Essential to any school or district plan for increasing the academic achievement of English learners is a coherent approach for developing proficiency in English. This must include attention to language support for content instruction: Constructing Meaning Explicit Language for Content Instruction, as well as a framework for providing instruction in English as its own subject of study: Systematic English Language Development.

The purpose of this session is to increase awareness regarding the needs of English learners and strategies for providing effective services that increase academic achievement. Additionally, district leadership teams will begin to draft a District Explicit Language Implementation Plan for providing high quality professional development.  Submitting a District Explicit Language Implementation Plan to E.L. Achieve is a pre-requisite to providing professional development Institutes.

Participants -

A District leadership team may include administrators of English Learner Services, Categorical Programs, and Curriculum & Instruction, as well as representative classroom teachers, site coach(es), resource teacher(s) and site administrator(s). There must be a district
administrator who will serve as the District Lead.

Session Agenda -

1. The Urgency: Meeting the Instructional Needs of English Learners

2. The Approach: Features of Explicit English Language Instruction that backward maps instruction from task analysis to instruction, explicitly building receptive and expressive language by connecting thinking, reading, writing, listening, and speaking