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It was my great honor recently to be the Commencement Speaker for California State University, Long Beach, College of Education. The ceremony took place at Angel’s Stadium, and it was inspiring for me to witness the enthusiasm of hundreds of students receiving their doctorates, master’s and bachelor’s degrees, and teaching credentials. Although the message was delivered to graduating students, I decided to use it as a blog post since the comments are equally applicable to educators who have experienced one of the most difficult years imaginable. Hopefully you’ll find my comments encouraging. 

It’s a privilege to deliver the commencement address for this incredible group of students who have persevered through one of the most challenging times in the history of the world. I’m reminded of a quote from Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, “There are uses to adversity, and they don’t reveal themselves until tested. Whether it’s serious illness, financial hardship, or the simple constraint of parents who speak limited English, difficulty can tap unexpected strengths.” Each one of you has tapped your strength, your perseverance. You’ve already experienced adversity and have come through the other side. And you’re to be congratulated.

This is a momentous time in your lives. You are deciding on next jobs, next steps, careers, or further education. As I thought about my remarks today, I reflected on lessons I’ve learned and would like to share with you. 

1. Go the extra mile. I was the only person in my family who went to college. I lived at home and commuted to California State University, Long Beach while working as a waitress to pay tuition and living expenses. Given my background, my greatest ambition was to finish college and be a special education teacher. I was passionate about it – and I still am.  I went the extra mile and got my bilingual certification to better prepare me to work as a special education teacher. I had no idea the doors that would open as a result. Many times, you don’t want to do something extra, to serve on a committee, attend a professional development seminar, or take the lead on a project. It takes extra work and time, but often these are the most rewarding and valuable experiences. You never know the benefits you’ll reap. As writer Israelmore Ayivor says: “People may teach you, people may advise you, people may inspire you, but it takes you to go the extra mile and make an indelible impact!” 
2. Be willing to take risks. When I was a high school teacher, working on my master’s degree in bilingual special education in the evenings, I was very content in my job. One of my graduate professors, Stephen B. Ross, offered me the opportunity to teach English at a university in Taiwan. That was before we had the internet (yes, I am that old!) and it seemed crazy to leave a secure teaching position and go across the world. Half of my friends kept thinking that I was going to Thailand! Anyway, I took the risk. It was hard, there was initial culture shock and loneliness (phone calls were very expensive, it was almost impossible to get a clear connection and letters took two weeks to deliver), but it was the single best decision of my life to that point – it was truly life-changing. I learned the beauty of another country’s culture, its people and language. I also developed a strong sense of independence and an inner strength to do things that I had never even dreamed of previously. 

When I returned to the U.S., I resumed my teaching career. One day a colleague contacted me about a teaching position at Loyola Marymount University in bilingual special education. At that time, I was the only person in California who had a degree in bilingual special education. (Remember the benefit of going the extra mile?). The position was funded by a 5-year grant so if I left the district, I’d give up all the security that I’d accumulated and step into an unknown future. Having taken one risk, going to Taiwan, empowered me to take another. I took the job and completed my Ph.D. at UCLA. The experience I gained prepared me for a position as a professor at CSULB where I worked with amazing colleagues and flourished in my career. 

For the first 10 years of my career, I never imagined where the path I was on would take me, including doing research, writing professional books, or being invited to speak all over the world to educators. You can’t predict how you’ll use your education. As you get older, your interests and your skills will grow and evolve. My advice is to be open to change. Don’t be afraid to try something new. It might be changing schools, taking a leadership position, or entering into a professional partnership. Take a risk when opportunity arises. 

3. Follow your passion. You picked your field of study for a reason. What was the idea or problem or experience that aroused your passion? Identify the things that really resonated with you in your field experiences and your course work. Then, surround yourself with others who share your passion.  I’m fortunate to have collaborated with two colleagues, Dr. Deborah Short and Dr. MaryEllen Vogt, for more than 25 years. They are equally passionate about educating English learners, and without them I can humbly say that my career would not have been the same. Our synergy propels us to explore new ideas and projects. Collaborate with others who are passionate, and stay away from negativity, the nay-sayers, those who don’t have vision and resent yours. As Albert Einstein said, “Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” I have found those words to be true. During tough periods in your career – and you will have them – tap into your passion and embrace it. Let it feed you, inspire you, keep you keeping on. 

Each of you has selected a profession that is in service to others. These are honorable professions, and you are to be commended for your choices. Ultimately, it’s not the things you accumulate in life that bring you joy, it is helping others, being compassionate, touching lives, and making a difference in the world. 

