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Considerations when Implementing RTI with Emerging Bilingual Students

Considerations when Implementing RTI with Emerging Bilingual Students. As a backdrop…. We are not doing enough to examine underlying assumptions about who can learn and who struggles: “It was if the failure was invisible, or worse, inevitable” ( Noguera & Wing, 2006).

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Considerations when Implementing RTI with Emerging Bilingual Students

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  1. Considerations when Implementing RTI with Emerging Bilingual Students Klingner (2012)

  2. As a backdrop… We are not doing enough to examine underlying assumptions about who can learn and who struggles: “It was if the failure was invisible, or worse, inevitable” (Noguera & Wing, 2006). “We lament that we have to spend so much of our careers documenting competence, when it should simply be assumed, suggesting that ‘language minority’ students have the intellectual capabilities of any other children, when it should simply be acknowledged, and proposing instructional arrangements that capitalize fully on the many strengths they bring into classrooms, when it should simply be their right” (Moll & Gonzalez, 1997). Klingner (2012)

  3. Consideration 1: Classroom teachers and other school personnel know little about the second language acquisition process and they have many misconceptions about their emerging bilingual students.

  4. Overview of Second Language Acquisition

  5. Multiple Terms For students whose primary language is other than English: • English Language Learners (ELLs) • English Learners (ELs) • Linguistically Diverse Learners (LDL) • Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners (CLD) • Limited-English proficient (LEP) • Emerging Bilinguals (EB) • Potential Bilinguals

  6. Who are emerging bilingual students in the U.S? • 85% of EBs speak Spanish as a mother tongue • 95% of all linguistic diversity in the U.S. is accounted for in 5 language groups (Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, Hmong, Korean) • 67% of all EBs in U.S. schools were born in the U.S. and are entitled to all the rights of U.S. citizenship

  7. EBs generally score lower on academic achievement tests than their English-speaking peers: • 71% of 4th-grade EBs scored below basic in standardized reading assessments while 30% of their non-EBs peers scored below the basic level. • 43% of 4th-grade EBs scored below basic in math, while 16% of their non-EB peers scored below the basic level. • 74% of 8th-grade EBs scored below basic on reading achievement tests and similarly on math, compared to approximately a quarter of their non-EBs peers who scored below the basic level. U.S. Department of Education (2009)

  8. EBs are a diverse group

  9. EBs differ by… • Variations in degrees of proficiency across both languages. • Sequential versus simultaneous bilingualism • Did they learn both languages at the same time or did they learn one first and then the other second? • Elective versus circumstantial bilingualism • Did they actively want to learn another language or did they have to learn a second language in order to survive? Rhodes

  10. The Sprinter, The High Jumper and the Hurdler: A Bilingual Metaphor • The sprinter and high jumper concentrate on one event and may excel in it. • The hurdler concentrates on two different skills, trying to combine a high standard in both. With only a few exceptions, the hurdler will be unable to sprint as fast as the sprinter or jump as high as the high jumper. • This is not to say that the hurdler is a worse athlete than the other two. They are simply different. Escamilla

  11. Grosjean(2001) • Any comparison of the sprinter, the jumper and the hurdler makes little sense. • This analogy suggests that comparing the language proficiency of a monolingual with a bilingual’s dual language or multilingual proficiency is similarly unjust. • We need to look at dual language schools as educating students to be hurdlers, capable of qualitatively different skills than sprinters or high jumpers. Escamilla

  12. Language Modalities • How many languages have you learned, at least partially? What is your relative proficiency in different language modalities? Why?

  13. What does it mean to be bilingual?

  14. #2. Unfamiliar Vocabulary

  15. Iris Center

  16. Sequential Bilinguals and Simultaneous Bilinguals

  17. Consideration 2:According to progress-monitoring data, more than half of the emerging bilingual students are not reaching benchmarks. Klingner (2012)

  18. Recommendations • For RTI to work, most EBs must be succeeding. • When many students are not progressing, change instruction: • Has the instructional program been validated with students like those in the class? • Is instruction at an appropriate level for students’ language and learning needs? • Is the program well-implemented? • Are teachers sufficiently differentiating instruction to meet diverse student needs? • Is the environment conducive to learning? • This will require: • observing in classrooms and supporting instruction • developing and capitalizing on local expertise. • Use progress monitoring to ensure that instruction is adjusted to meet the needs of individual students and classrooms of learners.

