New English Language Development
and Common Core State Standards
Institute
Preventing the Creation of Long Term English
Learners by Setting a Powerful Early
Foundation of Language and Literacy
June 28, 2013
Introductions
Laurie Olsen, Ph.D.
Director of the Sobrato Early Academic
Language (SEAL) initiative
Things we need to avoid creating
• High functioning socially but weak language
• English dominant – think they are fluent – with weak
home language
• Discouraged and struggling in classes
• Don’t ask for help, don’t complete homework, don’t
know how to approach assignments
• Are not readers
• Stay under the radar, invisible and silent
• Non-engaged and non-participants in class
Need to monitor movement along the
continuum towards English proficiency
1
–
3 years
5 - 7 years
LTELs STUCK HERE
_______________________________________________________________________
No English
I
II
Oral,
social
English
III
CST Basic
CELDT
Proficient
IV
V
Proficient for
Academic
work
Review: Contributing conditions
• Weaker forms of English Learner programs
• No ELD
• Just ELD (separate and decontextualized) and no other special
instruction or services
• Mainstream placement
• Reliance on core E.L.A. program for language development
• Supposed to be “SDAIE” but doesn’t really happen
• Inconsistent program placements
• Inconsistent program implementation
• Narrowed curriculum
• Use of interventions that aren’t designed for ELs
Review: Need to ensure….
• Clearly defined EL program models (ELD plus
access), consistently implemented
• Consistency in placement and EL language
approach (no ping-pong)
• Full academic curriculum
• Strategies that promote student
engagement as active learners
• Scaffolding instruction
• Interventions designed for ELLs
From the research…..
• Begin with preschool programs
• Active outreach/recruitment to English
Learner communities
• Attention to supporting the transition from
preschool into kindergarten
• Articulation, alignment between the two
systems (preschool and K-12)
From the research…..
• Multiple and frequent structured opportunities for
students to be engaged in producing oral
language
• Emphasize complex vocabulary development
• Model rich, expressive, amplified oral language
• Identify key academic vocabulary and discourse
patterns – and explicitly teach them
• Monitor the rigor and complexity of the language
used in text and instruction
• Set a high bar for sophisticated, complex, precise
language in both social and academic domains
From the research……
• Intentional language development across the
curriculum
• Full curriculum
• Language objectives for content lessons based on
analyzing the linguistic demands
• Identify key academic vocabulary and discourse
patterns and explicitly teach them
• Home language support
• Home language instruction when possible
These things echo the Common
Core
• More focus on structured, rich oral language
• More focus on writing
• More emphasis on language in and through social
studies and science – a full academic curriculum
• More focus on interaction, collaboration, discussion,
team tasks and projects
• More focus on academic vocabulary and discourse
• More engagement with complex, rigorous text
And the new ELD standards call for….
• Language development in and across
curriculum; and content-based ELD – both
focused on language demands of
academic work
• Emphasis on scaffolding (from heavy to
light)
The SEAL Model
Sobrato Early Academic Language
PreK-3
The Sobrato Early Academic Language
(SEAL) model is……
• A PreK-3 model – piloted for Spanish-speaking
English Learner children
• Research-based
• Age-appropriate, coherent and articulated
preschool through third grade approach that
prepares children for academic success in
elementary school and beyond.
• The vision is children with high level cognitive,
language and literacy skills – and who are
confident, motivated, engaged
FOUR PILLARS
Alignment
of PreK and
K-3 systems
Focus on
Academic
Language &
Discourse
• Oral language
• Biliteracy
• Language
development
through enriched
thematic
curriculum
• Text Engagement
Parents and
Teachers
Working
Together:
Parent
Engagement
Affirming
Environment
FIRST PILLAR
Alignment
of PreK and
K-3 systems
• Summer Bridge programs
• Joint professional development
• Articulation of instructional
strategies
• Observation and classroom
visits
• Transition activities for students
and families
• Outreach from elementary
campus to preschool families
• Pre LAS/LAS assessments
SECOND PILLAR
Focus on
academic
language
and
discourse
• Development of rich and
complex oral language
• Simultaneous development of
English and home language
whenever possible
• Text-rich curriculum and
environments
• Academic language developed through
an enriched and full
thematic curriculum
Language development throughout an
integrated curriculum


