1. ESL: Making Connections
Elementary Principals February 20, 2014
Glenda Harrell, ESL Director Alesha McCauley, ESL Senior Administrator Amanda Miller, ESL Coordinating Teacher

2. Purpose
Review critical elements of WCPSS program for English language learners.
Consider feedback from ESL teachers concerning these issues.
Facilitate communication between the ESL Office and schools to improve support for teachers and students.

3. LEP = ELL Acronyms Student Instructional Program
LEP – Limited English Proficient
ELL – English language learner
LEP = ELL
Instructional Program
ESL – English as a Second Language

4. Expectations of WCPSS for ELLs

5. Procedural Requirements
EASI LEP
LEP Plans
Parent Notification Letters
ROA Forms – state testing accommodations
LEP test scores, LEP status, and level of service
Seeking improvements
Spring 2014 Review Optional!
W-APT & ACCESS for ELLs
Review home language surveys and identify LEP students
Approx 4000 students assessed with W-APT by CIE annually
Annual ACCESS testing (with administrative support)
Some ESL teachers report strong school support and minimum time loss
Some ESL teachers report minimal school support.
Teacher Schedules
All reviewed
Validation of efforts
Concerns about types of services
Source: EOY ESL Teacher Survey

6. Instructional Requirements
Language Objectives
Language Function + Content + Support
All LEP students/ELLs must receive appropriate language development services
Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP)
LEP students/ELLs are actively engaged
Excerpt from WIDA Standards document

7. Three Categories of LIEP Services
Comprehensive Services
Moderate Services
Transitional Services

8. Quality Teaching for ELLs
Students at all levels of English language proficiency interact with grade-level words and expressions, such as: narrate, narration, first person, third person

9. Quality Teaching for ELLs
Level 1
Entering
Identify language that indicates narrative points of view
(e.g., “I” v. “he/she”) from illustrated text using word/phrase banks with a partner.
Level 2
Emerging
Identify language that indicates narrative points of view
(e.g., “he felt scared”) from illustrated text using word/phrase banks with a partner.

10. How do WCPSS ESL teachers describe quality teaching for ELLs?
ESL Class
General Classroom
Use clear language objectives
Align lessons to Common Core
Collaborate with others – teachers, specialists and administrators
Provide deliberate, purposeful interaction
Build background knowledge
Formatively assess language development
Use clear language objectives
Align lessons to WIDA
Collaborate with ESL
Recognize that all students are language learners, but that learning L2 is different
Identify critical skills & knowledge in a lesson, then scaffold for comprehensibility
Practice learned language, a lot
Source: LEP Contacts, LEP Advisory Committee

11. Implementation of LIEP Successful?
Not at all
Somewhat
Good
Excellent
LEP Contacts 6 50 33 12
Transitional Services Reported
Language objectives used by classroom teacher
Served by Title I or Spec Ed program
Conference with teacher; review of grades
Twice monthly writing workshops
Quarterly goal-setting meetings with students
Planning sessions with classroom teachers
Homework club after school
Facilitate discussions about language supports,
scaffolding and overall progress for ELLs
Source: WCPSS ESL Audits, LEP Contacts

12. What do ESL teachers think about their time commitments?
N= 81 or 82
Too Much
About Right
Too Little NA
Direct Instruction to ELLs
1% (1)
48% (39)
51% (42)
Collaborate w classroom teachers and/or other school professionals
3% (2)
36% (29)
61% (49)
Outreach to parents of ELLs
2% (2)
42% (34)
55% (45)
Student testing
69% (56)
27% (22)
Professional development for working with ELLs
57% (46)
Other (administrative paperwork, interpretation/ translation, etc.)
62% 51
34% (28)
Source: Elementary ESL Teacher Survey Results: WCPSS, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, October 2013

13. Collaboration: Ownership of ELLs
Where are English learners during the school day?
Where are ESL teachers during the school day?

