A powerful, comprehensive PreK-3
Model:
Moving teachers, schools and
districts into the Common Core era
with English Learners at the Center
Laurie Olsen, PhD. SEAL Director
Paula Cornia, EL Director
Maria Wetzel, Assoc. Superintendent
Oak Grove School District
December 8, 2014
New ELD Standards
New, more rigorous
Common Core
standards
State Accountability
System in Design/Flux
New ELA/ELD
Framework!
Changes in
assessments
Changes in school
funding; loss of ELL
specific categorical
funding
English
Learners
New Math and Next
Generation Science
Standards
The task:
To get them to English proficiency
To ensure access to curriculum while
learning English
A more

rigorous
target under
the Common
Core
Standards
_______________________________________________________________________
No
English

Current
standards
Proficient for
Academic
work
Three Foundations
Research on
Long Term
English
Learners
SEAL
X
Increasing rigor
and 21st
century vision
of education in
the Common
Core Standards
New convergent
English Learner
Research
A response, a Model
• Sobrato Early Academic Language model
(PreK-3)
• Explicitly to address needs of Spanishspeaking English Learners – but for all
students across grades
• Designed, piloted, evaluated 2008 – 2013
• Replication began in 2013
• 36 schools across 7 districts
Workshop: Part I and Part II
Part I: Case study - The SEAL Model
• About the Model (research foundations, what
it is)
• A closer look at the SEAL Model (high level
instructional strategies, standards-based
integrated thematic units, family-school
partnerships)
• Designated and integrated ELD in the model
Part II: The district perspective - Making it
happen
• Articulation and alignment
• Thematic planning
• Teacher collaboration
• Professional development, coaching
• What Principals need
• The district/system issues (managing change,
resources, leadership, program design)
GOALS
• Children prepared for academic success in
elementary school and beyond.
• High level cognitive, language and literacy
skills – (including biliteracy where feasible)and grade level mastery of standards
(Common Core)
• Confident, motivated, engaged and joyful
learners
SEAL’s Comprehensive Change Strategy
Student
Achievement
Family
engagement
Teacher
professional
development
and
collaboration
System
(articulation,
consistency)
From the LTEL research
(Reparable Harm)
• Focus on active engagement and participation
beginning in primary grades
• Importance of articulation, consistency of
approach, and a strong model of language
development
• Focus on rigorous, high-level academic
vocabulary and oral language
• Full curriculum (science, social studies, etc.)
From ELL research
(National Literacy Panel on Language Minority
Children and Youth… and other)
• Important role of home language
development
• Key role of ELD (and of content-based ELD)
• Language develops in context of engaging in
academic tasks and content
• Scaffolding strategies essential
New Common Core L.A. Paradigm:
language central to all academic areas
MATH
SCIENCE
Language*
LANGUAGE
ARTS
SOCIAL
STUDIES
*
Speaking/listening
standards,
instructional
dialogue and
collaborative
practice, focus on
meaning-making
FOUR PILLARS
SEAL
Rich
intentional
language
development
Affirming
and
enriched
environment
PreK-3
Family and
articulation
school
and
partnership
alignment
Language development throughout an
integrated standards-based curriculum
(alignment PreK-3)
 Thematic Connection
Core LA
Math
High leverage strategies 
Academic discourse

ELD


Science





SStudies


High Leverage Instructional Strategies
• Complex, precise, academic vocabulary development
• Structured oral interactions Interactive (and dialogic)
Read Alouds
• Narrative/Story Retell
• Children as Readers
• Checks for Comprehension – Adapting Instruction
• Graphic Organizers and visuals
• Dramatic Play and Researcher Centers
• Children as Writers/Authors
• Collaborative practice/ skills of teamwork
• Language through Arts Infusion
• Their World in the Classroom (identity and diversity)
HLPP: Children as Readers
Benefits of Interactive Book Experiences
 Increases vocabulary foundation through the modeling of
rich, expressive language and visualization
 Builds listening, speaking and comprehension skills
 Provides a model for fluent, expressive reading
 Teaches reflective thinking
 Meaning of print through language and language
structures
 Structure of stories
 Sustained attention
 Pleasure of learning
 Nourishment of books- allows for access for all to complex
text and high-quality literature
HLPP: Children as Readers
Results of Dialogic Read Alouds
• Children who have been read to dialogically
are substantially ahead of children who have
been read to traditionally on measures of :
– vocabulary (Hargrave & Sénéchal, 2000)
– comprehension strategies and story schema (Van den
Broek, 2001)
– concept development (Wasik & Bond, 2001)
HLPP: Graphic Organizers
Key Academic Cognitive and Language Functions
• Description (incl. whole and parts)
• Compare/contrast
• Sequence, flow, timeframe
• Categorization, classification
• Quantification
• Cause and Effect
(Fundamental thinking skills transfer
across curriculum areas)
HLPP: Graphic Organizers
•
•
•
•
•
SEAL Teachers….