Thematic Connection
Core ELA
High leverage strategies
Academic vocabulary
Math


ELD


Sci & SS




Arts


High Leverage Instructional Strategies
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Complex, precise, academic vocabulary
Structured oral interactions
Interactive read-alouds, Narrative/Story Retell
Children as Readers
Checks for Comprehension – Adapting Instruction
Graphic Organizers and visuals
Dramatic Play and Socio-emotional development
Children as Writers/Authors
Collaborative practice/ skills of teamwork
Language through Arts Infusion
Support for Bi-literacy
Thematic planning
• Begin with core program themes IF still tied
to pacing guide
• Sort the grade level Science, English
Language Arts and Social Studies standards
• Develop a yearly thematic plan
Each theme
• Across the curriculum, across the day
(including ELD)
• Includes key vocabulary, interactive
dialogic read-aloud/narratives, all high
leverage strategies, home-school
connection activities, resource centers and
projects, dramatic play area (PreK, K) and
rich environments (all grades)
Professional development
•
•
•
•
CC and ELD Standards
Standards based planning
Language assessment (PreLAS/LAS)
Six 2-day modules of professional
development, with coaching and
collaborative planning to support
implementation – with 10-day summer
bridge for co-teaching and professional
development
THIRD PILLAR
• Environment bridges home and
Parents and
Teachers
working
together
•
•
•
•
•
school
Home-school connection in the
curriculum
Family Science and Literacy
Nights
Parent education
Book bag/book loan program
Cadre of parent volunteers
focused on language and
literacy
SEAL has had a significant impact on parents and on
literacy activities in the home
• Majority of SEAL parents participate in literacyrelated activities at least a couple of times a week –
read books with their child on a daily basis.
• SEAL parents as or more likely to engage in literacyrelated activities than a national study of parents
• SEAL parents were more likely than Non-PreK
(“Partial”) SEAL parents to participate frequently in
parent-teacher conferences
• SEAL parent involvement was highly correlated with
various measures of children’s language
development.
23
STUDENT IMPACTS
• Statistically significant achievement gains in all
academic, cognitive and social areas
• High gains in language and literacy
• Significant rate of progress towards English proficiency
(34% moved two levels; 79% one)
• Significantly greater growth than comparison groups of
demographically similar in district and state
• Close gap (equal or higher) achievement outcomes
• One year of SEAL provides benefits; benefits are
cumulative
24
English CELDT
first grade entry
Listening
Speaking
Reading
Writing
Total
Bilingual
318.9
295.7
278.8
357.0
307.9
English/S
EI
310.8
292.5
272.2
338.9
301.4
Transfer from L1 to English, and benefit of strong
foundation of home language shows by end of
kindergarten year
25
Spanish PreLAS
First Grade Entry
Level 1
Not
fluent
Level 2-3 Level 4-5
limited
fluent
Bilingual
2%
33%
65%
English/S
EI
18%
82%
0%
L1 language loss/gap significant by end of K
26
English (CELDT) correlated to
proficiency in Spanish
27
The Common Core and SEAL –
the match
• Language addressed across the curriculum
• Emphasis on building rigorous, complex academic
language
• Oral language skills are important
• Active engagement in discourse, and
collaborative/team academic tasks
• Career ready emphasis
• Standards based planning
Infrastructure of support is essential
• Professional development
• Planning and collaboration time
• Materials to supplement (e.g., informational,
hands-on, enrichment, bilingual)
Steps
• Put definitions, expectations, data and
identification system in place
• Program definition and coherence
• Select a few high-leverage strategies to go
school-wide
• Support professional development and
data-based collaborative planning
• Build by grade-level
• Link CCS and EL work
Implementation – getting started
• Basic speaking/listening strategies in context
of a thematic mini-unit
• Think-Pair Share
• Dialogic Read Alouds
• Chants
• Vocabulary through pictorials
• Dictation and drawing as responses to
learning (PreK) and reflective writers
notebooks (K)
SEAL High Leverage Strategies #1 and #5
Whatever you do…..
• Frontload rich oral language development
and high level academic language
• Scaffold and emphasize collaborative
practice – uses of language to negotiate
and make meaning of academic concepts
• Support/encourage home language
development and engagement of parents
in fostering L1
• Foster a love of language – rich, expressive,
wonderful language!
Monitor for development of LTELs
• Shadowing
• Oral language and depth of engagement
observations
• Identify “peripheral kids”
• Keep rosters of CELDT growth (ELLs stuck for
two or more years or losing ground)
• Structure small group support/intervention
Lennox School District
ELD Intervention
• After school ELD intervention
• Project based journalism series for
“emerging LTELs” (English Learners in grades 3
– 7, been in district at least four years, at
CELDT Levels I, II or III)
• Project-based, student centered curriculum
focusing on speaking/listening, collaborative
practices and authentic writing – integrating
language learning with content learning
• Journalism: focused writing and technology – and
genre specific syntax
• Community partnerships: real word
application/fieldwork
• Active engagement
• Strong language models
• Authentic opportunities to connect language with
students communities and social realities
•
•
•
•
•
Eleven week cycle
Two days a week for two hours each day
Small groups (4-7 students per teacher)
Community business/location for fieldwork
Culminating project: publication of Lennox
Voices newspaper
Professional development
• ELD Standards
• Vocabulary development, oral language
development in context of journalism (questioning,
interviewing, paraphrasing, synthesizing information,
collaborative planning), lesson planning, journalism
as a genre
• Selecting expository reading materials to support
research and inquiry
• Differentiating ELD instruction
• Use of varied grouping strategies
For more information, to visit SEAL sites
or inquire about replication support:
www.sobrato.org
lolsen@sobrato.org