WIDA Blog

If you are looking for a quick and easy summer read about young English language learners (ELLs), then you may want to take a look at this book. Like many of you, summer is my chance to catch up on personal and professional reading. Earlier this week, the book Basics of Supporting Dual Language Learners: An Introduction for Educators of Children from Birth through Age 8 found its way onto my desk. It is written by Karen N. Nemeth and published by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

First let me briefly clarify that the term dual language learners (DLL) is used by some preschool and early childhood programs instead of ELL. In fact, DLL is the official term used by NAEYC, the Office of Head Start and the Council for Exceptional Children Divison for Early Childhood. In a nutshell, DLL is used to describe a young child who is growing up with exposure to, and simultaneously learning,

more than one language in their home and community. It is not a reference to students in dual language immersion programs.

As I flipped through the book, the illustrations caught my eye and piqued my curiosity. The cover of the book shows a teacher pointing and saying “Bird.” while the children respond with the word for bird in each of their home languages. Inside the book there is a drawing that shows three children arm in arm. Each child is smiling and wearing a shirt that proclaims the languages that they speak: Farsi, French, Russian and English. Another drawing depicts a teacher carrying a baby to the changing table. Above the changing table is a poster listing simple statements in English and in Spanish that can be used to let the child know what is happening (e.g. Changing time / Es hora de cambiar el pañal).

I was pleased to see that the book was divided into three main sections. The first focuses on the basics including the value of the home language, first language development and second language development. The second (and largest) section is full of strategies and techniques for supporting students in the early childhood classroom. Some strategies are for monolingual English teachers and some are for bilingual teachers. The author even addresses how to support preservice teachers, inservice teachers, and bilingual volunteers. This section would be particularly useful for administrators and program supervisors. Nemeth even includes a checklist to see if your room is ready for DLLs. (I am a sucker for great checklists!) The FAQ section at the end of the book provides wonderful answers to ten questions – many of which I am often asked in my own workshops. Check it out and let me know what you think.

Special thanks to Brian Michalski, Early Childhood Project Director at the Illinois Resource Center for this book!

For more on early childhood education and English language learners, click hereand here.
For more on working with parents of ELLs, including native language resources, click here and here.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Have you heard? The 2012 amplification of the English language development standards is now available. I downloaded a copy for myself and took some time to compare and contrast the 2007 edition and the new 2012 amplification of the ELD Standards. But first things first, find some small sticky notes or tabs and flag the following pages. These are the ones you’ll be referencing the most as you begin to use this document.

· p. 7 – Features of academic language

· p. 8-9 – Performance definitions

· p 15 – Guiding questions for the components of the ELD strands

· p. 16 – Blank template for drafting standards of MPIs

· p. 18- Two integrated strands (K-5 and 6-12)

· p. 22 - Eleven expanded strands (K-8, 9/10, 11/12)

· p. 45 - Strands by grade level (K-8, 9/10, 11/12)

· p. 112 – Glossary of terms

Now, I suggest opening up your 2007 edition of the ELP Standards to page 28. Then open up your 2012 amplification of the ELD Standards to page 76. If you are a new member of the Consortium (Hi, CNMI and Massachusetts!) don’t worry - just pull out the 2012 book.

Here are the similarities....

On the top of the page:

The standards- the five standards have stayed exactly the same:

1. Social and Instructional Language

2. Language of Language Arts

3. Language of Math

4. Language of Science

5. Language of Social Studies

The example topic– this is exactly what it sounds like. It is the example topic used for that strand of MPIs. In the 2007 edition, the example topic is listed on the left side of the page next to the language domain. In the 2012 amplification of the standards , the example topic is in the top right corner of the page.

In the middle of the page:

The strands of MPIs (Model Performance Indicators)– this is the official name for the row of little boxes going across the page. They are a series of language progressions, and they are a feature common to both editions of the standards.

The three components of each MPI - inside each MPI box, there are still three components. They are: the language function, content stem and instructional support. For more on how to identify the three components, click here.

Instructional supports– you can find these inside each MPI from Level 1- Entering all the way up through Level 4- Expanding.

In my next post, I’ll tell you about what has changed and the new features in the 2012 amplification.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

In my last post, I pointed out the elements of the 2012 Amplification that are remaining the same. If you haven’t done so already, check out that post and label the pages I mentioned. It will make it easier to find what I am mentioning in this post. Speaking of which, let’s take a look at some of what has changed or been made explicit in the 2012 amplification of the ELD Standards.

