A System for Supporting Service Delivery to ELL

Students

Past Practice

Call Carol.

IF Carol won’t give you the answer, try the Tara, the

ELL Director.

We don’t have a magic wand.

Or a crystal

ball.

To every complex problem, there is a simple solution...that doesn’t work!

~Mark Twain

The Challenge

To create a way to monitor and support schools in implementing the RTI model with ELL students.

Special Education/ELL Team

Collective Wisdom

• Tara Black, ELL Director• Carol Kinch, Special Education • Pam Harrell, ELL TOSA• Gail Wilkinson, Literacy Coordinator• Sally Helton, EBIS Coach• Julie Walker, Metzger Literacy Coach• Lisa Bates, RTI project• David Putnam, RTI project

• Who could be on your team?

Talk Time

Initial Meetings

• Do we agree?

• Brainstorm the issues: progress monitoring, decision rules creates confusion, newcomers and interventions, and core instruction.

We agreed on core principles

“If your students have been in the country only a short time and have limited English proficiency, not meeting grade-level benchmark is an indication that they need more instruction. It does not mean that they have a learning difficulty.”

Linan-Thompson & Vaughn, 2007

Information Gathering

• Case-studies

• Observation

• Feedback from other groups (ie. Literacy Specialists)

What we learned

• Confusion» The Core» Language Development» Decision Rules

• Fear» Making a Mistake

• Apprehension» Progress Monitoring» Intervention

• Why meeting the needs of ELLs so hard?

Talk Time

Our Action Plan

1. Provide technical assistance and support to schools.

2. Review LD evaluations and provide feedback.

3. Review case-studies with Special Education, ELL, and Literacy staff.

Action Plan

4. Progress monitor ELD.

5. Train staff on language development and interpretation of language assessments.

6. Come to consensus about newcomers and intervention.

Action Plan

7. Continue to review research.

8. Consider ELL reading protocol.

9. Train EBIS teams in collaboration, including defining the role of the ELL teacher.

Challenge #1: Do we have the answers?

• Research review– English Language Development– Reading– Progress monitoring– Bilingual education

• Each member brings research article or topic to meeting

On our bookshelves

Journal Articles

Gunn, Biglan, Black and Blair (2005). Fostering the Development of

Reading Skill Through Supplemental Instruction Results for Hispanic and Non-Hispanic Students.

We do the research ourselves

• Progress monitoring ELD

• Collaboration with Universities

• Action research

EXAMPLE

AssessmentWe must think carefully about…

IES Recommendation #1: Screen and Monitor in

English•Grades K-1:–phonological processing–letter knowledge–word and text reading

•Grades 2-5–ORF

Level of Evidence: Strong

Screening and Progress Monitoring

•Use the same measures and procedures that you would with native English speakers•Use these data to identify English learners who require additional instructional support and to monitor their reading progress over time• Monitor frequently

• Schools can use the same benchmarks for English learners and make adjustments in instruction when progress is insufficient.

“It is the opinion of the panel that schools should not consider below-grade-level performance in reading “as normal” or something that will resolve itself when oral language proficiency in English improves”

Native Language Assessment

• Assess in the students native language if they are receiving native language instruction (i.e., IDEL)

• Continue to monitor in English

• Multiple sources of data are very important!– DIBELS– Diagnostic reading data– Classroom data– Functional language data– ELPA/L.A.S. – OAKS– CBM WE

The Holy Grail of Monitoring Language Development: WE

CBM• CWS, TWW & TUW• What does CWS assess?– Fluency with:• Spelling, conventions, syntax, semantics

• CWS and other measures of writing and reading

Correlations Between CWS and Measures of Reading and

Writing

Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5

CWS CWS CWS CWS CWS

CWS 1 1 1 1 1

TWW 0.904** .733** .831** .846** .873**

TUW 0.687** .759** .795** .800** .847**

ELPA .477** .447** .452** .530** .533**

OAKS Read .384** .428** .401**

OAKS Write .434**

IPAS

WE CBM in TTSD w/ ELLs

• Development of norms• Screening & Progress Monitoring• As a measure of writing and overall

language development• Very well received by teachers of

ELLs

Cream

• Which assessments do you feel give you information about your ELL students?

Coffee

• How can you use DIBELS as a tool to provide more support to ELL students?

Talk time

Challenge #2: How do we provide technical

assistance? • Side by side file reviews

• On-site observations

• Join EBIS meetings

• Provide recommendations

Example: Cohort group

• Look at cohort group

A cohort group is defined as at least three students with similar language levels, educational experiences, and cultural backgrounds (such as length of time in country, language in the home, language of instruction, and length of time in ELL).

• Monitor progress carefully• Look at progress in English language

development

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Dec.S cores

Feb.S cores

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AprilS cores

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J uneS cores

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AimlineAmy

Chase

Mary

Isaiah

(Generally) Effective Intervention

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Dec.S cores

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AprilS cores

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Ineffective Intervention

Chase

Challenge #3: Are we telling schools to do the

right thing?

• Annual review of the EBIS handbook.– Now reviewing reading protocol and

decision rules.– Should we have a separate one for

ELLs?• To eliminate curricular chaos

• Review of 3rd tier intervention students, curriculum, and referral rates.

Fidelity to curriculum

– Is the most qualified teacher teaching the kids who need to learn the most.

Fidelity to research-based instructional procedures

– High pacing (high rate of student opportunities to respond)

– Corrective feedback– Behavior management

system evident– Students are accurate

before moving on to new material

Fidelity of Implementation

Not a child issue!!

Fidelity to program

– Curriculum decision rules followed (lesson checkouts, mastery tests, etc)

– Is the teacher trained in the curriculum?

• What do you do in your district? How do you support ELLs within our system?

Talk Time

Biggest Challenge #4: How do we empower

staff?

• Case-studies at Literacy Specialist meetings– Goal is to expand to ELL specialists and

Learning Specialists

Biggest Challenge #4: How do we empower

staff?

• Continue to provide training, assistance, and coaching– ELD, Sheltered Instruction– Collaboration and teaming for ELL,

Learning and Literacy Specialists– Language development

Staff need to…

• Think• What do we know about this student?• What do we know about learning disabilities?

• Problem-solve• Is the intervention matched to student need?• How does the intervention fit with core and

ELD instruction?

Coordinate• How can we connect ELD, interventions, and

core program instruction so we don’t confuse the student?

Painting the wall

Blue is coreRed is ELDYellow is intervention

So what color is the

outcome?

Be sure to coordinate your

instruction to avoid curricular chaos!

Areas of Improvement

• Core program

• Eliminating curricular chaos

• Building knowledge and understanding of language development and assessment

• Collaboration and discourse between staff

• How do you assure the best decision making process with ELLs?

Talk Time

Remember to think carefully!

This is a continued conversation that will go on for a VERY LONG TIME.

Accept non-closure and continue to do you best work.