School district sees need to support ESL
With the numbers of students for whom English is a second language steadily rising, the public school district figured more resources were needed.
“All of our schools have growing ESL populations,” said Nancy Brown, ESL lead teacher with Lethbridge School District No. 51.
Brown was hired for a year to develop ESL resources for schools and provide professional development to teachers with ESL students in their classes. But first she spent some time gathering baseline data.
The district currently has 337 ESL students. Families come from all over the world and speak more than 44 languages. Most, some 223 of them, are foreign-born with the remaining 114 being Canadian born.
From 2002 to 2004, the district had 15 ESL students who were refugees. The number grew to 66 from 2006 to 2008. Brown expects more refugees will arrive in 2009 from Myanmar and Bhutan.
For some students, the learning curve is huge as it may be their first experience in school. Other ESL students may have had some schooling but in a different setting and atmosphere.
Teachers develop modified programs for their ESL students that are delivered in a variety of ways. Students may work one-to-one with a teacher or educational assistant, in small groups with a teacher, in a separate class devoted to English instruction or be integrated with other students to develop social language. However, they are not encouraged to speak English at home.
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Lethbridge Herald - School district sees need to support ESL.
Family ESL offers new classes
NEW PROVIDENCE - Family ESL of New Providence is offering English conversation classes on Saturday afternoons at the Coddington Room of the New Providence Memorial Library from 2-3:30 p.m. Classes begin on Saturday, Jan. 3. For information about joining the class or volunteering, contact dleonard@npsd.us.
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Family ESL offers new classes.
Bellevue Community College is offering free classes for immigrants
Bellevue Community College is offering free job-preparation and ESL classes for refugees and immigrants living in Bellevue. These classes are funded by the city of Bellevue and begin every quarter in January, April, June and September.
Job-preparation classes are free to nonnative English speakers who are immigrants, refugees or citizens living in Bellevue. Classes offered are: basic computer skills, preparing for work and on-the-job communications. All applicants will be assessed and placed depending on availability and level of ESL literacy.
Registration will be 5:30 p.m. Jan. 6 in Room R-101. For more information, call 425-564-2341, come to Room R-230 at Bellevue Community College or visit www.bellevuecollege.edu/prepforwork.
Business & Technology | Jobs calendar | Seattle Times Newspaper.
MSU to Start ESL Program
In a move meant to increase diversity and opportunities for students at Minot State University, the school will host an English as a Second Language institute beginning in the spring of 2009.
Joseph Majule came to the United States in 2001 to go to college. A native of Tanzania, his first language is swahili but Majula had taken some English classes before he arrived.
“When you study it is different than when you come to reality,” says Majule.
Now, students like Majule will be able to perfect their English skills before pursuing their degree. Minot State University is partnering with “The Language Company.” The company has been offering english language programs for international students in the United States for over 25 years. They will administer, recruit and establish curriculum for the institute at MSU.
“There are so many international students who want to come to the US to study in the University Environment but they don`t have the English skills to gain admission. We are always turning down applicants because they don`t meet the minimum requirements. So this is going to allow us to offer them an option,” says Libby Claerbout the Director of International Programs.
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KFYR-TV North Dakota’s NBC News Leader.
Inside/Outside Circles ESL Game
December 26, 2008 by admin
Filed under ESL Games, ESL Resources
Description:
Inside/Outside Circles (idea by Spencer Kagan, 1994) is an activity that involves all students in the class. Inside/Outside Circles are particularly useful for: differentiation, kinesthetic learners, conversation practice, and community-building in the classroom.
Method:
Form two circles containing the same number of students- one outside the other. Try numbering the students with odd numbers forming the inside and even numbers forming the outside circle.
Students in the inside circle face a partner standing in the outside circle.
Students from the inside circle, answer a teacher posed question by sharing with their outside circle partner. Other ideas may be summarizing a reading, or content review with questions/answers.
Students reverse roles. The students on the outside circle share with or quiz their partner.
The teacher then instructs the inside circle rotate a few spaces. The students face their new partner. Repeat steps 2 and 3.
There are many variations possible with this. I have also seen this with two parallel lines and students slide one space to the right after each exchange or dialog. Enjoy modifying it to your classroom!
Spelling bee makes ESL students feel at home
It’s the double consonants that give Mathuradevi Mahendrajah the most trouble. Words like “addition.”