The Standards are now English Language Development Standards (not Proficiency)
Level 2 is now called Emerging, not Beginning
The strands of Model Performance Indicators (MPIs) are now listed for individual grade levels not grade level clusters.
The Features of Academic Language (page 7) connect the performance criteria with the discourse, sentence and word/ phrase levels. (Our veteran consortium members might recall that these had been called linguistic complexity, language control and vocabulary usage in the earlier documents.) Check out this great video clip on academic language – its posted on the WIDA website here.
The 2012 Performance Definitions (pages 8-9) still cover K-12 grades but they have been fleshed out more. Now you will find a separate page for the receptive language domains (listening and reading) and for the productive language domains (speaking and writing).
The sociocultural context for language use is also now clearly stated on the Features of Academic Language and on the Performance Definitions.

And WIDA didn’t stop there. There are several new elements in the strands of MPIs.

Connection (to content standards)
Example Context for Language Use
Cognitive Function
Topic-Related Language

In fact, based on input from Consortium members they even created additional types of strands:

Expanded strands - One strand for each grade level with concrete examples of language features at discourse, sentence and word/phrase levels
Complementary strands - Strands for music and performing arts, humanities, visual arts, health and PE, tech, and engineering
Integrated strands - Components of ELD standards (grade levels, language domains, and standards) combined in different configurations

In the future I’ll take a closer look at some of these features. In the meantime, register for a 2012 Standards Debut event. I went to the first one in Madison and learned a great deal.

Switch Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

2012 Amplification Cover: WIDA Consortium

Recently I pointed out some of the similarities and differencespresent in the 2012 amplification of the ELD Standards. Today I would like to share a little more with you about some of the new features in the Model Performance Indicator strands. For additional background information on MPIs, click here.

If you have flipped through the 2012 Amplification, you have likely noticed that the strands of MPIs look different. There are more components and there is more information included with each strand. Specifically, I am talking about:

Connection (to content standards)
Example Context for Language Use
Cognitive Function
Topic-Related Language

The Connectionarea lists a state standard that has been pulled from one of the Consortium member’s state standards. Many of them are from the Common Core State Standards or National Standards. In the example above, the standard is from the National Health Education Standards. However, you will also find standards listed in this section that come from Consortium members who have chosen to keep their own rigorous state standards and not adopt the Common Core (eg. Alaska, Minnesota and Virginia).

The Example Context for Language Use area is where you will find a brief explanation of a lesson activity or classroom situation that could be used to implement this strand of MPIs. In the example above, it reads “Students weigh options depicted in role plays (e.g. videos, performances, or text read aloud) in order to make healthy choices.” In other words, this area gives you a peek into the lesson plan that a teacher would be using to teach this health standard to ELLs.

The Cognitive Functionapplies to all students at all levels of English language proficiency. In the example above, it states “Students at all levels of English language proficiency EVALUATE different habits to decide if they are healthy or not.” The cognitive function grounds your lesson, in a sense. You want to be sure that all of the ELLs are evaluating different habits though they may express themselves using different levels of academic English.

The Topic-Related Language area lists examples of the types of words, phrases and expressions that would typically be embedded in a lesson or unit of study on this topic. This is typically specific and technical language of that particular content area for that particular grade level. It is important that all ELLs be exposed to and interact with topic-related language through the use of appropriate supports and scaffolding techniques. In the example above, this would include terms like: healthy/unhealthy choices, behavior, consequences.

If you would like to read more about these new parts, take a look at the Overview (pages 3-16) in the 2012 Amplification document.

2012 Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Strand of MPIs Image: WIDA Consortium

Looking for a way to organize and share your students’ English language proficiency data? For years I have suggested to my workshop participants that they use the CAN DO Descriptors to contextualize their students’ ACCESS for ELLs® data. That is, I have suggested that they write their students’ names or initials on the appropriate grade level cluster CAN DO charts. But now we have an even better option!

Recently WIDA staff created a new layout for the CAN DO charts to make it easier to add students’ names. In the image on the left, I circled the Names area and demonstrated how you can write in students’ names based on their most recent ACCESS for ELLs, W-APT or MODEL scores.