As you embark on your future, consider which of your professors influenced you or inspired you? What qualities does he or she possess? Or those of a fellow student with whom you wanted to work, or someone in whom you could trust or confide? Most of us can identify people in our lives who stand out, who we gravitate toward, who we feel better for having been with. Become that person. Exude those qualities for your students, your clients, the people in your sphere of influence. In the long run, that’s what others will remember about you. Be the person who, down the road, others will say inspired them. 

Remember it’s not what you are but who you are that matters most. 

In closing, this has been an extraordinary year! There is much for you and your families to celebrate today. You’ve received a world-class education and I can’t wait to see what you do with it.

There are some common practices in schools that have no research base or worse, studies show the practice or idea isn’t effective. Yet these practices persist. 

For this month’s blog, I turned to colleague Claude Goldenberg, to get his take on how research studies with English learners can translate into classroom practice. He is Professor Emeritus in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and an expert on English learners. 

Let’s start with what research is. There are lots of practices in schools that are said to be “research-based.” What does that mean or should it mean? What can accurately be counted as research?

Well, there isn’t an easy answer.  The NRC (National Research Council) 2002 report, Scientific Research in Education, lays out a reasonable definition. It includes systematic investigations posing questions that can be answered empirically, investigating questions directly and transparently, looking for replication and generalization, identifying and further investigating limits to our understanding. 

We generally hold up RCTs (randomized control trials) as the ultimate in scientific research, and these are of course very valuable to establish causal relations between a practice, curriculum, or technique on the one hand and some desired (or UNdesired) outcome on the other. For example, does a certain vocabulary intervention result in increased (or decreased!) word knowledge, or does a certain program accelerate English language development? Not just one RCT but a number of RCTs converging on common findings might be the strongest way to demonstrate the effect of some practice or procedure. But that’s not always possible, and generally rare in education, so we often have to deal with less than ideal evidence. 

The key thing educators need to ask when they look at or read about a study is, “Does the study ask a question that’s relevant to what I want to do or what I need to know?” Teachers typically want to know whether doing this will work better than doing that. For example, if I use heterogeneous grouping will students do better than when grouped by skill or language proficiency? Or we might want to learn about a group of students from different parts of the world. Research that addresses questions about these students’ customs and practices can be very informative. So that’s the first thing: Look for studies that address questions that will help inform your practice. If a study doesn’t, then even if it’s peer reviewed it’s unlikely to be helpful. 

Next, the study needs to have collected credible empirical evidence, aka data, that answers the question. Typically—but not always— a study published in a peer-reviewed journal will have collected data that are at least reasonably credible. But we often come across studies not found in peer reviewed journals, so the best thing to do is to read all research skeptically, which means actively looking for ways the data, and therefore the findings, might be biased or misleading. Ask questions such as, How were subjects recruited, and could the recruitment process tilt the findings one way or another? What measures were used, and do they address the question adequately and fairly? What claims is the author making, and do the data support the claims, or are the claims speculation that goes beyond what the study actually found?  

But, again, it all begins with a clear and relevant question that can be addressed by collecting and analyzing relevant data. That’s the bottom line. Or lines, I guess.

For English learners, what are the most important research findings that teachers can implement in their classrooms?

Effective instruction for ELs has many similarities with effective instruction for non-ELs. A non-all-inclusive list includes clear, relevant, and meaningful goals and expectations; well-organized, clear instruction and engaging materials and activities directly related to goals and expectations; formative assessments and checking for understanding; feedback that is useful for accomplishing goals and meeting expectations.

With respect to beginning reading instruction specifically, ELs need the same foundational instruction as anyone else: That letters represent sounds; how letters are used to sound out words; and how to fluently read words, sentences, and paragraphs so that reading development can proceed. (This is true whether ELs are learning to read in English or in their home language.) Things get more complex as students get to intermediate and advanced reading levels, but, again, ELs need to learn the same things as non-ELs do.

While there are important similarities in effective instruction for ELs and non-ELs, ELs receiving instruction in English require additional support, primarily with regard to English language development. ELs (and their teachers) face the double-barreled challenge of learning the academic content everyone must learn while simultaneously learning to become proficient in oral English. Unfortunately, we don’t have good evidence about how to narrow the achievement gap in English when students are not yet proficient in English. We have some tools and ideas that might help, but we have a long ways to go. I’d put primary emphasis on figuring out how to help ELs accelerate their English language development. This doesn’t mean exclusively all-English instruction. When tried, English-only policies have not been successful. Rather, there’s evidence that long-term bilingual education at least through middle school, in contrast to short-term transition bilingual education and English-only instruction, can help accelerate English language proficiency. We must work on improving ELs’ English language instruction and development regardless of the program they are in.

