1. Elementary English Learners
Elementary Administrators
July 30, 2014
LIZ: Welcome & Intro
Who is an English Learner?
The state defines an EL student as one who has a primary language or “home language” other than English.
Demonstrates on state assessments that he/she lacks the English language skills required in listening comprehension, speaking , reading and writing to be successful within a school’s regular instructional programs.

2. English Learners Watch the video
Watch the video
Note two of the EL issues that are presented that stand out to you.
Respond to the writing prompt at the end of the video
MM: English Learners come to us with a variety of needs and the complicated instructional implications of serving them well results in many issues. If we give EL’s what we give everyone else, it’s insufficient. This video provides a quick review of some of issues in the EL world. Use the sheet at the top of you packet to note at least two that stand out to you and to respond to the writing prompt at the end of the video. Be prepared to share out.

3. Ch ch ch Changes………. Common Core Standards Staircase
Result in College and Career Readiness
Based on solid research and practice evidence
Fewer, Higher and Clearer
All English learners must have full access to high-quality English language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies content, as well as other academic subjects, while simultaneously learning English as an additional language. The CA ELD Standards are intended to support this dual endeavor by providing fewer, clearer, and higher standards that teachers can use to guide their instruction.
Fewer: Standards that are necessary and essential for language development and academic success;
Clearer: A coherent body of standards that have clear links to instructional practice and formative assessment practices; and
Higher: Correspondence with the elevated standards in the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other new content standards.

4. Language Demands of the Common Core Standards
EL’s must obtain information and request clarification.
EL’s must demonstrate understanding & confirm being understood.
El’s must construct explanations, engage in arguments.
EL’s must articulate their own ideas and build on others’ ideas.
The Common Core Standards have increased language demands that range from social and general to discipline-specific and academic. Our English leaner students will need to have targeted instruction in order to be able to confidently use language to: (have them read out)
Language Demands of the Common Core Standards

5. 6 ELA SHIFTS in Standards
Literacy Standards for Content Areas
Increased Emphasis on Informational
Text
Text Complexity
Writing Arguments
Focus on Collaborative Conversations
Integration of Media Sources
Shift to higher-level thinking skills
Rigor regarding depth and focus, quality over quantity
Increased focus on Informational text in all subject areas
Reading and Writing using evidence

6. Special care to appropriately scaffold the journey for our EL’s so they can climb too.
Research says that “English learners do not reliably develop ease and accuracy in using language required for academic tasks through passive listening or unstructured interactions”
We need to scaffold and target our work to help them get there. But like any good contractor knows, there are no finished buildings that still have the scaffolding around them. Teachers must become experts at differentiating the levels and types of scaffolding needed – and knowing when to modify – and when to remove those scaffolds.

7. Key Shift in the Common Core: Language development across the curriculum
Language development occurs within a dedicated ELD curriculum (designated ELD) AND across all academic subjects (integrated ELD).
One of the main changes we see is with the CCSS is a shared obligation for the development of language – while the Designated ELD teacher focuses on developing the proficiency levels of the students so that they can move along the continuum and become proficient as measured by the CELDT or ELPAC – the content area teachers must make content comprehensible for EL students integrating the learning of language and academic vocabulary specific to their content area.
Framing the language that will needed in order to participate and providing students with opportunities to practice that language collaboratively – both in oral and written form – will ensure that all students can engage with the content.

8. Key Shift in the Common Core: Language development across the curriculum
Academic language develops in the context of learning academic subjects – students learn to talk and write about history, science, math, through a focus on the language of the academic disciplines.

9. Key Shift in the Common Core: Language development across the curriculum
The CCSS call upon all content teachers to focus more explicitly on the discourse patterns, vocabulary and oral language essential to full participation in academic work within their disciplines.

10. Key Shift in the Common Core: Language development across the curriculum
All teachers need an understanding of literacy and language, and the strategies to promote active engagement with language in the content classroom.

11. 3 Instructional Shifts
Reading, writing, speaking grounded in evidence from text, both
literary and informational
Focus on creating opportunities and developing strategies for increasing student discourse and collaborative conversations which includes the use of daily language objectives in all EL instructional settings.
Regular practice with complex text and its academic language.
Building knowledge through content rich non fiction.
Targeted academic vocabulary instruction and strategies to enable access to complex text
When we examine these three instructional shifts we see in ELA with the CCSS, you see how the underlying scaffolds and supports for EL students will come from targeted activities and strategies to be used in both ELD and in content instruction.