It’s the language itself that bugs Mohammed Yasin Pouya. He finally put in words why.
“English is a crazy language. There are a lot of exceptions, too many exceptions because of all the other languages that are coming into English with their words.”
So Pouya, a mining engineer from Afghanistan, stayed on the sidelines, cheering and whistling, as Mahendrajah and three others in Maria Jones’ language class captured top honours in the city-wide ESL spelling competition last month.
They cheered and whistled through three, three-hour rounds at City Hall. Afterward, the Toronto Star and OISE (Ontario Institute for Studies in Education) threw an awards celebration. Talking about the event, it’s what they learned about themselves and their new country that lingers.
Strangers two months before, the dozen adults from almost as many countries became a tight team. As soon as they heard about the competition, the cheering squad started coaching their best prospects.
Yueh Hua Lin is the city’s champion ESL competition speller, vanquishing the opposition with “abbreviation.” A former Mandarin teacher herself, she whipped off the spelling without hesitation.
What she remembers particularly, though, is that Chen Chung Shao, who walks with difficulty on crutches, turned up for every hour of the rounds and the celebration.
“We’re from the same country – Taiwan,” explains Shao, a chemical engineer for 29 years who arrived just two months before the contest. “If I’m still sitting here next year, I’ll be interested” in competing, he says. The first priority, though, is finding a job.
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TheStar.com | GTA | Spelling bee makes ESL students feel at home.
Stop Using Rhetoric to Teach Writing
After almost five years teaching writing, English, ESL, and humanities courses to high school students and undergraduates, I have come to the conclusion that it is a serious mistake to ground undergraduate instruction in writing in the basics of Aristotelian rhetoric. I believe doing so is increasingly common, and that it is increasingly normal for universities to reframe composition jobs as being in “rhetoric and composition.”
This is a discussion somewhat rooted in the practicalities of teaching first-year undergraduates to write, but it has much broader implications. It is part of a larger conversation about what, exactly, the humanities are supposed to mean at a historical moment when college-level reading and writing skills are quite valuable, yet also when the political and economic conditions put “anti-ideological” pressure on institutions of higher learning. In other words, universities increasingly see themselves as preparing students to write fluently on any topic, from any perspective.
World Relief helps remove language barriers
Inside an Aurora church basement, about 20 children sat on the floor and sang “Old MacDonald Had a Farm.”
The scene resembled a preschool classroom, except for one thing: Their mothers were sitting beside them, singing along.
They were committing each word to memory in hopes of one day being able to help with their children’s homework, converse with their children’s teachers or find jobs that could uplift their children’s lives.
But first, they need to learn English—a language that often leaves them frustrated and insecure.
“You’re ashamed you’re not saying it right,” said Angelica Velazquez, 33, a Mexican immigrant who wants to help her 8-year-old daughter with her schoolwork.
It’s a common feeling among the adults trying to learn English alongside their children in World Relief’s family literacy program, said Lucia Armenta, who teaches the program Friday mornings in Iglesia Bautista Emanuel church in Aurora.
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World Relief helps remove language barriers — chicagotribune.com.
English Language Learners and Special Education Issues
December 23, 2008 by admin
Filed under ESL Resources
by: Elizabeth Dowling
As of 2006, English Language Learners (ELLs) represent approximately ten percent of the United States public school population. Nationally, the ratio of all special education students represents about twelve percent of the total student body. Proportionally, twelve students of each one hundred would be in need of special education. However, when that ratio is determined using only LEP students in need of special education, the number skyrockets to twenty-two percent. Nearly forty years after studies revealed minority and English Language Learners were over-represented in special education programs, there is still great inconsistency in accurately identifying ELLs with special needs. Furthermore, where some states show ELLs consist of over twenty percent of the population, in other states they comprise of only one percent, revealing there is under-representation as well (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.8). English language learners encompass varying rates and stages of acquisition, as well as cultural influences and behaviors. With disparate statistics and a consistently increasing ELL population, increased awareness of the nature of second language learning and a consistent framework of identification must be developed for the ELLs in US public schools.
