Azra S. Haq Illinois State University

1. The Value of Specific Instructional Elements to Help English Language Learners Achieve Passing Grades in the Mainstream Classroom Azra S. Haq Illinois State University

2. Basic research question: • What is the value of specific instructional elements to help English Language Learners achieve passing grades in a mainstream classroom?

3. What are these instructional elements? • School leadership and structure • Language and literacy content instruction • Cooperative learning • Professional development • Parental support • Monitoring implementation and outcomes

4. Review of Literature: Our ever-changing world is internationalizing each and every day. The fastest growing student population is our immigrant population. Many who do not speak English fluently are labeled English Language Learners (ELL’s). Our schools are becoming more and more diverse, full of language and culture. The trend of our English Language Learner population is only increasing and this will probably continue. This means the specific needs of these learners will be greater. Our learners will be taught English as well as content specific material in sheltered classes as well as mainstream classrooms with teachers who are overwhelmed and unprepared. To take advantage of learning in the mainstream classroom our students need to know their environment and feel belonged. It is imperative as teachers to seek the best opportunities and strategies to make it our obligation to educate these students in our specialties to become productive members of our society. The research will focus on the value of specific instructional elements to help ELL’s achieve passing grades in a mainstream classroom.

5. New research questions: • What specifically about the implemented instructional elements will allow students to show progress and achieve passing grades in a mainstream classroom? • What kind of reliable evidence and data is there to prove that ELL’s are meeting or exceeding the core content standards to achieve passing grades in a mainstream classroom at Hoffman Estates High School (HEHS)? • What steps will be taken if our ELL’s do not achieve passing grades upon the implementation of these instructional elements?

6. Method: • There will be three chapter exams and close to 12 critical learning standard assessments that will be administered. All of the assessment data will be collected and evaluated to explore progress and achievement. • There will also be a survey (rated on a 10-point scale) which will be conducted for the students as well as the teachers which will provide descriptive feedback to reveal positive results. The survey should be conducted to allow students to respond how they felt about the implementation of these elements. It should also give teachers opportunities to rate how useful the implementations of these elements were with regard to ELL student achievement.

7. Possible next steps: • Research professional development opportunities for teachers in a mainstream classroom with ELL’s. • Determine how many classes in all content areas have mainstream classrooms with ELL’s. • Research what resources mainstream teachers have in order to help ELL’s achieve and how these are being used.

8. Presentation questions for discussion: • Do you have English Language Learners (ELL’s) in any of your mainstream classrooms? Please describe the situation. How many ELL’s do you have? What is there English language ability? Content area ability? What country are they from? • What resources does your school offer for ELL’s? What resource did you seek to help these students? • What difference did these resources make in the students’ academic achievement? • What, if any instructional elements, from slide #3, did you implement? • What other instructional elements have you used to help ELL’s succeed?