Principles of Sheltering Instruction Sheltered Content Instruction: Principles and Practices

1. Principles of Sheltering Instruction Sheltered Content Instruction: Principles and Practices Malden Public Schools Spring 2010

2. M & M Ice Breaker • Blue Words to Describe Yourself • YellowWords Your Students Use To Describe You • Green Things You Dislike • Brown Places You’ve Traveled To • Red Things You Love • Orange Hobbies/Pastimes

4. Class Norms • Listen – Intend to understand rather than respond or persuade. • Invite differences – move away from either/or. Embrace ‘and’. • Suspend your assumptions – make your assumptions visible to yourself and others. Then, be less sure those assumptions are right. • Speak from awareness – be honest with yourself about your purpose and intent in listening. • Assume good will – listen without judging the other person’s intentions. Assume their intentions are the very best.

5. Sheltered Content Instruction – Principles and Practices • This course is designed as an introduction to the theories and sheltered strategies for teaching content and grade level subject matter to English Language Learners. • It covers the required skills and knowledge covered in the Massachusetts Department of Education’s Commissioner’s June 2004 memo on Sheltered English Immersion Category 2 trainings. • This course will include strategies for teaching sheltered subject matter and assessing student learning. • The essential question that will guide this course is: How can we design curriculum and classroom practices to simultaneously develop the language and content knowledge that is necessary to meet the goals of students, the expectations of their families and community, and the expectations of the broader society?

6. Module One:ELLs in a State-wide Context

7. Glossary of Terms • AMOA=Annual Measurable Objective Achievement • AYP=Adequate Yearly Progress • Bilingual – Knowing two languages • ELL=English Language Learner • ESL=English as a Second Language • FLEP=Formerly Limited English Proficient • High Incidence=Program usually having 20 or more of one language group enrolled in a school district or schools • Integration=In the context of Chapter 71A, integration means students from immersion and bilingual classrooms are engaged in meaningful learning activities with their native speaking peers • LEP=Limited English Proficient • Low Incidence=Fewer than 20 LEP students of one language • L1=First language of learner • L2=Second Language of Learner • TBE=Transitional bilingual education

8. Demographic Changes • From 1979-2003 the number of students who spoke a language other than English at home grew from 3.8 million to 9.9 million. • From 1990-2003 the school aged population increased 19%. • The number who spoke a language other than English at home increased 161%.

9. ELLs in Public Schools • Most of the students are in elementary schools • About 75% of the students are from Spanish language backgrounds • The students are located mostly in a few states • 42% of teachers nationwide have at least one ELL in their classroom • ELL enrollment in public schools growing 20 times faster than average

10. ELLs in Public Schools There are over 6,000,000 English Language Learners in U.S. Schools. By 2020, 40% of all public school students will be ELLs.

11. LEP Students in Massachusetts Schools-March 2005 Source: Massachusetts Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/statistics/lep.html

12. LEP Students in Massachusetts Schools-March 2005 Language Number % Spanish 27,249 54.6 Portuguese 4,645 9.3 Khmer 2,058 4.1 Creole (Haitian) 1,977 4.0 Vietnamese 1,724 3.5 Chinese 1,593 3.2 Cape Verdean 1,367 2.7 Russian 916 1.8 Canton Dialect 653 1.3 Arabic 591 1.2 Korean 429 0.9 Source: Massachusetts Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu/ell/statistics/lep.html

13. LEP Students in Massachusetts Schools • In March 2005, Massachusetts Public Schools reported 49,923 limited English proficient (LEP) students with 112 different primary languages.

14. Reflective Writing Assignment • Who are the language learners in your school? Are there any commonalities among the ELL population? How are they identified and how do they receive targeted instruction?