Identify key analytic/language functions
through examining the standards
Select priority language functions to focus on
per theme
Intentionally model the language function as
they present information
Shape differentiated prompts and
sentence/response frames for students
related to the language function
Take to designated ELD for oral practice
HLPP: Graphic Organizers
Determining Language Functions to Teach
• Look at the standards (and particularly the verbs). What is this
standard asking children to DO?
“Students should be able to distinguish
between…..”
“Students should be able to ask and answer
questions about details relating to an event or
character…”
“Students should be able to place events in the order
in which they occurred….”
• During integrated ELD: What language do children need in
order to talk about this content? What language do children
need to participate in this activity?
HLPP: Graphic Organizers
What are GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS?
• A visual representation of information that
displays the relationships between facts,
concepts or ideas – guiding and organizing
thought.
• Visual input is a key element in how the brain
learns and makes connections.
Deepens understanding
of concepts
Engages higher
order thinking
Scaffolds development
of academic language
IMPORTANCE
OF GRAPHIC
ORGANIZERS
Enhances making
connections
Help visual learners
Organizes new information
Students retain
information better
Bridge across language
systems for dual
language learners
Example: Process information from
book
A web – for description
Model language, provide frames for students
•
•
•
•
•
Mountain lions are ________.
Mountain lions are _____ and ______.
Mountain lions are secretive and hard to find.
Secretive mountain lions are hard to find.
The carnivorous, territorial mountain lion is
the largest of the cat family in North America.
ELD Standards—Part II: Learning About How English
Works
B. Expanding & Enriching Ideas—using nouns & noun
phrases, modifying to add details, adjectives
C. Connecting & Condensing Ideas—combining &
condensing clauses
HLPP: COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK
SEAL High
Leverage
Pedagogical
Practices
New California
Curriculum
Framework for
ELA/ELD
New California
English
Language
Development
Standards
COLLABORATIVE
PRACTICE
CA
Preschool
Learning
Foundation
s
Partnership for
the 21st
Century: P21
The Four C’s
CA Common
Core ELA
Standards
Desired
Results:
Preschool
HLPP: COLLABORATION AND
TEAMWORK
• Language develops in and through interaction
• High Leverage Pedagogical Practice #9 is
explicitly about Collaborative Practice and
Skills of Teamwork
• Other HLPPs emphasize opportunities to use
language in authentic contexts including
collaborative conversations, collaborative
projects, learning centers, informal
interactions and dialogue
HLPP: COLLABORATION AND TEAMWORK
- RESEARCH
• Promotes student learning and academic achievement
(esp. reasoning and critical thinking skills) – results in
higher test scores
• Results in more frequent generation of new ideas and
solutions and greater transfer of what is learned from
one situation to another
• Increases student retention
• Enhances student satisfaction with learning experience
and motivation
• Helps students develop skills in oral communication
• Develops students social skills
• Promotes students self-esteem
• Promotes more positive racial/ethnic relations
Students who are college and career ready
“understand other perspectives and cultures.
They appreciate that the twenty-first century
classroom and workplace are settings in
which people from often widely divergent
cultures and who represent diverse
experiences and perspectives must learn and
work together. Students actively seek to
understand other perspectives and cultures
through reading and listening, and they are
able to communicate effectively with people of
varied backgrounds.."
