Why are the supports targeted more at intermediate proficiency instead of newcomers?

• Multilingual learners vary widely in their English proficiency with the majority falling somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. 
• Students who are newcomers or beginners usually quickly move, often within months, to intermediate levels, with proper support, in particular the opportunity to listen to academic language from their teacher and peers, as well as a chance to repeat it.
• In fact, the majority have abilities in the middle ranges as measured by English language proficiency tests (which vary by state, but which can be compared). About 60% of the multilingual learner population nationwide are at the intermediate proficiency range and are considered “Long Term English Learners” (LTELs), and more than 30% of multilingual learners in 49 of the nation’s largest public school systems are Long-Term English Learners.
• Long-Term English Learners is a widely used and controversial term. This population of multilingual learners is defined as those students who have been enrolled in U.S. schools for six years or longer, and who have not made sufficient academic progress due to gaps and deficiencies in the rigor of their education (Olsen, 2010). The language profiles of Long-Term English Learners can vary widely. They may have great facility in spoken English that they can use with their peers and their teacher but may struggle with academic reading and writing. Those who are literate in their native language may read English relatively easily but struggle with speaking and writing. As with any student, it is critical to know where students’ strengths are and where they need more assistance.
• At EL Education, we are particularly concerned with the group of intermediate proficiency-level students who, after learning spoken English to a level sufficient for communication, still struggle with academic uses of English, especially in reading and writing. These are the group of multilingual learners most in danger of being classified as Long-Term English Learners. There are several causes for this alarming situation, but most are related to students not receiving the kinds of educational and linguistic support they need. 
• It is for these reasons that our curriculum embeds the necessary support for intermediate multilingual learners into every module, unit, and lesson, while also offering options for “heavier” and “lighter” support for students who are newer to or more experienced using English. Specifically, we include Language Maker routines to accelerate students’ language development at all proficiency levels. 

Can you tell me more about addressing the needs of newcomers?

• While the EL Education curriculum will assist all multilingual learners in gaining academic English abilities, there are some additional suggestions for students who are brand new to English. A functional approach for newcomers may be helpful in the early days of their introduction to English. This involves helping students learn how to use language for particular purposes, such as requesting (“Can I go to the bathroom?” “Can you help me, please?” “How do I say…?”); responding to simple questions (“Yes, I understand.” “No, I’m not finished”); and using formulaic language for expressing gratitude, apologizing, clarifying, and advocating, for example. Short lessons with newcomers introducing this kind of language can be helpful so that students can quickly refer to helpful phrases early on.
• At the beginning, newcomers will not understand everything that is used in the EL Education content-based literacy curriculum. This is normal and okay! As the teacher, you can develop several different strategies for helping newcomers. For example:
  • Before a topic is introduced to the class, you can work with newcomers by introducing them to the topic through videos, visuals, pointing to phrases, repetition, translation, and acting out. This gives you the advantage of learning about a student’s ‘funds of knowledge’ on the new topic.
  • During class work, you can vary newcomers’ partners so that at times, they are assisted by those who speak their same home language, and at other times by those students who are able to take the time to explain the work to be done in their own ways. In this way, newcomers benefit from their interactions with various classmates who themselves are at different levels of understanding.
  • After each lesson, students need ongoing, rich exposure to the language and topic through K-2 Labs, 3-5 ALL Block, independent reading, and homework—in English and in their home language. Students should discuss the topics in their home language with families and peers who speak the same home language.
• Furthermore, you can use consistent phrasing of language and routines for newcomers every day. For example, if you regularly say, “Let’s go to recess,” don’t vary it to “Time for recess” (at least until students have learned “Let’s go to recess”). Visuals and kinesthetics are great ways of building understanding for newcomers. Songs, chants, and other repetitive language practice can also help—as long as this language represents age-appropriate concepts and thinking. Above all, remember that language learning takes time.
• Just as small children do not understand every word people say to them, know that newcomers initially will not understand every new word. At first, getting the “gist” of what is being talked about will help them to link this understanding to what they already know about the world. As time goes on, they will become better able to recognize phrases and common vocabulary, and with your help, begin to put them to use for their own purposes. With the help of these instructional strategies, newcomers advanced to intermediate levels of proficiency, often relatively quickly.
• Develop a strategic plan that begins by focusing on one or two goals of Conversation Cues. Step 2 would be to begin expanding the Conversation Goals while adding on a Language Dive goal. Use the  2025 Curriculum ELD Instruction Video Collection to show students what Conversation Cues and Language Dives look and sound like.