Who are English Language Learners?English language learners are students in provinciallyfunded English language schools whose first languageis a language other than English, or is a variety of Englishthat is significantly different from the variety used for instruction in Ontario’s schools, and who may require focused educational supports to assist them in attainingproficiency in English. These students may be Canadianborn or recently arrived from other countries. They comefrom diverse backgrounds and school experiences, andhave a wide variety of strengths and needs.

Inside This GuideELL Identification ................................................. 2ELL Assessment Kit............................................. 2Observable Behaviour Chart ............................... 2Program Adaptations........................................... 3Differentiating Instruction for ELLs ...................... 3Glossary............................................................... 4Insert - ELL Identification Guide

Supporting

(English Language Learners/ESL and ELD Programs and Services: Policies and Procedures for Ontario Elementary and Secondary Schools, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2007)

ELL IdentificationThe insert outlines the steps to take to identify a studentas an English language learner. Consultation with parents and other school staff including,where available, literacy support personnel, the special education teacher, and the guidance counselor, needs to be established as supports for learning are being considered.The same behaviours in one student may have a different cause than for another. Strong similarities of surface behaviours may lead teachers to make incorrect assumptions about their learners. The first step is carefulobservation, over time, of what the student can do in avariety of classroom activities and settings. Conclusionsmust be cautiously drawn to avoid inaccurate labeling ofthe causes of the behaviours observed in the classroom(See the “Observable Behaviour” chart below).

The development of an Individual Education Plan (IEP)for an English language learner should not be consideredunless special education needs are clearly identified. AnIEP is not a document to describe strategies for the development of English language proficiency.

School boards will develop a protocol for identifyingEnglish language learners who may also have special education needs.

Where special education needs have been identified, eitherin the initial assessment or through later assessment,students may have ESL or ELD programming and specialeducation services simultaneously.

(English Language Learners/ESL and ELD Programs and Services:Policies and Procedures for Ontario Elementary and SecondarySchools, Kindergarten to Grade 12, 2007, 2.3.3 and 2.3.4 SupportMaterial)

ELL Assessment KitEach school will be provided with an ELL Assessment kit which will include the “Steps to English Proficiency (STEP)”,a framework for assessing and monitoring English language learners language acquisition and literacy developmentacross the Ontario curriculum. This resource can be used by classroom teachers and/or SERTs. The kit will also include other support materials such as ELL documents, books, lists of books used for assessment, general resources such as picture cards, materials lists, etc. that will support the classroom teacher in developing programmingfor the English language learner.

Chart Credit: Else Hamayan, Barbara Marler, Cristina Sanchez – Lopez, and Jack Damico. Special Education Considerations for EnglishLanguage Learners: Delivering a Continuum of Services. Caslon Publishing, 2007. p. 40.

(Source: Supporting English Language Learners in Grades 1 to 8, pp. 43 – 46)

Observable Behaviour

Adds or deletes words; uses knownwords to replace other words

Is easily distracted

Has trouble following directions

Can complete arithmetic calculationsbut not solve word problems

Avoids writing

Can’t retell a story in sequence or summarize the plot

Possible explanation in a language learning context

May not yet know the word; may nothave internalized the words or requiresmore rehearsal of words

Doesn’t understand; is overloadedwith new information; requires morevisual/concrete support

Doesn’t know the vocabulary in the instructions

Doesn’t know vocabulary of the wordproblem; isn’t familiar with currency;has no prior experience with the content

Lacks confidence or is not comfortablewith having multiple drafts of work before the final version

Is unfamiliar with too much of the vocabulary of the story

Possible explanation in a Special Education context

Has memory/oral language processingdifficulties

Has an auditory processing problem,ADHD, or ADD

Has sequencing or memory problems

Has processing or abstract reasoningproblems; a memory problem; sequencing issue; may not be able to generalize from previous examples

Has fine motor difficulties and limitedexpressive language

Has organization or processing problems

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Program Adaptations: Modifications and AccommodationsWhen curriculum expectations are modified in order tomeet the language learning needs of English languagelearners, assessments and evaluation will be based onthe documented modified expectations. This will benoted on the elementary progress report cards and theelementary and secondary provincial report cards, andwill be explained to parents. Modifications will be trackedusing Appendix B (available in the ELL public folder).

Teachers will check the ESL/ELD box on the progress report cards and the provincial report cards to indicatethat modifications have been made to curriculum expectations to address the language learning needs ofEnglish language learners.

