In this article, I argue for expanding what "counts" as evidence of content learning in the assessment of English learners (ELs) and their peers in the content areas. ELs bring expansive meaning-making resources to content classrooms that are valuable assets for meeting the ambitious learning goals of the latest K-12 education reform.…

In this research study, an instructional intervention protocol is described. This intervention was designed to help teachers to engage English Learner students (ELs) in mathematical problem-solving lessons and reasoning through discourse. The "Discursive Mathematics Protocol" (DMP) integrates Polya's classic problem-solving framework and…

Traditionally, content assessments have been carried out through written language. However, the latest standards in U.S. K-12 education expect all students, including English learners (ELs), to demonstrate their content learning using multiple modalities. This study examined the performance of fifth-grade students at varying levels of English…

Using Biber's (1988) multidimensional analysis, this study investigates textual variation in second language (L2) learners' writing at different proficiency levels, and attempts to identify any developmental progression. The study used a corpus of 5200 argumentative essays written by 2600 students learning English as an L2. The results indicate…

This paper describes how fifth-grade English Learner students (ELs) in an urban school district develop the mathematics register during a problem-solving lesson. It provides examples of students' work to illustrate how they use the mathematics register to communicate their mathematical ideas orally and in writing. The teacher implemented teaching…

This article addresses the inclusion of English learners with disabilities, including those with significant cognitive disabilities, in state and district assessments. The authors provide background information on who these students are and the relationship between academic English language development, content learning, and assessment. The…

Purpose: The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to determine whether English learners who participated in transitional kindergarten perform equally or better than English learners who did not participate in transitional kindergarten in the areas of oral language, written language, and overall language as measured by the…

In this study, I examined how 34 Spanish-speaking English language learners (ELLs) used their linguistic resources (English and Spanish) and language modes (oral and written language) to demonstrate their knowledge of proportional reasoning in a dual language mathematics assessment task. The assessment allows students to see the item in both…

Designed to help instructional leaders deliver effective training to teachers, this guide provides one of four evidence-based recommendations for supporting literacy among English learner students in grades 4-8. It includes practical application ideas and examples, as well as resources for immediate implementation. This guide is based on…

This paper explores how a monolingual English-speaking teacher working with transnational emergent multilinguals (TEMs) in a sheltered English classroom in the U.S. capitalized on students' interjections turning them into teachable moments. Specifically, it explores how these instances allowed the teacher to model and teach TEMs how to draw on…

This article contributes to the scarcity of research on the interface between task-modality and the use of previously known languages (PKL) in young learners. It examines the use of Basque/Spanish by CLIL learners (aged 10-11) during oral interaction while completing two collaborative tasks in English: a speaking task and a speaking + writing…

The goal of the nine family and caregiver activity sheets is to provide families and caregivers with simple, fun activities they can use with their children to strengthen their language. The activities were designed using recommendations from the 2014 What Works Clearinghouse practice guide, "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English…

This study investigated the effects of extensive versus intensive recasts. The focus was on the effect of feedback on learning English articles, which, as nonsalient target structures, have been shown to be difficult for many second language learners. Intensive recasts were operationalized as recasts provided on article errors only, while…

This document is the second in a series of working papers that elaborate on a framework of four key stages in moving toward a common definition of English learner (EL), as described in the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) publication, "Toward a 'Common Definition of English Learner': Guidance for States and State Assessment…

The goal of the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Practice Guide, "Teaching Academic Content and Literacy to English Learners in Elementary and Middle School," is to provide four recommendations for teaching complex content to English learners while simultaneously building academic language and writing and oral language proficiency. This…