Scenario 1: Stages of Acquisition – Silent period
Peter entered an early childhood special education program with a speech and language IEP (Individualized Education Plan) that specified he was non-verbal, speech and language impaired. Peter had just turned four years old. His parents spoke only Spanish in the home. This IEP showed hours of testing and evaluations conducted primarily in English with some words translated into Spanish. Upon fully screening the new student, the newly arrived ESL teacher informed the Early Childhood Special Education team that she did not feel this was a learning disability, but rather a silent period. A few months later, Peter was speaking in full sentences in English and Spanish and is now, two years later, a fully functioning first grader.
There are several learner characteristics, which may appear to mainstream teachers as indicators of students with special needs. As revealed in Scenario 1, the student’s seeming inability to speak was most likely what Dulay, Burt, and Krashen define as a “silent period” (1982, pp. 25-26). In this particular case, the three teachers in the classroom were not aware of the term silent period or its implications. While it is not known if a silent period is extended due to lack of incomprehensible input, or a high affective filter, the answer is most likely a combination of both. With ESL teacher intervention and inclusion, techniques were used to make the classroom language more comprehensible. Additionally, the student’s affective filter was lowered with less demands to speak which may have been interpreted as stressful and merely a day full of language “tests.”
Studies frequently support it takes four to seven years to reach English proficiency in the academic setting. (Mac Swan & Pray, p.7). With the recent pressures under the No Child Left Behind Act and subsequent standardized testing, teachers and English language learners are expected to miraculously cut this time to one, sometimes two years. The expectations are not linguistically appropriate. Furthermore, language acquisition does not always show the forward progress mainstream educators look for. There are times of stagnation, even “backsliding” as the process is recursive rather than linear (Gass & Selinker, 2001, p.58). To illustrate this, Susan Schwartz notes on the TESLK-12 list that each year she is approached by “teachers either wanting to refer a child to SPED or wanting to retain a child because s/he hasn’t made ‘enough’ progress” [1].
Another linguistic occurrence is the result of a student’s developing interlanguage. Carol Ascher points out that, “many new immigrants settle in neighborhoods among others from their country of origin, and after a time may not speak like a ‘native’ in either of their languages.” This phenomenon is a normal product of second language acquisition, but may lead parents or educators to refer students for speech services (Eric digest 65,1990).
Other characteristics may be cultural in nature. For children of Asian cultures direct eye contact with adults is offensive. In contrast, mainstream teachers often perceive a lack of eye contact as rude or a possible indicator of autistic spectrum disorders. In a recent Virginia Department of Education professional development seminar, speech and language pathologist, Marie Ireland, noted that Asian students are frequently referred to special education assessment for this precise reason (VDOE: Strategies for teachers with students with speech language issues, 2007). Clearly this is a breakdown in sharing of knowledge between professionals who work with ELLs and the mainstream classroom teacher.
Other Socio-cultural issues may be perceived as indicators of special education needs. As Luis Garrido notes in his article, “The Culturally Diverse Student in the Emotionally Disturbed Classroom,” “We should remember that a behavior which may seem extreme in this culture might be acceptable in another culture.” (Cross Cultural Developmental Education Services, n.d.). Unfamiliarity with the US educational norms also leads teachers to question a student’s abilities. Students from a culture that stresses rote memorization may not be accustomed to higher order questions that elicit a personal opinion based upon facts. In turn, the teacher may suspect the student does not comprehend the material and suffers from processing deficits.
Scenario 2: Testing Bias, and the perils of Inappropriate Assessment
Iliana arrived at her new school as a seventh grader. She did not have her prior records, but the home language survey revealed Iliana spoke English only when at school. The ESL teacher screened Iliana and determined she was a Level 3 English proficiency, or High Intermediate. A few weeks later an IEP arrived from Iliana’s previous school. According to this school, in another state, Iliana was a special education student with an identification of EMR- Educable Mental Retardation. She was in a self-contained classroom 75% of her day. She was also about to be remanded to an alternative special education school for fighting, disrespectful behavior, and poor attendance. The EMR identification was made when Iliana was only nine years old and had been extended without further assessment. Furthermore, although Iliana was in ESL at the time of her first assessment, she never returned to an ESL class until her arrival at the new school four years later. In her self-contained class Iliana reported she “helped the teacher with the other students.” The ESL teacher and a team consisting of the, school counselor, psychologist, mainstream teachers, and native Spanish-speaking interpreters met with Iliana’s grandmother to discuss the issue. After extensive new assessments, which included non-verbal screenings, Iliana was found to be well within the normal range of intelligence. It was determined that Iliana was probably a level I ESL student at the time of her original testing. The original assessments were administered solely in English. The IEP was removed. After one year at her new school, with ESL support each day, Iliana had relatively few absences, zero incidents of fighting, and zero referrals for disrespectful behavior.