15. Chapter 71A • In November 2002, the voters of Massachusetts passed Chapter 386 of the Acts of 2002 (known as “Question 2”). This referendum amended the existing Transitional Bilingual statue, G.L. c. 71A. • According to “Question and Answers Regarding Chapter 71A: English Language Education in Public Schools”, published by the Massachusetts Department of Education in August 2003, Question 2 requires the following: • All children in Massachusetts public schools be taught English by being taught in English and all children be placed in English language classrooms. Children who are English learners be education through structured English immersion. • Districts to annually determine, no later than April 1, the number of English learners in the district, and to classify them according to grade level, primary language, and the English learners program in which they are enrolled. • Districts to annually administer a standardized, nationally-normed written test of academic subject matter in English for grades 2-12 and a nationally-normed test of English proficiency for grades K-12. • Districts to send report cards and other school information be sent to parents and guardians of English language learners in the same manner and frequency as such information is sent to other parents and guardians, and, to the maximum extent possible, in a understandable language. • Office of Educational Quality and Accountability to conduct onsite visits to school districts at least once every five years to evaluate the effectiveness of programs serving English language learners. • Two-way bilingual programs, whereby students develop language proficiency in two languages by receiving instruction in English and another language in a classroom that usually comprised of half native English speakers and half native speakers of the other language “shall be unaffected”. No waivers are necessary for participation in a two-way bilingual program. • “English language learners be provided language support services until they are proficient enough English to participate meaningfully in the district’s education program.”** • ** Cited directly from Mass. Department of Education Question and Answer document dated August 2003, page 10.

16. Question 2 (Ch. 71A) and Title VI • 4. SEI for children under the age of 10 with allowance for parental waivers • 16. All textbooks and other instructional materials are to be in English, no subject matter taught in any language other then English, and students learn to read and write solely in English. However, teachers may use an English learner’s native language when necessary for clarification purposes. If the student’s teacher does not speak the student’s primary language, the Department recommends that another teacher or instructional paraprofessional who does speak the student’s primary language be available at some point during the school day for clarification as needed. • 20. Chapter 71A states that students shall receive sheltered instruction for a “temporary transition period not normally intended to exceed one school year.” – “Title VI of the federal Civil Rights Act does not permit such a limitation. Title VI requires that English language learners be provided language support services until they are proficient enough in English to participate meaningfully in the district’s education program.” DOE Q&A Regarding Chapter 71: ELE in Public Schools

17. Use of Native Language • Chapter 71A states that in structured English immersion programs, native language should be used as a tool for the clarification and that clarification in the native language be made available, to the maximum extent possible, as some point during the day. Instruction must be comprehensible. The use of native language is one approach to making certain all input is comprehensible. • Native language may be used by district staff: • To clarify concepts and ideas not understood in English. • Remember that the goal of Sheltered English Instruction is to make content comprehensible. The use of native language facilitates the teaching of content to English Language Learners particularly at the beginner and early intermediate English language development levels. The authors of Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners state that: “[best practice indicates that English language learners benefit from opportunities to clarify concepts in the native language (L1). Although sheltered instruction involves teaching subject-matter material in English, students are given the opportunity to have a concept or assignment explained in their L1 as needed” (p. 109). • To explain directions and instructions not understood in English to guide instructional tasks • Use the students’ native language when necessary to get them on task. It is appropriate to use L1 when giving direct instructions to facilitate students’ engagement and understanding of instructional tasks and activities.

18. Use of Native Language • For the health, safety and welfare of students • Health, safety and welfare must be dealt with in a language that is comprehensible to students. For example, when a student becomes ill, it is very appropriate to communicate in a language the student understands. • For communication with families • Title VI of the Federal Civil Rights Act states that school communications, to the maximum extent possible, must be made available to families in a language that they understand. • For classroom related matters and behavior management • In some instances behavior management issues may be dealt with most effectively in the students’ native language. • Native language may be used by students: • In class for instructional purposes • Students may use native language to help their peers understand instruction. Alternatively, they may request clarification or translation from their peers. • In playgrounds and hallways • Students may use their native language in playgrounds and hallways.  adapted from the Boston Public Schools Guidance on Use of Native Language

19. Waivers • Chapter 71A provides for waivers based on parent request under certain circumstances, assuming that the parent annually applies by visiting the student’s school and by providing written informed consent. • For students under the age of 10, with parental consent, waivers are allowed under the following conditions: • The student has been placed in an English language classroom for at least 30 days prior to the parent’s application for a waiver • Documentation by school officials in no less than 250 words that the student has special and individual physical or psychological needs, separate from lack of English proficiency, that require an alternative course of educational study and inclusion of such documentation in the student’s permanent school record • Authorizing signatures on the waiver application of both the school superintendent and the school principal • For students over the age of 10, with parental consent, allows waivers when it is the informed belief of the school principal and educational staff that an alternate course of educational study would be better for the student’s overall educational progress and rapid acquisition of English • Allows students receiving waivers to be transferred to bilingual programs or ‘other generally recognized educational methodologies required by law.’ • Requires individual schools in which 20 students or more of a given grade level receive a waiver to offer a bilingual or other type of language support program; in all other cases, students with waivers must be permitted to transfer to a public school in which such a program is offered. • * Cited directly from Mass. Department of Education Question and Answer document dated August 2003.

