mid-cumberland april forum response to instruction and intervention (rti²) english language...
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Mid-Cumberland April Forum Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²)
English Language Learners
Tennessee Department of Education Special Populations
Joann Lucero and Jan Lanier
Session Outcomes
• Understand English as a Second Language (ESL) Instruction and Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) are a coordination of services
• Discuss instruction and intervention needs for English Learners
• Understand the stages of language acquisition
K 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 -
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
5,000
6,000
7,000
8,000
Count of ESL Students by Grade
21WL
Spec
ific Lea
rning Disa
bility
Intellec
tual Disa
bility
Intellec
tually G
ifted
Spee
ch Im
pairmen
t
Langu
age I
mpairmen
ts
Emotional
Disturban
ce
Autism
Other Hea
lth Im
pairmen
t
Orthoped
ic Im
pairmen
ts
Deafness
Hearin
g Impair
ments
Blind
Visual
Impair
ments
Deaf-B
lindness
Multiple Disa
bilities
Functi
onal Dela
y
Develo
pmental
Delay
Traumati
c Brai
n Injury
-
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500 2,167
250 74
838
1,654
28 200 248
33 12 79 9 32 1 41 152
475
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ESL Students with Disabilities
Note: 42,011 ESL students had no identified disability.
TITLE VI
• Prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities that receive Federal financial assistance.
• To comply, schools must take affirmative steps to ensure that students with limited English proficiency (LEP) can meaningfully participate in their educational programs and services.
• Enforced by the Federal Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)• TDOE OCR (TOCR) is responsible for ensuring compliance with civil rights—
both within the department and in programs that receive funding from the department of education.
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Federal Law Obligations
State Educational Agencies (SEAs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), and schools must:• Enroll students regardless of students’ or parents’ or guardians’ actual or
perceived immigration or immigration status
• Protect students from discriminatory harassment on the basis of race, color, national origin (including EL status), sex, disability, or religion
• Not prohibit national origin-minority group students from speaking in their primary language during the school day without and educational justification
• Not retaliate, intimidate, threaten, coerce, or in any way discriminate against any individual for bringing civil rights concerns to a school’s attention of for participating in an investigation
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RTI² and English Learners
How do English Learners (ELs) fit into the Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) model?
English language learners can reach the same high content- area standards as all students, but they need different pathways…
Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI²) & English Learners
• A set of processes for coordinating high quality service delivery in schools
• A multi-tiered, layered instructional approach that prevents problems first, and then brings increasingly intense interventions to students who don’t respond
• Making instructional decisions based on data
• Integrating entitlement programs with general education
• Providing relevant data for SLD identification
• Primary goal: Improving academic (and behavioral) outcomes for all students by eliminating discrepancies between actual and expected performance.
Source: Fletcher, Jack (2013) Classifications and Definitions for the Identification of Learning Disabilities: An Evaluation of the Research. Presentation for RTI²: A School Psychologist’s Guide to Implementation. Murfreesboro, TN.
Leadership at all levels is essential for ensuring the success of all students throughout the RTI² Framework. (state, district, building level)
A culture of collaboration that is focused on student achievement, for all students, should include educators, families and communities.
RTI2 focuses on prevention and early intervention that uses assessment data for instruction, intervention and transitions between tiers. This is includes differentiation of instruction.
Core Instruction – Tier I
Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learners: Connecting to WIDA Standards, Assessments, and Other Resources (Page 6)
All students receive core instruction (Tier I). For ELs this includes the addition of English language development instruction. (i.e. ESL Services/ ESL Time = 60 minutes)
• With an endorsed ESL teacher, for ELA time, using district uniform core curriculum supported by differentiation and scaffolding. (sheltered instruction)
• If not in an ESL class, due to limited EL population, then in the general education classroom where the ESL teacher provides appropriate instructional supports to make grade-level course work comprehensible. (collaboration between the general education and ESL teacher)
Tennessee State Standards
Benefits of Core Instruction • Exposure to rigorous grade level academic standards, exposure to grade level academic
vocabulary like peers
• ELs interact with proficient English speakers and other language learners
• Opportunities for ELs to build on their strengths, prior experiences, and background knowledge
• Opportunities to learn expectations and student accountability for learning and self-monitoring
• Build peer support
Where does ESL Fit into the Educational Model
• For Beginners and Low Intermediate English Learners (ELs)• For intermediate and advanced English Learners• For amount of service• For differentiation• For cultural sensitivity• For assessment• For accountability• For educational success
World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Support and Standards
• Guiding Principles
• Essential Actions
• RTI2 support at www.wida.us under Professional Learning, Educator Resources• Guide: Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction &
Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learners• Planning form
What if you need data beyond the Universal Screener?• Anecdotal data
o (i.e. student observations throughout the instructional day: level of discourse, collaborative group work, and/or accountable talk)
o The purpose is to demonstrate development, have ongoing records of instructional needs, have data to share with student, parents, or during Professional Learning Community (PLC) planning time.
