This manual for first grade teachers provides suggestions and teaching materials that reflect the multicultural composition of New York City's (New York) public schools. It is organized into two sections: the first is in English, and the second is in Spanish. The English section contains the following six sections: (1) "Planning for the First…

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is the new Massachusetts state assessment program that is being implemented in response to state education reform legislation. The paper describes the early efforts of the state Department of Education (MDOE), its prime contractor for development of the MCAS (Advanced Systems in Measurement…

This teacher's guide offers classroom techniques for teaching science to bilingual elementary students. Recommendations are made for improving teaching by: lowering students' affective filters; providing comprehensible input; providing for language output; creating a supportive environment; adjusting classroom teaching style; teaching…

An evaluation was done of New York City Board of Education's Project Harmony in Career Learning and Scholastic System (Project HI-CLASS) for 1989-90. In its second year of a funding cycle, the project offered 635 Chinese- and Spanish-speaking high school students of limited English proficiency instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL),…

A family literacy program for increasing 3- to 5-year-old children's literacy skills by educating their Mexican American parents is evaluated. Project Family Literacy--Aprendiendo, Mejorando, Educando ("Learning, Improving, Educating") (Project FLAME) is a federally funded program addressing Hispanic Americans' academic failure,…

An overview of the salient issues in adult English-as-a-Second Language (ESL) literacy is presented as reported in the literature on adult education and applied linguistics. Emphasis is on programs that have implemented promising practices and effective approaches to help ESL students develop their literacy skills. Characteristics of effective…

Information about limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in the Austin (Texas) Independent School District (AISD) is summarized. In the 1990-91 school year, 5,047 students in the AISD were served in LEP programs at elementary schools (3,933 students), middle schools (555 students), and secondary schools (559 students). Most were Spanish…

This guide, designed to be accompanied by computer software, contains classroom activities and instructional techniques to be used in implementing the first-year core Spanish language curriculum for Georgia's public schools. Activities are correlated with goals and objectives specified in the state curriculum. Each provides information and…

An evaluation was done of the New York City Public Schools' Project Porvenir. During the 1990-91 school year, Project Porvenir operated at 4 elementary schools and served 501 Spanish-speaking students in grades 4, 5, and 6, of whom 85 percent were eligible for the free lunch program. The students were of limited English proficiency and were served…

An evaluation was done of the New York City Public Schools' Choosing Optional Infused Career Education for Students in High School Bilingual Programs (Project CHOICE). During the 1990-91 school year, Project CHOICE served 437 Spanish-speaking limited English proficient (LEP) students at Fort Hamilton High School and Springfield Gardens High…

The guide, intended as working materials for a teacher workshop, introduces second language teachers to principles and practices of student dialogue journal writing. It begins by outlining nine principles to follow concerning second language writing at all instructional levels. It then offers two sample journal entries with spaces for teachers to…

An evaluation was done of New York City Public Schools' Alternative Learning Methodologies through Academics Program (Project ALMA) for Spanish-speaking students. Project ALMA served 407 9th and 10th graders at 2 sites (Queens and the Bronx). All of the students spoke Spanish, and 75.7 percent of them were eligible for the Free Lunch Program. The…

An evaluation was done of New York City Public Schools' Project Aprendizaje, which served disadvantaged, immigrant, Spanish-speaking high school students at Seward Park High School in Manhattan. The Project enrolled 290 students in grades 9 through 12, 93.1 percent of whom were eligible for the Free Lunch Program. The Project provided students of…

An evaluation was done of New York City Public Schools' Dropout Reduction through Employment, Achievement, and Motivation Program (Project DREAM), which served poor Spanish-speaking immigrant high school students. The program operated at South Bronx High School serving 444 mostly immigrant students of limited English proficiency. The program…

A study examined the acquisition of negation in English as a Second Language in a 4-year-old Salvadoran girl, a native speaker of Spanish. Specifically, the study looked for evidence of language transfer in bilingual acquisition and the direction of that transfer (Spanish to English, English to Spanish). Over 5 months, spontaneous speech (55…