14. What do WCPSS ESL teachers think about the value of collaboration?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
There is a culture of collaboration in my school.
27% (21)
60% (47)
11% (9)
3% (2)
Collaboration between classroom and ESL teachers is highly valued.
19% (15)
51% (40)
4% (3)
There is adequate time for collaboration among ESL and classroom teachers
5% (4)
17% (13)
56% (44)
23% (18)
Time is scheduled for collaboration between ESL and classroom teachers
54% (43)
22% (17)
Source: Elementary ESL Teacher Survey Results: WCPSS, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, October 2013

15. When do WCPSS ESL teachers collaborate?
Often
Sometimes
Rarely
Never
Collaborate via , Skype, Google Docs and/or shared drive with classroom teachers
52% (41)
29% (23)
6% (5)
13% (10)
Actively participate in grade level meetings
35% (28)
39% (31)
17% (13)
9% (7)
Meet w classroom teachers before or after school
41% (32)
19% (15)
1% (1)
Discuss issues with classroom teachers in passing
71% (56)
20% (16)
Plan lessons with classroom teachers
3% (2)
18% (14)
43% (34)
37% (29)
Modify or adapt text or materials for classroom teachers
38% (30)
27% (21)
Plan short-term goals with classroom teachers
47% (37)
15% (12)
Source: Elementary ESL Teacher Survey Results: WCPSS, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, October 2013

16. What do WCPSS ESL teachers report as their greatest challenge?
Insufficient time and too many responsibilities
“Being pulled from all directions to provide immediate support to teachers, and parents. Also, to complete paperwork on time. Everything is a rush with a deadline.”
“Being spread too thin – not enough time to meet individual needs of all the students on my caseload and not enough time to effectively collaborate with classroom teachers.”
Source: Elementary ESL Teacher Survey Results: WCPSS, Duke Center for Child and Family Policy, October 2013

17. Research: Types of ESL Delivery Benefits for ELLs
Push-in/Co-Teaching
ESL Pull-Out
Integration with peers may decrease marginalized status in school
Increase social language by interacting with peers
ELLs don’t miss valuable instruction
Provides good language models during lessons
Caution!
Requires clustering of ELLs
Common planning is critical
Serves fewer ELLs
Does not protect time to learn language
More likely to feel safe, thus a lower affective filter, leading to more risk taking and language production
Receive instruction targeted for their English proficiency levels
Allows for greater comprehensibility of instruction
Promotes acclimation while preserving features of their home languages and cultures
Caution!
Teach academic language needed to minimize academic gaps

18. Push-in Co-Teaching ELLs have good language models
ESL teachers learns about mainstream expectations
ELLs may gain content information
ESL Teacher supports content teacher
ELLs included in mainstream curriculum
Classroom teacher takes more ownership of ELLs; both share responsibility for all students
Target language and content goals simultaneously
Allows for “real-time” professional learning
Challenges
ESL teacher does not know what to
plan
Classroom teachers do not co-plan
with ESL; new instructional practices
unlikely to emerge
Role of ESL teacher misunderstood/
under-utilized
Class taught too quickly for lower
proficient ELLs to comprehend
Very limited focused second language
development
Challenges
Requires common planning time
May have personality conflicts
Fear of releasing control of curriculum
Fewer ELLs served
Requires substantial administrative
support
Limited focused second language
development

19. Respecting the First Language (L1)
Reading fluency and comprehension can be predicted from proficiency in L1.
Literacy instruction is based upon learners of English as their first language. The process of learning a second language is different.
ELLs are forced to think and learn at an artificially lower cognitive level when language is not comprehensible.
The cognitive ability of LEP parents is decreased when they interact with their children in English.

20. Annual Measureable Achievement Objectives
AMAO 1 – Progress
AMAO 2 – Proficiency
AMAO 3 – AYP/AMO for LEP subgroup

21. AMAO 1: Progress

22. Next Steps
Please write suggestions, best practices you are willing to share, and/or comments about this session on an index card.