Study Questions To what extent do English language learners have opportunity to learn the subject content specified in state academic standards and assessed on state assessments? What is the relationship of academic English language development standards and assessments to state academic standards? What instructional practices and strategies are used to teach academic English language skills across different subject areas or courses? What is the relationship between the extent of alignment of instruction to standards and student achievement?

Study Goals Measure and report the degree of alignment between instruction, state standards, and student assessments for English language learners in a sample of classrooms and schools in the Consortium states. Advance and improve the alignment procedures and definitions for the Surveys of Enacted Curriculum alignment method to increase capacity for applying the method to English language development practices and materials. Provide expert technical assistance for Consortium States to apply alignment analysis results with state leaders to improve the quality and validity of assessment instruments for ELL students, and to assist districts and school leaders to improve instructional practices for ELLs and other students. Collaborate with Consortium states to analyze growth in student achievement in relation to the degree of alignment of classroom instruction to standards (i.e., differences in “opportunity to learn”). Disseminate products and findings to education leaders across states.