  19. George Batsche & David Tilly Klingner (2012)

  20. Consideration 3: School personnel are unclear how the RTI process is similar to and different from the Pre-Referral Process used in previous years. Klingner (2012)

  21. Recommendations • Shift from figuring out what is wrong with a student to looking more broadly at the instructional context and at how to provide support for all students. • Focus first on improving core instruction, with differentiation. • Use progress monitoring data to look at classroom datasets. • Make sure someone on the team has expertise in the language acquisition process, cultural variables, and how to distinguish between language acquisition and learning disabilities. Klingner (2012)

  22. Consideration 4: Screening and progress monitoring assessment batteries tend not to provide a comprehensive view of literacy skills or adequately identify our EBs who are at-risk for later reading difficulties.

  23. A Common Scenario: Early Literacy Measures Lesaux Accuracy Letter Names & Letter Sounds Phonological Awareness Word Reading Efficiency READING COMPREHENSION • Background Knowledge • Oral Language • Interest Vocabulary Metalinguistic Skills • Motivation Word Learning Strategies Knowledge of word function or type • Understanding of Purpose • Text Characteristics Organizational structure Sentence structure

  24. Gaps during Early Childhood Lesaux Percentile Rank Klingner (2012)

  25. The Gap between Reading Words & Comprehending Text (Lesaux)

  26. Recommendations • Use multiple assessment methods to provide a comprehensive view of learning. • Use RTI assessment strategies that reflect the multi-dimensional nature of language and literacy. • *Oral reading fluency (ORF) does not correlate with comprehension for EBs as it does for fluent English speakers (Crosson & Lesaux, 2009)—use ORF as a starting point for further assessment.

  27. Klingner (2012)

  28. Consideration 5:School personnel are not sure what it means for practices to be “research-based” for EBs.

  29. The RTI model is based on the principle that instructional practices or interventions at each level should be based on scientific research evidence about “what works.” However, it is essential to find out what works with whom, by whom, for what purposes, and in what contexts— What Do We Mean by “Research-based”? One size does not fit all.

  30. With Whom? • When deciding if a practice is appropriate for implementation as part of an RTI model, it should have been validated with students like those with whom it will be applied. • The National Reading Panel report “did not address issues relevant to second language learning” (2000, p. 3). Klingner (2012)

  31. With Whom? • English language learners are often omitted from participant samples because of their limited English proficiency. • Yet language dominance and proficiency are important research variables and can affect treatment outcomes. • Leaving students out of studies limits the external validity and applicability of such studies, especially for those who teach culturally and linguistically diverse students. Klingner (2012)

  32. For What Purposes? • What is the goal of instruction? • Some widely touted instructional approaches help improve word identification skills, but not necessarily reading comprehension. • According to the Reading First Impact Study: “Reading First did not have statistically significant impacts on student reading comprehension test scores in grades 1-3.” Klingner (2012)

  33. In What Contexts? • Variations in program implementation and effectiveness across schools and classrooms are common (see the First Grade Studies for a classic example, Bond & Dykstra, 1967). • When students struggle, is it the program, the teachers’ implementation, or the school context? • What is it about the system that facilitates or impedes learning? • Schools are dependent on larger societal influences that should not be ignored. Klingner (2012)

  34. In What Contexts? • It is essential to observe in classrooms. • Is the instruction appropriate for students’ language and learning needs? • What is the relationship between a teacher and students? • How does the teacher promote interest and motivation? • We draw different conclusions when several students are struggling rather than just a few ... Klingner (2012)

  35. More thoughts on research… • Experimental research studies tell us what works best with the majority of students in a research sample, not all students. • Some practices that may be effective have not yet been researched. • Qualitative research helps us understand why a practice works or not and factors that can affect implementation. • Observation studies in the classrooms of effective teachers tell us a lot about the attributes of successful teachers and the characteristics of effective instruction. Klingner (2012)

  36. Opportunity to Learn? As with previous special education identification criteria, for students to be considered for special education in an RTI model, we must be able to show that they have received an adequate opportunity to learn? What about in the following classes? All examples are from real classrooms with English language learners, most at beginning levels of English proficiency. Klingner (2012)

  37. Classroom Vignettes(Handout) • Kindergarten Example • First Grade Example • Tier 2 Example • Special Education Example