12. In addition………. CA ELD Standards Local Control Funding Formula
Publishers racing to create materials that are aligned to the new Common Core and CA ELD Standards
SBAC
New ELD CA ELD standards that are aligned and designed to be used in tandem with CCSS for ELA, Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science and Technical Subjects – they highlight and amplify the key language knowledge, skills and abilities critical for EL’s to access engage with, and achieve in grade level academic content with CCSS while they are concurrently learning English.
No more EIA LEP funds – now we have LCFF monies which are earmarked for serving EL’s , students who fall under the low socio economic status and foster youth. The LCFF monies support EL’s in learning English, but only for 5 years – after the that time limit, the services must continue, but the funding will cease.
Not all of our current instructional materials are aligned to the CCSS – much less aligned to the CA ELD standards
Our new state assessment – all online- will rollout in the spring of this year.

13. WCCUSD Support for Elementary EL Programs
Rebuilt Master Plan for English Learners Elementary teachers were trained in Treasures ELD in tandem with Treasures/Tesoros RLA Monthly TBE/DLI Support Meetings 3 Levels of ELD PD/Coaching Series using Treasures ELD Coaching Support at Focus Schools CA 2012 ELD Standards Overview Brokers of Expertise
What has EL K-12 done to support all these changes?
We will have a rebuilt Master plan for EL’s that will go to Board for final approval in August.
Last year we had monthly professional development meetings for our secondary ELD teachers and consultant support in the form of coaching for some secondary schools.
There were summer and winter sessions that gave teachers an overview of the Ca ELD Standards and teachers had an opportunity to do the Brokers of Expertise PD online.

14. WCCUSD English Learner Master Plan
Components
Identification, Assessment and Program Placement
Instructional Programs
Monitoring of Student Progress and Reclassification
Parent and Community Involvement
Evaluation and Accountability
Appendix with Legal
References and Glossary
Our Master plan will serve as a guide in these 5 areas of EL

15. Still work to do……… EL Master Plan goes to board in August
Plan will be implemented in phases
Introduction to WCCUSD staff and community will occur at various meetings and events throughout the school year.
Operations manuals for Registration, Assessment and Placement (RAP) and EL Program to be published later this year.
There remain many tasks at hand:
After the master plan gets approved by the Board, it will be implemented in phases, as well as being introduced to staff and community in a variety of settings. Following the plan will be two key operations manuals that will give details on District procedures.

16. Educators have a Dual Obligation to English Learners
Provide meaningful access to grade-level academic content via appropriate instruction (Integrated ELD)
Develop students’ academic English language proficiency (Designated ELD)
Interconnected, not separate!
Simultaneous, not sequential!
The US Supreme Court decision on Lau vs. Nichols (1974)still guides us today:
“There is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum…for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education.”

17. So what will help our teachers?
2012 ELD Standards
Sustained collaboration and professional learning around key problems of practice
Deep understanding of disciplinary literacy (content AND language knowledge)
Formative assessments within teaching and learning
As leaders, we need to understand the ELD standards and support our teachers in knowing how to use them to facilitate language instruction in both ELD and content area classes.
We will need to provide teachers with the time and structures to identify problems and find solutions using best instructional practices.
Quality teaching needs to be an expectation for all of our classrooms – ELD knowledge and expertise should be highlighted and shared with content area teachers.
All of our teachers need to check up on their students along the way to make sure that they are mastering content as well as language.

18. Why establish ELD standards?
English learners at all English language proficiency levels are capable of engaging in intellectually rich instruction in all content areas.
English learners bring primary language resources that should be valued in their own right and used as a resource for learning English.
English learners learn both language and content through meaningful interactions with others and by learning about how language works to make meaning.
We need to develop an awareness of how to use the CA ELD Standards in
tandem with the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy by providing ELs
with access to complex texts and intellectually challenging
activities and highlighting and amplifying the critical language,
knowledge about language, and skills using language in the CA
CCSS for ELA/Literacy necessary for ELs to be successful in
school;

19. ELD Shifts: New ELD Standards
Adopted on November 7, by SBE
Correlated to CCSS & designed to help ELs build critical knowledge and skills
Describe key knowledge, skills, and abilities in core areas of ELD
Where are we with the CA ELD standards?
They were adopted in November of 2012 and designed to guide instruction and support for EL students in both ELD and content areas.

20. California Implementation Timeline
2010 August SBE Adopts Common Core State Standards
2011 October AB124 Mandates Revision of ELD Standards
2012 November SBE Adopts ELD Standards
2013 December ELA/ELD Curriculum Framework developed for public review.
2014 June (anticipated) ELD Standards to be reformatted and aligned to New Generation Content Standards.
Development of new ELPAC assessment
California Implementation Timeline
So Far…
Right Now
From this timeline, you can see that the CA ELD Standards are still in the early phases of implementation - their creation followed the CA CCSS adoption in 2010 and has gone through several different stages – there are more pieces to follow………
Next…..

