Ensuring Success and Closing the Achievement Gap for All of California’s Middle Grades Students

1. Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII) Ensuring Success and Closing the Achievement Gap for All of California’s Middle Grades Students Building Effective Programs for English Learners in the Middle Grades

2. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Presenters today are: • Carol Abbott, Author of Taking Center Stage—Act II, and consultant with the Middle and High School Improvement Office of the California Department of Education cabbott@cde.ca.gov • Jeanette Ganahl, Administrator, English Learner Accountability Unit, California Department of Education • JGanahl@cde.ca.gov

3. Welcome • Back to SchoolsMovingUp Webinar Series on • Promoting English Learners' Success

4. Housekeeping • Discussion/Interactive Format • Quick Polling • Open Responses • Going Live for Web Tour • Breaks for responding to chat • questions/comments • Those on just the teleconference can email questions to: eventquestion@wested.org • FAQ posted after the webinar

5. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Who are you? • Site administrator • District administrator • Teacher (classroom or resource?) • EL coordinator • Community member • Higher education staff • SEA staff • Other

6. Taking Center Stage—Act II • POLL • TCSII is a California resource, but it has been viewed by nearly 200,000 people from 47 states and 46 countries. • Please let us know the state you are calling from.

7. Taking Center Stage—Act II • We will have several question and answer breaks during the presentation. If we don’t have time to answer all the questions, we’ll post FAQs with the archived presentation.

8. Taking Center Stage—Act II TCSII represents research and best practices of successful California educators who, like you, are concerned about what engages English learners and what helps them achieve.

9. Taking Center Stage—Act II • TCSII is: • Built by educators and for educators* • Based on 12 interrelated recommendations for middle grades success.

10. Taking Center Stage—Act II The 12 recommendations reflect four focus areas: • Academic Excellence • Developmental Responsiveness • Social Equity • Organizational Structures and Processes

11. Taking Center Stage—Act II Today we will show you the TCSII Web portal and resources for middle grades English learners in the second half of this presentation. Following the tour, we will review what the research says about practices that help educators achieve the major goals of the California English learner program . First, though, we need to know what you need to know!

12. English Learner (EL) Needs POLL: What are your burning issues around supporting adolescent English Learners? • Developing English proficiency? • Engaging them in the broader school culture? • Building academic proficiency in grade-level subject matter • Preparing them for high school, college, and career? • Understanding young adolescents in general? • Engaging their families? • Other

13. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Thank you. We will attempt to address your burning questions by viewing the research and resources on the TCSII Web portal and then through an in-depth discussion of the research about best practices.

14. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Going live to • http://pubs.cde.ca.gov/tcsii

15. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Back to • Presentation

16. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Coming Soon to TCSII: • GIS features • A TCSII School Self-Study Rubric • A video submission project • New professional development tools including presentations by • Kate Kinsella, Janet Zadina, and • Doug Reeves

17. Taking Center Stage—Act II • POLL • How would you use the TCSII Web portal as a resource? • Do a staff treasure hunt based on key site issues? • Identify 3 key EL issues for our school and assign teams to find the answers from TCSII and report back to the larger group? • Use the TCSII Rubric as a schoolwide staff? • Have a faculty-wide video session to view Kate Kinsella’s presentations about English learners? • Use the TCSII Professional development modules as they appear? • Other

18. Program Goals • There are two major goals for English learners in California: • English Language Development (ELD) – develop English proficiency as rapidly as possible; • Access to the Core – help them to meet grade-level standards.

19. Goal 1: ELD • 1. English Language Development (ELD): ELD is English language instruction appropriate for the student's identified level of language proficiency. It is designed to promote second language acquisition of listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

20. Goal 1: ELD • Research-based Instructional Principles* for ELD: • Explicitly teach the components and processes of reading and writing • Teach and model comprehension skills and strategies • Build and activate prior knowledge • *Deborah Short presentation on SchoolsMovingUp (4/5/07) • http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/doublework • Center for Applied Linguistics http://www.cal.org

