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The Importance of Academic Language in the New Standards
Laura J. Wright, PhD
*NCELA is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), awarded to Leed Management Consulting, Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland, in collaboration with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and the Center for
Applied Linguistics.
Overview
1. EL students in charter schools2. New content standards3. Connecting new standards and ELP/D
standards: The ELPD Framework4. ELP/D standards5. Academic language6. Examples and resources
ELs in Charter Schools
subtitle
Four states with highest number of charter schools are among the top 5 with highest Hispanic student1 enrollment (AZ, CA, FL, TX)
Estimate: 16.5% of charter students are ELs, but such data are reported to be incomplete and/or ambiguous
Missing data due to non-reporting and interpretational issues
2013-14 first year for U.S. Department of Education to collect school-level data (rather than district-level) on EL enrollment
Four evaluation studies on Latinos 1 and ELs in charter schools
1 Nearly half (45%) of all U.S. Latino children are EL students (Kohler, A.D. & Lazarin, M., 2007).
Data on EL Students in Charter Schools
National Content Standards
Common Core State Standards
• English Language Arts & Technical Subjects
• Mathematics
• 46 states have adopted the CCSS to date
Other Content Standards
• Next Generation Science Standards
• Common Career Technical Core
• State Standards
Opportunities of the New Standards
• New national standards provide an opportunity to re-conceptualize what literacy and language development mean for ELs in academic contexts.
Instruction for EL Students
• The paradigm of the new standards for English learners requires:– Teaching language and
content – Complementary and
reinforcing content and English Language Development instruction
Background on college and career readiness standards
10
The Common Core of State Standards states the following with regard to ELs,
the development of native like proficiency in English takes many years and will not be achieved by all ELLs especially if they start schooling in the US in the later grades. Teachers should recognize that it is possible to achieve the standards for reading and literature, writing & research, language development and speaking & listening without manifesting native-like control of conventions and vocabulary.
From Application of Common Core State Standards for English Language Learners, retrieved June 27, 2012, from http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-for-english-learners.pdf.
Shifts in Instruction
• Non-fiction texts• Argumentation• Close reading of complex texts• Conceptual understanding and disciplinary
practice• Development of academic vocabulary and
academic language
12
Connecting Content and ELP/D Standards
The ELPD Framework
Content Standards and Language Demands: The Framework for English Language Proficiency
Development (ELPD) Standards
• Corresponds to CCSS and the NGSS
• Provides guidance to states on how to use the expectations of the CCSS and NGSS as tools for the creation and evaluation of ELP/D standards
• Illustrates that ELs need to access grade-level content, as well as build language proficiency
The ELPD Framework
The Framework:• outlines the underlying English language
practices found in the CCSS and the NGSS
• communicates to EL stakeholders the language that all ELs must acquire in order to successfully engage the CCSS and NGSS
• specifies a procedure by which to evaluate the degree of alignment present between the Framework and ELP/D standards under consideration or adopted by states.
ELP/D Standards
WIDAELPA21
2012 Amplification of WIDA Standards• Informed by the latest
developments in both English language development research and states' content standards for college and career readiness.
• Connected to college and career readiness standards
• Focused on– Higher order thinking– Features of Academic
language
Features of Academic Language in WIDA’s Standards
ELPA21 StandardsELPA21 Standards
1Construct meaning from oral presentations and literacy and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing
2 Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions
3 Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics
4Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence
5Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems
6 Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing7 Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing
8Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text
9 Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text
10 Make accurate use of standard English to communicate grade-appropriate speech and writing
Academic Language
Academic English
• Broadly speaking, Academic English is defined as the language that is needed for school success. Beyond that, however, scholars differ in the ways they define it. BICS/CALP Competence SFL Pragmatics New literacy studies
23
Foundations of Academic Language & Literacy
• Literacy is greater than alphabetic knowledge; it involves ways of knowing, being, and doing.
• Literacy involves multiple sign systems of which, language and languages are important.
• Literacy develops within social contexts; it is a process of cultural transmission.
• The social contexts of literacy practices are always associated with power relations.
• Students’ home literacy and language practices can be valued and leveraged to support their development of academic literacy practices.
Foundations of Academic Language & Literacy
• There are multiple perspectives on academic language that influence approaches to language teaching.
• Academic literacy and language practices vary by discipline and content area.
• Developing academic language is process of language socialization.
24
Recommendations and Examples
Recommendations
Schools should:• Understand implicit language demands of the new
standards• Support explicit academic language development• Provide complementary ELD instruction• Support native language and literacy development• Practice ongoing formative assessment
26
CCSS Instruction and EL StudentsResources
• Academic Language Development Network– Videos, articles
• Education Connections (CAL/ University of Oregon)– Lesson planning template, Resource Library,
webinars
• Understanding Language (Stanford)– Videos, articles, MOOCs
27
• Guided Language Acquisition Design (GLAD)• WIDA LADDER• Quality Teaching for English Learners (QTEL)• Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol
(SIOP)
28
Professional Development Programs to Support Academic Language
Development
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Common core state standards. Washington, DC: Author. National Governors Association Center for Best Practices & Council of Chief State School Officers. (2012).
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Thank you!
*NCELA is supported by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), awarded to Leed Management Consulting, Inc. in Silver Spring, Maryland, in collaboration
with Synergy Enterprises, Inc. and the Center for Applied Linguistics.
