs.
Also unlike Title VII, Title III includes no recognition of the personal and societal benefits of
bilingual education and bilingualism. Nor is there any acknowledgment of the factors that
have negatively impacted the education of LEP students, such as segregation, improper
placement in special education, and underrepresentation of LEP students in gifted and
talented education and shortages of bilingual teachers. Not addressed are issues of
cultural differences or the need for multicultural understanding.
The sole focus of Title III is English. The list of purposes stresses repeatedly that Title III
funds and programs are to "ensure that LEP students attain English proficiency, develop
high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State
academic content and student academic achievement standards as all children are
expected to meet" and to assist state and local education agencies in creating "high quality
instructional programs" that prepare LEP students to "enter all-English instruction
settings" (NCLB §3102).
State Statutes
http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/ell_legalrequirements
DPI Website
Bilingual Bicultural State Statutes and
Title III
http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/
DPI Website
Legal Requirements (WI BilingualBicultural State Statute)
http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/ell_legalrequirements
DPI Website
Reflection Time
• Learned Information…?
• Affirmations….!
• Challenges…?!?!
Before our next session. . .
• Twelve Key Practices:
• Framework
Pages 1 – 21
• Key Practice One
Pages 29 – 42
• Key Practice Four
Pages 89 – 105
• What Research Really Says Article
Final Thoughts & Wrap Up
• Closing Ideas – What’s on Your Mind?
• Thank You for the Discussion!
• Contact information:
-
Amy Christianson/John Kibler
Email: AChristianson@edgewood.edu
Phone: (608) 663-2853
Email: jkibler@edgewood.edu
Phone: (608) 663-2287