This established text--now revised and updated--reveals how spoken language skills are acquired and how they affect children's later reading and writing achievement. With a unique focus on the needs of educators, the book examines the foundations of language in the developing brain. It explores the relationship of language processes to core…

The number of Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB MLE) programmes has increased in recent years, especially in the Asia-Pacific Region. The case study booklet in this MTB MLE Resource Kit describes programmes in Afghanistan, Nepal and Pakistan that are examples of what language communities can do to help their children prepare to enter…

From expert authors, this book guides educators to conduct assessments that inform daily instruction and identify the assets that emergent bilinguals bring to the classroom. Effective practices are reviewed for screening, assessment, and progress monitoring in the areas of oral language, beginning reading skills, vocabulary and comprehension in…

This practice brief draws upon recent evidence-based instructional recommendations regarding dual language learners (DLL) and English learners (ELs) from the report, "Promoting the Educational Success of Children and Youth Learning English: Promising Futures. Consensus Study Report." The research-based recommendations provided in this…

"TEFL/TESOL Methodology 2: Advanced Language Teaching/Learning Strategies (2nd Edition)" is a language methodology course with a modern touch. In other words, it is a combination of the most commonly used language teaching approaches, strategies and/or techniques in modern schools nowadays. In particular, it is intended to be used both…

Why should English language teachers conduct classroom research? As teachers gain experience, they instinctively want to learn more about their practice, the profession, and ways to contribute to the field. The way to dig deeper into their passion for teaching is through researching their own classroom contexts. This easy-to-follow guide…

Over the years, careers have transformed to be flexible and changing rather than stable, life-long commitments to an organization. As such, making work meaningful, controlling the work environment, and taking the opportunity to get required training for the next job are as important as the financial advantages. Educators' careers cannot be…

A follow-up to the "ACTFL Integrated Performance Assessment Manual" published in 2003. This book provides readers with expanded guidelines for how to design integrated performance assessment (IPA) tasks to inform the backward design of a unit. Suggestions on how to provide effective feedback and how to improve learner performance are…

The purpose of this document is to define a new vision for English Language Development, to share examples of instructional delivery models, and to provide step-by-step guidance for selecting instructional materials that will accelerate the acquisition of academic language and grade-level content for all English learners in urban school districts.…

Human raters are normally involved in L2 performance assessment; as a result, rater behavior has been widely investigated to reduce rater effects on test scores and to provide validity arguments. Yet raters' cognition and use of rubrics in their actual rating have rarely been explored qualitatively in L2 speaking assessments. In this study three…

Learn how to involve the diverse families of English language learners with the effective, practical approaches in this book. This must-have resource for teachers and school leaders is packed with fresh ideas geared toward building a partnership between school communities and ELL families. The authors begin each chapter with realistic scenarios…

The ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines are descriptions of what individuals can do with language in terms of speaking, writing, listening, and reading in real-world situations in a spontaneous and non-rehearsed context. For each skill, these guidelines identify five major levels of proficiency: Distinguished, Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, and…

This Special Issues Brief from the Center on Great Teachers and Leaders (GTL Center) offers recommendations for the design and implementation of educator evaluation systems that support the academic and social growth of students with disabilities. Teachers of students with disabilities work closely with specialized instructional support personnel…

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…

Standardized tests have been selected as a key assessment factor in expanding the academic achievement of the national student population. However, these tests position immigrant students at the risk of academic failure, leading education experts to search for new strategies and teaching models. The "Handbook of Research on Assessment…