The ESL/ELD box should NOT be checked to indicate:

• that the student is participating in ESL or ELD programsor courses; or

• that accommodations have been provided to enable the student to demonstrate his or her learning (e.g., extra time to complete assignments, access to a bilingual dictionary, opportunities to work in the student’s first language).

Differentiating Instruction for ELLsTeachers must adapt the instructional program in orderto facilitate the success of English language learners intheir classrooms.

Appropriate adaptations to the instructional program include:

• modification of some or all of the subject expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary support from the teacher;

• the use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., extensive use of visual cues, graphic organizers, scaffolding; previewing of textbooks, pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer tutoring);

• strategic use of students’ first languages;

• the use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, and materials that reflect cultural diversity);

• use of assessment accommodations (e.g., granting of extra time, oral interviews, demonstrations or visual representations, tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers or cloze sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English).

While the degree of program adaptation required will decrease over time, English language learners continue toneed some level of program support in order to experienceschool success.The teacher needs to adapt theprogram for ELLs as they acquireEnglish proficiency. For Englishlanguage learners, in the earlystages of language acquisition,the teacher needs to modify the curriculum expectations, insome or all curriculum areas.Most ELLs require accom-modations for an extendedperiod, long after they haveachieved proficiency inEveryday English.(Supporting English Language Learners, 1- 8, p.50)

ELL = English Language Learner (student) • ESL = English as a Second Language (program) • ELD = English Literacy Development (program)

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GlossaryEnglish as a Second Language (ESL) programs are forstudents born in Canada or newcomers whose first language is other than English or is a variety of Englishsignificantly different from that used for instruction in Ontario schools.English Literacy Development (ELD) programs are fornewcomers whose first language is other than English oris a variety of English significantly different from that usedfor instruction in Ontario schools. Students in these programs are generally from countries in which their access to education has been limited, or where they mayhave had limited opportunities to develop language and literacy skills in any language. They arrive in Ontarioschools with significant gaps in their education.Some Aboriginal students from remote communities mayalso have had limited opportunities for formal schooling,and they also may benefit from ELD instruction.Accommodations:Strategies and provisions provided by the teacher to enable students to meet the curriculum expectations.When the student’s program is accommodated, theprovincial curriculum expectations are not altered.Modifications:Changes to the curriculum expectations.

Everyday English/Academic English:In order to participate in the curriculum learning takingplace in their classrooms, English language learners mustmaster two distinct forms of English language: EverydayEnglish proficiency and Academic English proficiency.(See chart below)

(Supporting English Language Learners in Grades 1 to 8, p.13)

STEP:Steps to English Proficiency is a framework for assessingand monitoring the language acquisition and literacy development of English language learners across the entire curriculum. ESL/ELD and classroom teachers canuse the STEP continua to assess and record evidence ofstudents’ progress gathered through day to day classroomlearning experiences. Information from STEP, gatheredover time and in various learning contexts,will be useful for administrators,teachers, students, andparents in supportingteaching and learning.

Sources:• Supporting English Language Learners: A Practical Guide for Ontario Educators, Grades 1 to 8, 2008• Many Roots, Many Voices: Supporting English Language Learners in Every Classroom. A Practical Guide for Ontario Educators, 2005• Growing Success: Assessment, Evaluation, and Reporting in Ontario Schools, Grades 1 to 12, 2010

Resource lists can be found in your school ELL kit and accessed through www.edugains.ca and www.edu.gov.on.ca

A huge debt of gratitude is owed to the Upper Canada DSB for sharing their expertise and resources, and to Beth Gunding, our ELL mentor!

Everyday language proficiency includes:the ability to maintain a face-to-face conversation withpeers and with a variety of school personnel in various settings, inside and outside the classroom

the ability to talk, read, or write about familiar content orabout what is happening here and now

knowledge about basic vocabulary/high frequency wordssuch as old, food, tired, cars, or trucks

the ability to use simple sentences and the active voicesuch as: We heated the water until it boiled. We used a thermometerto measure the temperature.

Academic language proficiency includes:the ability to understand when there is less opportunity forinteraction (e.g., when listening to a presentation or readinga textbook)

the ability to talk, read, and write about content that hasfewer connections to prior learning or personal experience,is more abstract, and is more distant in space or time (e.g.,learning about the water cycle, studying the earth’s crust,or learning about Canada’s provinces)

knowledge of more sophisticated, low frequency vocabularysuch as ancient, nutrition, fatigued, or vehicles

the ability to use more complex sentences and grammaticalstructures such as: When the water was heated to the boilingpoint, a thermometer was used to measure the temperature.

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