Over the last decade, the number of English language learners (ELLs) enrolled in public schools throughout the United States has risen by an astounding 60.76% (The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA), 2007 ). Along with this dramatic growth has come an increase in the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and educational experiences of ELLs. Some ELLs arrive having had a rigorous formal education in their native country, while others arrive having had limited or interrupted access to formal schooling. In addition, while ELLs are mostly concentrated in urban areas, many ELLs and their families have been moving into more suburban or rural districts. At the same time, most teachers and schools have not been adequately prepared to successfully educate these students or work with their families.
(From The Education Alliance: Brown University website on English Language Learners)
English Language Learner (ELL) Definition
The term English language learner (ELL), as used here, indicates a person who is in the process of acquiring English and has a first language other than English. Other terms commonly found in the literature include language minority students, limited English proficient (LEP), English as a second language (ESL), and culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD).
The Education Alliance: Teaching Diverse Learners -- ELL definition
English Language Learners and Assessment
Source Document:
Best Practices in Non-Discriminatory Assessment, Samuel O. Ortiz PhD, NASP [PowerPoint with 10 steps for assessment from slides 13 - 14, 16 - 19, 21 – 23, 40 ]
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Assessment
English Language Learners and Culturally Responsive Teaching
Source Document:
Professional Learning For Culturally Responsive Teaching, Kathleen A. King, Alfredo J. Antiles, and Elizabeth B. Kozleski, NCCRESt Practitioner Brief [excerpted from pp 4, 6-7, April 2009.}
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Culturally Responsive Teaching
English Language Learners and Effective Classrooms
Source Document:
Fostering Academic Success for English Language Learners: What Do We Know? Section 5. English language Acquisition and Academic Success: What Do We Know? Robert Linquanti. WestED [bulleted list]
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Effective Classrooms
English Language Learners and Disproportionate Representation in Special Education
Source Document:
Preventing Disproportionate Representation: Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Prereferral Interventions– questions were generated in response to reading Key Element 1 introduction located on page 5
Dialogue Question Starters:
English Language Learners and Disproportionate Representation in Special Education
English Language Learners and Language Development
Source Document:
Challenging Common Myths about English Language Learners. Linda M. Espinoza, National Association of State Boards of Education. June 2008 [excerpted from p 47]
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Language Development
English Language Learners and Mathematics Instruction
Source Document:
Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions [K-12]
Center on Instruction Math Recommendations (pp 40-1)
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Mathematics Instruction
English Language Learners and Parent Outreach
Source Document:
Preparing to Serve English Language Learner Students: School Districts with Emerging English Language Learner Communities. Zehler, etal. National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. Institute of Education Sciences. [pp 24-6] 2008
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Parent Outreach
English Language Learners and Reading Instruction
Source Document:
Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners: Research-Based Recommendations for Instruction and Academic Interventions [K-12]
Center on Instruction Reading Recommendations (pp 30-1)
Dialogue Question Starters: English Language Learners and Reading Instruction
English Language Learners and Response-to-Intervention
Source Document:
A Cultural, Linguistic, and Ecological Framework for Response to Intervention with English Language Learners. Julie Esparza Brown and Jennifer Doolittle, NCCRESt. 2008 [excerpted paragraphs from pp4-5]
Dialogue Question Starters:
English Language Learners and Response-to-Intervention
English Language Learners and Multi-tiered Systems of Support: Recommendations for Serving Adolescent Newcomers
Source Document:
Research-Based Recommendations For Serving Adolescent Newcomers. (2006). Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston for the Center on Instruction, pp. 5-6 and 31-32;
Available at http://www.centeroninstruction.org/files/ELL2-Newcomers.pdf
Topic Brief: Newcomers Brief: Practical Guidelines for the Education of English Language Learners. Excerpted from: Research-based Recommendations for Serving Adolescent Newcomers, David Francis, Mabel Rivera, Nonie Lesaux, Michael Kieffer, and Hector Rivera, Texas Institute for Measurement, Evaluation, and Statistics at the University of Houston for the Center on Instruction, Excerpted from pp.5-6 and 31-32;
Dialogue Starter: ELL Multi-tiered Systems of Support: Recommendations for Serving Adolescent Newcomers
Multi-tiered Systems of Support: Using School Leadership Teams to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners
Source Document:
Information Brief: Using School Leadership Teams to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners. (May, 2010). M. Movit, I. Petrykowska, and D. Woodruff. National Center on Response to Intervention.
Available at: http://www.rti4success.org/images/stories/pdfs/NCRTI%20Information%20Brief_Needs%20of%20ELLs_051910.pdf
Topic Brief or Abstract: Using School Leadership Teams to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners (Excerpted from pp. 2-4 and 6)
Dialogue Starter: ELL Multi-tiered Systems of Support: Using School Leadership Teams to Meet the Needs of English Language Learners
Dialogue guides are written for general audiences that includes many different stakeholders: local administrators, family, practitioners (teachers and related service providers), policymakers, and higher education.
To begin, review the Facilitator's Handbook, then choose the topic and the appropriate dialogue guide starters for your audience