21. What’s on the Horizon . .
—ELP Assessments for California (ELPAC)
2016—ELA/ELD K-8 Instructional Materials Adoption
This spring, the state will pilot a new assessment, aligned with the new ELD standards and determining level of English proficiency aligned to our new Proficiency Level Descriptors. This test – currently called the ELPAC,- will replace the CELDT in EL initial testing will still be done at the time of enrollment, however the yearly testing will be done in the spring of each year instead of the summer and fall.

22. EL K-12 Standards Support Plan for 2014-15
Various Professional Development Series on the CA ELD Standards and Implementing Treasures ELD.
Monthly Sheltered or SDAIE Support meetings (new), in addition to monthly ELD meetings (new). Continue with monthly TBE/DLI Support meetings.
Expansion of ELD Coaching (additional coaches) and TBE/DLI Coaching (new).
Centrally funded GLAD training for elementary and secondary teachers.
In order to support the awareness of and the transition to the CA ELD standards, this is the support we are planning

23. Let’s take a look at the CA ELD Standards………….
Amplify critical knowledge about English language skills in the CCSS for ELA/Literacy that English learners need to be successful in school
Today we hope to develop your understand the purpose, key concepts, and structure of the CA ELD Standards, including their alignment to the CA CCSS for
ELA/literacy;
To be used by content area teachers as well as ELD teachers to ensure support for our EL students.

24. Proficiency Level Descriptors
Include:
Overall Proficiency (entry & exit)
Extent of linguistic support needed
Describe knowledge, skills, and abilities across a continuum
Three levels: Emerging, Expanding, Bridging at early and exit stages
Guide targeted instruction in ELD and
differentiated instruction in content areas
One key structural shift in the CA ELD standards is the move to 3 proficiency level of English. Share with your neighbor the current number of English proficiency levels we have on the CELDT. Share out.
Each of the three new proficiency descriptors as they are now called – Emerging, Expanding Bridging (Gesture) – includes a description of entrance and exit stages . Since we do not have the proficiency test developed yet, it’s still not clear if the students will be classified into 3 or 6 categories of English proficiency based on these descriptors. You can think of them roughly as Emerging – current CELDT 1’s and low 2’s, Expanding – high CELDT 2’s and 3’s, Bridging – 4’s and 5’s

25. This is an example from your standards booklet – take a look at this page and the next. You will note that the descriptors no longer specify the four domains of language that we are used to seeing on the CELDT – please turn to your partner and name those 4 domains together (shout out share). Moving forward we will classify language into “Modes of Communication” –focusing on effective collaboration (engaging in dialogue with others), interpretation (comprehension and analysis of written and spoken texts) and production ( creation of oral presentations and written texts).

26. Focus on one level for a minute
Focus on one level for a minute. Discuss with a partner changes you see or descriptions that strike you.
PLD’s include a general descriptor of EL’s abilities at entry and exit stages from each level and the extent of support needed per the linguistic and cognitive demands of tasks.

27. ELD Standards Amplify ELA Standards Organized by grade level
Divided into 3 parts
Interacting in Meaningful Ways
Learning About how English Works
Using Foundational Literacy Skills
The CA ELD standards are now organized by grade level instead of by proficiency level as they were before. You’ll see that they are explicitly linked to the corresponding grade level ELA standards- with the intent of providing support for those specific standards for our EL students.
Each grade level begins with a two page “at a glance” overview. Each set of grade level standards is divided into the same 3 parts, which are color coded for you. The standards are listed on the left and the explicit link to the corresponding grade level ELA standards is on the right- with the intent of providing support for those specific standards for our EL students.

28. Look at Standards
If you turn to the next page, you have parts I, II, and III listed by proficiency descriptor. On the left are the corresponding ELD standards again, and a section on language use which signals how we shift our language depended on its purpose.

29. Standards Walk Pick one grade level ELD standard
Work with a partner at your table
Pick one grade level ELD standard
Read the emerging description
Read the expanding description of the same standard – highlight what you see has been added in comparison with the emerging description.
Now read the bridging description of the same standard – highlight what you see has been added in comparison with the expanding description.
Be prepared to share what you saw with the rest of the group.
Assign each table a grade level set of ELD standards (K,1,2,3,4,5).
Dig into one of the standards at your grade level with your partner.
(3 Min)

30. What should we see in the classrooms?
ELD Language objective Academic vocabulary Focus on language structures and functions Opportunities for oral practice Collaborative Conversations Visual Cues Graphic Organizers
Sheltered Content and related language objective Academic vocabulary Focus on language structures and functions Opportunities for oral practice Collaborative conversations Visual Cues Graphic Organizers
Using these CA ELD standards with our EL’s in ELD and in tandem with the CCSS for EL’s in content areas, we must expect to see changes in instructional strategies and teacher behaviors that will enable EL kids to have access.