21. Goal 2: Access to the Core • 2. Access to the core curriculum • This means thatstudents receive grade-level instruction in a manner that allows them to meet grade-level standards in a reasonable period of time, and that the district has a PLAN for monitoring and overcoming any academic deficits. • EL Instrument Item #7-12.1: • http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/cr/cc/documents/elins07.doc

22. The Pathway Taking Center Stage—Act II Goal 2: Core content area standards content objectives/concepts scaffolded instructional strategies content area academic language current English proficiency level Goal 1: on-going ELD assessments ELD standards-based instruction ELD CDE presentation on EL pedagogy, 1999

23. Taking Center Stage—Act II • Q and A: • Do you have any questions about the presentation up to this point?

24. HOW? • What do we know about best practices that accomplish the two goals for English learners in the middle grades?

25. Taking Center Stage—Act II • (TCSII Recommendation #1:) • Rigorous, research-based principles* on teaching English language development highlight the need to: • Integrate listening, speaking, reading and writing skills from the start • Develop vocabulary and academic language • *Deborah Short presentation on SchoolsMovingUp (4/5/07) • http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/doublework • Center for Applied Linguistics http://www.cal.org

26. http://www.nwp.org/cs/public/download/nwp_file/9050/Double_the_Work.pdf?x-r=pcfile_dhttp://www.nwp.org/cs/public/download/nwp_file/9050/Double_the_Work.pdf?x-r=pcfile_d

27. Goal 2: Access to the Core • The issue of access is particularly important for ensuring that all EL students not only have access to ELD, but also access to the strategies and supports that they need such as differentiation.

28. 2. Accessing the Core • Differentiation in teaching ELs involves systematic instruction and ongoing assessment targeted to each individual’s language level. • Scaffolding strategies help students access the core curriculum.

29. Goal 2: Access to the Core • How can we help students access the core curriculum? • Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) • Primary Language (L1) Instruction • Primary Language Support (PLS)

30. Instructional Strategies for ELs • 1. Specially Designed Academic • Instruction in English (SDAIE): • SDAIE is an approach used to teach academic content to EL students in English. It is designed for non-native speakers of English and should focus on increasing the comprehensibility of the academic content normally provided to FEP and English-only students in the district.

31. Know your students! • USE RESULTS FROM PRIMARY LANGUAGE ASSESSMENTS as well as ENGLISH LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY ASSESSMENTS (CELDT) • It is as important for teachers to access the data about each student’s primary language proficiency as it is to use assessments about their English proficiency level to inform instruction.

32. Instructional Strategies for ELs • 2. Primary Language (L1) Instruction: L1 provides academic content instruction in the student’s primary language and may also include language development in the student's primary language. For example, a student may be ready for advanced content such as Algebra, but may lack the English skills needed for the course. These students may also be receiving SDAIE. • From Similar English Learner Students, Different Results: • Why Do Some Schools Do Better? • http://www.edsource.org/pdf/SimELreportcomplete.pdf

33. Instructional Strategies for ELs • 3. Primary Language Support (PLS): In addition to ELD and SDAIE, students may need Primary Language Support (L1.) PLS may be used to clarify meaning and facilitate student comprehension of academic content area concepts taught mainly through English.

34. How to access the core Research shows that ELs typically need 4-7 years of instruction in English language development before they reach grade-level academic performance levels. • *Deborah Short presentation on SchoolsMovingUp (4/5/07) • http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/doublework • Center for Applied Linguistics http://www.cal.org

35. How to access the core • Time (TCSII Chapter 3) • English learners typically need additional time to master grade-level standards as delineated in district pacing guides. Flexible middle grade schedules can provide extra time for students to receive instructional support in effective intensive intervention programs targeted to their needs..

36. Reaching the Goals • What else does the research say? • Effective districts, schools, and classrooms that promote successful English learner achievement provide: • Systematic, explicit, intensive, differentiated reading skill instruction • Development of L1 literacy skills along with English oracy and literacy • Instructional scaffolding for comprehensibility of content • Systematic assessment of students’ strengths and needs. What Does the Research Say: Research-Based Characteristics of Effective Districts, Schools, and Classrooms that Promote English Learner Achievement. WestEd, 2007.

