Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners A Balancing Act for Administrators Amy Christianson, OELA Project Coordinator and John Kibler, OELA

Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners

A Balancing Act for Administrators

Amy Christianson, OELA Project Coordinatorand

John Kibler, OELA Professional Development Coordinator

TESOL/Bilingual DepartmentSchool of EducationEdgewood College

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Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners (ELLs): A Balancing Act for Administrators

A Three Day Professional Development Series

Objectives for Session One:• Participants will understand the second language acquisition and learning processes, academic English development and their relationship to academic achievement• Participants will reflect on federal, state, local mandates in the education of English language learners (ELLs) and learn about the parameters for school and district compliance• Participants will examine their educational context and programmatic approaches for ELLs and strategize plans for

Objectives for Session Two:• Participants will review the most current research regarding educating ELLs and its implications on programmatic design and instructional practice• Participants will strategize professional development goals for their staffs that examine the major myths and realities about second language learning, as well as development goals for future planning• Participants will consider ways to utilize their existing resources for optimal student benefit by examining programmatic and instructional contexts with regards to scheduling, instruction, leadership and instructional approach

Objectives for Session Three:• Participants will consider ELL student assessment, an overview of the WIDA English language proficiency standards and the ACCESS for ELLs assessment tool• Participants will examine teacher performance considerations for effectively educating ELLs and develop guidelines for considering contextual and pedagogical skills• Participants will have the opportunity to individually work with the consultants to ask additional questions, clarify information and consider district and school-based decisions.

Twelve Key Practices

This book provides step-by-step guidance for any administrator committed to ensuring that the ELLs in their classes, schools, and districts are successful and can reach high core content and English language development standards.

Implementing Effective Instruction for English Language Learners takes a comprehensive, systemic, and strategic approach to educating all students, particularly ELLs. The 12 Key Practices Framework is divided into four parts:

• Shared practices at the district, school, and classroom levels• Common classroom practices for ALL ELL educators• Core instructional practices of every program for ELLs• Organizing the key practices into effective program configurations

Administrators, teachers, and leadership teams can use the 12 Key Practices Framework and checklists to plan, implement, monitor, evaluate, and improve ELL education in their districts and schools.

ELL Service Delivery Articulation and Action Plan (SDAAP)

Over the course of our three sessions, participants will complete an ELL service delivery articulation and action plan that documents reflection on current practice

and considers future implementation, configuration, and professional development considerations.

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Equity and Excellence: Session OneAGENDA

• Overview of Workshop• Introductions• Second Language Learning Overview with Research• Myths and Realities About Second Language

Learning• Programmatic Overview• Immigration Law and Wisconsin State Statutes• Culminating Activity

Key Practice 1: Structuring Equitable School & Classroom Environments

• Ongoing Professional Development• District Policies and Procedures• Training in Sheltered Instruction Methods• Affirm Linguistic and Cultural Diversity• Plan Enriching Comprehensible Instruction• Ensure that ELLs are Actively Engaged

Key Practice 4: Embracing an Additive Bilingualism Perspective

• Promote Bilingualism and Biliteracy Development• Provide a Sequence of ESL Instruction to Support

Language Learning• Plan Language Instruction Using Primary Language

(when possible) to Support, Preview, Clarify Concepts

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What is your name?Your position and district?

What do you hope to gain from this training?

INTRODUCTIONS

TO INTERACTIVELY COUNTER FOUR MAIN MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT ELLS TYPICALLY HELD BY MAINSTREAM TEACHERS:

EFFORT IS THE MAJOR FACTOR IN LEARNING ENGLISH.

WHEN OTHERS USE A LANGUAGE OTHER THAN ENGLISH AROUND ME THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT ME WITHOUT ME KNOWING.

GOOD TEACHING IS GOOD TEACHING FOR ALL STUDENTS.

THE MORE TIME SPENT SPEAKING A SECOND LANGUAGE THE BETTER AND FASTER IT WILL BE LEARNED.

Professional Development Goals

The second language learning process doesn’t always make logical sense to those

who haven’t experienced it.

It is important to remember that the length of time it takes to learn a second language and the

degree of difficulty of that process for anyone are dependent on a wide variety of factors.

Some of the factors like race/ethnicity and socio-economic status are conditional in nature.

Others like prior educational experiences and the literacy level of parents in their first language can also impact the

process greatly.

IN OTHER WORDS:“Doesn’t it just make sense that the earlier and more

intensively children are placed in all-English instruction at school the better their English achievement will eventually be?”