From CA Common Core Standards, 2013
From the CA ELA/ELD Framework
• Create environment of respect for cultural and linguistic
diversity
• Get to know students cultural and linguistic background
knowledge and experiences and how individual students
interact with their home language and cultures
• Use the primary language to it as valuable asset
• Use texts that accurately reflect students cultural, linguistic
and social backgrounds so students see themselves in the
curriculum
• Continuously expand understandings of cultures and
languages so as not to oversimplify approaches to culturally
responsive pedagogy
• Use multicultural literature to promote students positive selfimage and appreciation for cultural diversity
Applying these within Thematic Unit
• Next Generation Science and Social Studies
content standards based
• 6 – 7 per year (approx. 4-7 weeks each)
• Permeate the school day
• Thematic planning template that includes
planning for integrated and designated ELD
Planning Designated ELD for Theme
Week
1
Into
ELD focus
Frontload basic language function using familiar content; scaffold
with graphic organizers and function-related vocabulary;
access/assess prior knowledge and English related to content
2
Through
Based on Draw and Labels, Narratives and Read Alouds, students
ask and answer questions about details, chant in English related to
content, build English vocabulary (ELD Parts I and III), practice
language function with content
3&4
Through
Based on content/vocabulary and content text, students address
ELD Part II: Learning About How English Works A, B and C
5&6
Beyond
Application of Content & Language for ELD Part I: Interacting in
Meaningful Ways
Oral presentations, ELD I.C.9, ELD I.C.11
Into writing ELD I.A.2, ELD I.C.10
FAMILY-SCHOOL PARTNERSHIP
• Supports for student learning – successful
students have involved parents
• Support and as resources for school
• A bridge between distinct cultural and
language worlds
• Rights
• Accountability
• Community building
• Family support
Comparison SEAL to state, county, district
California
factors)
Santa Clara & San Jose &
San Mateo RCSD districts
County
SEAL
% Minority
75
78
74
94 - 99
% Hispanic
53
39
52
84 - 95
% English
Learner
22
24
23
59 - 70
%
Free/Reduced
Lunch
58
37
45
76 - 88
% Parents
with HS
diploma or
less
education
45
76 - 91
External Evaluation:
Impact on Family Literacy
• More than half of SEAL parents participate in language
and literacy activities at home at least 2x/week
• SEAL parents more likely to engage in literacy-related
activities than national sample of Hispanic parent and
as likely as college-educated parents
• Parent engagement in school related activities at SEAL
demonstration sites tripled to 95% of parents!
Alignment PreK-3
• Unlocking the “iron gate” – bringing all to the
table
• Aligned language assessments (PreLAS/LAS) in
both languages
• Shared professional development and vision
of language development across ages 4-8
• Summer Bridge and orientation/transition
supports for children and families
• Articulated instructional approaches
SEAL Evaluation Findings
Evaluation
• Kathryn Lindholm-Leary, Ph.D. evaluator
• Longitudinal, cohort design
• Impact on family literacy and on student
language and academic achievement
• Currently data on 737 students
• Comparisons: Full SEAL to partial SEAL; SEAL
to non-SEAL in district, state and national
database
What do we know about the
language, literacy, and
mathematics development in
grades PreK to 3 of the three
student cohorts after four
years of SEAL
implementation?
SEAL Classroom Settings
(Evaluation compares settings)
• SEAL wide: 60% in Bilingual; 40% in SEI
Depth of SEAL “Treatment”
(Evaluation compares Full v. Partial)
• Full SEAL (began in Preschool – SEAL through
2nd grade)
• Partial SEAL (1 – 2 years in SEAL only – did not
experience SEAL preschool and kindergarten)
Three Cohorts of Students
Preschool Progress: Kinder Readiness
(DRDP-PK, and PreLAS)
• Children in all three cohorts began preschool
with very low language and literacy scores (L1
and L2)– lower than comparison groups
• Children in all three cohorts made excellent
and statistically significant growth (1+ levels in
6 mos, all items)
• The great majority of the SEAL preschoolers (3
of 4) are at grade-level expectation by the end
of SEAL preschool (top 2 DRDP levels)
Do we get them
where they need to
be? Majority are
“Kinder ready”
41
Language & Literacy
Percent at Highest 2 Levels
(Building - Integrating)
Pre LAS (oral language)
comparisons* at end of preschool
• SEAL children grew more on all items and scored
significantly much higher than non-SEAL children in
all three cohorts (Cohorts 1-3) in the items on story
retells (most predictive of reading comprehension
later) – and higher, but less significantly on other
items
(*comparison to Head Start sample of demographically
similar children, and to a sample of district
comparison)
42
K – 2 CELDT – English Progress
• SEAL students started at low levels of
proficiency in English.
• Over time, students made significant
progress with 79% of Cohort 1 students
moving up one or more levels (34% moving up
one level, 45% moving up two or more levels).
• All cohorts met/surpassed state
accountability targets for CELDT growth
(56.1)
Each year gets stronger - Cohort 3 is
stronger than the others
Cohort 3 catches up to state even
faster!
Degree of growth on CELDT for Full v.s.
Partial SEAL
Full SEAL Students
Growth on CELDT
Partial SEAL students Growth on CELDT
in same 2 year period
173.1
117.0
Third Grade Entry: CELDT Status
Beginner/Earl Intermediate
y Intermediate
SEAL
Districts
California
Successful
Dual Language
Programs
25
35
26
36
45
46
46
45
Early
Advanced/Adv
anced
30
19
27
19
SEAL has more students at Early Advanced/Advanced
levels and fewer at Levels I and II than district average
and state average – despite starting at lower levels.
