Navigating the ELPS

1
Navigating the ELPS

• Using the New Standards to Improve Instruction
  for
• English Language Learners

2
Training Goals

• Content Objective
• Participants will be able to describe the
  significance of the new English Language
  Proficiency Standards for administrators
• Language Objective
• Participants will be able to begin the process of
  implementing the new standards

3
Why the ELPS? . . . The Big Ideas

• ELLs benefit from content area instruction that
  is accommodated to their need for comprehensible
  input (Krashen, 1983l Echevarria, Vogt, and
  Short, 2008).
• ELLs benefit from academic language instruction
  integrated into content area instruction
  (Crandall, 1987 Snow et. al, 1989).
• ELLs benefit from programs that hold high
  expectations for students for academic success
  (Collier, 1992 Lucas et. al. 1990 Samway
  McKeon, 2007).
• Language proficiency standards provide a common
  framework for integrating language and content
  instruction for English learners (Short, 2000).

4
History of ESL in Texas

• 1980s content-based/ESL sheltered instruction
• 1998 ESL standards in Spanish and English
  Language Arts
• 1999 SIOP research validates use of sheltered
  instruction to improve instruction for ELLs

5
History of ESL in Texas

• 2001 NCLB focus on research-based instruction
• 2006 ESL standards revised
• 2007 English Language Proficiency Standards
  established

6
ELPS . . . Building a Mental Framework

• Big Ideas
• Make content comprehensible
• Build academic language
• Student Expectations
• Learning strategies
• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

• Big Responsibilities
• Curriculum must be
• Communicated
• Sequenced
• Scaffolded
• Linguistically accommodated
• PLDs
• Proficiency Level Descriptors
• Beginning (L,S,R,W)
• Intermediate (L,S,R,W)
• Advanced (L,S,R,W)
• Advanced High (L,S,R,W)

7
Big Responsibilities

• School districts must
• (1)  identifyEnglish language proficiency levels
  
• (2)  provide instructionthat is linguistically
  accommodated
• (3)  provide content-based instruction including
  knowledge and skills in subsection (c)
• (4)  provide intensivesecond language
  acquisition instruction to ELLs in Grade 3 or
  higher who are at the beginning or intermediate
  level

8
Curriculum must be

• Communicated
• Sequenced
• Scaffolded

9
Intensive Academic English
For Beginning and Intermediate Students, Grades
3-12

• Focused
• Targeted
• Systematic

10
Student Expectations

• Learning Strategies
• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

11
Proficiency Level Descriptors

• Beginning
• Intermediate
• Advanced
• Advanced High

• Listening
• Speaking
• Reading
• Writing

12
Putting it all Together . . .

• Activity
• With participants at your table, create a
  graphic organizer of the information we have
  discussed so far. Include the 4 subsections of
  the Ch 74.4 (Big Ideas, Big Responsibilities,
  Student Expectations, and PLDs) and the main
  ideas about each.

13
Getting Started Implementing the ELPS

• Open a discussion with faculty about . . .
• What can we do to ensure English learners
  understand the key content concepts?
• What can we do to ensure English learners develop
  their ability to read, write, listen, and speak
  in academic English about content concepts?
• The ELPS are the answer!

14
ELPS and PBMAS

• LEP Year after exit TAKS passing rate
• LEP participation rate
• LEP annual drop out rate
• LEP graduation rate
• LEP RHSP/DAP diploma rate

• BE English TAKS passing rate
• ESL English TAKS passing rate
• BE Spanish TAKS passing rate
• ESL Spanish TAKS passing rate

15
ELPS/PDAS Connections

• v Content and language objectives posted
• v Evidence of use of explicit vocabulary
  instruction
• v Evidence of use of a variety of techniques to
  make content comprehensible
• v Evidence of reading and writing in academic
  English
• v Evidence of student/student interaction
  focusing on lesson concepts
• v Specific instructional interventions for ELLs

16
What do administrators need to do?

• School districts must
• provide intensivesecond language acquisition
  instruction to ELLs in Grade 3 or higher who are
  at the beginning or intermediate level (b4)
• provide content-based instruction including
  knowledge and skills in subsection (b3)
• provide instructionthat is linguistically
  accommodated (b2)

17
What steps should we take?

• Provide training for administrators and
  specialists on the new standards
• Provide training for teachers of ELLs on
• integrating cross curricular student expectations
• differentiating instruction for ELLs
• Provide curriculum that includes intensive
  academic English that supports content area
  instruction for beginning and intermediate
  students

18
District Implementation Checklist

• Goals
• Target
• Steps
• Person(s) Responsible
• Dates/Deadlines

19
Navigating the ELPS

• A good plan is like a road map it shows the
  final destination and usually the best way to get
  there.
• H.
  Stanley Judd