High Schools High Schools Literacy: Literacy: English Language English Language LearnersLearners

June 2008

Maria SantosOffice of English Language Learners

English Language Learners: demographicsThere are over five million ELLs in the United States.

This number has risen by 57% over the past ten years.

Six in ten qualify for free and reduced lunch.

Eighth-grade ELLs’ scores on reading and mathematics tests are less than half of those of their English speaking peers.

Students from households which speak a language other than English at home lag twenty points behind in high school graduation rates.

Educating English Language Learners: Building Teacher Capacity, Roundtable Report, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, 2008.

ELLs are a very diverse subgroup

Immigrants with parallel schooling

Newcomers

Student with Interrupted Formal Education

Long-term ELLs

Special Education ELLs

Former ELLs

What ELLs know and can do

Literacy in native language

Competencies in subject matter

Level of English language proficiency

Emergent bilinguals

Cross cultural competencies

Rigorous and aligned to local, state and national standards

Native language support and development ESL through content Academic language focus Literacy development Vocabulary development Accessible to all through scaffolding Quality interactions Technology integration

Rigorous curriculum and instruction

Assessment and accountability> Diagnostic

English proficiency Literacy in the native language Content knowledge- mathematics, science and social

sciences> Periodic

English language arts Subject matter English language development Native language arts

> Formative in multiple modalities> Summative> Accommodations> Accountability measures, rewards and consequences

All secondary educators> Second language acquisition> Second language academic literacy instruction> Cross-cultural context and connection> Content-based instruction while developing academic language> Vocabulary development> Purposeful scaffolding for access and language production> Selection and use of appropriate materials

Literacy specialists

ESL Teachers

Teacher quality and professional development

> Transition into a new schooling culture> Transition into a new culture> Environments that are safe, supportive and connected to

the broader school community> Mindful of the contributions that students and families from

diverse cultures and experiences make to the school> Libraries in native languages in the school> Language use and celebrations> ESL for families> College and career guidance

Student and family supports

Stakeholder engagement

Community based organizations

Feeder schools

Universities and community colleges

Adult education centers

Welcome centers

Research informed policy

Professional development for school leaders

School leadership teams> ELL Literacy Institute> Secondary academic literacy development-QTEL

Language allocation policy

Focus on strengthening the instructional core

Leadership and governance

Flexible scheduling and grouping during the day> Purposeful homogeneous and/or heterogeneous grouping> Thematic or integrated learning> Block scheduling

Extended-day hours and Saturday academies

Individualized graduation plans

Newcomer or SIFE programs or academies

Small class size

Break the silos> Collaborative teaching> Collegial planning - ESL specialist with content teacher

Organization and structure

Resources for sustainability

Resources targeted to improvement areas such as production of academic language (oral and/or written)

Strong guidance

Academic interventions - technology enriched

Dedicated fiscal resources for staffing and extended day

Dedicated resources and time for collaborations between subject area teachers and ELL specialists

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Maria Santos

212.374.6072

oell@schools.nyc.gov

http://schools.nyc.gov/Academics/ELL