English Language Learner KnowledgeBase for Administrators & Teachers

Instructional Models for Teaching ELLs

To determine which ELL services and programs are best suited for a student identified as an English learner (EL), local education agencies (LEAs) must consider the student’s (1) English proficiency level, (2) Grade level, (3) Educational background and (4) Language background for bilingual programs. 

Identifying Language Proficiency for Program Placement

This bilingual Colorín Colorado national website for educators and families provides a detailed process to place ELLs in the appropriate proficiency level.

Who is an ELL?

This Glossary of Education Reform webpage provides a description of who is considered an ELL.

Effective Instructional Practices

This resource is excerpted from, "The Education of Linguistically and Culturally Diverse Students: Effective Instructional Practices," and is authored by Dr. Eugene E. Garcia.

Framework for Rural Schools

Rural school districts often face unique needs in setting up programs to serve the linguistic and cultural needs of ELL students. This framework offers "top of the mind" ideas or suggestions helpful to school administrators starting a program. The topics are grouped into two general areas, those relating to district and school and those addressing the home front. This framework was compiled through interviews with program administrators who have started ELL programs in rural school districts.

Strategies for ELL Students

This document from the Florida Department of Education's Office of School Improvement provides characteristics of exemplary ELL programs, as well as strategies for ensuring a successful program. It may be a useful tool for district staff members assigned the responsibility for developing alternative language programs.

AFT, NABE & TESOL International Association on Senate Bipartisan ESEA Bill Proposal

Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) is a voluntary, state-level decision. As of 2017, 42 states, the District of Columbia, four territories and the U.S. Department of Defense Education Activity have adopted and implemented the CCSS. The latest federal K-12 legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act, further mandates that the adoption of any curriculum is a state-level decision, with no control from the U.S. Department of Education.

CREDE-Developed Program for Elementary Education

As communities deal with changing demographics, such change impacts the local school district, as well. To understand what proactive school leaders did to promote inter-ethnic relations, the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE) conducted a study to identify examples of effective practices. The summarized content is useful for district and school leadership, as they deal with blending students of diverse cultures into a compatible school community.

TESOL Vision of Effective Education for ESOL Students

Schools and communities throughout the United States are facing increased linguistic and cultural diversity. This Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) vision statement, identifies practices supporting effective education for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) students. Having an understanding of TESOL's vision for educating ESOL students can be useful to a school district's staff with the responsibility for the alternative language program.

The Common Core State Standards and English Learners: A Resource Page

These resources will help you understand how the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) affect Pre-K-to-12 ESL teachers and their students. The CCSS is an initiative in the United States launched by the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association in 2009 to develop common content standards for states to use in elementary and secondary education. The CCSS mathematics and English language arts standards were released in 2011 and implemented during the 2014–15 academic year.

ESL Coaching Model

English as a Second Language (ESL) Coaches Academy — This resource provides a webinar series of six videos from the South Central Comprehensive Center (SC3) at the University of Oklahoma presented by ELL and Migrant Education Technical Assistance Coordinator Rosie Garcia-Belina, Ed.D., for the Louisiana Department of Education. Webinar titles include the following:

• An Introduction by Rosie Garcia-Belina, Ed.D.
• Promoting Instructional Practices for English Language Learners
• Implications in Establishing Language Support Programs for English Language Learners
• Newcomers Programs/Language Support Programs
• Promising Instructional Practices for English Language Learners
• English Language Learners with Exceptional Needs (Part II)

Additional resources/event archives are located in the English Language Learners tab.

ELL Resources

This link provides additional resources for ELLs from the Central and South Central Comprehensive Centers "External Resources - Topic Specific Sources."

Educational Programs for ELLs

This resource reviews several models used for instructing ELL students.

Identifying Potential English Learners

This U.S. Department of Education website offers examples of home survey and interpretation of data to identify students eligible for language support services.