Because English language learners (ELL) are among the fastest growing student populations in the country, improving the quality of programs serving them is essential to the state of Texas as well as to the country as a whole. Despite decades of experience in attempting to address the language proficiency and academic needs of English language…

English language learners may bring linguistic knowledge in the area of cognates to their learning of new English words, but they also will have special vocabulary learning needs that English speakers will not. They need to learn basic, survival words that English speakers begin school knowing, words such as house, school, walk, and eat. They also…