There is one language domain with descriptors per page, along with a blank row large enough to write an entire class of students’ names. At the end of this post you will see an example of what the entire page looks like. If you would like to download the Name Charts to use in your own classroom, click here.

TIP #1: Take some time at a staff meeting to distribute your students’ ACCESS scores. Show your colleagues how to find their students’ proficiency levels in all four language domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing). Then show them how to fill out the CAN DO Name Chart. Be sure to have them write their name, room number and school year on the top of the chart.

TIP #2: Ask your colleagues to spend a few moments reflecting on the data in their charts. What patterns do they notice? Did anything surprise them? Take a few minutes to debrief and discuss these observations. This is a great way to introduce staff members to what research has to say about developing academic language. For more on academic language, click here.

TIP #3: Either during the same meeting or at a subsequent staff meeting, have groups of teachers work together to complete the cell for Level 6: Reaching. If possible, have an ESL/bilingual teacher work together with general education teachers to write several statements that capture grade-level academic English expectations for each language domain (i.e. Listening, speaking, reading and writing).

TIP #4: Encourage classroom teachers to share their completed CAN DO Name Charts with the physical education, fine arts, and music teachers.

TIP #5: Refer to your completed CAN DO Name Chart when you are collaborating with your colleagues and lesson planning. In other words, model how to use the CAN DO Descriptors in lesson planning.

For more on using the CAN DO Descriptors in lesson planning, click on the appropriate grade level:

Teachers at Work Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

CAN DO Descriptor Images: WIDA Consortium

Have you heard the news? On October 1,2012, Colorado became the 30^thmember of the WIDA Consortium. On October 11^th, Nevada joined and became the 31^stmember.

Both states previously adopted the WIDA ELD Standards for use in their schools. Now that they are official Consortium members, Colorado and Nevada educators are preparing to administer the ACCESS for ELLs assessment.

Here are a few blog posts that you might find useful if you are preparing to give the ACCESS for ELLs for the first time this year:

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Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I suspect that proficiency levels are the “most talked about” of the scores provided by the ACCESS for ELLs score reports. However, many of us have a hard time explaining the levels to people outside our field. In today’s post, I will share with you my favorite analogy – the ice cream cone.

During workshops, I have been known to actually draw this image free hand. It isn’t very pretty! The “homemade” image of the ice cream cone diagram below is much nicer.

As we all know, you don’t need a lot of ice cream to fill the bottom tip of an ice cream cone. You also don’t need a lot of language to “fill up” the first level of English proficiency or to move from a 1.0 English language proficiency (ELP) level to a 2.0 ELP level. Also, you need more ice cream to fill up the top part of the cone than you need to fill up the bottom part of the cone. This is similar to how students’ move from one ELP level to the next. That is, you need more language to “fill up” the levels the higher you go on the cone. Let me explain.

According to the WIDA Performance Definitions (see pages 8-9 of the 2012 Amplification), ELLs at a level 1 (Entering) can “produce single words, phrases and chunks of language” in English. They can “process simple grammatical constructions, and comprehend and use general social and instructional words and expressions.” Students at a level 2 (Emerging) can “process multiple related simple sentences and produce phrases and short sentences” in English. They can also use “formulaic structures and understand repetitive sentence patterns across content areas.” The amount of English language represented in those descriptions is similar to the amount of ice cream it takes to reach the lines I drew on our ice cream cone.

Now let’s skip up to level 4 (Expanding). Students at this level can “process connected discourse with a variety of sentences and complex grammatical constructions” in English. They can understand and use “specific and some technical content area language.” However, students at a level 5 (Bridging) can “process rich descriptive discourse with complex sentences and a broad range of sentence patterns. “ They can also “produce their ideas in an organized, cohesive and coherent manner using technical and abstract content-area language, including words and expressions with shades of meaning.” To go from a level 4 to a level 5 represents more growth in English than going from a level 1 to a level 2.

This is the key to understanding proficiency levels. Each level represents more English language development than the level below it. Therefore, it is common for students to move through the first levels of English language proficiency quickly. But the higher you go (in grade level and in ELP level) the longer it will take you to move to the next level. As Gary Cook says “lower is faster and higher is slower.” If you would like to read more about this, check out WIDA's Focus on Growth bulletin.

