World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment Spanish Language Arts Standards December 2005 Acknowledgements The development of the WIDA Spanish Language Arts Standards was a collaborative effort involving the work of many people with a broad range of expertise in language learning and a common vision of what students should be able to attain in the Spanish language arts. Their combined talents produced a document that reflects this vision. It is the sincere hope of all those who worked on the project that the WIDA Standards will be used as guidelines to make a difference in the development and improvement of Spanish language programs at all levels. Without the contributions made by every individual who worked on this project, this Standards document would not have been completed. Deep appreciation and gratitude is expressed to the following individuals for the many hours they spent writing and revising the standards document: Delaware District of Columbia Ariadna Clare Nicole Bryan Juan Lemos Illinois Antonio Sanchez Mark Armendariz Gabriela Morales Jorge Berné Diep Nguyen Wisconsin Amy Correa Stephanie Paul Ivy Corvert María Ferguson Kim Potowski Elba Morrero Zoilá García Doris Reynolds Jesús Santos Efraín González Dionnes Rivera Fernando Kim Beth Robinson Illinois Resource Center Lois LaGalle Olimpia Rodriguez John Hilliard Robin Lisboa Wilma Valero Lucia Morales Silvia Lopez Judy Yturriago Cheryl Urow Ellen Magit Elia Merritt GWU Center for Equity and Excellence in Ed. Danette Meyer María Helena Malagón Jane Montes A very special thanks is extended to Margo Gottlieb, Director of Assessment and Evaluation at the Illinois Resource Center, and to Charlene Rivera, Director of the George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education, for their leadership and their commitment to this project. Their guidance and their support made it all possible. 1 WIDA Spanish Language Arts Standards The WIDA Spanish Language Arts (SLA) Standards are the result of a collaborative effort among the departments of education in Delaware, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C., the Illinois Resource Center, and the George Washington University Center for Equity & Excellence in Education. The Standards were developed by a group of teachers and administrators with vast language experience who used the Reading Language Arts Standards from their states, as well as their own knowledge, to inform and guide their work. The significance of the WIDA SLA Standards can only be appreciated within the context of the changing demographics of this country and the need to provide a world-class education to all students. To this end, the following principles were developed. Principles: • Spanish speaking students in United States learn their native language within the context of the wider, predominantly English speaking society. • Spanish speaking students represent a variety of Spanish language communities. • High-level knowledge and skills developed in the native language, in this case Spanish, transfer to the second language (English). • Students’ cultural experiences and heritage are resources to be incorporated in the implementation of standards-based education. • High levels of knowledge and skill in two languages lead to bilingualism, an individual and societal asset (TESOL, 1997). There is tremendous diversity in the type of programs offering instruction in Spanish to students in the United States. Many different bilingual program models are implemented as well as immersion and dual language programs. The students in these programs are equally diverse. Some are new arrivals to the United States with little or no knowledge of English. Others are U.S. born native speakers of Spanish who present a wide range of proficiency in Spanish. Yet another group of students consists of native English speakers learning Spanish as a second language. The WIDA SLA Standards do not differentiate among all the groups of students but rather include the language competencies all students studying in Spanish, whether it be their native or other language, need to become fully proficient in the language. The rationale for developing the Standards in this manner is as follows. Rationale: • acknowledge the growing numbers of programs serving school-age Spanish speakers in US schools • establish rigorous and comprehensive standards that are comparable to and align with existing state English language arts standards • foster the development of bilingual/ biliterate individuals so that they may contribute to the increasingly diverse workforce and global society • offer educators practical ways to translate the body of research that supports the cognitive and academic advantages of being bilingual into their teaching practices. • fulfill the need for teachers and administrators to have SLA standards in this age of accountability The WIDA Spanish Language Arts Standards were developed for educators at all levels. They are intended to provide a framework for instruction and assessment at the program as well as the classroom level. Its overall uses include: Uses • To guide the development of curriculum that promotes both communicative and academic native language proficiencies • To provide continuity of Spanish Language Arts instruction across the grades 2 • To promote and sustain Spanish language support for academic purposes • To anchor assessment and instruction in settings where Spanish is the medium of instruction • To serve as benchmarks for stakeholders, including parents, teachers, administrators, and Boards of Education and programs supporting native language instruction in Spanish 3 1. READING AND LITERATURE: Read and respond to literature and other writings representative of Spanish- speaking societies. Rationale: Reading is essential. It is the process by which people gain information and ideas from books, newspapers, manuals, letters, contracts, advertisements, and numerous other materials. Using strategies for constructing meaning before, during and after reading will help students connect what they read now with what they have learned in the past. Students who read well and widely build a strong foundation for learning in all areas of life. A. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding of Spanish printed text EARLY ELEMENTARY LATE ELEMENTARY MIDDLE/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL 1.A.1a Demonstrate understanding of 1.A.2a Identify and use organizational concepts of print (e.g. parts of a book, features of texts, such as headings, title, author, left-right tracking, top- paragraphs, and format, to improve bottom). understanding. 1.A.1b Apply word analysis skills, 1.A.2b Apply word analysis skills to 1.A.3b Apply knowledge of word 1.A.4b Identify and analyze Spanish word (e.g., Spanish phonics including decode and comprehend unfamiliar origins and derivations, including origins and derivations and use idioms, phonemic awareness, letter-sound words. cognates, to comprehend words used analogies, metaphors and similes to extend correspondence, spelling patterns, in specific content areas (e.g., vocabulary development. syllabification, diphthongs, syllable scientific, political, literary, juncture, accent marks, diérisis, and mathematical). tildes) to decode new words. 1.A.1c Comprehend unfamiliar words 1.A.2c Clarify word meaning using 1.A.3c Analyze the meaning of words 1.A.4c Evaluate the choice of words, using context clues and prior context clues and a variety of and phrases in their context, including expressions, and style considering the knowledge; verify meanings with resources including glossaries, their cultural context. purpose and context of a communication. resource materials. dictionaries and thesauruses. 1.A.1d Establish purposes for reading, 1.A.2d Establish purposes for reading; 1.A.3d Preview reading materials, 1.A.4d Relate reading to prior knowledge make predictions, connect important survey materials; ask questions; make make predictions and relate reading to and experience and make connections with ideas, and link text to previous predictions; connect, clarify and information from other sources. other texts. experiences and knowledge. extend ideas. 1.A.1e Identify genres (forms and 1.A.2e Identify structure (e.g., 1.A.3e Analyze, interpret and 1.A.4e Analyze the defining characteristics purposes) of fiction, nonfiction, poetry description, compare/contrast, cause compare a variety of texts for purpose, and structures of a variety of complex literary and electronic literary forms. and effect, sequence) of nonfiction structure, content, detail and effect. genres and describe how genre affects the texts to improve comprehension. meaning and function of the texts. 4 1. READING AND LITERATURE: Read and respond to literature and other writings representative of Spanish- speaking societies. (cont.) A. Apply reading strategies to improve understanding of Spanish printed text (cont.) EARLY ELEMENTARY LATE ELEMENTARY MIDDLE/JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL 1.A.1f Continuously check and clarify 1.A.2f Continuously check and clarify 1.A.3f Continuously check and clarify 1.A.4f Check for understanding and clarity by for understanding (e.g., reread, read for understanding (e.g., in addition to for understanding (e.g., in addition to evaluating a variety of texts, in and out of ahead, use visual and context clues, previous skills, clarify terminology, previous skills, draw comparisons to school, for purpose, structure, content and ask questions, retell, use meaningful seek additional information). other readings). details. substitutions).