Since English learners don’t understand the language of instruction well, how would you suggest that teachers compensate so students understand subject matter content?

The only practice that I know of that has been especially helpful for ELs, more so than for non-ELs, is using video to help students understand key concepts and vocabulary. A study a few years ago found that showing ELs in preschool to second grade short video clips explaining and illustrating key science concepts significantly helped them learn the vocabulary and concepts, so much so that they closed the gap with their non-EL peers on those items. 

Other learning opportunities are also probably important, e.g., opportunities for students to discuss the content and use the target language while reinforcing content concepts, incorporating visual aids and providing hands-on learning opportunities, and building on and leveraging students’ experiences and knowledge to tie instruction to content that’s familiar to them. Probably the most important thing—although we don’t have very good data on this—is to accelerate ELs’ English language development. Absent that, it’s unlikely we’ll close the achievement gap. 

To be very clear, “accelerating English language development” does not automatically mean full-on English immersion. To the contrary, we have evidence that over the long term, dual language instruction can hasten the English proficiency. “Accelerating English language development” simply means what it says, and that can be done in both bilingual and English-only programs. A study with kindergarten and first graders found that a few years ago. 

What is one common misconception about teaching English learners?

That ELs require an entirely different set of instructional tools, strategies, and techniques than do non-ELs.

If you had one piece of advice for teachers who have ELs in their classes, what would it be?

Use what we know about effective teaching. That’s the main grist for the mill. Clear, focused instruction with the attributes listed above. In addition, as with all students, connecting with their life experiences helps make things relevant for them. For example, it used to be that parents wrote letters home to family in their country of origin and writing letters was a regular occurrence in my classroom. I’d give a homework assignment to write a letter to their abuelita or other relative. Now they text, phone, email or TikTok to communicate. Try to connect with students’ lived experiences in a way that leverages those experiences to help you teach what you want to teach and they need to learn. 

Culturally relevant pedagogy (or culturally responsive or culturally sustaining) is an important idea, but there is very little evidence that, in and of itself, it positively impacts achievement. Ideally, it would be part of—but it can never replace—clear, focused instructional practice that helps students acquire content knowledge, academic skills, and English language proficiency. And, again, these can be done in bilingual programs or in English-only programs. My personal preference, because of the value of bilingualism and biliteracy, is for long-term bilingual education programs that actively promote bilingualism and biliteracy. If it were up to me, all students—ELs and non-ELs—would graduate high school proficient in at least two languages, sort of like what most of the rest of the world does.

We’re grateful to Claude for discussing his perspective on research with us. Long-time readers of this blog will recognize that SIOP incorporates the specific practices mentioned for making subject matter comprehensible. In addition, students have opportunities to use and produce English in their content classrooms. 

You can read two recent articles by Claude here and here.

Academic language has important implications for both teachers and students since success in school is achieved largely through spoken and written language. But academic language is challenging for students, particularly for English learners.

Most English learners develop conversational English fairly quickly, typically in 1 to 3 years, since this type of interpersonal language tends to be concrete and is highly contextualized with speech supported by gestures, facial expressions, and body language. Academic language, in contrast, is more formal and abstract and is characterized by features such as more complex sentences (e.g., embedded clauses and conjunctions), precise, abstract vocabulary (e.g., representational democracy in social studies and characterization in language arts), and rhetorical forms (e.g., figurative language or rhetorical questions). Unlike conversational language which students experience in everyday settings, academic language is found almost exclusively in school. 

The importance of developing academic language should be made transparent to English learners. In fact, most children recognize, even at an early age, that language is used in different ways to do different things. They speak in different ways to their friends than they speak to teachers, and they have learned to talk in particular ways in public situations such as a visit to the doctor or at church. Likewise, students use conversational language at times in class discussions but they also need to be taught the academic language that’s used in a variety of ways across content areas.

One way to develop academic language is through the use of sentence frames, also called language frames. These are used widely as a way of providing support for English learners in oral discussions and writing. Examples include:

I think that __________ because ___________________.

I agree with ______________ but would also add _____________________.

Sentence frames are intended to support students in producing language that they wouldn’t be able to produce on their own. The frame provides a model of academic language that is just beyond their current level of proficiency. Students are able to express their ideas more coherently, with support, using correct sentence structure and academic vocabulary. The idea is that after repeated use students internalize the vocabulary and sentence structures which then become part of their linguistic repertoire. 