20. Sheltered Instruction vs. Structured Immersion • Sheltered Instruction is • a means (method) for making grade-level academic content (e.g. science, social studies, math) more accessible for English language learners while at the same time promoting their English language development • the practice of highlighting key language features and incorporating strategies that make the content comprehensible to students • an approach that can extend the time students have for getting language support services while giving them a jump start on the content subjects they need for graduation • Structured Immersion is • A program model for the placement of English language learners whereby all curriculum materials are in English and native language is used for clarification purposes

21. LEP Students in Massachusetts Schools by Program Placement

22. Performance of LEP Students*Focus On Children – Boston Public Schools: Office of Research, Assessment, & Evaluation

23. Performance of LEP Students*Focus On Children – Boston Public Schools: Office of Research, Assessment, & Evaluation

24. Competency Determination Rates MCAS Results: Class of 2008 Percentage of Students Attaining the Competency Determination *Massachusetts Department of Education http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/results.html

25. Massachusetts Drop Out Rates

26. DOE Guidelines – June 2005 • According to the June 2005 Massachusetts Department of Education’s publication entitled, Guidelines for Using MEPA Results to Plan Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Instructional Programming and Make Classification Decisions for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students, MEPA results and accompanying data will be used as a guideline to plan sheltered English immersion instructional programming and assist in the classification of LEP by proficiency levels. • Classification • Using the definition of LEP as outlined in Chapter 71A, district criteria for identification and designation of LEP students have been established. Once identified and documented, the student’s placement by proficiency level can commence. • The decision for each student’s classification begins with a team approach at each school. Classroom teachers, specialists, administrators and other professionals familiar with students’ classroom performance may be involved in this process. Using the MEPA data, examine each student’s overall performance level: Beginning, Early Intermediate, Intermediate or Transitioning. The variables within the data are Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing in academic and social settings. Gauging the student’s performance within each variable includes the differentiations; At or Above, Approaching or Belowwhich are based and compared to a typical student performing in the transitional level. Based on these results, students may be candidates for reclassification or recommended to remain in their current LEP status. Students must be At or Above in all 4 variable areas of the MEPA, receive a passing score (Needs Improvement or higher) on MCAS and attain proficiency levels in district criteria in order to be reclassified from their current LEP status. Further, their academic performance is monitored for a period of two years. • Students with Below, Approaching, or fewer than 4 areas At or Above will be enrolled in the SEI instructional programming. In Kindergarten and Grade 1, assessment data is limited to MELA-O; Dept. of Education recommendations are to maintain the LEP status of these students until more data becomes available in the upper grades. • A dedicated and specially designed English Language Development (ELD) curriculum must be in place to service all LEP students. The ELD/ESL district curriculum is based on the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes (ELPBO).

27. Recommended Instructional Programming for Limited English Proficient Students

28. Skills and Qualifications of SEI Classroom Teachers • Category One: Second Language Learning and Teaching • Key factors affecting second language acquisition. • Implications of these factors on classroom organization and instruction. • The implications of cultural difference for classroom organization and instruction. • Organization, content, and performance levels in the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes.* • Category Two: Sheltered Content Instruction • Curriculum and Lesson Planning. Teachers will be able to: • plan lessons appropriate for LEP students at the four levels of proficiency described in the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes. • plan lessons that are guided by both language and content objectives appropriate for LEP students who are at different grade levels and different English proficiency levels, and that are aligned with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes. • plan lessons that are characterized by student interaction, students' questions, and appropriate group work.

29. Skills and Qualifications of SEI Classroom Teachers • Instructional Strategies. While teaching, teachers will be able to: • make language objectives, content objectives, and academic tasks explicit. • use supplementary materials, including graphic organizers, visuals, and manipulatives to make content more comprehensible. • group students so that all LEP students can participate. • integrate language instruction and content instruction. • Student Tasks. Teachers will be able to: • plan learning tasks that have a product and that enable all students, including LEP students, to work and ask questions in small groups. • provide opportunities for students to display their knowledge in various ways. • d. Lesson Delivery. While teaching, teachers will be able to: • assess student comprehension and learning throughout the lesson. • pace and organize learning activities so that students are engaged 90-100% of the time.

