Title: Strategies and Tools for Teaching English Language Learners with Disabilities
1Strategies and Tools for Teaching English
Language Learners with Disabilities
- April 9, 2005
- Kristi Liu and Ann Clapper
N C E O
National Center on Educational Outcomes
2Session Overview
- Who we are
- Research on strategies for ELLs with disabilities
- In general
- Our own
- Research to practice
3- National Center on Educational Outcomes (NCEO)
- NCEO provides national leadership in the
participation of students with disabilities in
national and state assessments, - standards-setting efforts,
- and graduation
- requirements
4NCLB State Assessments
- State assessments must provide for the
participation of all students, including students
with disabilities or limited English proficiency
5NCLB State Assessment Systems
- State assessment systems must produce results
disaggregated by gender, major racial and ethnic
groups, English proficiency, migrant status, and
disability.
6NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress
- States must specify annual objectives to
measure progress of schools and district to
ensure that all groups of students-including
low-income students, students from major racial
and ethnic groups, students with disabilities,
and students with limited English
proficiency-reach proficiency within 12 years.
7No mention of English language learners with
disabilities!
8Why are we concerned about this group?
- Population 357,325 in 2002-2003 (9 of ELLs)
- Statewide test scores lower than either ELLs or
Students with disabilities - More ELLs instructed in mainstream courses taught
in English -- tendency increased for students
with disabilities
9Link to Learning
- If you said to me what
- is the most important thing
- about standards and testing,
- I would say the information it
- gives us about informing
- instruction.
- --Minnesota teacher
10We have to find better ways to teach these
students in mainstream settings
You cant pull out when youve got 50 of your
students are ELL students, you cant pull them
out anymore because youre pulling out half your
class. -- Minnesota teacher
11RESEARCH ON STRATEGIES
- Gersten, R., Baker, S., and Marks, S. (1998).
Teaching English language learners with learning
difficulties Guiding principles and examples
from research-based practice. ERIC Document 427
448.
12Our researchLEP/IEP Strategies Project
- PROJECT PURPOSE
- To provide research-based knowledge to
educators on the topic of instructional
strategies that help middle school ELLs with
disabilities achieve in standards-based content
classrooms
13Research Questions
- What strategies are specified in state middle
school documents that support instruction of ELLs
with disabilities? - In schools throughout the U.S. that are making
greater than average progress with ELLs, what
instructional strategies do teachers recommend
for improving the academic achievement of middle
school and junior high ELLs with disabilities in
standards-based content instruction? - How, and to what degree, are state standards that
specify instructional strategies translated into
practice by educational leaders at the school
level?
14Our Research LEP/IEP Instructional Project
- PROJECT PURPOSE
- To investigate ways that ELLs with disabilities
can participate meaningfully in, and benefit
from, standards based instruction. - To promote effective practice for successful
participation of ELLs with disabilities by
improving the alignment of instructional
interventions for these students.
15Research Questions
- What instructional practices do educators
(ESL/Bilingual education teachers, special
education teachers and general teachers)
recommend for delivering grade-level,
standards-based instruction to ELLs with
disabilities in general settings? - What are the effects of recommended instructional
practices on the performance of ELLs with
disabilities in general education settings?
16Definition of a strategy
- A purposeful activity to engage learners in
acquiring new behaviors or knowledge. To be
useful for our purposes, an instructional
strategy should have clearly defined steps or a
clear description of what the teacher does.
17Phase 1 Math results
- Top 5 strategies in weighting
- Tactile, concrete experiences of math
- Daily re-looping of previously learned materials
- Problem solving instruction and task analysis
strategies - Teacher think-alouds
- Student think-alouds
18Math Results cont.
- Most feasible and most used
- Adjusted speech
- Daily re-looping of previously learned materials.
19Some overall findings
- No common understanding of what a strategy is.
- In general teachers were neutral or positive
about all strategies. - Use of the native language was not mentioned
frequently
20- The top three strategies varied little across
types of teachers. - Curriculum-based probes or Curriculum based
measurement was the most variable - Teachers were influenced by a variety of factors
in weighting Research Data, Setting, Content
Area, Individual Student Variables, Personal
Experience, and Study Design.
21Current Phase (2005)
- 1-1 (teacher to student) studies of recommended
strategies - Think alouds
- Problem solving
- instruction
- Student developed
- glossary
22What does the research mean for me?
23Tools for teachers
- Training modules on strategies
- Videoclips of strategy use
- Posters of strategy steps
- Innovation
- Configuration Maps
24Innovation Configuration MapDefinition
- A description of how
- a program, practice,
- or innovation looks
- in actual practice.
25Innovation Configuration MapElements
- Component
- Role
- Levels
- Variations
26Links to Standards for School Mathematics
Communication
- Instructional programs from prekindergarten
through grade 12 should enable all
students to - Organize and consolidate their mathematical
thinking through communication - Communicate their mathematical thinking
coherently and clearly to peers, teachers, and
others - Analyze and evaluate the mathematical thinking
and strategies of others - Use the language of mathematics to express
mathematical ideas precisely
27NCEO Resources
www.nceo.info Kristi Liu, (612.626.9061) kline010_at_
umn.edu Ann Clapper, (612.625.6032)
clapp013_at_umn.edu