Since frames are a support, they are differentiated by language proficiency level, providing the right amount of scaffolding needed. The eventual goal is removing frames altogether once students are proficient enough to express themselves using authentic language without support.

For example, a beginning speaker may use a frame, I think _____________. The next level night be, I think __________ because_____________, and a more advanced speaker may use, In my opinion ______________ and the evidence that supports my opinion is _______________________. As you can see, with minimal tweaking, teachers can provide more simplified frames for beginning speakers and more complex sentence structures and vocabulary for more advanced speakers.

Differentiating frames by proficiency level isn’t hard or time-consuming for teachers to do, and the effort is well worth it. Practice with the right frame may advance students’ English acquisition by allowing them to use academic language that is comprehensible for their level of proficiency.

There are innumerable basic sentence frames that are effective such as,

• My favorite character is ___________ because ____________.
• The ___________has __________sides/angles.
• The ___________ revolted against the ______________.
• First __________,then____________, next____________, and finally __________.
• _____________ was caused by______________.
• The experiment demonstrated _________________.

However, teachers might also consider expanding sentence frames in outline form for extended use of academic language, and as a scaffold when reading grade-level texts, which can be difficult and frustrating for EL students. The teacher creates and saves a completed outline of a text’s or lesson’s content. Students use the outline as a guide while reading the text, listening to an audio-recorded version of the text, listening to a mini-lecture, or watching a video. These outlines can be differentiated, as shown below. For students who need less support, some of the detail from the outline can be removed, leaving most headings and some key academic vocabulary. For those who need more support, icons and simple illustrations can be added as additional clues, and the first letters of key vocabulary and concepts also may be included on the outline as hints.

In a science unit on photosynthesis from our new book, 99 Ideas and Activities for Teaching English Learners with the SIOP Model 2e, the outline here uses extensive academic language but it’s scaffolded to be accessible for all students. Students’ completed outlines can be referred to multiple times to reinforce academic language and the lesson’s concepts and, for example, as review for a test or to provide background information during subsequent lessons.

Sample completed Framed Outline

Title: Photosynthesis
I. Difference between animals and plants
     a. Animals consume food for energy.
     b. Plants produce/make their own food.
II. Photosynthesis
     a. Process that plants, algae, and some bacteria use to make their own food.
     b. Process of using the sun and water to make food (sugars) from carbon dioxide.
             i. Carbon dioxide comes from people and other animals
     c. Produces oxygen and glucose (sugar) as food for energy.
     d. Excess (extra) oxygen is a byproduct (something made but not used by the   plants), is released and is used by animals to breathe.
     e. Plants use glucose for:
              i. Energy
              ii. Later use
              iii. To build new parts on the plant


Sample Framed Outline for Intermediate and Advanced Speakers

Title: Photosynthesis
I.  Difference between animals and plants
       a. Animals ____________________________________________________
       b. Plants ______________________________________________________
II.  Photosynthesis
       a. Process that plants, algae, and some bacteria use ____________________
____________________________________________________________.
       b. Process of using the sun and water to ______________________________
              i. Carbon dioxide comes from _______________________________
       c. Photosynthesis produces _____________________________________ for      
          __________________________________________________________.
       d. In photosynthesis, oxygen ________________________________________.
       e. Plants give off _________________, which animals need to breath.
       f. Plants use glucose for:
              i.     _____________________________
              ii.    _____________________________
              iii.   _____________________________

Beginning speakers learn the same grade-level content but are provided visual supports to make the content understandable. As an additional support, beginning speakers may work together or partner with a more proficient English speaker to complete the outline and discuss the concepts.

Sample Framed Outline with Pictures

Title: Photosynthesis
I.    Difference between animals and plants  
    a. Animals__________________________________________________

    b. Plants _______________________________________________   
 
II.   Photosynthesis
      a. Process that plants, algae, and some bacteria use _____________________.
     ____________________________________________________________.
      b. Process of using the sun and water to  
       ______________________________________ .

            i. Carbon dioxide comes from ___________________________.
      c. Photosynthesis produces ______________________________________
         for ______________________________________________________.
      d.     In photosynthesis, oxygen ________________________________________.
      e.     Plants give off _________________, which animals need to breath.
      f.     Plants use glucose for:
             i.     _____________________________
             ii.    _____________________________
             iii.   _____________________________

Sentence frames are valuable tools; they support English learners in expressing their ideas orally and in writing. Consider taking sentence frames to the next level through outlines that enhance comprehension of a lesson’s content and provide practice using academic language in context.