5/7/13- Updated second picture

Last week an administrator told me that he was surprised to learn that there were several different types of score reports available for the ACCESS for ELLs assessment. He only knew about the data that was uploaded annually to his district’s online data management system. Reflecting on that conversation led me to today’s post.

There are five score reports and each report organizes students’ ACCESS data in different ways. As a result, each report has different uses. Each consortium member has determined when score reports will be sent to your district. Look for your dates here.Below is a handy chart that you might want to share with your colleagues. For detailed information and samples of each score report, check out the 2012 Interpretive Guide for Score Reports.

Score Report	Intended Audience	Data	Potential Uses
Parent/Guardian Report *	Parents and guardians of students	Proficiency levels represented on a bar graph with icons	Share with parents at parent/teacher conferences*
Teacher Report	Mainstream, ESL and bilingual teachers	Raw scores, scale scores and proficiency levels	Share with all teachers who work with ELLs in order to inform classroom instruction and assessment
Student Roster Report	Teachers and administrators	Scale scores, proficiency levels	Share with grade level teams of teachers to inform classroom instruction and assessment
School Frequency Report	Administrators	Scale scores, proficiency levels, number and percentages of students receiving that score	Share with all building staff, use to inform building level programmatic decisions
District Frequency Report	Administrators	Scale scores, proficiency levels, number and percentages of students receiving that score	Share with district staff, use to inform district level programmatic decisions

*On the WIDA website, you can find free downloadable translated parent reports (40 languages) and sample letters to accompany the parent report (over 20 languages). Go to http://www.wida.us/downloadLibrary.aspxthen look under the heading ACCESS for ELLs. Translated reports and letters should accompany the English version, not replace it. If you are willing and able to translate the parent score report and/or sample letter to parents into another language, please consider sharing your work with the Consortium. Email new translations to info@wida.us

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since we launched this blog! Thanks to you, it has been a resounding success. Over 38,000 people have visited the WIDA blog since November 7, 2011. Just last month, we had over 8,000 page views.

Join us as we celebrate!

Here is a YouTube video with Happy Birthday in over 20 languages. And here are some of our most popular posts from the last year:

If you have ideas for future blog posts, we would love to hear from you!

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

Earlier this year I wrote about some of the new features in the 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards. I highlighted the new components, including the example context for language use, cognitive function and topic-related language sections.

Since then I have conducted several workshops on transformations. (For those of you new to the ELD Standards, check out these posts: Transformations – Part 1, Transformation s – Part 2, Q&A on Transformations.) I have been delighted to see that these same new features actually make it easier for my participants to do transformations. So today I will be sharing some transformation tips. Some are my tips; some came from my workshop participants.

TIP #1: Download the blank strand template. Feel free to print it out or type right on the template. Click here to download the template.

TIP #2: Pull out Figure O (page 15) from the 2012 Amplification. This is a wonderful tool to reference as you work through your transformations.

TIP #3: Don’t start with a blank page! Instead, choose a strand of Model Performance Indicators from the 2007 edition or 2012 amplification that has a similar topic. Then use that strand as a model for creating a new strand on that same topic but in a different language domain (e.g. if your model is a speaking strand, then create the related writing strand or if you start with a listening strand as a model, transform it to a reading strand).

TIP #4: Work with at least one other person. This can be a cognitively demanding task so it is easier to do when you are bouncing ideas off a colleague.

TIP #5: Decide on where you want to start. Some of my workshop participants found that they preferred to work in a different order. Here are some possibilities:

Start by determining your “example context for language use” and then decide how you would assess that lesson. Then start working on transforming the MPIs.
Determine the cognitive function and then transform the MPI strand.
Start with transforming the MPIs at levels 1, 3 and 5. Then go back and work on levels 2 and 4.

Image courtesy of woman with clipboard: FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Image of ELD Strand

Have you heard? WIDA is creating Early Language Development Standards for children who are 2.5 - 5.5 years old. On November 29, 2012, practitioners from several states gathered in a Chicago suburb to preview these new standards.   Similar to the K-12 English Language Development Standards, the Early Language Standards will contain the following components:

•   Six Early Language Development Standards
•   Two language domains (receptive and productive)
•   Three early language development levels in English
•   Three age groups
•   Two features of developmentally appropriate academic language
•   Performance definitions that define each level in each age group
•   Model Performance Indicators (MPIs)

Early in the day each table was asked to create a visual that would represent the relationship between the various components. Here are two examples:

The Puma table visualized a tree with two trunks. One trunk represents the receptive language
domain and the other trunk is the productive domain. The red and orange branches are the early language development levels (1-Entering, 3-Developing, 5-Bridging). The blue branches represent the two features of developmentally appropriate academic language (language usage and linguistic complexity). The leaves are the performance definitions and the swing is a MPI. The grass represents the six standards.