Regardless of these, simple logic would seem to lead many monolingual people to believe that the more time I am immersed in learning a second

language, the better and faster I’m going to achieve that goal.“

The reality couldn’t be more “counterintuitive”.

It is incredibly important when thinking about second language learning to remember that our “common sense”

or “intuition” can be wrong.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that an individual’s background in their first language has the

most impact on how fast they will learn a second language.

In other words, the better they speak, read, write and listen in their first language, the better and faster they will learn

their second language.

But the key is understanding how and

why that is true. . . .

And that’s where we’ll begin.

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Sequence Story

Sequence Story

Seven “Volunteers”

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1.

ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS LISTEN TO THE STORY AND CONTINUE IT WHEN IT’S YOUR TURN.

A sequence story is simply a spoken story told by a variety of people, one right after the other.

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I WILL ORCHESTRATE THE STORY

When I raise my hand and point to you, you speak.

When I pull my arm down, you stop.

ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LISTEN INTENTLY AND FOLLOW MY DIRECTIONS.

When I point to someone else, he/she picks up the story

exactly where it was left off.

About our story. . . A setting, two characters and a conflict

A husband and wife named Johnny and Sally

At the Mall

Sally drags Johnny to the mall to shop when he’d

rather be home watching a pivotal basketball playoff

game.

LET’S BEGIN………….

First, let’s look at the story itself.

We’ll look at the emotions involved in a minute.

COMPARE

What happened to the story as we moved from the first telling to the second and then the third?

Be as specific as you can.

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How did it feel?

STORYTELLERS: How did it feel as we moved from the first telling to the

second and then the third? Be as specific as you can.

Listeners ---

• What was going on emotionally for those of you listening to the story?

• As the process got harder, what were you feeling?

• What role did effort play in the telling?

• How much longer would it have taken for the process to lose its humor and become tedious?

Associativevs.Cognitive

Storytellers: Which version of the process would you choose to use, the first, the second or the third?

WHY?

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What did the facilitator do wrong? How could the

facilitator have aided the storytellers? What specific

strategies could have been used to make this

cognitive process as associative as possible? Who had the power to make the storytellers

more successful? If the modification doesn’t

happen, could the storytellers have

succeeded?

Let’s examine what we know about second language learning. . .

• Associative vs Cognitive• Acquisition vs. Learning• BICS and CALP• About the research…• Linguistic Systems• Complexity of English• Let’s Put It Into Action



Acquistion vs. Learning

ACQUISITION• Similar to first language

acquisition• “Picking up” a language• May not be in conscious

awareness• Implicit knowledge• Errors accepted• Formal teaching does

not necessarily help

LEARNING• Formal knowledge of a

language• Knowing about a

language• Deliberate and

conscious effort• Explicit knowledge• Errors corrected• Formal teaching helps



HOW ARE SOCIAL AND ACADEMIC PROFICIENCY DIFFERENT?

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To gain what we refer to as “social proficiency” in a second language takes between six months

and two years.

In other words, for an individual to comfortably speak and interact socially in a new language takes anywhere from six

months to two years.

To gain what we would refer to as “academic proficiency” in a second language takes typically from five to ten years.

For example, an ELL who had no schooling in their first language took 7 – 10 years to develop academic proficiency in English while

those who had 2 to 3 years of formal schooling in their native countries took 5 – 7 years.

6 months to 2 years

5 to 7

year

s

Cristina Cristina

L1

CALP

ELL with formal education in L1 (literacy) and no social language in L2

Cristina Maria

L1

ELL with no formal education in L1 (literacy) and no social language in L2

Pablo

L1 L2

ELL with inconsistent education in either L1 or L2 education and stunted literacy

Edwidge

L1 L2

ELL with stunted development in social language in both L1 and L2 and little to no

CALP development



The Craziest of Languages

We’ll begin with a box and the plural is boxes; but the plural of ox should be oxen not oxes.

Then one fowl is a goose, but two goose are called geese, yet the plural of moose should never be meese.

You may find a lone mouse or a nest full of mice; yet the plural of house is houses, not hice.


If the plural of man is always called men, why shouldn’t the plural of pan be called pen?

If I spoke for my food and show you my feet, and I give you the boot, would a pair be called beet?

If one is a tooth and a whole set are teeth, why shouldn’t the plural of booth be called beeth?


Then one may be that, and three would be those, yet hat in the plural would never be hose.

And the plural of cat is cats, not cose.

We speak of a brother and also of brethren, but though we say mother, we never say methren.


Then the masculine pronouns are he, his, and him, but imagine the feminine as she, shis, and shim.

