Federal Guidelines
ELL Demographics
Primary Language Instruction
Effective Instruction for ELLs & Critical Questions
Instructional Practices and Modifications for ELLs
100
In their program plan, school districts must describe their educational approach for meeting the needs of ELL students; what are the guidelines for choosing an approach?
It must be recognized as a sound approach by experts, and/or be research based.
100
In what country are most ELL students in the United States born?
The United States
100
Research tells us that teaching students to read in their primary language promotes higher level of reading achievement in English; what is another, added benefit of primary language reading instruction?
Students become bilingual and bi-literal.
100
What does research indicate in regards to length of time that bilingual reading instruction (in both L1 an L2) should continue for optimal results?
That has not yet been determined.
100
What is the impact of instructional practices and reading interventions designed for English speakers on English learners (if used without modification)?
They are much weaker and have less effect.
200
What is the first step of screening for identification of students who may benefit ELL services?
The Home Language Survey
200
Speakers of what language tend to come from lower SES and educational backgrounds than the general population or other language minority populations?
Spanish
200
After 2-3 years of first and second language reading instruction, how will the average ELL student compare to the ELL student who only receives second language reading instruction?
They will excel (by 12-15 percentile points).
200
Name two of the components of literacy that ELLs benefit from the explicit teaching of:
Any two of the following: Phonemic awareness Phonics Vocabulary Comprehension (most effective when taught in L1) Writing
200
What does research tell us about teaching comprehension skills in English, if English is not the student's primary language?
There is little positive effect; so little that it is not statistically significant (it's a waste of time!)
300
How long does a school district have to identify students who may benefit from ELL services?
During the first month of school: 4 weeks After the first month of school: or 2 weeks or 10 school days
300
What percent of ELLs in the United States speak Spanish as a primary language?
75-80%
300
What reading skill transfers across all languages, but to a lesser degree the more different the alphabetic systems are?
Decoding
300
Name 3 components of good instruction and curriculum that in general holds true for ELLS:
Any three of the following: Clear goals and learning objectives Meaningful, challenging and motivating contexts Rich Content Well-designed, clearly structured and appropriately paced instruction Active engagement and participation Feedback on correct and incorrect responses Periodic Review Practice Frequent assessments to gauge progress, with reteaching as needed Opportunities to interact with other students in motivating and appropriately structured contexts
300
ELLs can make comparable progress to non-ELLs in what type of reading instruction?
Instruction where the language requirements are low, such as phonemic awareness and phonics instruction (however, they may still require extra support or time)
400

Do all students that have been identified as potentially needing ELL services via the initial screening tool require language proficiency assessment?

No; if there is a question, they can be "investigated" which could mean interviews with parents and/or student which could lead to a language proficiency assessment if there is any question regarding proficiency. An approved language proficiency assessment must be done in order for admittance to the ELL program.

400
ELL students in the U.S. come from over ________ different language backgrounds.
400
400
When initially taught in the primary language, what reading skills transfer readily across all languages, regardless of differences or similarities of the alphabetic systems?
Comprehension Skills
400
What does research suggest as the best approach to teaching English Language Development?
Language learners benefit from direct language instruction but also need situations in which to use the language for genuine communication (a combination of the language learning and language acquisition approaches).
400
What reading skill of the big 5 from the National Reading Panel Report is most essential for ELL students, even more so than for non-ELLs?
Vocabulary
500
What does "monitor status" refer to?
Monitor status refers to the two years following ELL Service reclassification (exiting) when a former ELL student is monitored for academic progress to ensure that their English proficiency is sufficient to succeed in regular instruction without ELL service.
500
Students of Asian origin tend to come from families with higher income and education levels than other immigrant families with the exception of which three?
Cambodian, Laotian, and Hmong.
500
How many meta-analyses have reached the same conclusion: that learning to read in the home or primary language promotes reading achievement in the second language?
Five
500
Through which levels of second language acquisition do most ELLs progress most rapidly?
From Beginner level (level 1) to Intermediate level (level 3); this
500
When assessing ELL students, what has been revealed by research as a powerful modification that ensures language proficiency is not interfering with assessment of content knowledge?
Simplifying the vocabulary and syntax of the questions or directions so that students understand what they are being asked to do.
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