Transcript Title goes here

The Importance of Academic
Language in the New Standards
Laura J. Wright, PhD
*NCELA is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), awarded to Leed
Management Consulting, Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland, in collaboration with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and the Center for
Applied Linguistics.
Overview
1. EL students in charter schools
2. New content standards
3. Connecting new standards and ELP/D
standards: The ELPD Framework
4. ELP/D standards
5. Academic language
6. Examples and resources
ELs in Charter Schools
subtitle
Data on EL Students in Charter Schools
 Four states with highest number of charter schools are
among the top 5 with highest Hispanic student1 enrollment
(AZ, CA, FL, TX)
 Estimate: 16.5% of charter students are ELs, but such data
are reported to be incomplete and/or ambiguous
 Missing data due to non-reporting and interpretational
issues
 2013-14 first year for U.S. Department of Education to
collect school-level data (rather than district-level) on EL
enrollment
 Four evaluation studies on Latinos 1 and ELs in charter
schools
1 Nearly
half (45%) of all U.S. Latino children are EL students (Kohler, A.D. & Lazarin, M., 2007).
National Content Standards
Common Core State Standards
• English Language Arts & Technical Subjects
• Mathematics
• 46 states have adopted the CCSS to date
Other Content Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• Common Career Technical Core
• State Standards
Opportunities of the New Standards
• New national standards provide an
opportunity to re-conceptualize what literacy
and language development mean for ELs in
academic contexts.
Instruction for EL Students
Background on college and career
readiness standards
• The paradigm of the new
standards for English
learners requires:
– Teaching language and
content
– Complementary and
reinforcing content and
English Language
Development instruction
10
The Common Core of State Standards states the following
with regard to ELs,
the development of native like proficiency in English
takes many years and will not be achieved by all ELLs
especially if they start schooling in the US in the later
grades. Teachers should recognize that it is possible to
achieve the standards for reading and literature,
writing & research, language development and
speaking & listening without manifesting native-like
control of conventions and vocabulary.
From Application of Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners, retrieved June 27,
2012, from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-english-learners.pdf.
Shifts in Instruction
•
•
•
•
Non-fiction texts
Argumentation
Close reading of complex texts
Conceptual understanding and disciplinary
practice
• Development of academic vocabulary and
academic language
12
Connecting Content and ELP/D
Standards
The ELPD Framework
Content Standards and Language Demands: The
Framework for English Language Proficiency
Development (ELPD) Standards
• Corresponds to CCSS and the NGSS
• Provides guidance to states on how to use the
expectations of the CCSS and NGSS as tools for
the creation and evaluation of ELP/D
standards
• Illustrates that ELs need to access grade-level
content, as well as build language proficiency
The ELPD Framework
The Framework:
• outlines the underlying English language
practices found in the CCSS and the NGSS
• communicates to EL stakeholders the language
that all ELs must acquire in order to successfully
engage the CCSS and NGSS
• specifies a procedure by which to evaluate the
degree of alignment present between the
Framework and ELP/D standards under
consideration or adopted by states.
ELP/D Standards
WIDA
ELPA21
2012 Amplification of WIDA Standards
• Informed by the latest
developments in both English
language development research
and states' content standards for
college and career readiness.
• Connected to college and career
readiness standards
• Focused on
– Higher order thinking
– Features of Academic
language
Features of Academic Language in WIDA’s Standards
ELPA21 Standards
1
ELPA21 Standards
Construct meaning from oral presentations and literacy and informational text through gradeappropriate listening, reading, and viewing
2
Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses,
responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions
3
Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics
4
Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and
evidence
9
Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve
problems
Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing
Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing
Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and
informational text
Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text
10
Make accurate use of standard English to communicate grade-appropriate speech and writing
5
6
7
8
Academic Language
Academic English
• Broadly speaking, Academic English is defined
as the language that is needed for school
success. Beyond that, however, scholars
differ in the ways they define it.





BICS/CALP
Competence
SFL
Pragmatics
New literacy studies
Foundations of Academic Language & Literacy
• Literacy is greater than alphabetic knowledge; it involves
ways of knowing, being, and doing.
• Literacy involves multiple sign systems of which,
language and languages are important.
• Literacy develops within social contexts; it is a process of
cultural transmission.
• The social contexts of literacy practices are always
associated with power relations.
• Students’ home literacy and language practices can be
valued and leveraged to support their development of
academic literacy practices.
23
Foundations of Academic Language & Literacy
• There are multiple perspectives on academic
language that influence approaches to
language teaching.
• Academic literacy and language practices vary
by discipline and content area.
• Developing academic language is process of
language socialization.
24
Recommendations and Examples
Recommendations
Schools should:
• Understand implicit language demands of the new
standards
• Support explicit academic language development
• Provide complementary ELD instruction
• Support native language and literacy development
• Practice ongoing formative assessment
26
CCSS Instruction and EL Students
Resources
• Academic Language Development Network
– Videos, articles
• Education Connections (CAL/ University of
Oregon)
– Lesson planning template, Resource Library,
webinars
• Understanding Language (Stanford)
– Videos, articles, MOOCs
27
Professional Development Programs to
Support Academic Language
Development
•
•
•
•
Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD)
WIDA LADDER
Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL)
Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
(SIOP)
28
NCELA Resources
• NCELA Nexus: [email protected]
• Resource Library: www.ncela.ed.gov
References
Anstrom, K., DiCerbo, P., Butler, F., Katz, A., Millet, J., & Rivera, C. (2010). A review of the literature on academic
English: Implications for K-12 English language learners. Arlington, VA: The George Washington University
Center for Equity and Excellence in Education.
Bunch, G. C. (2006). "Academic English" in the 7th grade: Broadening the lens, expanding access. Journal of
English for Academic Purposes, 5, 284-301.
Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012). Framework for English language proficiency development
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Cummins, J. (1981) .The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language
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Cummins, J., & Man, Y. F. E. (2007). Academic language: What is it and how do we acquire it? In J. Cummins & C.
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References (cont’d)
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National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2010).
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National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012).
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Thank you!
*NCELA is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition
(OELA), awarded to Leed Management Consulting, Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland, in collaboration
with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and the Center for Applied Linguistics.