30. Skills and Qualifications of SEI Classroom Teachers • Category Three: Assessment of Speaking and Learning (MELA-O) • Multiple dimensions of oral proficiency: comprehension, production, fluency, pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary. • Concept of communicative competence and its role in assessment. • The six levels of oral proficiency assessed by the MELA-O and their relation to the four levels of English language proficiency as described in the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes. • Category Four: Teaching of Reading and Writing to LEP students • Basic concepts of linguistics, including phonology and syntax of English. • Significant theories and practices for developing reading skills and reading comprehension in English for limited English proficient students who are at different English proficiency levels. • A variety of strategies for teaching vocabulary. • Approaches and practices for developing writing skills in limited English proficient students. • Initial reading instruction, including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and text comprehension. The differences in initial reading instruction in English designed for those students who have no or limited oral proficiency in English compared to those who do have oral proficiency in English. • The performance criteria and scoring system used in the MEPA (Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment) and based on the Massachusetts English Language Proficiency Benchmarks and Outcomes.*

31. Massachusetts English Language Development Assessments • Massachusetts English Language Assessment – Oral (MELA-0) • Administered to ALL ELLs, (K-12) • Massachusetts English Proficiency Assessment (MEPA) • Administered to All ELLs (Grades K-12)

32. Criteria for Re-classification of English Language Learners • Guidelines for Using MEPA Results to Plan Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Instructional Programming and Make Classification Decisions for Limited English Proficient (LEP) students (June 2005) • MEPA Overall Performance Level • Transitioning “At or Above in All 4 Areas” – Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing • MCAS ELA Test –Proficient • District Academic Assessments – DRA, DIBELS, GRADE, Step Rubric, etc. • If ELL has satisfied these requirements, student is reclassified as Formerly Limited English Proficient (FLEP) • FLEPs are required to be monitored for academic achievement and social adjustment for two years

33. Thinking Differently AboutEnglish Language Learners

34. Who Are They? • The English language learners in your classroom may be very different in their background, skills, and past experiences from the other students you are teaching. • Some may have come to the U.S. from a country in which they attended school regularly and will bring with them literacy skills and content knowledge, although in another language. • Other students may come with a history of survival within a war-torn country where there was no opportunity for consistent--or any--schooling. • Some come from countries where schooling is very different. Some may have large gaps in their schooling while others may not have had any formal schooling and may lack important native language literacy skills that one would normally expect for students of their age. • There will be differences in home background as well. Many will belong to very low-income families; • The parents of some of these, however, may have been highly educated in their own country, and may have once held professional positions. • The resources and the needs that the individual students bring are therefore often likely to be very different.

35. Challenges Facing ELLs • Whatever label is used to identify these students, research has shown that they, in disproportionately large numbers, face low achievement and high drop out rates. • By and large, ELLs are not receiving instruction that supports their highest possible achievement. • Among the instructional factors that affect ELLs’ achievement are: -low teacher expectations; -assignment to classrooms with under-qualified or inexperienced teachers; -instructional methods that do not address the development of much needed verbal and vocabulary building skills; -instruction that does not build on students’ prior skills, knowledge, and experiences; -misdiagnosis into special education;

36. Their Needs Although ELL students come from diverse backgrounds, they have several common needs. They need to: • build their oral English skills • acquire reading and writing skills in English • to maintain a learning continuum in the content areas (e.g., mathematics, science, and social studies). Some ELL students will have other needs that will make the task of learning much more difficult.

37. Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners • The Rennie Center – May 2007 • Themes of Successful Schools • Believe they cannot effectively serve ELLs with a one-size-fits-all policy • Adults hold positive values, and beliefs about immigrant students and their families • Constant attention to data, research, and outside resources is essential • Highly skilled teachers and leaders are the cornerstone of success in these schools • Support extends beyond the classroom • Students benefit from a staged re-classification process and continued support after re-classification

38. Seeking Effective Policies and Practices for English Language Learners • Recommendations for Policy and Practice • At the State Level • Encourage flexibility and experimentation with innovative approaches to meet the needs of English language learners • Offer opportunities to share practices • Get specific about transition • Ensure a pipeline of leaders for ELL programs • Require SEI training in teacher preparation programs • In Schools and Districts • Consider a staged transition process • Provide guidance for families of “low-incidence” language students • Set goals and create incentives to get teachers trained • Communicate with parents about the school’s program to support ELLs, specifically placement and transitioning • Pool resources among districts with small ELL populations

