Guidebook on Designing, Delivering and Evaluating Services for English Learners (Els)
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Guidebook on Designing, Delivering and Evaluating Services for English Learners (ELs) Revised October 2016 Colorado State Board of Education Valentina Flores (D) 1st Congressional District Denver Angelika Schroeder (D) 2nd Congressional District Boulder Joyce Rankin (R) 3rd Congressional District Carbondale Pam Mazanec (R) 4th Congressional District Larkspur Steve Durham (R) 5th Congressional District, Chairman Colorado Springs Debora Scheffel (R) 6th Congressional District Parker Jane Goff (D) 7th Congressional District Arvada GUIDEBOOK ON DESIGNING, DELIVERING AND EVALUATING SERVICES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS (ELs) Guidebook on Designing, Delivering, and Evaluating Services for English Learners (ELs) Revised October 2016 Foreword by: Kathy Escamilla University of Colorado, Boulder CB 247—School of Education Boulder, Colorado 80309-0247 [email protected] 303-492-0147 Fax: 303-492-2883 1 GUIDEBOOK ON DESIGNING, DELIVERING AND EVALUATING SERVICES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS (ELs) Foreword In 2001, the United States Congress passed a major educational reform bill known as No Child Left Behind (NCLB). While much criticism has been leveled at many aspects of NCLB, the act was clear in that both State Departments of Education and local school districts needed to serve and be accountable for English learners. Further, included in the mandate was the requirement that State Departments of Education and local schools disaggregate all student data on English learners (ELs) for the purposes of better identifying the needs of this population and monitoring their academic progress and growth toward full acquisition of English. NCLB, just as previous federal education initiatives, outlined a series of desired outcomes to its mandates. While the bill is specific with regard to desired outcomes, one could reasonably argue that it falls short of specific programmatic or instructional guidelines to help local school districts develop and implement programs that will enable English learners and others to meet its mandates. How to improve schooling for ELs has largely been left to states and local school dis- tricts. The NCLB mandates coupled with Colorado’s large and rapidly growing population of second language learners has created a number of responsibilities for local school districts and educators. It is important to note that Colorado, based on CDEs 2013 Student October Count, now has over 120,000 students in grades K–12 who are labeled English Learners. Further, this population has grown by over 21% since 2008, while the overall K–12 population in Colorado has only grown by 7%. The vast majority’s (83.8%) native language is Spanish, however there are 235 languages represented in this population (Colorado Department of Education, Student October, 2013-2014). As of the 2013–2014 Student Count, English learners are now 14.34% of Colorado’s K–12 population. Colorado school districts know that they must meet all NCLB mandates including those for ELs. However, there is no doubt that the vast majority of educators in Colorado do not want to see ELs simply survive and meet mandates in school. They want to insure that they thrive academically, linguistically and socially. Moreover, local school districts are hungry for guidance that will help them to be more effective with English learners. In view of the above, the importance of this Guidebook for Colorado educators of ELs cannot be over-emphasized. This Guidebook provides solid and up-to-date information to the field without being overly prescriptive or dogmatic. It avoids overly simplistic “one size fits all” suggestions for programs and instruction and acknowledges up front that learning a second language is a long and complex process. Effective second language programs must address the cog- nitive and linguistic needs of second language learners; equally important, they also must address the psychological and emotional needs of ELs. The Guidebook, to its credit, outlines the totality of the second language learning process. The Guidebook does not prescribe one specific program model or approach to teaching English learners as being superior to any other, but it does specify that “doing nothing” is not a program model. Further, the Guidebook acknowl- edges that well prepared and knowledgeable teachers are a critical component of any effective program. The authors challenge head-on the current feel-good mantras in some educational circles that “good teaching is good teaching” and illustrate that teaching English learners effectively will require the creation and implementation of programs, specifi- cally tailored to the needs of second language learners, that are orchestrated by well prepared teachers who have the resources needed to implement comprehensive educational programs. In short, the Guidebook does not tell you what to do but it tells you that you must do something and you must be thoughtful and thorough about what you do. Moreover, it provides many solid suggestions about how to get started in program development, assessment and evaluation. The Guidebook makes excellent use of the extant research in providing guidance and direction for the field. Finally, it is important to note that the principles and practices proposed in this Guidebook speak to the fact that if English learners are to be successful in Colorado Schools, it will require that all educators assume responsibility for the education of ELs 2 Foreword and parents of these children must be intimately and actively involved in educational decisions related to their children. The Colorado Department of Education is to be commended for the preparation of this Guidebook. The field is in great need of guidance and leadership in their efforts to meet the needs of the 120,000+ English learners in the state, and our second language students, like their mono- lingual English peers, deserve a first class education, the best our state has to offer. Originally written by Kathy Escamilla in 2007 and updated with data from the 2013–2014 Student October Report. Source: Based on the 2013–2014 Student October Report, “Pupil Membership by Instructional Program” located at http://www.cde.state.co.us/sites/default/files/documents/ cdereval/download/pdf/2012pm/pupilmembershipbyinstructionalprogram.pdf. Foreword 3 GUIDEBOOK ON DESIGNING, DELIVERING AND EVALUATING SERVICES FOR ENGLISH LEARNERS (ELs) Table of Contents Introduction and Guiding Principles . .7 1 Understanding English Learners (ELs) . .10 1.1 ELs in the United States and Colorado ......................................................10 1.2 Stages of Language Development ..........................................................12 1.3 Socio-Cultural Issues and Student Learning .................................................16 2 Understanding the Districts’ Obligation for Identification, Assessment and Placement of ELs . .18 2.1 Procedures for the Identification and Assessment of ELs ......................................18 2.2 Language Proficiency Assessment Instruments. 22 2.3 Program Placement for ELs ...............................................................24 2.4 Redesignation and Exit Guidance (for the 2016–2017 School Year) ..............................26 3 Designing Effective Programs to Meet the Needs of ELs . 30 3.1 Understanding Comprehensive School Reform Guidelines ....................................30 3.2 Understanding and Selecting Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) Models ..........31 3.2a LIEP Models—Theoretical Framework ......................................................32 3.3 Promising Practices ......................................................................42 4 Components of an Effective Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) . .54 4.1 Comprehensive Program Plan .............................................................54 4.2 Standards and Instruction .................................................................55 4.3 Colorado READ Act ......................................................................58 4.4 Assessing Student Growth and Progress to Inform Instruction .................................60 4.5 ACCESS for ELLs ........................................................................63 4.6 Coordination and Collaboration ...........................................................63 4.7 Professional Development (PD) to Support High Quality Staff .................................66 5. Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), Special Education Needs, Gifted and Talented . .70 5.1 Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) ....................................................70 5.2 Special Education Needs ..................................................................76 4 Table of Contents 5.2a Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) Determination ...........................................78 5.3 Gifted and Talented ......................................................................80 6 Evaluating and Managing Programs for ELs . .84 6.1 Program Evaluation ......................................................................84 6.2 Inclusion of ELs in the Statewide System of Accountability ....................................86 7 Family and Community Engagement . 90 7.1 Family-School-Community Partnerships ....................................................90 7.2 Parent Involvement Requirements under Title III of the NCLB Act 2001: English Learners (EL), Limited English Proficiency (LEP) ......................................94 7.3 Putting it All Together ....................................................................95