31. Points to
Consider
What tasks do I want my students to be able to complete independently?
Determine the central ideas from various texts and summarize accurately (7th Grade History Literacy 2.0)
Explain ideas based on close readings of grade-level texts (7th Grade ELD – Writing 6-A)
What do I need to consider getting them to that point?
The academic language they need to be successful
Their language needs according to their PLD
(emerging, expanding, bridging)
How to make our time together relevant, challenging,
and engaging
What tools do I have to put all of this together for my students?
Scaffolding
Differentiation
Integrated instruction
All teachers have to backwards plan specifically thinking of their EL needs – beginning with the CCSS content standards they want the students to achieve, then the specific language needs of the students in terms of getting there and how they will be supported.
Ah-ha! If I integrate the academic content and ELD standards, my students will develop both the academic and English fluency. I am the best teacher ever!

32. Integrated and Designated ELD: Working in Tandem
Integrated ELD:
All teachers with English learners in their classrooms use the CA ELD Standards in tandem with the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and other content standards.
Designated ELD:
A protected time
where teachers use
the CA ELD Standards
as the focal standards
in ways that build into
and from content instruction.
We now speak of two types of ELD - integrated ELD – which would be sheltered or SDIAE content area instruction with focused attention to the language development needed for that specific discipline and designated ELD – protected daily ELD time for specifically for EL’s - that builds into and from content instruction.

33. What should we see EL students doing in ELD and Sheltered/SDAIE classrooms?
Engaging in productive oral discourse and written group work with peers that incorporates academic vocabulary tied to the lesson or unit of study.
Participating in effective oral discourse and written communication with teachers.
Explaining and demonstrating their knowledge using emerging complex language, academic vocabulary and other communicative strategies in different settings.
Extracting meaning from complex written texts.
If the teacher is employing backwards planning specifically for EL’s, and using the CA ELD standards in tandem with the CCSS, this is what you should see the EL’s in your classrooms doing

34. What should we see in the classrooms?
ELD Language objective Academic vocabulary Focus on language structures and functions Opportunities for oral practice Collaborative Conversations Visual Cues Graphic Organizers
Sheltered Content and related language objective Academic vocabulary Focus on language structures and functions Opportunities for oral practice Collaborative conversations Visual Cues Graphic Organizers
Using these CA ELD standards with our EL’s in ELD and in tandem with the CCSS for EL’s in content areas, we must expect to see changes in instructional strategies and teacher behaviors that will enable EL kids to have access.

35. We must ensure daily, high quality ELD instruction for our EL students
Administrators have to know what to look for in ELD
Daily language objectives that frame opportunities for discourse and collaborative conversations using academic language.
Using genuine formative assessments to guide instruction frequently.
Get to the classrooms regularly to ensure it happens
Ensure that ELD teachers have opportunities for feedback on their instruction and time to collaborate with one another.
The key for our EL’s – especially for those entering our schools at the secondary level – has to be an effective, high quality ELD program. Creating the conditions at our schools for EL’s to succeed is up to us as administrators. We must put the expectation out there, go out and see if it’s happening regularly and provide appropriate support when it’s not.

36. Let’s Practice - ELD Pick a partner at your table
Read the ELD vignette
Work together to highlight examples in the vignette that illustrate teacher
and student behaviors that are listed in your packet
Discuss with your partner how you would structure teacher feedback
based on this vignette
Be ready to share out
Now, let’s practice with it. On the following page is a designated ELD class vignette from the ELA ELD standards framework. Please read through it on your own, then work with a partner on how you might use the checklist if you just came out of this classroom. What feedback would you give to this teacher? Be ready to share one warm feedback statement and one cool feedback statement you would have in a conversation with this teacher. (5 min)

37. Designated ELD Vignette
Snapshot 3: Designated ELD Connected to Mathematics
In mathematics, Mrs. Cooper teaches her students to solve word problems
and how to explain their thinking and justify their arguments for solving a problem a particular way. She models how to solve word problems and thinks aloud for students as she does, using drawing and other visuals to make their thinking process visible. She models how to identify language that reveals what kind of word problem she is solving (e.g., how many are left, how many are there altogether, how many more), how to identify the important information for Solving the problem, and how to apply math content knowledge to solve the problems. She provides many opportunities for her students to practice by Collaboratively solving word problems with peers and explaining how they solved the problems, using their drawing and writing to justify their assertions.
Continue vignette next slide

38. Let’s practice – ELD