The Rhinoceros group envisioned the components as translucent layers stacked one on top of the other. The large purple circle represents the Early Language Development Standards. The pink circle is the language domains. The blue circle is representing the levels. The red circle is the features of developmentally appropriate academic language, and the orange circle shows the performance definitions. The small yellow circle is labeled MPIs.

And a drum roll, please...

Here are the six Early Language Development Standards for children between the ages of 2.5-5.5 years (30-66 months):

1.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Social-Emotional Development
2.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Language Arts
3.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Mathematics
4.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Science
5.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Social Studies
6.   Dual language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for success in the area of Physical Development

Stay tuned for more on the Early Language Development Standards.

Looking for a quick read on young English language learners/dual language learners? Click here.

Wondering how to use the CAN DO Descriptors in a preschool class? Click here.

Images: Tammy King, November 2012

The word is out!

WIDA announced last week that they will be holding a national conference from October 17 to October 19, 2013. I am so excited about so many aspects of this conference. It will be in Milwaukee, my second favorite city on Lake Michigan. The conference will be open to all educators, regardless of their membership in the WIDA Consortium. The conference theme is Language Learner Success: Building on Strengths. I can’t wait to see what the sessions will be about! Speaking of which, guess who might be presenting at the conference?

YOU!

Yes, you! Let me explain. The mission of the conference is to provide PreK - grade 12 educators of language learners with opportunities for professional development, idea sharing, relationship building and strategic collaboration. The goal is to have everyone walk away with something that they can implement immediately. As the WIDA staff members considered how to accomplish this mission, they decided to use the best resource they have: educators!

The conference won’t be focused solely on WIDA products or services. WIDA staff is encouraging presentation submissions from educators (individuals or teams) that will allow their peers to have concrete take-aways that can be put into practice right away.

The presentation topic areas are:
•    Academic language and literacy
•    Effective instructional practices
•    Program management
•    National initiatives

More details, including guiding questions and examples of potential topics are available on the conference website. The call for presentations is now open! Please plan to submit your presentation proposal through the conference website by February 15, 2013.

In the meantime, mark your calendars. I am looking forward to meeting you there!

Images: Freedigitalphotos.net

With so many exciting projects in the works at WIDA, it comes as no surprise that they are in need of a few new team members. If you are passionate about educating English language learners through high quality standards, assessments, research and professional development for educators, then take a few moments to review the current job openings. If one (or more) strikes your fancy, then review the
qualifications and submit your resume and cover letter to the contact person listed on the job posting. Be sure to include the position vacancy listing number. Feel free to apply as long as the position is posted on the WIDA website, even if the consideration deadline has passed.

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

Have your eye on some new supplies for your classroom? Thinking about buying a new book? WIDA is giving away one $25 Amazon gift card each week from now until March 1, 2013. The grand prize winner will be drawn on March 1, 2013. That person will win a $100 Amazon gift card. So how do you enter this contest?
Submit a lesson plan online via the WIDA website. For each lesson you submit, you will receive one entry into the gift card drawing. So the earlier you submit and the more lessons you enter, the more chances you have to win!

Each lesson needs to incorporate:
•Content standards and English language development (ELD) standards
•Language targets or objectives
•Differentiated instruction according to your students’ English language proficiency (ELP) levels
•Support for ELLs to access content learning and engage in cognitive challenges

So check out the Lesson Plan Share Space today and download the lesson plan template, guide to using the template and the contest terms and conditions.

Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

In mid-January 2013, the state of Michigan officially adopted the ELD Standards for use in their schools. Like Utah and Idaho, Michigan will not be participating in other consortium activities. But their teachers will be able to benefit by using the ELD standards in their lessons. Speaking of lessons, be sure to check out the new lesson plan share space. For those of us who have been in the consortium for years and are skilled at infusing the ELD standards into our lessons, this website will be a wonderful place to showcase our work. For those new to teaching ELLs or new to the consortium, the lesson sharing site will be a wonderful resource. If you upload a lesson between now and March 1, 2013, you will automatically be entered into a drawing for Amazon gift cards. For more information on the contest, click here.

