Getting To Know the Culture of Your Language Learner

Getting to know your English language learner is a huge step in the right direction to bridge social and academic gaps in the learning environment. Please take a few moments to check into cultural factors, views of family, religion and heirarchy.  Not understanding a language learner's background may be the source of academic and social chasms in the classroom.

• African American
• Arab American
• Asian American
• Central Asian
• Hispanics/Latinos
• Muslims
• Native Americans
• Pacific Islanders
• South Asians

Cultural Information Link

Quick Reference Guide

Here is the process a language learner enters when the school first finds out a different language is spoken at home.  The site includes explanations on the procedures for receiving Title III federal funding under the No Child Left Behind Act.

Quick Reference Guide

Performance Levels (1-6)

When a language learner takes the ACCESS test, he or she will test into a performance level. It is important to remember this level for each language domain (speaking, listening, reading and writing) to help accommodate the language learner in the classroom.  Your ESL teacher has the scores for each student in a file and can inform you of your language learner's abilities and limitations.  The 6 performance definitions are:

 

Entering --> Beginning --> Developing --> Expanding --> Bridging --> Reaching

 

Also, be aware that it can take 5-7 years to learn academic language and 2-3 years to be able to socially communicate in a foreign language.

 

 

Performance Definitions

At the given level of English language proficiency, English language learners will process, understand, produce or use:

6-

Reaching

• specialized or technical language reflective of the content areas at grade level

• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral

or written discourse as required by the specified grade level

• oral or written communication in English comparable to English-proficient

peers

5-

Bridging

• specialized or technical language of the content areas

• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral or written discourse, including stories, essays or reports

• oral or written language approaching comparability to that of English proficient

peers when presented with grade level material

4-

Expanding

• specific and some technical language of the content areas

• a variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in oral discourse

or multiple, related sentences or paragraphs

• oral or written language with minimal phonological, syntactic or semantic

errors that do not impede the overall meaning of the communication when
presented with oral or written connected discourse with sensory, graphic or
interactive support

3-

Developing

• general and some specific language of the content areas

• expanded sentences in oral interaction or written paragraphs

• oral or written language with phonological, syntactic or semantic errors that

may impede the communication, but retain much of its meaning, when
presented with oral or written, narrative or expository descriptions with
sensory, graphic or interactive support

2-

 

Beginning

general language related to the content areas

• phrases or short sentences

• oral or written language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that

often impede the meaning of the communication when presented with one- to
multiple-step commands, directions, questions, or a series of statements with
sensory, graphic or interactive support

1

- Entering

• pictorial or graphic representation of the language of the content areas

• words, phrases or chunks of language when presented with one-step

commands, directions, WH-, choice or yes/no questions, or statements with
sensory, graphic or interactive support

• oral language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that often impede

meaning when presented with basic oral commands, direct questions, or simple
statements with sensory, graphic or interactive support


 

Assessment Accommodations

Assessment accommodations for LEP students in Kentucky: There are three criteria for determining appropriate assessment accommodations that must be strictly adhered to: Must be allowed for state assessments by 703 KAR 5:070 Inclusions for Special Populations regulation; Must have been part of ongoing classroom instruction; Must be listed in the student’s Program Services Plan (PSP) Assessment accommodations include: · Reader in English · Simplified language · Bilingual or English dictionary · Small group/single test form admin. · Reader in primary language · Oral native language support · Extended time · Assistive technology · Scribe responses · Bilingual or English glossary · Prompting/cueing

Laws and Mandates: Your Responsibilities

Federal: No Child Left Behind

♦ Section 3115 (g) [Supplement not supplant]

• Title III can only be used as a supplement, not as the main budget to fund a program.
• It should not be used to hire FTEs or run programs that have no other funding source.
  

♦ Section 3122 (a)(3)(A) [AMAOs]

• We need to show that: our ELL students are learning English better each year, an increasing percentage of them are becoming fluent each year, and that they are making AYP each year.

♦ Section 3211 (b) [Improvement plan]

• If a school fails to meet AYP for 2 consecutive years, it must develop an improvement plan to show how they will overcome said failure.

♦ Section 3215 [Capacity building]

• The district and schools cannot count on continued financial support for ESL programs. We should plan how to fund ESL programs with existing funds or find funding through the ICSD Board of Education.

♦ Section 3302 (a) [Parental notification]

• The parent must be notified before the child is inducted into the ESL program. Most of what is mandated in this section is covered by sending the parent notification form provided by the district. The only thing it doesn’t cover is expected rate of transition as this will be different for each school and graduation rates for secondary education as that will be determined on a school site basis.