37. A third goal • In addition to attaining English language proficiency and meeting grade-level academic standards, there is another over-arching goal: • Every English learner should be prepared to be successful in secondary and post-secondary education, career, and community.

38. Taking Center Stage—Act II • POLL: • Check for understanding: • DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION UP TO THIS POINT?

39. Taking Center Stage—Act II Meeting the three goals for adolescent learners requires knowledge about the adolescent brain (remember the Adolescent Development tab on each Chapter page in TCSII)! For example, brain research confirms that young adolescents need: • Access to prior knowledge (Chapter 2) • Engagement (Chapter 4) • Meaningful participation (Chapter 4) • Caring Relationships (Chapter 5)

40. 4. Relevance and English Learners • Research related to Chapter 4 • Effective districts, schools, and classrooms that promote English learner achievement provide: • Engagement in structured, academic talk • Enrollment in academically challenging coursework. What Does the Research Say: Research-Based Characteristics of Effective Districts, Schools, and Classrooms that Promote English Learner Achievement. WestEd, 2007.

41. 4. Relevance and English Learners • Research-based Instructional Principles*: • Develop language acquisition skills through content and themes • Use native language strategically • Pair technology with existing interventions • Motivate ELs through choice [in topics of interest to young adolescents]. • *Deborah Short presentation on SchoolsMovingUp (4/5/07) • http://www.schoolsmovingup.net/events/doublework • Center for Applied Linguistics http://www.cal.org

42. Relationships and English Learners • TCSII 5: Know your students! • Not all English learners are the same: • Some are “under-schooled,” newly-arrived immigrants • Some are highly educated, academically competent new arrivals • Some are long term English learners (have been in the program longer than expected). • Consider time-in-program to determine instructional approach. • Consider cultural contexts and family education Laurie Olsen, “Ensuring Academic Success for English Learners,” LMRI Newsletter, Summer 2006 http://lmri.ucsb.edu/publications/download.php?file=newsletters/v15n4.pdf

43. 5. Relationships and English Learners • One way to develop caring relationships is through SMALL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (SLCs).Research found that student affiliation with the school community increases when students participate in small learning communities. • -K. Cotton, New Small Learning Communities: Findings from Recent Literature

44. What kinds of schools work? • TCSII 8. Safety, Resilience, and Health • Create and sustain a fair, safe, and healthy school environment… • Fair and positive discipline • Safe, clean, and engaging [inviting] facilities • Access to counseling and health supports

45. 9. Leadership and English learners • TCSII 9: A systems approach helps English learners succeed: • Comprehensive LEA plan for English learners • Site implementation of the plan • District support (hiring coaches, providing professional development; conducting data analysis) • Ongoing professional development opportunities • Teaming to support implementation of plan based on best practices

46. What else ensures access? • TCSII 10. Professional Learning • Teacher effectiveness [preparedness] is the most critical element for student success. “. . . students assigned to the most effective teachers for three years in a row performed 50 percentile points higher on a 100-point scale than comparable students assigned to the least effective teachers for three years in a row.”2 • Kevin Carey, “The Real Value of Teachers: Using New Information about Teacher Effectiveness to Close the Achievement Gap” (PDF; Outside Source), Thinking K-16, Vol. 8, Issue 1 (Winter 2004), 4.

47. 10. Professional learning and English learners • Provide ongoing coaching and professional learning about instruction for English learners beyond required authorization to teach English Learners

48. Resources for Professional Learning • Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL) is a unique project created by the Teacher Professional Development Program at WestEd under the direction of Aida Walqui. It is devoted to improving the capacity of teachers to support the linguistic, conceptual, and academic development of adolescent English language learners, both immigrant and U.S.-born. http://www.wested.org/cs/we/view/pj/380

49. Accountability Questions • TCSII # 11: Accountability • In writing and reviewing the implementation of your district and site English learner plans, what accountability questions should you ask yourself/your staff? • Consider…

50. 11. Accountability and English learners • Did we base the district/site EL plan on a needs assessment? • Were the findings verified? • Was the EL program developed based on the needs assessment findings? • Is the program being implemented as planned? • Do teachers have the training, coaching, and resources to implement the plan? • Do they receive timely results from key assessments?