• MODEL data o (part of WIDA support, can be used twice as an interim assessment to measure progress/ growth)
• English as a Second Language (ESL) formative and summative data o (i.e. student samples of discourse, writing, journaling, miscue analysis, running record (survey level assessment), English
proficiency assessment, common formative assessments, district benchmarks, and/or end of year assessments)
• Comparison of ELs to ELs
Best Practice: Determining Need Learning environment
• ESL teachers • ESL program model• instruction for ELs• available resources• role/use of assessment
Academic Achievement & Instructional Factors • classroom observations• grades and progress reports • notes from the teacher/ student conferences• standardized test scores• student attendance patterns • common formative assessments (district or school developed) and curriculum based measures • performance based tasks with low linguistic demands (i.e. mathematics computation)
Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learners
Best Practice: Determining Need Oral Language & Literacy Factors
• oral language samples over time (i.e. impromptu classroom discussion) and writing samples • running records & miscue analysis at student’s language proficiency level • examine listening and speaking skills from language proficiency assessment • literacy support at home
Personal and Family Factors: • demographic information about the families in the school community • complete linguistics inventory of the languages represented in the school • educational backgrounds • interests, expectations, and/or aspirations (student and family)
Physical & Psychological Factors: • conduct well being surveys school wide• school climate surveys to students and parents• conduct dental, vision, hearing, and other general screenings periodically
Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learners
Previous Schooling Factors • records from previous schooling • interview/ ask students about previous schooling and experiences, as well as parents • limited or interrupted instruction
Cross- Cultural Factors • inquire about expectations, values, beliefs, as well as strengths/ expertise (students & parents) • ensure appropriate use of interpreters, translators (communication & collaboration) • promote parent/ family involvement in the school • value diversity
Best Practice: Determining Need
Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learners
ESL Strategies
• Spiraling• Visual supports• Sentence frames• Focus on comprehensibility• Modeling• Discourse vs. sentence and word level activities• Strategic grouping
These ESL strategies can be used throughout the instructional day. (i.e. core instruction, ESL/ELD time, Tier II, Tier III, Special Education intervention)
Decision Making Process: RTI² and ELsUniversal Screening (same for all students)
Evaluation of universal screening data using cut-scores based on national norms
Meets cut score Does not meet cut score
ELL* Non-ELL
Begins interventions
Fluent Language Learner
Receive ESL Services
Evaluation by qualified ESL staff using the English Language Proficiency Assessment
Emergent Language Learner
Receive interventions; progress monitored
May need Tier II or III interventions
Receive more intensive interventions
Meets grade level expectations
Making appropriate progress
Does not meet grade level expectations
Not making appropriate progress
*According to SBE policy 3.207, if a child’s parent or guardian selects any answer besides English on the Home Language Survey, that student will be screened with the English Language Proficiency Assessment.
Appropriate EL Programs
• Are reasonably calculated to enable EL students to obtain both English proficiency and parity of participation in the standard instructional program within a reasonable length of time
• Must consider each EL student’s individual English proficiency level, grade, educational background, and language background when determining which service is appropriateo Typically will require more EL services for least English proficient EL students than for more
proficient ones
• LEAs should provide designated English Language Development (ELD)/English as a Second Language (ESL) services for EL students at the same or comparable ELP levels to ensure these services are targeted and appropriate to their ELP levels.
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Frequent Compliance Issues With Providing EL Programs
• Excluding kindergarteners or EL students with scheduling conflicts from EL programs
• Supplementing regular education instruction with only aides who tutor EL students as opposed to teachers trained to deliver EL programs
• Failing to offer an EL program to a certain subset of EL students
• Stopping services when EL students reach higher level of English proficiency but have not yet met exit criteria
• Failing to address needs of EL students who have not made expected progress or met exit criteria despite extended enrollment in program
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English Language Acquisition: What’s normal?