Image: www.wida.us

The first time I heard the name WISACALD, I couldn’t help but smile. I thought to myself, “What’s a WISACALD?” Reading my mind, Amy Christianson explained. Amy is the OELA Grant Program Coordinator and my go-to person for questions about WISACALD. I must say, I was immediately impressed by this innovative approach to reaching out and connecting educators of ELLs. For those of you in Wisconsin, what a treat you have! For those of you outside Wisconsin, WISACALD might spark an idea for your state or region.

So back to the question…what’s WISACALD? And the answer is…

WIDACALD is a new initiative whose purpose is “to connect language educators and practitioners with resources and opportunities.” Their work is of critical importance because of the demographics in Wisconsin. I recently read an article that said nearly half of all ELLs in Wisconsin are served in small and rural programs. WISACALD is coordinated through Edgewood College in Madison but covers the entire state of Wisconsin. Their focus on students from birth through adulthood is clear when you review their list of partner organizations. On the list you will find Early Dual Language Learner Initiative (EDLLI), WI Department of Public Instruction) (DPI), Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) and WIDA. Teacher organizations like the WI Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (WITESOL) and the WI Association of Bilingual Education (WIABE) have also partnered with WISACALD. Of course, this should come as no surprise considering their mission statement:

The Wisconsin Alliance for Cultural and Linguistic Diversity (WISACALD) is committed to promoting awareness, advocacy, and professional development resources to language educators and practitioners of students from birth through adulthood. As our state becomes more culturally and linguistically diverse, the Alliance aims to merge efforts and interests of educators and practitioners that highlight, embrace, and celebrate our changing population in Wisconsin.

In a sense, they are a one-stop shop for resources, advocacy and professional development efforts occurring in Wisconsin. Currently WISACALD staff is building awareness of their services by presenting at various institutions around the state and expanding their website resources. In the future, they will present at conferences and sponsor networking and professional development opportunities around the state.
Check them out online on their website and on facebook and see for yourself why Amy proclaims that “We’s a called to do WISACALD!”

First Image: Freedigitalphotos.net

WISACALD logo: Courtesy of WISACALD and Edgewood College

I admit it; I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to numbers and graphs. So the first time I heard the term “data literacy” my ears perked up. I thought to myself, “I would love to become data literate!” As a teacher I struggled with ways to assess my students fairly. I wanted to give them the opportunity to show me what they knew in ways that were appropriate for their level of English proficiency. Now as a teacher trainer I am often asked about best practices in assessing ELLs. I have witnessed a growing desire among educators to find ways to effectively use their student data. As educators we need to continually ask ourselves:

What does this assessment measure?

What am I going to do with the information I receive from it?

When I mention these two key questions in a workshop, educators often confess that they don’t quite know what to do with their ACCESS for ELLs data. They know that it assesses English language proficiency across the five ELD standards. They also know what their state education agency has determined as entry and exit scores based on ACCESS. Some educators are even aware of the various scores available (for more on score reports, click here). At the district level, teachers realize that programmatic decisions are often made using student data. But how can we effectively use ACCESS for ELLs data to inform our instructional practices?

While the answer to this question can’t possibly be contained in a single blog post, I do want to share with you today a new professional development opportunity from WIDA. It is called LADDER for Language Learners. It is a 12-18 month program that trains a team of educators from the same school. In a process similar to professional learning communities (PLC), the school team members learn how to interpret data, identify areas for improvement, formulate and ultimately implement an ELL action plan guided by WIDA facilitators and a LADDER coach. Typically a district ELL specialist serves as the team’s LADDER coach. Along the way, WIDA facilitators train, support and guide the coaches and team members through on-site visits and regular monthly phone calls.

As is the case with many professional development initiatives, LADDER is most effective when the team members represent various stakeholder groups. That is, some of the team members should be general education teachers, content teachers and ESL/bilingual teachers.