Once the referral process has begun, the traditional assessments administered to native language speakers are not appropriate for ELLs for several reasons. The student in Scenario 2 was screened predominantly in English when Spanish was her native language. This error in assessment led to extremely inappropriate placement in a self-contained classroom. In addition to the tests being invalid for linguistic reasons, the cultural bias of standard assessments also renders the assessments inaccurate. Even non-verbal tests are normed for American speakers of English.
Administering assessments designed for native English speakers is also invalid when using an interpreter. Sanchez-Boyce discovered that the interpreters did not always follow the precise requirements of the assessment. Additionally, the “complexities of communication patterns” in the process of interpretation “overwhelmed” the students being tested (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.54). The creation of dual-language forms of English tests is also proving invalid. One test designed for use with Spanish speaking students offers its own level of bias. The Woodcock-Munoz test is normed to “speakers of seven Spanish-speaking countries” however they do not address “demographic and socioeconomic data” or “lexical and semantic variations” among these samples (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.55).
In addition to the risk of overrepresentation, there appears to be under-representation of ELLs in special education as well. Some argue this is a reactionary backlash due to legal actions because of over-representation (Olson, 1991). Over-representation and under-representation also appear to correlate with available services. Districts where students receive less language support services were three times more likely to receive special education services (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.9).
Whether the ELL population is over or under-represented in special education, there are certainly students with disabilities in US public schools that need appropriate services. Every effort on the part of educators, counselors, and administrators must be made to accurately identify students in need. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires states to provide eligible disabled children with a “free and appropriate public education (FAPE)” (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.14). The act also provides important the important caution that, “students are not eligible for services if their learning problems are primary the result of environmental, cultural, or economic disadvantage” (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.13). Understanding the risk of disproportionate representation of English language learners in special education is the first step in creating a framework for appropriate pre-referral and assessment.
Appropriate English language proficiency identification and services must be available for ELLs to facilitate English language acquisition and meaningful participation in the classroom. Whether bi-lingual, sheltered content instruction, or ESL in nature, the services must be provided for students who are limited English proficient prior to considering a student for special education.
Early intervention teams are also an integral need prior to a student’s referral to special education. These teams may have one of several different names, Child Study Teams, Instructional Support Teams, or Teacher Assistance Teams (Olson, 1991). The important factor is the teams include mainstream teachers, ESL teachers, reading specialists, school psychologists, speech and language professionals, administrators, and parents/caretakers must be included. Additionally, translators must be provided if the parents/caretakers are not fluent in English.
Early intervention teams need to work collaboratively to answer important questions regarding a student’s learning difficulties. The classroom environment must be examined. Parents can share a wealth of information regarding the home environment and access to support for the student. The parents/caretakers are critical members of the intervention team, as true disabilities should present themselves in both the native and second language environments. The ESL teacher must be able to demonstrate the student is receiving adequate services for the student’s proficiency level.
Together, the team creates what Ortiz describes as a “shared knowledge base.” (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p. 35). This shared knowledge base also extends to the school environment as a whole. Professional development that develops awareness and training in working with ELLs will aid in the prevention of students being referred inappropriately (Artiles & Ortiz, 2002, p.35). Prior to continuing the referral process, the team should create goals to meet any deficiencies found in the students educational program that fail to address language proficiency or cultural differences. Should the intervention team determine the student has in fact been participating in services designed for English language learners and that targeted efforts to assist the child in overcoming learning difficulties have been ineffective, the referral process should begin as soon as possible.
Once again, the assessments selected must be as valid as possible. Students should be assessed both in the native language, and in English. However, considering the volume of languages represented in US schools, it is unlikely standardized assessments are readily available in all students’ native languages. Collecting a body of evidence may be more fruitful than using assessments designed for native English speakers. Teacher and professional observations, samples of work, documentation of classroom activities coupled with native language, or non-verbal tests will create a holistic picture of the students needs.