So English I fancy you will agree, is the craziest language you ever did see.

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What do we know?What do our attitudes reveal?

Language Impacts Every Facet of Our Lives

HOW ARE THE LIVES OF IMMIGRANTS DIFFERENT TODAY THAN IN THE DISTANT AND NOT SO

DISTANT PAST?

Who Said What About Immigrants?

Quote One

“America’s culture, customs, and language are under assault from foreigners who come to live here and, instead of learning the American way

of life, choose to impose their own alien cultures, languages, and institutions upon us. . .”

“America’s culture, customs, and language are under assault from foreigners who come to live

here and, instead of learning the American way of life, choose to impose their own alien cultures,

languages, and institutions upon us. . .”

(1) 1753, Editorial, Pennsylvania Legal Tract,

Benjamin Franklin, in reference to the Germans.

Quote Two

“These cheap slaves fill every place. Their dress is scant and cheap. They hedge twenty in a

room, ten by ten. They are. . .mean, contemptible. . .They have no wives, children or

dependents. They are in every place. . . .Boys work, girls work; it is all alike to them.”

“These cheap slaves fill every place. Their dress is scant and cheap. They hedge twenty in a

room, ten by ten. They are. . .mean, contemptible. . .They have no wives, children or

dependents. They are in every place. . . .Boys work, girls work; it is all alike to them.”

(2) 1847, Editorial, Chicago Post, in reference to the Italians.

Quote Three

“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but

something else also, isn’t an American at all. . .We have room for but one flag, the

American flag. . .We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language.

. .and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

“There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something

else also, isn’t an American at all. . .We have room for but one flag, the American flag. . .We

have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. . .and we have room for but

one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people.”

(3) 1915, Address to Knights of Columbus,President Theodore Roosevelt, in reference to the

immigrants from southern Europe

Quote Four

“The _____ fill our prisons. Scratch a convict or a pauper and chances are that

you tickle the skin of a __________. Putting them on a boat and sending them

home would end crime in this country”

“The _____ fill our prisons. Scratch a convict or a pauper and chances are that you tickle the skin of a __________. Putting them on a boat and sending them home would end crime in

this country”

(4) 1878, Editorial, Indianapolis Times,

in reference to the Irish

Quote Five

“The laws should be rigidly enforced which prohibit the immigration of a ______ class to

compete with American labor, with no intention of acquiring citizenship, and

bringing with them and retaining habits and customs repugnant to our civilization.”

“The laws should be rigidly enforced which prohibit the immigration of a ______ class to

compete with American labor, with no intention of acquiring citizenship, and

bringing with them and retaining habits and customs repugnant to our civilization.”

(5) 1885, March 4 Inaugural Address,President Grover Cleveland, in reference to

all immigrants.

Quote Six

"We have become the world's melting pot. The scum of creation has been dumped on us.

Some of our principal cities are more foreign than American. The most dangerous and

corrupting hordes of the ______ have invaded us.... The manufacturers are mainly to blame.

They wanted cheap labor; and they [don’t] care how much harm to our future might be the consequence of their heartless policy.“

"We have become the world's melting pot. The scum of creation has been dumped on us. Some of our principal cities are more

foreign than American. The most dangerous and corrupting hordes of the ______ have invaded us.... The manufacturers are

mainly to blame. They wanted cheap labor; and they [don’t] care how much harm to our future might be the consequence of

their heartless policy.“

(6) 1924, Campaign Trail, Presidential Candidate, Thomas E. Watson, in reference to the Jewish of eastern Europe

Quote Seven

“Confronted with the requirement . . . .that __________ immigrants carry an identity

card proving they were in the country legally or face deportation, thousands

refused to submit to what they called the ‘___________ Law’ thus undertaking one

of “perhaps the largest acts of civil disobedience in the United States.”

“Confronted with the requirement . . . .that __________ immigrants carry an identity card

proving they were in the country legally or face deportation, thousands refused to submit. . . thus

undertaking one of “perhaps the largest acts of civil disobedience in the United States.”

(7) 1896, DRIVEN OUT: THE FORGOTTEN WAR AGAINST CHINESE AMERICANS

by Jean Pfaeizer

Quote Eight

“The old employments by which we have heretofore gained our livelihood, are gradually, and it may seem inevitably, passing into other hands. Every hour sees the ________ elbowed

out of employment by some newly arrived immigrant whose hunger and whose color are thought to give him a better title to the place."