39. Success with English Language Learners • All teachers should be familiar with the following kinds of knowledge related to their language minority students: • Familiarity with first and second language acquisition • Awareness of the history of immigration in the United States, with particular attention to language policies and practices throughout that history • Awareness of the socio-cultural and sociopolitical context of education of language minority students • Ability to adapt curriculum for students whose first language is other than English • Competence in pedagogical approaches suitable for culturally and linguistically heterogeneous classrooms • Experience with teachers of diverse backgrounds and the ability to develop collaborative relationships with colleagues that promote the learning of language minority students • Ability to communicate effectively with parents of diverse language, cultural, and social class backgrounds • Although learning new approaches and techniques may be very helpful, teaching these students successfully means, above all, changing one’s attitudes towards the students, their languages and cultures, and their communities. Anything short of this will result in repeating the pattern of failure that currently exists • Affirming Diversity: The Sociopolitical Context of Multicultural Education by Sonia Nieto (Pages 220-221)

40. Journal Entry Prompt • Think about what you have learned in the introduction: • That schools are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of language, culture, and ethnicity • That many diverse students do not fulfill their academic potential • That most teachers do not feel well-prepared to teach diverse students • Write a paragraph in your journal describing two or three things that you would like to know more about to help you improve your teaching of English language learners. Be as specific as possible

41. Module Two:Language Acquisition

42. Anticipation Guide: Language Acquisition ____1. A child acquires its first language by imitating adults. ____2. The process of acquiring a second language is more similar to the process of acquiring the first language than it is different. _____3. The best way for a child to learn English in school is to control the vocabulary, syntax, and sequence of grammatical structures that the child is exposed to. _____4. Oral fluency in English is a strong indicator that an English language learner (ELL) will succeed in the classroom. _____5. Once a student has learned the language of instruction, English, his problems in the classroom are largely over and he should be able to handle academic assignment with little difficulty. _____6. Placing a child learning English in a mainstream classroom will ensure that he/she will spend enough time in English to learn the language quickly. _____7. An initial “silent period” can benefit the ELL because it allows him/her an opportunity to process and decode the new language. _____8. Good teachers should suggest to the parents of a child learning English that the parents speak English at home.

43. First Language Acquisition • Brainstorm in groups what you’ve noticed about a young child acquiring a language…

44. The Stages of First-Language Acquisition (L1) I. The Babbling Stage • It begins at about 6 months of age. • Children begin using sounds from speech • Real speech develops from here II. The Holophrastic stage • Children using combinations of sounds that carry consistent meaning. • Single word utterances called holophrastic sentences carry the meaning of whole sentences. • Some children skip this stage. III. The Two-Word stage • Around age 2, children make two-word utterances. • Little regard is shown for word order, inflection, tense, number, or person. IV. The Telegraph to Infinity Stage • Past the Two-word stage, the child puts together utterances of various lengths. • Stutter pattern like a telegraph (Ex. Danny want cookie) • Words arranged in order but lacking certain "function words" • At this point the child will begin to generalize about rules of grammar and sometime overgeneralize (Ex. He drinked it)

45. Caregiver Speech • Caregiver speech is that special way that caregivers talk to a child in early conversational interactions • Characteristics of caregiver speech include: • Slower rate of speech; simpler vocabulary and sentence structure than in normal speech with adults • Reference to “here and now” • Emphasis on meaning over form • Extension and elaboration

46. Summary of First Language Acquisition • The child learns language by unconsciously generating rules, perhaps to fill in an innate blueprint. • The child’s errors often indicate that learning is taking place. • The child learns certain aspects of language in a relatively predictable order. • The child acquires language in communicative, meaningful, and supportive settings. • The child understands more than he/she can say. • The child requires a lot of time to become orally proficient.

47. Difference Between First and Second Language Acquisition First Language Second Language Learned at home Learned by young children Learned in order to communicate with loved ones Largely an unconscious process No time pressure to learn Must learn developmental concepts as well as language

48. Separate Underlying Proficiency (SUP)

49. Common Underlying Proficiency (CUP)

50. Implications of CUP vs. SUP • CUP suggests that what proficiency is developed in L1 will transfer to L2. There are certain elements of literacy which are common to both languages and will not have to be relearned when acquiring the second language.