Several school districts are developing flow charts to assist in the accurate referral, intervention, and identification of English language learners with special education needs.
A flowchart created by Theresa Armentrout with the Missouri Migrant Education and English Language Learning Program is one of the most thorough and useful charts available for educators. A detailed version of the current flowchart entitled K-12 Sped-ELL Flowchart, may be accessed at http://rpdc.truman.edu/mell.asp. For the purposes of this report, an adapted and simplified version of essential questions to include in a flowchart is as follows:
1. Is the student experiencing difficulty as a result of untreated health issues?
2. Is the student receiving appropriate ESL services?
3. Has the curriculum proven effective for ELL students?
4. Have the identified concerns been documented by mainstream, content, and ELL teachers, and parents?
5. Have the concerns been addressed by analyzing teacher, student, and curriculum systematically?
6. Have interventions been appropriately utilized?
7. Does the difficulty persist?
If the answer to number 7 is yes, a referral to special education is appropriate.
Armentrout and colleagues are also preparing numerous additional resources for the Missouri Migrant Education and English Language Learning Program and expect them to be available in early 2008. One document in currently in the drafting stages guides educators through a “Wait and See, Watch and See, and Act Now” process. The “Wait and See” approach is listed as less desirable than the “Watch and See” which will incorporate active monitoring, data collection, and sharing of information. The “Act Now” step allows for immediate referral when there are clear health related issues, obvious disabilities, or educators trained in language acquisition are significantly concerned. The “Act Now” step is also activated should difficulties “escalate” during the “Watch and See” period. This approach is a basic guideline to supplement the flowchart. The prepared document would prove useful, especially if shared with all staff at the beginning of each school year (Armentrout, October 28, 2007 email).
Each English language learner arrives at school with differing layers of culture, native and additional language proficiency, economic status, and expectations. Within these layers are multiple characteristics that may present as special education needs. Additionally, there may be special needs that are masked by an inability for the learner or educators to separate a language difference or disorder. All children have the right to an equitably accessible, free, and appropriate education. Some children need additional English language support, some children need additional special education support, and some children will need both. It is the duties of educators to make every effort to be mindful of the multiple factors involved and work as a team to accurately identify each student’s individual needs.
References
Armentrout, T. (2007) K - 12 Sped - ELL Flowchart. Adapted with permission from personal email correspondence. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from: http://rpdc.truman.edu/mell.asp.
Artiles, A.J., & Ortiz, A.A. (Eds.). (2002). English language learners with special education needs. McHenry: Center for Applied Linguistics & Delta Systems, Co.
Ascher, C. (1990). Assessing bilingual students for placement and instruction. (ERIC/CUE Digest No. 65). National Committee on Testing and Public Policy. New York: ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED322273. Retrieved October 15, 2007 from
http://ericae.net/edo/ED322273.htm
Dulay, H., Burt M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language two. New York: Oxford University Press.
Gass, S.M., & Selinker, L. (2001). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. (2nd ed.). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Garrido, L. (n.d.). The culturally diverse student in the emotionally disturbed classroom. Retrieved October 1, 2007 from Cross Cultural Developmental Education Services. http://www.crosscultured.com/articles.asp?category=163&id=31
Olson, P. (1991). Referring language minority students to special education. (ED329131). Washington, D.C.: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from http://www.cal.org/resources/archive/digest/1991langminor.html.
[1] TESLK-12 Reference
Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2006 23:16:30 –0400
From: “Susan L. Schwartz” <slschwartz@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Referring newcomers for special education (long)
Changing face of Saugus new problem for schools
SAUGUS - They might not be teaching much in the way of foreign languages in the schools these days, but they are certainly speaking them.
Once viewed as a largely white English-speaking community, Saugus’ growing diversity is becoming a growing problem for the School Department.
According to Special Education Director Cynthia Joyce, there are nine different languages being spoken in the school system and essentially no English Language Learning program in place. Along with English, students can also hear strains of Spanish, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Urdu, Hindi, Somalian, Cambodian, Chinese and Creole in the hallways.
Superintendent Richard Langlois said the district had about 30 ESL (English as a second language) students and that number has since doubled, but the number of support staff for those students has not.
Langlois said there is one person for the entire district dedicated to working with the non-English speaking students and no formal program.
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Changing face of Saugus new problem for schools.