♦ Section 3302 (b) [Notification of failure to meet AMAOs]

• Each school must inform the parents of ELL students when they have failed to meet the Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives each year.

♦ Section 3302 (c) [Understandable parent notices]

• Schools must do their best to make parent notices understandable to the parent.  Spanish translation should become a priority.

♦ Section 3302 (d) [ELL latecomers]

• The school has to notify the parents of their student’s participation in the ESL program within 2 weeks if they did not enroll at the beginning of the year.

♦ Section 3302 (e) [Parent participation]

• Schools should proactively reach out to the parents of ELL students to try to involve them in the academic process of their children. Schools should send notices and hold regular meetings to allow these parents a venue to have a say in their child’s education.

♦ Section 3302 (f) [Surname admission or exclusion]

• The practice of placing a student in the ESL program based on their surname is against the law. Neither should they be excluded from programs based solely on their surname.

Title III- funding from the government under NCLB

The Kentucky Title III Program provides support to districts as they work with their English Learners and Immigrant students to:

• Choose an educational approach
• Identify and assess the students
• Provide a research-based program of services
• Provide staffing and resources
• Implement state criteria for transitioning students from services
• Maintain accurate data and reporting in order to:
  • Monitor transitioned students
  • Periodically evaluate and revise their program
  • Receive funding allocations

 

Title III Data Collection and Reporting for Immigrant and LEP (EL) in Infinite Campus

MONTH	TASK
January	ACCESS Testing Window opens
	Deadline to order extra materials
	Declaration of Participation for Federal Programs (Title III) is mailed to Superintendents
February	Deadline for districts/consortia in Year 2 Improvement Status to revise, re-post and notify KDE of revisions to the Comprehensive District Improvement Plan (CDIP) and communicate changes to the local board of education, district and school leadership, and all school councils
	ACCESS Testing Window closes
	Districts pack completed materials
	Districts ship completed materials to MeriTech
March	Deadline for schools in districts/consortia that did not meet AMAO for two or more consecutive years to modify their Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP) to reflect CDIP revisions
April	ACCESS Reports shipped to districts
	Correction Window for ACCESS opens
	KDE will pull EL and Immigrant data from the Infinite Campus state database on April 16 for Title III funding
	Correction Window for EL and Immigrant data in Infinite Campus opens
May	Correction window for ACCESS closes
	Final ACCESS data due to KDE
	Annual Performance Report (APR) Due to KDE by May 15
June	Division of Budgets calculates tentative Title III Funding based on Infinite Campus data
July	US Department of Education notification of Title III grant award to KDE
	Districts participating in Title III Funding will be mailed a sub grant packet with their tentative allocation
August	Administer W-APT screener to students identified by Home Language Survey within 30 days of start of school year
	Develop Program Services plans for ELs
	Final calculations for Title III funding are prepared and notification of final allocation is sent to superintendent and finance officer
September	Administer W-APT screener to students identified by Home Language Survey within 30 days of start of school year
	Develop Program Services Plans (PSP)for ELs
	AMAO Reports Released; Districts/consortia in Title III Improvement Status (Year 1 to Year 4) must notify parents of ELs within 30 days of notification of failure to meet AMAO
	Within two weeks of receiving notification of Title III allocation, districts must complete the Title III Application and Budget and return it to KDE
October	Deadline for parent notification of failure to meet AMAO
	Order Pre-ID Labels
	Order ACCESS Test materials
	Annual Title III/EL District Coordinators Meeting
	Kentucky Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (KYTESOL) Conference
November	ACCESS Test Administration Training & Certification
December	ACCESS Test Administration Training & Certification
	ACCESS Test materials shipped to Districts
	Districts receive ACCESS test materials

Souce: KDE website

Title VI: Civil Rights Code

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to provide any alternative language programs necessary to ensure that national origin minority students with limited-English proficiency (LEP students) have meaningful access to the schools' programs.

A. Adequacy of Program

1. Soundness of educational approach
Castaneda requires districts to use educational theories that are recognized as sound by some experts in the field, or at least theories that are recognized as legitimate educational strategies. 648 F. 2d at 1009. Some approaches that fall under this category include transitional bilingual education, bilingual/bicultural education, structured immersion, developmental bilingual education, and English as a Second Language (ESL).

2. Proper Implementation

Castaneda requires that "the programs and practices actually used by a school system [be] reasonably calculated to implement effectively the educational theory adopted by the school."

a) Staffing

Districts have an obligation to provide the staff necessary to implement their chosen program properly within a reasonable period of time.