SEAL CST/ELA Comparisons
2nd grade
SEAL
District EL
Effective
DL
Proficient/A
dvanced
Basic
Below
Basic/FBB
35
28
33
38
34
32
27
38
36
More at top levels, fewer at bottom levels
Comparison Bilingual to SEI
• Bilingual program students started lower than
SEI(20-40 point differences) in Kinder
• Children in both language instruction groups
made significant gains for almost all time
periods
• The largest gains in each cohort were
consistently made by the Bilingual group
• By 3rd grade, students receiving Bilingual instruction
scored similarly or higher than students receiving
SEI on CELDT, the CST in both language arts and
math, and the Standards Test in Spanish in both
language arts and math.
Language Loss
• At third grade entry, only 0-4% of children
instructed in English are Fluent in their
primary language of Spanish, compared to 6770% of children who received Bilingual
instruction. These results point to some
language loss in the primary language for
students enrolled in English/SEI instruction.
Workshop Part II:
Making it happen and Lessons Learned
• Building articulation, alignment and consistency
• Thematic planning and curriculum redesign
• Creating practices and culture of teacher
collaboration
• Professional development, coaching
• What Principals need
• The district/system issues (resources, leadership,
program design, policy)
Current Sites
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Franklin McKinley School District (3 sites)
Mountain View (El Monte) (3 sites + 7)
Oak Grove School District (12 sites)
Redwood City School District (5 sites)
San Lorenzo School District (10 sites)
San Rafael City Schools (3 sites)
Santa Clara Unified School District (2 sites)
Expanding in 2015 - 16 to 20 additional
Why?
• Will address the LTEL challenge and strengthen EL
outcomes (SEAL escalates English Learner progress
towards English proficiency and shows stronger
growth and achievement than district and state
ELL; SEAL cohorts meet or exceed AMAO targets)
• Will implement the Common Core (SEAL
implements Common Core (ELA/ELD, next
generation science) and provides full access to
academic content in broad course of study)
• SEAL engages parents and results in higher family
literacy practices
• SEAL is research-based professional development
and collaboration model that results in stronger
teaching, more consistency and articulation
The task is enormous to do it well!
• New paradigms of teaching (from Teachers guides
and pacing guides  standards-based &
formative assessment based teaching, and
inquiry-based and meaning making emphasis in
learning)
• New content (standards) in science, math,
language arts and ELD
• More rigorous expectations
• To be implemented on still shaky ground re:
understanding and meeting needs of ELLs
1. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
• Make meaning and become fluent in the new
standards and framework
• Deepen understanding of language
development and linguistic demands of
academic engagement and participation
• Learn standards-based backwards planning
• Develop skills and implement new high
leverage instructional strategies
• Increase expectations for English Learners
Structure: Professional development
• All teachers across grade level within SEAL sites
• PreK, TK and first grade together; 2nd and 3rd
grade teacher
• Seven two-day professional development
modules over a two year period
• The Common Core standards (incl. ELD), Next
Generation Science
• Read research together – make meaning
The Modules
• Thematic Planning  Year plan of themes
• Rich, precise, complex oral language
development
• Academic Language and ELD
• Collaborative practice, teamwork and arts
integration
• The World in the Classroom
• Authentic Writing
• Reading: Meaning making, expression
• Performance Assessment and Technology
• (Bilingual program design and pedagogy)
(2.5 yr. capacity building)
• Grade level release days 4 - 5 per year for
curriculum unit planning – interspersed
between modules
• Ten day Summer Bridge Lab (half days with
children, half days for professional
development and collaboration)
• Half time Coach/Facilitator (approx. 30%
coaching)
2. Thematic Planning, Curriculum
Redesign
• New content standards are calling for revised
curriculum
• CCCS, ELD standards and new framework call for
content-embedded language development and
integrated approaches.
• Moving from a disciplinary-defined school day
structure to integrated curriculum in elementary
requires clarity and planning; moving from a
disciplinary-defined school day structure to
collaboratively planned curriculum in secondary
schools requires a major paradigm shift.
Developing the yearly plan of themes
• Engaging teachers in sitting with all content
standards and having to weave them together
into a manageable number of integrated
thematic units is a powerful exercise in
meaning-making.
• Start with science and social studies!
