ELL/SPED Accommodations

by Vicki Learn, Katie McNamara, and Shawn Nguyen

Whose kids are they?

• It takes a village to raise a child applies to school.• Every teacher brings something different to

provide a well-rounded school experience.• Different teachers bring content knowledge,

strategy knowledge, background knowledge about the students lives/educational experiences, etc. in order to provide the best instruction for the students.

• ESOL and SPED teachers cannot be everything to all students ... they also need YOU!

General Accommodations & Modifications

BICs versus CALPS

• BICs– language skills needed in social situations– day-to-day language– used in the lunchroom, school bus, at parties,

playing sports– not demanding cognitively– 6 months to 2 years after arrival in U.S.

BICs versus CALPs

• CALPs– formal academic learning– includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing

about subject area content material– essential to succeed in school– takes from 5-7 years– can take 7-10 years if not strong in 1st language

ESOL Classes

• ESOL I (Beginner – 9th grader):– ESOL I English Language Development (Tristan)– ESOL I Literature and Composition (Tristan)– ESOL Introduction to Ecological Systems

(McNamara)– ESOL Intro to U.S. History (Nguyen)– Algebra or Algebra with Seminar supported by

Mr. Wren

ESOL Classes Continued

• ESOL II (Intermediate – 10th grader)– ESOL II English Language Development (Sumihara)– ESOL II Literature and Composition (Sumihara)– Co-Taught Biology (McNamara)– ESOL U.S. History (Nguyen)– Intro to Geometry or Geometry

ESOL Classes Continued

• ESOL III (Advanced 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th grader)– ESOL III English Language Development (McNamara)– Co-Taught English 10 (Sumihara)– Co-Taught American Government (Nguyen)– Intro to Chemistry or Chemistry– Algebra II

Accommodations for ELLs

• ELLs:– bilingual dictionary (synonym only)– extra time (as long as student is actively working)– human reader for entire test (only ELL with SPED

this year)– human read for selected sections of the test

• RELLs (Released in the last 2 years):– extended time– bilingual dictionary

WIDA Performance Definitions

• ESOL 1 – Levels 1 & 2• ESOL 2 – Levels 3 & 4• ESOL 3 – Levels 4 & 5

Standard General Language

Specific Language

Technical Language

Math in all total sumLanguage Arts

person character protagonist

Science knee kneecap patellaSocial Studies

people population demographics

From WIDA’s 2007 ELP Standards Resource Guide

Case Study: Science Class

• Mr. Bloom is teaching a chemistry unit on physical and chemical changes. He demonstrates how mixing some chemicals changes the color and temperature of solutions and how heating water changes its state of matter.

• After giving the students the definitions of physical and chemical changes, the students perform their own experiments in small groups.

WIDA Consortium Using WIDA Tools to Teach ELLs

Science Case Study, continued

• One experiment requires the students to mix ammonium nitrate and water to make their own instant cold pack. In the other experiment, students mix calcium chloride and baking soda to create a reaction in a bag.

• The students then have to write a lab report describing their observations and concluding from them, the type of reaction in each case.

WIDA Consortium Using WIDA Tools to Teach ELLs

• Differentiate the language used (listening, reading) or expected to use (speaking, writing) in the:–process–product–environment

• Choose any proficiency level; all you need is one example of differentiation of each type.

• You do not need to differentiate the content (i.e., you do not have to know chemistry!)

WIDA Consortium Using WIDA Tools to Teach ELLs

Questions?