Dive Brief:
- Education Week reports that in many middle and high school classrooms, materials for English-learners are oversimplified and not related to grade-level goals, a complaint that has existed among educators for years.
- Many ELL instructional materials don't build upon previous learning, locking students into low-level learning.
- Though a 2014 framework for producing and identifying Common Core-aligned ELL resources was created by The Council of the Great City Schools, the suggestions have not been widely implemented — and some ELL teachers have taken to creating their own resources and materials to enrich learning for non-native English speakers.
Dive Insight:
ESSA may provide new opportunities for ELL reform, which has already spent significant time in the spotlight as policymakers and experts traded ideas and hashed out compromises related to ESSA guidelines. Rulemakers have prioritized the reliability of ELL tests, which has been a challenge in the past, through measures such as peer-reviewed English language proficiency exams.
Educators remain divided on how best to tackle the issue of ELL, and teaching methodology continues to change and evolve. In recent years, innovation has helped some districts will their ELL programs. District administrators seeking ways to execute new ELL initiatives should review new programs in Oregon, where an innovative pilot used in eight districts has been successful. There, all learners are exposed to daily oral-language development time, instead of just non-native speakers. The model, called "Language for All," calls for collaboration with community partners and parents and the use of blended funding streams