• Every standard must be addressed
• First priority is integrated across disciplines,
but some Next Gen Science standards end up
clustered in an all Science unit
Thematic unit development
• Occurs over two year period – folding in new
strategies and elements
• Requires purchase of materials (informational
text, literature, realia, etc. – approx. $2000 per
classroom over the two years)
• Shared work across sites – division of labor
Elements of thematic plan
• Enduring understandings and essential questions
• Key vocabulary
• “Into” – accessing prior knowledge, building
interest, setting stage
• Planning grid lays out content
• Selections for dialogic read-aloud, literature &
info text, narrative retell
• Design for Researcher Center (or dramatic play)
• Selection of graphic organizers per language
functions
• Designated ELD
Creating a Year-Long Plan
Timeline
(4-7 weeks)
Social Studies/
Science
Standards
Thematic Unit
Key
Language/cognit
ive functions
ELA/SLA
Concepts/
Genres
Unit
Standards
Weather
Patterns
Social
Studies: 1.2,
1.2.1, 1.2.2,
1.2.3, 1.2.4
Science:
3, 3a, 3b, 3c
Timing
7 Weeks
6 weeks
Plants,
animals and
habitats
First Grade
Social
studies:
1.2.1
Language/
cognitive
functions
Description
Prediction
Writing genres,
text, literature
Characterization
Traditional tales
Informative text
Compare and
Contrast
Compare and Dramatization
contrast
“How to” books
Sequence
Science:
(life cycle)
Informational
2, 21, 2b, 2c,
text and writing
2d, 2e
1st Grade – “Weather Patterns”
Enduring Understandings
Students will understand that…
•…the sun is central to the weather and life can’t exist without
the sun.
•…we measure and predict the weather because it affects our
daily life (e.g., clothing, transportation, emotions, etc.)
Essential Questions
•Why is the sun important to us?
•How does the sun affect our daily life?
•Why is a weather forecaster an important community worker?
Planning Designated ELD for Theme
Week
1
Into
ELD focus
Frontload basic language function using familiar content; scaffold
with graphic organizers and function-related vocabulary;
access/assess prior knowledge and English related to content
2
Through
Based on Draw and Labels, Narratives and Read Alouds, students
ask and answer questions about details, chant in English related to
content, build English vocabulary (ELD Parts I and III), practice
language function with content
3&4
Through
Based on content/vocabulary and content text, students address
ELD Part II: Learning About How English Works A, B and C
5&6
Beyond
Application of Content & Language for ELD Part I: Interacting in
Meaningful Ways
Oral presentations, ELD I.C.9, ELD I.C.11
Into writing ELD I.A.2, ELD I.C.10
Every ELA/ELD Framework Chapter
ends with a box….
“Frequent and meaningful collaboration with
colleagues and families is critical for
ensuring that all students meet the
expectations of the CC standards. Teachers
are at their best when they frequently
collaborate with their teaching colleagues to
plan instruction, analyze student work,
discuss student progress, integrate new
learning into their practice, and refine
lessons or identify interventions when
students experience difficulties.”
3. Culture and habits of teacher
collaboration
• Cross-site grade level work pushes against sitespecific cultures and dynamics
• Explicit norms of collaboration, reflection
• Relationship building
• Facilitated sessions at beginning with gradual
release of responsibility – focus on skills of
building consensus, asking for clarifications,
stating opinions (“very Common Core-y”)
• Allow for mix of “must do” the same, and teacher
choice
4. Articulation, alignment, consistency
• Multiple schools doing it together – with gradelevel collaboration and planning
• Grade spans going through modules together
(PreK-1; 2 and 3)
• Standards from grades above and below –
including Preschool Foundations
• Summer Bridge (co-teaching across grade levels)
• Aligned oral language assessment
• Explicit emphasis on bringing preschool to table
with K-3 – leveling status.
• Quality assurance walk-throughs
Observations
•
•
•
•
Rigor and relevance
Learning environment
Quality of interaction
Articulation, alignment, consistency
5. Principals Support
• Participate in key sections of the Modules
• “This is what to expect, what to look for…”
• Separate sessions on key changes (e.g., the
ELD standards, the new framework)
• Alert to dissonance b/t what is now expected
v.s. how things have been done (e.g., daily
schedule minutes per subject, grouping for
ELD, flexibility with programs)
6. The district piece
• Resources (the cost, and LCAP)
• Repurposing coaches and literacy TOSAs
• Handling ordering and materials in a nonpackaged program era
• Monitoring
• Stress of change
• EL Program design
Lessons
• Invest in sustained and intensive professional
development (coaching, p.d., collaboration
time)
• Comprehensive approach (parents, p.d.,
curriculum development,
articulation/alignment, program design)
• Centralize English Learners within the
Common Core effort
• Align resources! Strengthen infrastructure!
THANK YOU!
For more information:
Laurie Olsen, SEAL Director
lolsen@sobrato.org
Paula Cornia, EL Director Oak Grove
Unified School District
pcornia@ogsd.k12.ca.us