Seattle Public Schools Supporting Classroom Teachers with English Language Learners

1. Seattle Public SchoolsSupporting Classroom Teachers with English Language Learners September 22, 2011

2. Department: Vision and Mission • Creating partnerships and pathways to ensure student success The English Language Learners and International Programs Department works collaboratively with all stakeholders to educate, prepare, and support our diverse student population, their families, and communities to thrive in a global society.

3. Collaboration: high density schools 90+ ELLs • ELD teacher team teachingwith 3 classroom teachers and co-planning all lessons taught together • Week long summer institute for new collaborative teams to learn about team teaching and begin co-planning • Clustering: ELD teachers only team teach with 3 classroom teachers. • Increase in support: students receive about 90 minutes of service each day with the ELD teacher in the classroom. • IA Support: focused in non-collaborative classrooms; support students across languages and grade levels

4. Findings • Increased classroom teacher capacity to address needs of English language learners • Consistent use of language frames in collaborative classrooms. • Task Force Findings:

5. Aligned Sheltered Instruction: low density schools, less than 90 ELLs • ELD teachers align their instruction with the content/curriculum objectives being taught in the mainstream classroom. • The ELD teacher has lesson plans for every lesson, whether it is push-in or pull-out. • Push in: small group instruction in the mainstream classroom • Pull-out: small group instruction outside the classroom • 2 day summer institute for the whole school • IA Support: IAs serve students across languages and grade levels

6. Elementary Curriculum & Staffing • Elementary Curriculum: Elementary ELL students are supported with the mainstream curriculum; no separate curriculum. • ELD Teachers: • 70:1 (old ratio) • 50: 1 (new ratio) • IA staffing ratio: • 34:1 by language across district

7. SCALE UP Scaffolding Content and Academic Language in English Using Proficiency Levels Cultural Connections / Schema Rigorous Standards-Based Instruction Meaningful Interaction Academic Language

8. SCALE UP 100 • Audience: Classroom teachers, IAs • Introduction to SCALE UP. This course is designed to introduce participants to the five key components of SCALE UP: • proficiency levels • meaningful interaction • standards based, rigorous instruction • academic language • schema, cultural connections

9. SCALE UP 200 : Academic Language • Audience: ELD teachers; classroom teachers  • This course is a 12 hour course designed for teachers to develop a better understanding of what academic language is and how to teach it. The essential questions for this course are: • How does academic language support student achievement? • How do you develop Academic language in your classroom?

10. SCALE UP 225 : Meaningful Interaction • Audience: ELD teachers; classroom teachers  • This course is a 12 hour course designed for teachers to develop a better understanding of how to engage students in meaningful interaction to develop language and academic content knowledge • 1. Building a community of learners • 2. Teacher to student interaction • 3. Student to student interaction

11. Walkthrough tool • Clear teaching point • Rigorous (standards-based) content instruction scaffolded appropriate to proficiency level • Differentiation/ targeted instruction and assessment for ELLs • Explicit attention to academic language • Rich and engaging discourse • Use of public records