If a recipient has shown that it has unsuccessfully tried to hire qualified teachers, it must provide adequate training to teachers already on staff to comply with the Title VI regulation.

b) Exit Criteria for Language Minority LEP Students

Once students have been placed in an alternative language program, they must be provided with services until they are proficient enough in English to participate meaningfully in the regular educational program. Some factors to examine in determining whether formerly LEP students are able to participate meaningfully in the regular educational program include: (1) whether they are able to keep up with their non-LEP peers in the regular educational program; (2) whether they are able to participate successfully in essentially all aspects of the school's curriculum without the use of simplified English materials; and (3) whether their retention in-grade and dropout rates are similar to those of their non-LEP peers.

3. Program Evaluation

In return for allowing schools flexibility in choosing and implementing an alternative language program, Castaneda requires recipients to modify their programs if they prove to be unsuccessful after a legitimate trial. As a practical matter, recipients cannot comply with this requirement without periodically evaluating their programs.

Souce: http://www2.ed.gov

Assessment accommodations for LEP students in Kentucky: There are three criteria for determining appropriate assessment accommodations that must be strictly adhered to: 1. Must be allowed for state assessments by 703 KAR 5:070 Inclusions for Special Populations regulation; 2. Must have been part of ongoing classroom instruction; 3. Must be listed in the student’s Program Services Plan (PSP) Excluding W-APT, assessment accommodations include: · Reader in English · Simplified language · Bilingual or English dictionary · Small group/single test form admin. · Reader in primary language · Oral native language support · Extended time · Assistive technology · Scribe responses · Bilingual or English glossary · Prompting/cueing

Souce: http://www.education.ky.gov/KDE/Instructional+Resources/English+Learners/Title+III+Data+Collection+and+Reporting+Immigrant+and+LEP%28EL%29.htm

OTHER NOTES:

*All immigrants, legal or illegal, are entitled to Title VI rights

*If students are receiving accommodations in the classroom, they should receive the same accommodations on state tests

*Every mainstream teacher is responsible for their ELLs. The ESL teacher is a resource to help guide the core content teachers

*It is extremely important to collect data on ELLs in order to calculate the effectiveness of the program for legal reasons

**If a violation occurs, school is in danger of losing federal (Title III) funding!

Professional Development Self-Assessment Survey

Here you can check and see if you are teaching to the language learners in your classroom.  Use the ESL teacher at your school as a resource if you need clarification or guidance.

Areas of Professional Development	Low Need                   High Need
Standards-based Learning
1. Implementing standards-based instruction with students who have varying levels of English proficiency.	1      2      3      4
2. Using active teaching methods to engage English language learners.	1       2      3      4
3. Using different strategies for including all students in classroom discourse.	1       2      3      4
4. Accommodating different learning styles.	1       2      3     4
5. Using multiple forms of assessment to gather evidence of student performance.	1       2      3      4
6. Providing a variety of opportunities for students with varying levels of English proficiency to learn concepts over time.	1       2       3      4
The Cultural Context of Teaching
7. Understanding how a teacher's own language and culture shape understanding of student performance.	1      2       3       4
8. Understanding differences in the communication and cognitive styles of different cultures and how they may affect student participation in learning tasks.	1       2       3      4
9. Developing learning tasks that connect to students' cultural background.	1       2       3      4
10. Determining the prior knowledge necessary for a student to understand a learning task.	1       2       3      4
11. Avoiding cultural bias in assessment: creating and applying rubrics that are not culturally biased.	1       2       3      4
Learning and Language
12. Understanding the factors that affect the development of a second language.	1      2       3       4
13. Knowing the role of the primary language in a second language learning.	1       2      3       4
14. Using language in literacy development.	1       2       3       4
15. Evaluating the language demands and cultural content of learning tasks.	1       2      3       4
16. Understanding the requirements of academic language vs. informal communication.	1      2       3      4
17. Understanding how language structures and styles in written texts affect student understanding and comprehension.	1     2       3       4
18. Knowing the types of accommodations that enhance the learning of English language learners.	1       2      3       4

What Is Required of YOU, the Teacher

What Mainstream Teachers Need to Know:

• Students need to show yearly progress in their academic learning
• Parents must stay notified on student progress
• Students must be allowed accommodations according to their PSP
• Teachers must adapt instruction to allow ELLs to make progress academically
  • understanding a student's culture
  • sheltered instruction
  • teaching to the four language domains (reading, writing, listening, speaking)