• Interference or transfer from the first language (L1)
• Silent period
• Code switching
• Language loss in L1
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Pitfalls
• More English, less L1 is best for the student
• Devaluing bilingualism
• Confusing Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
• Not realizing that there is likely a “gap” in BICS and CALP
• Misunderstanding fully English proficient • Focus on discrete points and not communicative discourse
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BICS & CALPS
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Basic Interpersonal Communications Skills (BICS) refers to language needed for daily communication. It covers social planning, discussion of health, weather, etc.
Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) refers to the language needed to succeed in academic/career situations. It covers the vocabulary and grammar needed for access to mathematics, science, literature, social studies, etc.
Silent Period
Adapted from: Handbook for Educators of Students Who Are English Language Learners with Suspected Disabilities http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/resources/handbook_educators.pdf
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Listening to and understanding spoken language is the essential ingredient in second language acquisition. For this reason, teachers are urged not to force production, but rather to allow students a “silent period” during which they can acquire some language knowledge by listening and understanding. The silent period may last days, weeks or months.
• “According to Stephen Krashen, most new learners of English will go through a “silent period” which is an interval of time during which they are unable or unwilling to communicate orally in the new language. The silent period may last for a few days or a year depending on a variety of factors. It occurs before ELLs are ready to produce oral language and is generally referred to as the “Pre-production” stage of language learning. ELLs should not be forced to speak before they are ready and we don’t want to embarrass students by putting them on the spot.”*
*http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/pre_producti_silent_period
Stages of Language Acquisition
Level 1 – Entering/Beginner/Preproduction:• The student does not understand or speak English with the exception of a few isolated words or expressions.
Level 2 – Emerging/Beginning/Production/Early Intermediate:• The student understands and speaks conversational and academic English with hesitancy and difficulty.• The student understands parts of lessons and simple directions.• The student is at a pre-emergent or emergent level of reading and writing in English, significantly below grade
level.
Level 3 – Developing/Intermediate:• The student understands and speaks conversational and academic English with decreasing hesitancy and difficulty.• The student is post-emergent, developing reading comprehension and writing skills in English.• The student’s English literacy skills allow the student to demonstrate academic knowledge in content areas with
assistance.
WIDA RTI² for English Learners 26
Stages of Language Acquisition
Level 4 – Expanding/Advanced Intermediate/Early Advanced:• The student understands and speaks conversational English without apparent difficulty, but understands and
speaks academic English with some hesitancy.• The student continues to acquire reading and writing skills in content areas needed to achieve grade level
expectations with assistance. Level 5 – Bridging/Advanced:• The student understands and speaks conversational and academic English well.• The student is near proficient in reading, writing, and content area skills needed to meet grade level expectations.• The student requires occasional support.
WIDA RTI² for English Learners 27
Stages of Language Acquisition
FULL ENGLISH PROFICIENCY LEVELS
Level 6 – Reaching/Formerly LEP/ Moving in to the transition phase :• The student was formerly limited English proficient and is now fully English proficient.• The student reads, writes, speaks and comprehends English within academic classroom settings.
Level 7 – Non-English Language Background (NELB)/Fully English Proficient/Never Limited-English Proficient/ English-Only:• The student was never classified as limited-English proficient and does not fit the definition of a limited-English
proficient student outlined in either state of federal law. The student will be listed as NELB in EIS.
WIDA RTI² for English Learners 28
Beginning July 1, 2014, RTI² will be the framework used to identify students with a Specific Learning Disability.
Underachievement and insufficient response to intervention are not primarily the result of exclusionary factors.
Middle school –July 1, 2015High school- July 1, 2016
Have you ruled out language?
• Is English language acquisition level a reason for academic issues?
• Can you determine anything about the native language skills?
• Is the child caught between two languages and working without a strong first language (L1)?
• Have you discussed needs with the student and parents?
Exclusionary Factors
• Visual, Hearing, or Motor Disability • Intellectual Disability • Emotional Disturbance • Cultural Factors • Environmental or Economic Disadvantage • Limited English Proficiency • Excessive Absenteeism
We must rule out exclusionary factors as the primary cause of a disability but they are still factors we need to consider when looking at the whole student.
