Fueled by two decades of historic immigration, American demographics are changing. Many school districts are often ill prepared to meet the needs of limited English proficient (LEP) students and families. This Teaching Tolerance booklet points administrators to best practices in the effort to create a supportive learning environment for all…

To help educators make informed decisions about English language learners (ELLs), this Connecting Research to Practice brief provides an overview of key research findings, highlights federal policies related to ELLs, outlines district-level and school-level action opportunities, and lists resources that offer more information. English language…

The purpose of the provincial ESL (English as a second language) articulation process is to maintain high standards of quality in ESL programming at the public post-secondary institutions of British Columbia, as well as to facilitate access to programs at other public institutions for students wishing to transfer. This ninth edition of the ESL…

Maryland's 24 school systems have made great strides in improving public education from pre-kindergarten through high school to ensure children are getting a high-quality education. This guide provides information and online links, including: (1) Maryland's state testing and reporting processes; (2) Programs available to support student…

A review of pragmatic structures that are a part of second language learning is intended to provide insights for speech-language pathologists working with bilingual students in the schools. Among topics covered are conversational postulates, presuppositions, and performatives. Suggestions for helping the bilingual language learner are offered. (CL)

The paper addresses theoretical and practical issues in regard to first and second-language learning and language disorders. Information on bilingualism, bilingual education, assessment approaches, and personnel is presented. Among issues examined are simultaneous and sequential learning, code mixing and switching, and contrastive and error…

Difficulties encountered by handicapped children with limited English proficiency, or who are bilingual, are reviewed. Special problems are noted for monolingual English or English dominance, children monolingual or dominant in a language other than English, nonverbal children and children with delayed language skills, children who code switch,…

The paper considers factors other than poor reading ability which may account for poor test scores of potentially gifted Hispanic bilingual students. It examines the nature of second language learning and its relation to language processing required by a reading test and the strategies of bright bilingual children which may negatively affect test…

The Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) field continues to experience increased valuing of experiential practitioner knowledge. A welcome result of this evolution has been the broadening of research perspectives. The 16 practitioner narratives in "Insights on Teaching Speaking in TESOL" are written by…

This teacher training monograph considers the development of functional proficiency for limited English proficient (LEP) students. The topics dealt with include: (1) second language learning in the school context, including requirements for successful student participation in the classroom; (2) specific strategies for developing functional…

This document focuses on assessment portfolios and examines the advantages and challenges of using an assessment portfolio system inclusive of English language learners as a district-wide assessment tool. Advantages of including English language learners in the assessment program include increased school accountability for all students, a shared…

The brochure, written in Spanish, briefly outlines the U.S. Department of Education's most recent policy on educating students with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds. It states the Department's mission, describes today's student population, and outlines the role of the Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement and…

In the United States, two-way immersion (TWI) is an educational approach that integrates native English speakers and native speakers of another language (usually Spanish) for content and literacy instruction in both languages. In recent years, the number of TWI programs has grown rapidly. This report examines key issues to consider when planning…

This document establishes highly detailed benchmarks for literacy and numeracy (initial, developing, and adequate) in three phases. The guide is a series of tables detailing language competencies, literacy competencies, and conditions as well as sample tasks and examples for each of the three levels in each of the three phases. It details reading,…

This curriculum guide is designed to help both English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and regular classroom teachers improve instruction for limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the elementary grades in the areas of math, science, social studies, and English language arts. This K-5 guide provides models for teachers who need to modify…