Support for English Learner Programs

All teachers of English learners impact the rate and quality of their students’ English language development and achievement. Just as the English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher brings expertise in language acquisition, the general education teacher provides English learners with opportunities to practice and refine their developing language skills.  

Instructional Best Practices for English Learner Programs  

English learners benefit from evidence-based instructional practices including oral language development, literacy support, and a focus on vocabulary across content areas. All educators can implement these best practices. The following resources can assist schools and districts in developing comprehensive English learner programs. 

• Innovation Configuration's Evidence-Based Practices for English Learners identifies effective practices for English learner instruction for all educators.  
• Institute of Education Sciences English Learner’s webpage is a U.S. Department of Education clearinghouse of evidence-based education programs, products, practices and policies.  
• ELLevation's Collaborating with Content Teachers podcast describes simple strategies to make co-planning and co-teaching easier.   
• Reading Rockets Best Practice for ELLs: Small Group Interventions describes how general education teachers can create spaces for English learners to learn in small groups.  
• Student Achievement Partners: Scaffolds to Support English Language Learners in Writing and Discussion  explains that sentence frames and starters help English learners understand what they could be analyzing within a text to complete a writing or discussion activity.   

Resources that Support English Language Development 

State Resources 

• Ohio English Language Proficiency Standards  
• Instructional Guidelines and Resources for English Language Learners  
• Ohio Literacy Academy Resources 

National Resources  

• Center for Applied Linguistics Free Resource Page 
• U.S. Department of Education: English Learner Tool Kit - The second chapter of this tool kit is intended to help schools meet their obligations to English learners. The tool kit should be read in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights’ and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Dear Colleague Letter on “English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents",  published in January 2015, which outlines obligations to English learners under civil rights laws and other federal requirements.  

Last Modified: 1/19/2024 11:34:51 AM

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