My district has supposedly been told by our State Department of Education that the SIOP English language development (ELD) class is a violation of students’ civil rights. Since then, we have had many English learners NOT graduate or they have to come back for a 5th year since they lacked English Language Arts (ELA) credit. Can someone illuminate this issue for me?

Recently I have received a couple of questions similar to this one, so I thought it was important to take this opportunity to clarity some misperceptions and misinformation that is floating around. This question, and others like it, reflects two issues: 1) How SIOP is used in schools and 2) How credit toward graduation requirements is assigned in high schools. 

First, the SIOP Model is not an educational program, per se. It is a proven approach for teaching English learners (ELs) in a variety of settings. SIOP classes offer EL students opportunities to use language in authentic ways, collaborating with peers around grade-level concepts and information, practicing and applying the material to meet the lesson’s objectives. SIOP provides teachers with a coherent approach for planning and delivering relevant, meaningful lessons that provide ample opportunities for students to interact with one another around content concepts aligned to state and national standards. While doing so, students develop academic English skills across the four domains – reading, writing, listening, and speaking. A fundamental aspect of SIOP teaching is to make lessons culturally relevant by integrating students’ background experiences, language, and culture into lessons.

The very essence of SIOP is to offer English learners equitable access to the same curriculum and instruction as English-speaking students. Application of SIOP teaching includes:

• Sheltered instruction classes. SIOP is used in classrooms of all grade levels and across all content areas. Some secondary schools offer sheltered classes for English learners such as sheltered biology and sheltered social studies. In elementary schools, especially those with large numbers of ELs, sheltered teaching is a part of daily instruction. Research has shown that all students benefit from the strategies and techniques used in SIOP teaching such as posting and reviewing content and language objectives, explicitly teaching vocabulary, using visuals, providing hands-on learning and opportunities to practice and apply new concepts and vocabulary, and so forth. Research studies on the effectiveness of SIOP demonstrate that student achievement in both acquisition of content and language outpaced that of students in control (non-SIOP) classes. 
• ESL/ELD classes. English learners receive a dedicated instructional period where the focus is on English language learning using content-based curricula. SIOP teaching can be used during ESL/ELD. 
• Newcomer programs. Students who are recent arrivals to U.S. schools require specialized instruction that addresses issues such as orientation to the ways of American schools, interrupted education, and limited formal literacy experiences. These students require intensive language learning beginning with social English in low-risk situations and vocabulary building. SIOP teaching makes lessons comprehensible for these students.

In these three language support programs, the goal is to move English learners through ELP levels so they eventually exit ELD, and to progress through sheltered instruction classes to general education content courses.

• Dual language programs. SIOP can be part of dual language programs when students are studying content through their new language. For example, in a dual language program with English-speakers learning Mandarin and Mandarin speakers learning English, SIOP teaching makes the content understandable for each group of students. 
• General education courses. Teachers can also continue to use SIOP, or some features of SIOP, as needed by the English learners in their classes. 

Although the SIOP Model has eight components, it is not a step-by-step approach. Rather, it is an integrated system for lesson planning and teaching that ensures that critical features of instruction in combination are present in every lesson. Furthermore, it allows for natural variation in teaching styles and lesson delivery because the SIOP Model is curriculum- and materials-neutral. It has been successfully adapted for use in a variety of settings and cultural contexts worldwide.

Equity and SIOP

The question of equity and SIOP is perhaps rooted in confusion about the federal guidelines. In our work with districts for the Department of Justice, investigations into possible abuses of English learner civil rights vis-a-vis education, it is clear that SIOP is an acceptable model for ELD and for content courses. However, an issue arises if students are in ELD classes exclusively all their time in the EL program and never in regular ELA or supported ELA, such as co-taught ELA. DOJ would suggest that ELP Level 4 students receive general education ELA with supports. Concerns around students’ civil rights are likely based on these programmatic decisions.

The issue is linguistic isolation, not SIOP implementation. Equitable means giving EL students the resources they need to reach parity, and sheltered courses using the SIOP Model is one resource among several to support students in reaching parity. 

The second part of the teacher’s question is about credit toward high school graduation. In some states a sheltered ELA course or ELD course might qualify for core ELA credit because it meets the standards; in others it might not. At this time there isn’t a uniform policy regarding how credit is assigned for English learner classes.