Today, English language learners (ELLs)--students whose primary language is other than English--are the fastest-growing major school population in the United States. Between 2000-01 and 2010-11, the number of these students, whose level of English proficiency is not sufficient to support learning in a regular English language classroom, rose 18 percent nationwide. As newcomers arrived in waves, many schools and districts quickly went from low-incidence to high-incidence levels of ELLs. The federal research center, REL-Appalachia, identified four stages in district responses to emerging ELL communities: ad hoc services, consistent services, developed program of services, and expanded or integrated services. Now states look to each other for a more consistent approach. A recent set of recommendations from the Council of Chief State School Officers on identifying ELLs and identifying when they are proficient will help that process along. This report explores ways rural districts are addressing the challenge of teaching the growing English as a second language population while simultaneously teaching the Common Core State Standards.