A System for Supporting Service Delivery to ELL Students

1. A System for Supporting Service Delivery to ELL Students

2. IF Carol won’t give you the answer, try the Tara, the ELL Director. Past Practice Call Carol.

3. Or a crystal ball. We don’t have a magic wand.

4. To every complex problem, there is a simple solution... that doesn’t work! ~Mark Twain

5. The Challenge To create a way to monitor and support schools in implementing the RTI model with ELL students.

6. Special Education/ELL Team

7. Collective Wisdom • Tara Black, ELL Director • Carol Kinch, Special Education • Pam Harrell, ELL TOSA • Gail Wilkinson, Literacy Coordinator • Sally Helton, EBIS Coach • Julie Walker, Metzger Literacy Coach • Lisa Bates, RTI project • David Putnam, RTI project

8. Talk Time • Who could be on your team?

9. Initial Meetings • Do we agree? • Brainstorm the issues: progress monitoring, decision rules creates confusion, newcomers and interventions, and core instruction.

10. We agreed on core principles “If your students have been in the country only a short time and have limited English proficiency, not meeting grade-level benchmark is an indication that they need more instruction. It does not mean that they have a learning difficulty.” Linan-Thompson & Vaughn, 2007

11. Information Gathering • Case-studies • Observation • Feedback from other groups (ie. Literacy Specialists)

12. What we learned • Confusion • The Core • Language Development • Decision Rules • Fear • Making a Mistake • Apprehension • Progress Monitoring • Intervention

13. Talk Time • Why meeting the needs of ELLs so hard?

14. Our Action Plan • Provide technical assistance and support to schools. • Review LD evaluations and provide feedback. • Review case-studies with Special Education, ELL, and Literacy staff.

15. Action Plan • Progress monitor ELD. • Train staff on language development and interpretation of language assessments. • Come to consensus about newcomers and intervention.

16. Action Plan • Continue to review research. • Consider ELL reading protocol. • Train EBIS teams in collaboration, including defining the role of the ELL teacher.

17. Challenge #1: Do we have the answers? • Research review • English Language Development • Reading • Progress monitoring • Bilingual education • Each member brings research article or topic to meeting

18. On our bookshelves

19. Journal Articles Gunn, Biglan, Black and Blair (2005). Fostering the Development of Reading Skill Through Supplemental Instruction Results for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Students.

20. We do the research ourselves • Progress monitoring ELD • Collaboration with Universities • Action research

21. EXAMPLE We must think carefully about… Assessment

22. Level of Evidence: Strong IES Recommendation #1: Screen and Monitor in English • Grades K-1: • phonological processing • letter knowledge • word and text reading • Grades 2-5 • ORF

23. Screening and Progress Monitoring • Use the same measures and procedures that you would with native English speakers • Use these data to identify English learners who require additional instructional support and to monitor their reading progress over time • Monitor frequently

24. Schools can use the same benchmarks for English learners and make adjustments in instruction when progress is insufficient. “It is the opinion of the panel that schools should not consider below-grade-level performance in reading “as normal” or something that will resolve itself when oral language proficiency in English improves”

25. Native Language Assessment • Assess in the students native language if they are receiving native language instruction (i.e., IDEL) • Continue to monitor in English

26. Multiple sources of data are very important! • DIBELS • Diagnostic reading data • Classroom data • Functional language data • ELPA/L.A.S. • OAKS • CBM WE

27. The Holy Grail of Monitoring Language Development: WE CBM • CWS, TWW & TUW • What does CWS assess? • Fluency with: • Spelling, conventions, syntax, semantics • CWS and other measures of writing and reading

28. Correlations Between CWS and Measures of Reading and Writing

29. IPAS

30. WE CBM in TTSD w/ ELLs • Development of norms • Screening & Progress Monitoring • As a measure of writing and overall language development • Very well received by teachers of ELLs

31. Talk time Cream Coffee How can you use DIBELS as a tool to provide more support to ELL students? • Which assessments do you feel give you information about your ELL students?

32. Challenge #2: How do we provide technical assistance? • Side by side file reviews • On-site observations • Join EBIS meetings • Provide recommendations

33. Example: Cohort group • Look at cohort group A cohort group is defined as at least three students with similar language levels, educational experiences, and cultural backgrounds (such as length of time in country, language in the home, language of instruction, and length of time in ELL). • Monitor progress carefully • Look at progress in English language development

34. 6 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 D e c . J a n . F e b . M a r c h A p r i l M a y J u n e S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s (Generally) Effective Intervention Isaiah Aimline Mary Amy Chase

35. 6 0 5 0 4 0 3 0 2 0 1 0 D e c . J a n . F e b . M a r c h A p r i l M a y J u n e S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s S c o r e s Ineffective Intervention Aimline Amy Isaiah Chase Mary

36. Challenge #3: Are we telling schools to do the right thing? • Annual review of the EBIS handbook. • Now reviewing reading protocol and decision rules. • Should we have a separate one for ELLs? • To eliminate curricular chaos • Review of 3rd tier intervention students, curriculum, and referral rates.

37. Fidelity of Implementation Fidelity to curriculum Fidelity to research-based instructional procedures High pacing (high rate of student opportunities to respond) Corrective feedback Behavior management system evident Students are accurate before moving on to new material • Is the most qualified teacher teaching the kids who need to learn the most. • Curriculum decision rules followed (lesson checkouts, mastery tests, etc) • Is the teacher trained in the curriculum? Not a child issue!! Fidelity to program

38. Talk Time • What do you do in your district? How do you support ELLs within our system?

39. Biggest Challenge #4: How do we empower staff? • Case-studies at Literacy Specialist meetings • Goal is to expand to ELL specialists and Learning Specialists

40. Biggest Challenge #4: How do we empower staff? • Continue to provide training, assistance, and coaching • ELD, Sheltered Instruction • Collaboration and teaming for ELL, Learning and Literacy Specialists • Language development

41. Staff need to… • Think • What do we know about this student? • What do we know about learning disabilities? • Problem-solve • Is the intervention matched to student need? • How does the intervention fit with core and ELD instruction? Coordinate • How can we connect ELD, interventions, and core program instruction so we don’t confuse the student?

42. Painting the wall

43. Yellow is intervention Blue is core Red is ELD So what color is the outcome?

44. Be sure to coordinate your instruction to avoid curricular chaos!

46. Areas of Improvement • Core program • Eliminating curricular chaos • Building knowledge and understanding of language development and assessment • Collaboration and discourse between staff

47. Talk Time • How do you assure the best decision making process with ELLs?

48. Remember to think carefully! This is a continued conversation that will go on for a VERY LONG TIME. Accept non-closure and continue to do you best work.