English Language Learners
Definition
According to Face the Facts USA, a Project of George Washington University, 10 percent of all public school students in the United States are English as Second Language (ESL) Learners/English Language Learners (ELLs), meaning they have limited English proficiency. However, less than 1 percent of public school teachers are English as a Second Language (ESL) instructors (or one ESL instructor for every 150 students), thereby highlighting a demand for ESL instructors in our increasingly culturally diverse world.
Retrieved from: https://www.eslteacheredu.org/what-is-an-esl-teacher/
Characteristics
Limited English Profiency (LEP) persons are individuals who do not speak English as their primary language and who have a limited ability to read, speak, write, or understand English. LEP statutes and authorities prohibit exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted and/or conducted programs on the ground of race, color, or national origin.
Retrieved from: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/about/civilrights/?cid=stelprdb1262663
Accommodations and Modifications
The following document provides some useful instructional teacher moves for each proficiency level across all four domains, Linguistic Accommodations for Scaffolding Instruction,
http://flintcurriculum.weebly.com/uploads/4/4/3/1/44310935/linguistic_accommodations_for_scaffolding_instruction.pdf.
Another resource is, The GO TO Strategies: Scaffolding Options for Teachers of English Language Learners, K-12, http://ride.ri.gov/Portals/0/Uploads/Documents/Students-and-Families-Great-Schools/English-Language-Learners/go-to-strategies.pdf. Page 19 of this document contains a chart, The GO TO Strategies Matrix: Scaffolding Options for Teachers of English Language Learners, K-12, which outlines 4-6 instructional strategies aligned with each proficiency level across all four language domains of the WIDA Can Do Descriptors.
Resources
Usage of WIDA Can Do Descriptors for Instruction and Assessment
The five WIDA Standards provide educators with a connection between language development and academic content and are as follows:
Standard 1 – Social and Instructional Language
Standard 2 – Language of Language Arts
Standard 3 – Language of Mathematics
Standard 4 – Language of Science
Standard 5 – Language of Social Studies
Source: Using the Standards for Instruction, https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/standards/eld
When writing lesson plans WIDA Can Do Descriptors can be used to align language objectives to the targeted standard which are independent of content objectives. Learning objectives, language and content objectives, should always be the catalyst for instructional moves and assessment. Similar to aligning content objectives to Common Core Standards, language objectives should align with WIDA Standards.
WIDA Standards are also necessary for developing model performance indicators (MPI). MPI include three elements: Language function + example topic + support. Using Figure 4G: WIDA Checklist for Reviewing Strands of MPIs found in the English Language Proficiency Standards and Resource Guide, I always review my lesson plans by using a checklist for the following questions:
- Are the instructional topics aligned with state academic content standards and represent curricular and instructional emphases?
- Do the Model Performance Indicators contain sensory, graphic or interactive supports?
- Are MPIs amenable to curricular ‘big ideas’?
- Do planned MPIs scaffold at equal intervals across the levels of English language proficiency and are they uniform in regard to their level of specificity?
- Are they representations of the language demands contained in academic content standards?
Source: English Language Proficiency Standards and Resource Guide, https://wida.wisc.edu/sites/default/files/resource/2007-ELPS-Resource-Guide.pdf
One resource that is invaluable is the K-12 Can Do Descriptors Name Chart, https://wida.wisc.edu/teach/can-do/descriptors, using the students’ most recent WIDA ACCESS report teachers can plug in their students into their grade level specific name chart. Referencing this chart will facilitate developing language objectives and planning activities that will further develop language acquisition in all four domains; reading, writing, speaking, and listening. When using WIDA Can Do Descriptors for assessments it is essential that the assessment is an accurate measure of targeted language objective or content objective. Similar to UDL guidelines, WIDA Can Do Descriptors ensure that the content of the lesson is accessible to all regardless of language proficiency level. Referring to WIDA Can Do Descriptors assist teachers in creating differentiated assessments that allow students of all language proficiency levels to demonstrate mastery of the content.
The following are other useful resources for planning instruction and assessment for EL students, Using Content and Language Objectives to Help All Students in Their Learning,https://achievethecore.org/aligned/using-content-and-language-objectives-to-help-all-students-in-their-learning/ and IRIS CENTER:Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practices, https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ell/#content.