As I read a recent article about LADDER, I was struck by comments that two participants made. Catherine Fox from Rhode Island found herself developing a new leadership style because “One thing I took away from the coach training I went through was that my ideas about what was right or what the district needed to do were not as important as getting the team to come together and find answers as a group. I learned to be a better asker of questions, because I found that the heart of good coaching is asking the right questions. Being able to get a good conversation going was so important in getting teacher buy-in and in moving the team to work cohesively and find instructional practices that worked best for them.” LADDER equipped Catherine with the skills she needed to lead her team in a new and different way.

In Illinois, Debra Holland discovered innovative ways to use the ACCESS data from her building. Debra’s team “determined [that] our K-3 speaking scores could be higher, and that’s what we chose to target. So we looked at ways to get our students to speak more in the classroom, and discovered through our observations that our teachers were talking too much. What they needed to do was back off and let the kids talk, so the students could become more comfortable talking in English.”

Interested in learning more about LADDER? Visit their website for more information and registration information.

Image: Courtesy of Harvard LADDER team

Recently I was asked about how best to use running records with ELLs. As we know from the literacy field, running records give us a "snapshot" of a child's reading behaviors. They also help us determine a student's instructional reading level.

There are several things I'd like to encourage you to keep in mind with regards to ELLs and running records.

TIP #1 - Provide sufficient processing time. It is critically important to provide students with enough processing time to comprehend the text and formulate their responses to your questions.

TIP #2 – Go beyond simply recording the miscues. Seek to understand why the student is doing what he is doing. Keep these ideas in mind:

Is the social-cultural context of the story unfamiliar to your student?
Look for evidence of linguistic borrowing, semantic extensions or other forms of linguistic creativity. This can give a teacher valuable information about how the student uses both of their languages to understand text. In turn, this can impact instruction in a powerful way.
Consider the semantic/meaning system to be a strength that the child will rely on to monitor his reading. For example, does the inserted word make sense in the sentence?
Typically the syntactical/structural system would be the least reliable for an ELL since his syntactical system is still developing in English. We can observe this development in a child's oral and written language. Often we first observe it in oral language. Because an ELL is developing his structural system, it is not helpful to ask "does it sound right?" when referring to structural errors; his system is typically not strong enough to confirm or disconfirm a correct structure.
When looking at miscues, we know that ELLs may drop inflectional endings (i.e. –ed, -s, -ing). We want to avoid an overemphasis on the visual system. We want a child to integrate multiple sources of information. Sometimes it is difficult to discern if a child is "not looking" (for example, at word endings) or if what the child has read aloud is a reflection of his stage in language development. At this point, it is important to ask: "What have I noticed in this child's oral language? Does he have control over this type of ending or is this still developing?"
Keep in mind that students use their cueing systems differently in different languages. This former Reading Recovery teacher turned blogger shares her thoughts here.

TIP #3- Anticipate how you will document mispronunciations that are unique to English language learners. English language learners should not be automatically penalized for mispronouncing a word. Consider the suggestions from another blogger here. Naturally the background knowledge that a student has with regards to phonics in their native language may affect their oral reading in English. Decide ahead of time how you will document mispronunciations.

TIP#4-Learn more about the structure of your students' native languages and how they impact their developing literacy skills. I highly recommend reading Bilingual Means Two (free to download here and then check out Teaching for Biliteracy - . Together they provide a wonderful context for the bookLearner English, which is a great reference for understanding linguistic interference between English and other languages.

Thanks to Audrey in Wisconsin for posing this question.

Interested in reading more about running records? Click here for some tips on the comprehension component of a running record.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.com

It is easy for a student to come to the erroneous conclusion that reading is about quickly and correctly pronouncing words out loud. Running records can exacerbate this misconception if teachers are not emphasizing the importance of comprehending what is read.

The comprehension component of running records is included to help us notice how a child is being thoughtful about his reading. Evaluating or measuring comprehension is difficult for many reasons for all learners (not just ELLs). As teachers, our goal is to uncover the process of comprehension. Consider these tips the next time you give a running record to an ELL.

TIP #1: Explicitly direct the student's attention to the cover.

Ask the student to tell you about what she notices on the cover
Tell the student to "think about what you know about ______." (something that was mentioned in the scripted introduction)

TIP #2: Listen carefully for responses from children that are conceptually correct. The purpose of this exercise is to help us understand if a child is being thoughtful about her reading. It is not intended to demonstrate her vocabulary knowledge or her ability to acquire new vocabulary.