How do we rule out limited English proficiency as the primary cause of language acquisition difficulty?
Consider the Whole Student• Use variety of formal and informal measures• Avoid reliance on formal, standardized measures as the primary indicator• Compare the child to others from similar linguistic and cultural background• Look at the student’s past experiences if possible, i.e., post traumatic stress,
interrupted schooling, etc. • Evaluate the “language learning” ability of child via dynamic assessment• Report standard scores with caution• Determine the parents’ educational experiences and the likely written materials in the
home environment• Take a careful look at language and educational history to determine type of use of
each language
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Language Acquisition vs. Disability
Adapted from: Handbook for Educators of Students Who Are English Language Learners with Suspected Disabilities http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/resources/handbook_educators.pdf
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Comparison of Characteristics for English Learners and English Learners who May Have a Disability
Characteristics English Language Learner Student with a Disability
Communication Skills
Normal language learning potential. Communicative use of English is reduced and easily noted by native speakers. May be misdiagnosed as speech and language disorder. Usually there may be home language impact and inter-language variables in voice and/or articulation. Can be communicatively proficient to function in society.
May exhibit speech and language disorders in the areas of articulation, voice, fluency, or receptive and expressive language; may not always achieve communicative competence in either first or second language.
Language Skills Home language skills were appropriate for age level prior to exposure to a second language. The nonverbal communication skills are culturally appropriate for age level, e.g., eye contact, response to speaker, clarification of response, turn taking, etc. Student may not know specific vocabulary, but he or she may be familiar with item or concept. Sentence structure and grammar is in highly transitional stage that follows similar patterns of normal language development. Student may pass through predictable periods, e.g., silent period, speech emergence, etc.
May exhibit needs in understanding and expression including vocabulary and word finding, following directions, sentence formulation, and pragmatics in either first and/or second language. Degree of disorder varies depending on processing skills and cognitive level. Difficulties in home language cannot be attributed to first language loss due to length of time in English speaking schools. Difficulties in English do not correspond to those expected based on student’s length of time in English-speaking schools.
Language Acquisition vs. DisabilityCharacteristics English Language Learner Student with a Disability
Sensory Functioning Usually normal. Auditory and/or visual acuity defects are compensated with aids.
May have auditory and/or visual acuity and/or processing difficulties.
Health No significant health characteristics for this group, but consider developmental factors in cultural context.
May have a history of risk: complications during pregnancy or birth, ear infections or hearing problems, sleep or eating disturbances, incontinence, and family incidence of inherited conditions, such as learning disability, deafness, etc.
Cognitive Abilities Determining cognitive skills is often difficult due to the student’s developing English language proficiency. Academic difficulties may be related to issues such as cultural differences, lack of or limited educational experiences in the home country, and differences in background/prior knowledge.
May include the full range of cognitive abilities. Deficits may result in significant educational impact which requires specialized instructional support. English normed tests must be interpreted with caution.
Academic Functioning Normal language learning potential. Apparent problems due to culturally determined learning style, different perceptual strategies, or lack of schooling in home country.
A valid measure of educational impact may not be calculable. Other factors must be considered and may include inability to make progress in new language acquisition, difficulty retaining academic information in spite of a variety of systematic, sustained, and targeted interventions; history of and reasons for difficulty in schools in home country, and difficulty in acquiring the home language, etc.
Adapted from: Handbook for Educators of Students Who Are English Language Learners with Suspected Disabilities http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/resources/handbook_educators.pdf
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Language Acquisition vs. Disability
Characteristics English Language Learner Student with a Disability
Progress Progress in home language is contingent upon adequacy and continuation of home language instruction. Academic progress in English will depend on the quality and quantity of English instruction. English progress should continue steadily even if slowly. During the language transition period, English performance may lag, and first language skills may decrease due to lack of continued instruction in home language.
For possible giftedness, may show remarkable progress in some areas when tasks are analyzed, taught sequentially, and include higher extent of teacher-pupil interaction. Skills may jump years in one year. For possible disability, may show less than expected progress in English acquisition and development of academic skills. May show a marked or extreme discrepancy between different areas (e.g., oral skills and writing skills, etc.) that cannot be attributed to lack of sufficient time or appropriate interventions.
Productivity Verbal and written directions may not be understood due to insufficient English development. This may lead to students not beginning tasks or switching tasks without assistance.
