How do the various state ELD proficiency levels align to the EL Education Language Arts Curricula?

Chris Hu

Nov 03, 2025

ELD instruction for all proficiency levels in the EL Education Curriculum is aligned to the California English Language Developments Standards Framework, which is tightly connected to the remaining five state ELD standards frameworks.
Language proficiency levels across all state frameworks are commonly conceptualized as a continuum that can be generally broken down into beginning, intermediate, and advanced phases.
The table below shows a summary of the instruction provided for the proficiency levels for each state ELD framework.

		Beginning	Intermediate	Advanced
State Standards Framework	Arizona	Pre-emergent, Emergent, Basic	Intermediate	Intermediate, Proficient
	California	Emerging	Expanding	Bridging
	ELPA21	Beginning/Early Intermediate	Early Intermediate, Intermediate, Early Advanced	Early Advanced, Advanced
	New York	Entering, Emerging	Transitioning, Expanding	Expanding, Commanding
	Texas	Beginning	Intermediate	Advanced, Advanced High
	WIDA	Entering, Emerging	Developing, Expanding	Bridging, Reaching
Instructional Support	Content
	K-5 Language Arts 2025 Ed. 6-8 Language Arts 2019 Ed. K-5 Language Arts 2017 Ed.	All Intermediate instruction modified with: strategic grouping focusing in on fewer language features but still meeting the academic rigor sentence frames students can use both orally and in writing word and phrase banks, visuals, and manipulatives receiving peer-coaching from a student at an more advanced proficiency level adeptly using Goal 1 and 2 Conversation Cues	reading, discussing, analyzing, and applying academic language features all four Conversation Cues goals	All Intermediate instruction modified with: strategic grouping expanding or condensing sentences using a language focus in a new or unfamiliar context building onto the language feature with additional language features students in small groups independently posing questions about the language in a complex sentence students identifying language features that fulfill a specific purpose students peer-coaching a student who needs heavier support facilitating a Language Dive for the class creating sentence frames for students who need heavier support all four Conversation Cues goals
	Where to Find ELD in the Lessons
	2025 Ed.	”Heavier Support” Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Support All Students	“Moderate Support” Integrated ELD Embedded into instruction for all students in the main lesson body Embedded into instruction for all students in the Teacher Supporting Materials	”Lighter Support” Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Support All Students
	6-8 2019 Ed.2019 Grades 6-8	Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Support All Students In the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners	Integrated ELD Embedded into instruction for all students in the main lesson body In the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners	Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Support All Students In the Teacher’s Guide for English Language Learners
	K-5 2017 Ed.	Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Supporting English Language Learners At the end of each lesson section in Meeting Students’ Needs	Integrated ELD Embedded into instruction for all students in the main lesson body At the end of each lesson section in Meeting Students’ Needs	Integrated ELD At the top of each lesson in Supporting English Language Learners At the end of each lesson section in Meeting Students’ Needs

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