Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English Promising Futures (2017) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
7 Programs for English Learners in Grades Pre-K to 12
7 Programs for English Learners in Grades Pre-K to 12
Pages 253-290
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.1 It then provides an overview of the English-only and bilingual programs that serve ELs in grades pre-K to 12 and the evaluation research that compares outcomes for ELs instructed in English-only programs with ELs instructed in bilingual programs. This is followed by a review of the research on instructional practices for devel oping ELs' oral language proficiency in grades K-12.
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. Given findings that the levels of proficiency in an EL's home language and in English at school entry are related to the time to English proficiency in the K-12 grades (Thompson, 2015)
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DL instructional programs vary in structure, implementation, and enrolled student populations. Unlike TBE programs, where the goal is English proficiency, DL programs aim to help students develop high levels of language proficiency and literacy in both program languages.
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. Based on Common Core State Standards and the California state preschool learning foundations, SEAL emphasizes language rich instruction delivered through integrated thematic units that embed language development within the academic content of social studies and science, with a strong focus on oral language and vocabulary development and extensive paren tal engagement practices.
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. In assessments during grades 2 and 3, the English language proficiency, English reading/language arts, and math scores, as well as Spanish reading/language arts and math scores, of SEAL students who had participated in the program since kindergarten were significantly higher than the SEAL scores of students who had not.
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(ESOL) Content-based English as ELs are provided with ESL-certified teacher Academic achievement, Students may have a a Second Language language instruction proficiency in English dedicated ESL class in their that uses content as a school day or may receive medium for building pull-out ESL instruction, language skills.
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. language and English; English-proficient students learning English and a world language; and heritage language learnersb studying English and their 259 heritage language (e.g., French, Navajo)
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The program is designed to keep them enrolled through its completion, in some cases through high school graduation. aAs used here, an ESL-certified teacher is a teacher with a license, credential, and/or certification to provide English language instruction to second language learners.
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. Explanations for short- versus long-term effects may be that ELs in DI programs spend more of their time in the early grades learning in their home languages and that assessments to measure math and English language arts may be administered in English.
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found that paired literacy instruction led to stronger literacy outcomes in both languages relative to sequential literacy instruction in which children learn mostly in their partner language first and then transition to English. However, debates about the most appropriate approaches to language instruction are ongoing.
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in Chula Vista, California, is a Spanish-English dual language school located just 7 miles north of the Mexican border near San Diego. CVLCC serves more than 1,000 students in grades K-12, 94 percent of whom are Latinos, 60.5 percent of whom are categorized as "socioeconomically disadvantaged," and 37.4 percent of whom are classified as ELs.a The instructional program is aligned with California's Com mon Core State Standards and aims to develop high-level thinking, literacy, and communication skills across the curriculum.b Children begin kindergarten with 50 percent instruction in English and 50 percent in Spanish (Alfaro et al., 2014)
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report that the benefits to students are substantial, and students learn how to express themselves fluently in language that is academically appropriate. The authors of the CVLCC case study are cautious about claiming that the experience at this one dual language school can be generalized to other schools facing the challenges of ELs' linguistically and culturally complex learning.
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The committee focused on oral language proficiency as a construct because of its important role in content area learning for ELs (August and Shanahan, 2006; Saunders et al., 2013)
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It is important that future intervention studies focused in part on oral language development measure it as an outcome. From the very limited available research, the committee draws tentative inferences about the kinds of instructional practices that are beneficial for promoting oral language proficiency.
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that improved the speaking skills of ELs in grades K-2 implemented a year-long drama and creative movement intervention that used movement, gesture, and expression to stimulate engaging in English verbal interactions. Language skills targeted
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ELs in the intervention developed oral language proficiency (indexed by measure of expressive vocabulary as well as listening comprehension) at faster rates than students in the control groups.
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While many of the studies reviewed created opportunities for interaction between ELs and native English speakers, two studies explicitly examined the types of interactional feedback during conversational interactions that support ELs' language development. One study (Ammar and Spada, 2006)
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A second study (O'Brien, 2007) found that 1stgrade Spanish-speaking ELs who received English language instruction in a separate English language development block using an explicit English language proficiency program outperformed ELs who were learning English language proficiency only as part of their language arts program.
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. DISTRICT-WIDE PRACTICES RELATED TO THE EDUCATIONAL PROGRESS OF ENGLISH LEARNERS American education is characterized by its localism -- there are nearly 13,500 school districts in the United States.2 Whereas states have authority over education, with a limited federal role (see Chapter 2)
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In English language arts, Sanger ELs' scores increased by 38 percentage points (from 11% to 49%) versus 20 points for the state (19% to 3%)
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A major shift involved how adults thought about what students needed to succeed and their expectations for students' capacities to learn. Thus, diagnosing student needs and addressing them instructionally led to a mind shift that involved seeing instruction as supporting students' academic development rather than as remediation for their lack of English language proficiency.
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Students at varying levels of skill and language proficiency worked on projects in groups at learning centers. Differentiated support was provided in these small groups according to need.
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Summary The following promising practices emerge from the school and district profiles described above: • Administrative leadership at the district and school levels takes responsibility for initiating and sustaining instructional programs and practices that support the full academic development of all students, including ELs. • ELs are recognized as capable of learning whatever society expects all children to learn in school rather than as incapable of handling the school's curriculum until they master English.
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• School and community partnerships are encouraged to augment and enrich classroom-based learning. FAMILY ENGAGEMENT IN ENGLISH LEARNERS' EDUCATION This section describes the ways in which families engage with schools, the opportunities associated with involving families in the education of their EL children, and state and district practices for meeting these challenges.
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children and be assisted in accessing resources and information to help their children stay on track and meet the requirements for postsecondary institutions, whether they be 4-year colleges, apprenticeships, or workforce development programs. Research indicates that engagement of families, including both Englishspeaking families and families of ELs, is associated with positive student outcomes, such as higher grades and test scores, higher language proficiency, better social skills, increased high school graduation rates, and enrollment in postsecondary education (Ferguson, 2008; Henderson and Mapp, 2002; Lindholm-Leary, 2015)
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Barriers to family engagement for EL families include the misguided perception by school personnel that the families of ELs are disinterested in the education of their children (Ramirez, 2003; Shim, 2013; SoutoManning and Swick, 2006; Xiong and Obiakor, 2013)
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. A recent review of 31 studies on family engagement3 found that a welcoming environment encourages family-school partnerships (Ferguson, 2008)
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Conclusion 7-2: The following characteristics of instructional programs support English learners' oral language development: specialized in struction focused on components of oral language proficiency, oppor tunities for interaction with speakers proficient in the second language, feedback to students during conversational interactions, and dedicated time for instruction focused on oral English proficiency.
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Promising methods for engaging families include creating a welcoming environment, providing orientation pro grams, using technology to enhance two-way communication, institut ing district- and school-level parent advisory committees and school support teams that include parents of ELs to support ELs' academic success and emotional well-being, and instituting adult education pro grams for parents of ELs. Conclusion 7-4: Case studies of districts and schools that demonstrate their effectiveness in educating English learners (ELs)
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. Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School.
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The role of fidelity in teaching English learners. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 54(6)
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. Effect of a performing arts program on the oral language skills of young English learners.
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. The effect of an instructional intervention on middle school English learners' science and English.
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. Peer-assisted learning strategies: A "Tier 1" approach to promoting English learners' response to intervention.
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. Is a separate block of time for oral English language development in programs for English learners needed?
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. English learners' time to reclassification: An analysis.
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. Effectiveness of four instructional programs de signed to serve English learners variation by ethnicity and initial English proficiency.
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