Verbal directions may be too complex. May be unable to read written directions. May want to do task, be embarrassed about lack of skill, or not be able to concentrate. May not begin task without assistance. Student often unable to switch from task to task.
Social Abilities May have some social problems due to lack of familiarity with American customs, language, expected behaviors, etc. Good normal potential. Because of lack of English competency, student may experience social isolation and may be likely to be a follower rather than a leader in a group of English speakers.
May exhibit difficulties with social/emotional skills which are not attributable to adjustment and acculturation.
Adapted from: Handbook for Educators of Students Who Are English Language Learners with Suspected Disabilities http://www.doe.virginia.gov/instruction/esl/resources/handbook_educators.pdf
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Improving Outcomes
Differentiate for each English Learner• Age/grade level• Former education
Use formative and summative assessment data to inform instruction• Checks for understanding• Classroom work• Progress monitoring data• Summative data
Look for cultural factors that impact learning • Religion/beliefs/superstitions• Parental expectations and involvement
Remember to consider the differences between Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)
Engage all learners at all times
Footer 36
English Learner Support: Best Practices • Learn as much as possible about the cultural and language background of ELs
• Set high expectations and prepare them to meet state and national academic standards and promotion, graduation, and post-graduation requirements.
• Provide comprehensible instruction at a level commensurate with the language proficiency skills and current functioning. This involves aligning curriculum, assessment, and interventions to meet student needs and using ongoing assessment results to inform and customize instruction.
• Provide native language instructional support while they are learning English, if possible.
• Pair a new ELL student with a bilingual student who preferably can speak the same language and who can be a buddy.
• Teach survival English first (e.g. bathroom, cafeteria, book, pencil), and label common objects in the classroom in English.
• Pair visual cues and nonverbal gestures with verbal communication in the classroom.
English Language Learners: An Introductory Guide for Educatorshttp://www.nasponline.org/ 37
• Observe understanding. Repetition may be needed.
• Encourage natural and purposeful communication in the classroom involving extensive practice in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
• Adapt lessons consistent with their levels of language proficiency, highlighting key points and using, for instance, outlines, lists, diagrams, or demonstrations. Reduce the language demands, not the conceptual demands, of tasks.
• Use cooperative learning groups, role-playing, dialogue journals, and other forms of active and interactive learning.
• Enhance self-image, motivation, and cultural pride by using culturally relevant materials and encouraging presentations and activities highlighting their heritage.
• Facilitate parent involvement. Invite the parents to actively participate in their child’s education.
• Use an inquiry-based, collaborative problem-solving team process to address issues related to their instruction and adjustment
English Language Learners: An Introductory Guide for Educatorshttp://www.nasponline.org/ 38
English Learner Support: Best Practices
Helpful Links
WIDA RTI² & English Learners RTI2 support under Professional Learning, Educator Resources www.wida.us
The IRIS Center Vanderbilt University Teaching English Language Learners: Effective Instructional Practiceshttp://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/ell/
Universal Design for Learning http://www.cast.org/http://www.udlcenter.org/
References
Developing a Culturally and Linguistically Responsive Approach to Response to Instruction & Intervention (RtI²) for English Language Learnersfile:///C:/Users/ca18722/Downloads/WIDA_RtI2_forELLs%20(7).pdf
Dear Colleague Letter, English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents, January 7, 2015.http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/letters/colleague-el-201501.pdf
How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed Ability ClassroomsTomlinson, C. A. (2001). How to Differentiate Instruction in Mixed-Ability Classrooms (2nd ed.). Alexandria, Virginia: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD).
Contact Information
Jan LanierEnglish as a Second Language Coordinator (ESL)
Title III [email protected]
Joann Lucero Literacy Intervention Programming Specialist
Alison GauldBehavior and Low Incidence Disabilities Coordinator
[email protected] @AlisonAGauld
Tie Hodack Director of Instructional Programming
[email protected]@HodackTie
Blake ShearerSecondary Transition and Intervention Coordinator
Theresa Nicholls Director of Special Education Eligibility
Ryan MathisMathematics Interventionist Specialist
[email protected]@RyanMathIsCool
Joann Lucero Literacy Interventionist Specialist
[email protected]@JoannL_81
Jill OmerSpeech, Language, and Autism Coordinator
[email protected] @Jill_Omer
Instructional Programming Team