“The old employments by which we have heretofore gained our livelihood, are gradually, and it may seem inevitably, passing into other hands. Every hour sees the ________ elbowed out of employment by some newly arrived immigrant whose hunger and whose

color are thought to give him a better title to the place."

(8) 1853, Letter, Frederick Douglas, in reference to the Germans

One Last Quote

“Few of their children know English. Nor do they wish to. . .ads, street signs, and even legal documents

are in their own language. . .unless the stream of these people can be turned away from this country to other countries, they will soon outnumber us so that

we will not be able to save our language or our government.”

“Few of their children know English. Nor do they wish to. . .ads, street signs, and even legal documents are in

their own language. . .unless the stream of these people can be turned away from this country to other countries, they will soon outnumber us so that we will not be able to save our language or our government.”

1753, Editorial, Pennsylvania Legal Tract, Benjamin Franklin, in reference to the Germans

NOW LET’S RETURN TO OUR LIST AND SEE IF OUR IDEAS HAVE

CHANGED

Connecting Teachers to English Language Learners (CTELL)

Different Programs = Different Goals• ESL

• Instruction for ELLs in an English educational environment• Focus on English language acquisition and academic content

knowledge • 1st language is used to scaffold and differentiate (clarify, pre-

teach, re-teach)

• Bilingual (Transitional – Developmental)• Provide instruction in first language (80% Spanish) to support and

develop1st language• Ensure ELLs are learning academic material in Spanish while

developing English language

• Dual Language Immersion• ELL’s and Native English Speakers• Provide instruction in two languages• Obtain full language proficiency in both targeted languages (1st and 2nd

languages)

Service Delivery Models

• Instruction in general ed. classroom with ESL/bilingual support

• ESL academic content class• ESL newcomer class• Push-In • Pull-Out• Bilingual Instruction

Service Delivery: Warm Up

• Articulating the Type of Services Your School & District Offers Based on ELL Student Needs

• Support from Building and Central Office Administration

• Examining Existing Resources Activity: How would you describe your existing services for ELLs?

Federal Statutes

THE 1974 SUPREME COURT CASE LAU V. NICHOLS RESULTED IN PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT COURT DECISION REGARDING THE EDUCATION OF LANGUAGE-MINORITY STUDENTS. THIS CASE WAS BROUGHT FORWARD BY CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENTS IN THE SAN FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT WHO WERE PLACED IN MAINSTREAM

CLASSROOMS DESPITE THEIR LACK OF PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH, AND LEFT TO "SINK OR SWIM." THE DISTRICT HAD ARGUED THAT IT HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG, AND THAT THE CHINESE AMERICAN STUDENTS RECEIVED TREATMENT EQUAL TO THAT OF OTHER

STUDENTS

Lau v. Nichols

The influence of Lau on federal policy was substantial. After the court's decision, the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights

created the Lau Remedies. Whereas Title VII Bilingual Education Act regulations applied only to funded programs, the Lau Remedies applied to all school districts and functioned as de facto compliance standards.

THE ESSENCE OF LAU WAS CODIFIED INTO FEDERAL LAW THOUGH THE EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES ACT OF 1974 (EEOA), SOON AFTER THE CASE WAS

DECIDED. SECTION 1703(F) OF THIS ACT DECLARES: "NO STATE SHALL DENY EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO AN INDIVIDUAL ON ACCOUNT OF HIS OR HER RACE, COLOR, SEX, OR

NATIONAL ORIGIN BY … (F) THE FAILURE OF AN EDUCATIONAL AGENCY TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO OVERCOME LANGUAGE BARRIERS THAT IMPEDE EQUAL

PARTICIPATION BY ITS STUDENTS IN ITS INSTRUCTIONAL PROGRAMS."

Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 (EEOA),

SERNA V. PORTALES (1974) WAS THE FIRST CASE TO RAISE THE ISSUE OF BILINGUAL EDUCATION OUTSIDE OF THE CONTEXT OF DESEGREGATION (DEL VALLE, 2003). THE CASE

DEALT WITH A WHITE-MAJORITY SCHOOL IN NEW MEXICO THAT FAILED TO MEET THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF "SPANISH-SURNAMED STUDENTS." IT WAS ARGUED UNDER TITLE VI

OF THE CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964, WHICH PROHIBITS DISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF "RACE, COLOR, OR NATIONAL ORIGIN" IN ANY PROGRAM THAT RECEIVES FEDERAL

FUNDING. THE COURT FOUND THE SCHOOL'S PROGRAM FOR THESE STUDENTS TO BE INADEQUATE..