  38. Tier 1 Example: Kindergarten

  39. The whole Class is sitting in a circle. Teacher : “Yesterday, how many of you knew your sight words? One student speaks out, “One?” Another, “Three?” Teacher (with increasing frustration in her voice): “You are right. Three students were able to tell me their sight words. We need to practice these words; we are really behind. Every one of you should know these sight words by now. You need to practice these at home. Don’t you practice these at home?” Teacher : “Only those 3 students will be able to pull from the treasure chest.” … Teacher begins sight words practice and holds up index cards with: Big, My, See, Like, I, At, This, And, Up, Have, Too. Students repeat sight words as Teacher holds up cards and reads them. She then holds up the word “Big” without saying anything. One student says the word… She continues to go through this process with all the words, and says, “Okay guys, you need to practice these at home, you are not paying attention, you should have known these words by now.” (Orosco, 2007) Tier 1 Example: First Grade Klingner (2012)

  40. Tier 2 Example Teacher (reading specialist): “Let’s work on our sight words.” She writes “have, many, some” on her dry erase board. She reads the words and has students repeat them. T: “Okay, now can you guys use these words in a sentence? Who would like to try?” No takers. Teacher looks at a student across from her and says, “Pick a word and try.” The student is hesitant. T: “How about if I help you? Can you say this, I have some snow. Repeata (Spanglish).” Student: “I hab… so...mo... s...no.” T., “Good. How about someone else? How about the word many?” Students hesitate. T: “Okay. Here is an example. I have many friends. Can you say this?” Student: “I…hab…ma...ni friend…z.” T., “Good. Next word. Some.” Teacher makes up another sentence, “I have some toys.” Student repeats… The teacher takes them back to class. (Orosco, 2007) Klingner (2012)

  41. Tier 3 Example • The teacher has a master’s degree in special education and has been teaching for about 20 years. She noted, “I teach LD by the book.” • The class consists of 4 second-grade culturally and linguistically diverse students, all determined by the school to have LD. Klingner (2012)

  42. Teacher: “Boys and girls, we need to read our story, ‘Polar Bears’. We need to listen to see what color they are, where they live or what they eat.” Teacher directs students to look at the title page, asks what they think the book is about. No response. Teacher asks, “Are polar bears nice?” No response. Teacher begins to read: “Polar Bears live in the Arctic at the North Pole. The polar bear is a marine mammal… Polar bears are carnivores…” [OC: I wonder how many students know what a marine mammal is, or a carnivore.] … As she is reading students are beginning to check out; one student is playing with the drawstring in his hooded sweater. Another two are whispering to each other. The teacher continues: “The white fur is important camouflage for the bears as they hunt their prey on the ice…” Klingner (2012)

  43. [OC: What is camouflage? This story uses tough words for ESL students at this level. I wonder if the teacher knows whether these kids really understand this.] Teacher: “Okay let’s talk about the story now. So what do they smell?” No reply. Teacher, “Anyone?” One student, “People.” Teacher, “Good.” [This was not in the story.] Teacher, “Do polar bears live here in Colorado?” Students, “Yes.” Teacher, “Good. They could if they lived at the zoo.” [Colorado was not in the story.] … Only one student is responding, with one word answers. [OC: I wonder if this book is too difficult for them. However, it would work for these kids if the language was modeled and sheltered for them...] (Orosco, 2007) Klingner (2012)

  44. Thoughts on the significance of these examples… Generic “research-based” practices may not be adequate for meeting the language and learning needs of EBs.

  45. Consideration 6: School personnel are unsure what it means to be culturally and linguistically responsive or to provide culturally and linguistically responsive literacy instruction.

  46. Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction • What does it mean to provide culturally responsive literacy instruction? • All practice is culturally responsive—but responsive to which culture(s)? • Culture is involved in all learning. • Culture is not a static set of characteristics located within individuals, but is fluid and complex.

  47. Culturally Responsive Literacy Instruction Includes explicit instruction in phonological awareness, the alphabetic code, fluency, vocabulary development, comprehension strategies, and oral language. Includes frequent opportunities to practice reading with a variety of rich materials in meaningful contexts (“mirrors & windows”). Emphasizes cultural relevance and builds on students’ prior knowledge, interests, motivation, and home language.

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