Navigating the ELPS

1. Navigating the ELPS Using the New Standards to Improve Instruction for English Language Learners Libby deLeón Libby.deleon@pisd.edu

2. Today, you will… • Familiarize yourselves with the ELPS • Create clear “Language Objectives” and “Content Objectives” • Review strategies for scaffolding

4. Reflection • Turn to a shoulder partner • Discuss how the district met the needs of this student in the video.

5. What are the ELPS? New English language proficiency standards for ELLsMust be implemented as an integral part of each subject areaOutline English language proficiency level descriptors and student expectations for ELLsGoal is to improve instruction for ELLs. 

6. District Responsibilities • Communicate so it’s • comprehensible • Sequence Curriculum • Scaffold Instruction • Identify Language Levels Introduction Make Content Comprehensible Develop Academic Language ELPS • Student Expectations Across the Curriculum • Listening Language • Speaking Learning • Reading Strategies • Writing • Language Levels • Beginner • Intermediate • Advanced • Advanced High

7. Why the ELPS? By effectively integrating second language acquisition into quality content area instruction, we ensure that ELLs: • acquire social and academic languagein English • learn the knowledge and skills in the TEKS • reach their full academic potential

8. The Five Stages Continuum 5. Advanced High 4. Advance 3. Intermediate 2. Beginning/ Speech Emergent 1. Preproduction

9. Summary of Key Features of Proficiency Levels • Beginning: Little or no ability to function in English in social and academic settings • Intermediate: Limited ability to function in English in social and academic settings; can understand and use simple language structures and high-frequency English in routine contexts • Advanced: Can handle grade-appropriate English, although ongoing linguistic support is needed • Advanced high: Can handle grade-appropriate English with minimal linguistic support; are not necessarily high academic achievers http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eoca1Ou_6TE

10. What Might aBeginningStudent Understand in English? Roller-coaster cars are pulled tothe top of the first hill by a chain. Then gravity moves the carfor the rest of the ride. The plunge downthe firsthill builds up enough speed for the carsto get up the next hill and so on until the end of the ride.

11. In Other Words… ___________cars are _____ __ ___ top __ ___ first____ __ _ _____. ____ ______ _____ ___ car ___ ___ ____ __ ___ ____. ___ ______ down___ first ____ ______ __ ______ _____ ___ ___ cars __ ___ __ ___ ____ ____ ___ __ __ _____ ___ end___ ___ ____.

12. What Might anIntermediateStudent Understand in English? Roller-coaster cars are pulled to thetop of the first hillby a chain. Then gravity moves the car for therest of the ride. The plunge down the first hill builds up enough speedfor the cars to get up the next hill and so on untilthe end of theride.

13. In Other Words… Roller-coaster cars ___ ______ __ ___top of the first hill___ _ _____. Then _______ movesthe car for therest of the ____. The _____ down the first hill ______ __ enough speedfor the cars __ ___ __ the next hill ___ ___ __ _____the end of the____.

14. What Might anAdvancedStudent Understand in English? Roller-coaster carsarepulledtothe top of the first hillbya chain. Then gravity moves the car for the rest of the ride. The plunge down the first hill builds up enough speedforthe carstoget up the next hillandso on until the end of the ride.

15. In Other Words… Roller-coaster cars___pulled ___the top of the first hill___achain. Then gravity moves the car for the rest of the ride. The_____ down the first hill _____ __ enough speed___the cars to___ __ the next hill and__ __ until the end of the ride.

16. What do we need to know? School districts must: • provide intensive…second language acquisition instruction to ELLs in Grade 3 or higher who are at the beginning or intermediate level • provide content-based instruction including… in the foundation and enrichment curriculum that is communicated, sequenced, and scaffolded • provide instruction…that is linguistically accommodated commensurate to language levels

17. Linguistic Accommodations We accommodate for English learners in terms of: • The words we use… • The work they do… • What they see and hear… • According to students’ language proficiency levels

18. Scaffold A scaffold is “a temporary and adjustable support that enables the accomplishment of a task that would be impossible without the scaffold’s support”. (Wood, Bruner and Ross)

19. Strategies When I say “go”, you will… Number 1-5 Read the strategies listed on the page that is the same as your number. Choose one strategy to share with the rest of your group. Share your choice and your reasons with the rest of your group. “go”

20. Putting it all Together ELPS Integration Plan for Teachers Identify language proficiency levels of all ELLs (TELPAS). Identify appropriate linguistic accommodations and scaffolding strategies for differentiating instruction.

21. Putting it all Together—(cont’d) 3. Identify cross-curricular student expectations of the ELPS that could be integrated as language objectives into existing content area instruction. What are the similarities and difference between content and language objectives?

22. Language objectives should be… Based on ELPS Posted on the board and shared with students at the beginning and end of class Written in student-friendly language Measurable and observable Develop language skills (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008)

23. Content objectives should be… Based on TEKS Posted on the board and shared with students at the beginning and end of class Written in student-friendly language Measurable and observable Develop content knowledge (Echevarria, Short, & Vogt, 2008)

24. Examples of Content and Language Objectives Which is which?? I will express opinions about which graph to select by using the sentence stem, “I think the best choice is _____ because…” I will select among a line graph, bar graph and circle graph to display collected data.

25. Content and Language objectives in a Mathematics Classroom

26. Content and Language objectives in a LOTE Classroom

27. Language Objective Activity • Your group has a page of TEKS • Write a language objective for your group’s TEK

28. In Summary: Instruction that Incorporates the ELPS… • establishes clear language and content objectives • makes input comprehensible • is student-centered • provides more hands-on tasks • requires careful, comprehensive planning

29. Did you… • Familiarize yourselves with the ELPS? • Create clear “Language Objectives” and “Content Objectives”? • Review strategies for scaffolding?

30. Thank You!