Educators’ Guide to Supporting English Language Learners

Monday, September 23, 2019

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 1 in 10 public school students in the U.S. is an English language learner (ELL), and in many urban areas, the concentration is larger. To address the needs of this growing segment of the student population, educators are working harder than ever to refine administrative and instructional practices to help students master both English and their state’s rigorous academic standards.

To support you in your efforts, we’ve assembled a curated list of our top resources focused on helping ELLs achieve success in the classroom.

Build Strong Instructional Programs

Based on the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) results reported on The Nation’s Report Card, 40 percent of 4th grade students and 34 percent of 8th grade students nationwide scored at or above proficient in math, but for English language learners, those numbers are 14 percent and 6 percent, respectively. In reading, 37 percent of the national sample of 4th grade students and 36 percent of 8th grade students scored at or above proficient, while for ELLs, those numbers were only 9 percent and 5 percent, respectively.

Clearly, ELLs are not achieving at the same levels as their English proficient peers, which is not surprising as they face additional barriers to grasping academic concepts. One of the most efficient ways to support ELLs is to ensure that your school or district implements pedagogical approaches that accommodate a variety of educational needs. Utilize these planning guides to create or refine your instructional programs to support an environment in which ELLs and all students will thrive.

Special Populations Worksheet

Use this worksheet to plan programs to address the needs of special populations of students, including ELLs.

A Guide to Engaging Your ELL Parents

It's not uncommon for parents of ELL students to feel intimidated or discouraged from becoming actively engaged with their children's education due to language barriers or other cultural differences. We gathered several resources to help you find ways to encourage your ELL parents to engage more.

Personalized Learning How-To Guide

Personalized learning allows educators to meet the varying needs of students, improving learning outcomes for all. This workbook takes the guesswork out of personalized learning by providing a step-by-step plan from development to implementation.

Reading and Literacy Workbook

It’s a well-known fact that a strong foundation in literacy is key to future academic success for all student populations. This workbook evaluates the many facets of structuring an effective, research-based reading and language arts block and helps you select the appropriate technology tools to support your approach.

Credit Recovery Workbook

According to the U.S. Department of Education, in 2016, 67 percent of ELLs graduated high school, which is 17 percent below the 84 percent graduation rate for all students. Because of the additional obstacles ELLs face, they often fall behind, so it’s important to have a credit recovery program in place to help students catch up and get on track to graduation. Edmentum’s credit recovery workbook will show you how to set up a new program or enhance your current credit recovery offering.

Implement Classroom Strategies That Support Language Development and Academic Achievement

Breakthroughs in student learning happen in the classroom, and as you work toward closing the achievement gap between ELLs and non-ELLs through more inclusive and accessible instructional practices, we hope you will find the resources below helpful.

Looking for an online learning partner to help support your English language learners? Learn more about how Edmentum’s WIDA™ Prime V2™ Correlated programs drive success for ELLs.

Administrator Tips