Serna v. Portales

The judge declared, "It is incumbent on the school district to reassess and enlarge its program directed to the specialized needs of the Spanish-surnamed students" and to create bilingual programs at other schools where they are needed. This case was first

decided in 1972. Later it was appealed to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals and decided in 1974 just six months after Lau. Like Lau, it makes clear that schools cannot ignore the

unique language and educational needs of ELL students

THE RIGHT TO BILINGUAL EDUCATION SUFFERED A FURTHER BLOW IN 1981 IN CASTAÑEDA V. PICKARD. THE CASE ORIGINATED IN TEXAS, WHERE PLAINTIFFS CHARGED THAT THE RAYMONDVILLE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT WAS FAILING TO ADDRESS

THE NEEDS OF ELL STUDENTS AS MANDATED BY THE EEOA. THE FEDERAL COURT IGNORED THE OLD ASSUMPTION THAT LAU AND THE EEOA MANDATED BILINGUAL EDUCATION. NEVERTHELESS, IT DID FIND THAT RAYMONDVILLE FELL FAR SHORT OF MEETING THE

REQUIREMENTS OF THE EEOA. A MAJOR OUTCOME OF THIS CASE IS A THREE-PRONGED TEST TO DETERMINE WHETHER SCHOOLS ARE TAKING "APPROPRIATE ACTION" TO

ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF ELLS AS REQUIRED BY THE EEOA.

Castañeda v. Pickard

The Castañeda standard mandates that programs for language-minority students must be (1) based on a sound educational theory, (2) implemented effectively with sufficient

resources and personnel, and (3) evaluated to determine whether they are effective in helping students overcome language barriers (Del Valle, 2003).

1982Plyler v. Doe

U.S. Supreme Court denies the states' right to exclude the children of illegal immigrants from public schools.

http://www.tourolaw.edu/patch/Plyler/

No Child Left Behind• Federal policy for language-minority students learning English changed

dramatically with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) (Public Law 107-110),

• Bilingual Education Act became Title III: Language Instruction for Limited English Proficient and Immigrant Students

• Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Language Affairs (responsible for administering Title VII grants) became Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students

• The National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education became The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs

• LEP student issues are also featured prominently in changes to Title I, "Improving the Academic Achievement of the Economically Disadvantaged," which addresses issues of accountability and high-stakes testing.

No Child Left Behind

• Whereas grants under the former Title VII Bilingual Education Act were competitive, Title III provides formula grants to state education agencies. These agencies, in turn, make subgrants to eligible local education agencies (i.e., school districts and charter schools) that apply to the state for the funds. The funds doublexd but because these federal funds are now spread more thinly, fewer dollars are available for each eligible LEP student.

• Unlike recent versions of the Bilingual Education Act, Title III does not make any distinctions between bilingual and nonbilingual programs. The federal law now requires only that LEP students be placed in "language instruction education programs.

• Also unlike Title VII, Title III includes no recognition of the personal and societal benefits of bilingual education and bilingualism. Nor is there any acknowledgment of the factors that have negatively impacted the education of LEP students, such as segregation, improper placement in special education, and underrepresentation of LEP students in gifted and talented education and shortages of bilingual teachers. Not addressed are issues of cultural differences or the need for multicultural understanding.

• The sole focus of Title III is English. The list of purposes stresses repeatedly that Title III funds and programs are to "ensure that LEP students attain English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same challenging State academic content and student academic achievement standards as all children are expected to meet" and to assist state and local education agencies in creating "high quality instructional programs" that prepare LEP students to "enter all-English instruction settings" (NCLB §3102).

State Statutes

http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/ell_legalrequirements

DPI Website

Bilingual Bicultural State Statutes and Title III

http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/

DPI Website

Legal Requirements (WI Bilingual-Bicultural State Statute)

http://ell.dpi.wi.gov/ell_legalrequirements

DPI Website

Reflection Time

• Learned Information…?

• Affirmations….!

• Challenges…?!?!

Before our next session. . .

• Twelve Key Practices: • Framework Pages 1 – 21

• Key Practice One Pages 29 – 42

• Key Practice Four Pages 89 – 105

• What Research Really Says Article

Final Thoughts & Wrap Up

• Closing Ideas – What’s on Your Mind?• Thank You for the Discussion! • Contact information:

- Amy Christianson/John Kibler- Email: [email protected] Phone: (608) 663-2853- Email: [email protected] Phone: (608) 663-2287

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Equity and Excellence for English Language Learners A Balancing Act for Administrators Amy Christianson, OELA Project Coordinator and John Kibler, OELA