Consider asking a longer question in "chunks" to reduce the linguistic complexity.
Consider changing a question into a declarative statement if the question appears confusing to the child. For example: Instead of "What are three things baby bear saw in the forest?" Try "Name three things baby bear saw in the forest."
Consider wait time. Many times ELLs need additional time to process in their native language and then respond in English.
Keep the focus on the meaning of the book. Ask the questions as if you were having a conversation about the book.

Share your thoughts on these tips or your own tips with us below. We would love to hear from you!

Interested in reading more on running records and ELLs? Click here for some of my thoughts and tips on miscue analysis.

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Institutes authorize individuals to facilitate trainings on WIDA products and resources. Designed for 15-25 participants, institutes are intensive and require follow-up work for authorization or certification. The WIDA Consortium offers two types of institutes. One is the Professional Certification for Trainers program and the other is the CLIMBS Facilitator Institute (CFI). As you might suspect, these trainings are designed for teacher trainers or professional development providers.

Today I wanted to share with you my experiences as a CLIMBS facilitator and encourage you to bring the CLIMBS course to your area by becoming an authorized CLIMBS facilitator or sponsoring members of your staff to become facilitators. First a bit about the CLIMBS Facilitator Institute (CFI)…

The CFI is an annual training opportunity offered by WIDA Consortium staff. Professional development providers from across the Consortium are sponsored by their employers to attend the institute. Since the CFI is similar to a train the trainers event, participants learn how to deliver the CLIMBS course curriculum. After completing the CFI, participants return to their school or regional educational agency and deliver the CLIMBS course to local teachers.

When I'm not blogging for WIDA, I'm providing professional development and technical assistance to Illinois teachers. Naturally, it made sense for me to become a CLIMBS facilitator. The Illinois Resource Center sponsored three of my colleagues and me because we saw a need among the districts we serve in Illinois to have more comprehensive training for teams of teachers and administrators on the ELD standards. A local school district had already sent some staff members to become CLIMBS facilitators. They spoke highly of the CFI training and said that the CLIMBS course was well received in their school district. Also, the fact that the CLIMBS course curriculum was already created (meaning we didn't have to build a 5 day training from scratch) was attractive.

We have seen the impact that offering the CLIMBS course has had on our area. To date, we have been able to teach the five day CLIMBS course to educators from seven districts. Each district has brought a team of educators, typically general education teachers, ESL/bilingual teachers and an administrator. The ESL and bilingual teachers have been able to deepen their knowledge on the ELD standards and sheltered instruction. Meanwhile, general education staff and administrators have been introduced to the multi-faceted issues impacting the instruction of ELLs.

The greatest impact I have witnessed is with regards to collaboration. District team members develop stronger relationships with each other. They are able to discuss issues impacting their ELLs in more depth and with more confidence than before attending the CLIMBS course. General education staff members come to realize that there is much more to educating ELLs than just teaching them English.

As a CLIMBS facilitator, I have enjoyed working with my colleagues on this project. I appreciate the opportunity to model the collaboration that we are asking our participants to do in their own classrooms. I also enjoyed the opportunity to focus on my presentation skills and learn about best practices in adult education during the CFI training.

Interested in becoming a CLIMBS facilitator for your school district or regional education agency? Get your application in. The next deadline is April 1, 2013. Click here for more details.

Image: www.freedigitalphotos.net

Quick Summer Read on Young ELLs

What’s the Same in the 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards?

What’s New in the 2012 Amplification of the ELD Standards?

Four New Features in the Strands of MPIs

Tips for Using the CAN DO Name Charts

Welcome, Colorado and Nevada!

Understanding Proficiency Levels Using an Ice Cream Cone Analogy

Using the ACCESS for ELLs Score Reports

It’s Our First Blog Birthday!

Tips for Doing Transformations with the 2012 Amplification

First Look at the Early Language Development Standards

Interested in presenting at the WIDA conference?

Working at WIDA

Share a Lesson and Be Entered into a Drawing for Amazon Gift Cards

Michigan Adopts the ELD Standards

What is WISACALD?

LADDER: Using Data to Impact Instruction

Running Records and ELLs: Miscue Analysis

Running Records and ELLs: Comprehension Considerations

Now is Your Chance to Become an Authorized CLIMBS Facilitator