Interpret the New ELP Standards
Overall Reminders:
As mentioned in the Proficiency Level Descriptors document -- As conceptualized by Bailey and Heritage (2013), language proficiency increases along a predictable set of dimensions, each of which represent a student’s ability to construct and convey meaning through language:
1. Increase in amount: the number or sophistication of words or ways of combining words (phrases, clauses)
2. Increase in repertoire of use: the types of relationships students can construct between ideas – e.g., additive, causal, conditional, contrastive – as well as the number of ways students are able to construct those relationships between ideas
3. Increase in accuracy: the students’ ability to construct precise meanings
4. Increase in contextualization: the students’ ability to tailor the use of language functions to fit a variety of sociocultural contexts
Additionally, an examination of state and consortium PLDs reveals a fifth dimension:
5. Increase in autonomy: the students’ autonomy with the language, which is observed by the need for fewer language supports and scaffolds as proficiency increases
/ SPECIFIC INTERPRETATION(S) / Additional Considerations /1 / construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 1 focuses on the construction of meaning and extraction of information from oral presentations and texts of different density. [Understanding Language researchers were very adamant that we use “construct,” not “determine” here since meaning is interpretive, not deterministic.] – Standard 1 is different from Standard 8.
• What does grade-appropriate mean in K vs. high school? How do we construct claims in relation to grade-appropriate when we don’t have grade level in some cases and grade bands in other cases? How do we provide examples of these claims in listening, reading, and viewing? [Consortium Council will take a look at these claims – and questions about particular wording.] – Grade-appropriate refers to grade level at K and 1 and grade band when referring to Grade spans 2-3, 4-5, 6-8, and 9-12.
• Descriptors reference strategies (interaction between balanced approach to reading)
• Strategies refers to the multiple kinds of strategies needed to unpack meaning (in grade appropriate ways)
What this standard does NOT refer to (-):
• Why doesn’t this ELP Standard refer to close reading of text? We believe it can refer to something larger than an ELA/Literacy focus. While close reading (and listening) are important (and addressed in content standards), the challenge here is that what can be taken as "close reading" by one can be gleaned with a quick scan by others, which may cause some confusion about intended language demands.
• These standards focus on instruction. New Literacies not included in ELPA21. There are certain kinds of literacy that come into play (esp. with math and science - listening, reading, and viewing) / • What does this mean for an ELD classroom? (Have they been involved with the Common Core roll-out? – Our ELP Standards don’t have appendices that flesh out what we mean. That’s what we will be developing. The ELP Standards will provide us a path forward.
In the ELP Standards, we don’t have a lot of the “how,” the supplemental information to help with the interpretation.
Reminder:
The two receptive standards (Standard 1 and Standard 8) contain descriptors centering around the increasing range of evidence and/or resources students call upon as their receptive language skills increase. Some of these resources are productive in nature….The standards writers and I reasoned that you can’t get inside kids’ heads (literally) so we needed to see evidence of what they would do if there had higher levels of ELP for these standards….
2 / participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 2 focuses on exchange and response during discussion – active participation - and the language used to convey it. Most focus lessons on other ELP standards also involve this standard.
• This standard can be “paired” with other standards. Question: How can we acknowledge and point where it makes sense to pair up standards.
• Where does social language fit in? How and when do the ELP Standards acknowledge the role of social language? Social language has a role. This is the closest the ELP Standards gets to social language (BICS). We need to think about language in the context of what (constructing meaning?) The language used in the classroom may be very informal, but is in service of getting at the lesson. / 8-10? Are they subservient to standards 1-7. How does this standard and standards 1-7 fit in the context with teacher work?
No.
All of the standards are holistic – it’s hard to parcel them out.
Think about, “What types of standard pairings might make sense?”
3 / speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 3 focuses on ability to USE LANGUAGE TO summarize key ideas and to organize/develop topics and experiences. This standard purposely is not restricted to formal presentations – we want students to express ideas during informal classroom discourse too.
Emphasize how to use language to do these certain elements…. / What to do with Lower ELP?
Teachers sometimes ask, “What is grade-appropriate?” How do we use them to describe students’ readiness for grade-appropriate speaking and writing tasks.
What does grade-appropriate writing look like at this grade? Need samples of ELL student writing along the ELP samples.
Approach the standards through the lens of student work. Analyze and pick apart the skills that a student needs to master to participate in the curriculum….From there….focus on the standards From there, approach the proficiency levels
4 / construct grade-appropriate oral and written arguments/claims and support them with reasoning and evidence
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 4 focuses on constructing a claim – and the language used to convey it. This standard takes place in the context of the construction of arguments: An argument consists of a claim, reasoning and evidence. In earlier versions, this standard focused on justifying an argument. While justification can work within the context of ELA, in science, for example, one supports or refutes an argument/claim; one does not justify it. / How to use language to participate in activities – this is key aspect
5 / conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 5 focuses is on how to use language when evaluating and communicating information during research or gathering information. You’ll note the focus on research (and obtaining information) in this standard address more than the language features needed for the ELA standards. Why? Research in science involves observations and experiment, not only text. / To do – search for research lessons that have been customized for ELLs/language access.
Co-relation with standard 4
Good to use when introducing the ELP standards with content teachers.
How to distinguish or differentiate between standards 4 and 5? (for ELD colleagues) – standard 5 is the research/experiment act; it is used with Projects – Participate in research and experiments
6 / analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 6 focuses on language students will use to analyze and critique arguments. This is one of the most challenging standards, students are asked to use language when participating in different types of classroom interactions.
7 / adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 7 focuses on appropriate selection of precision of language – which makes this standard a great candidate for activities in which the teacher provides scaffolding. However, be sure that instructional activities are placed in within the context of language for specific social and academic contexts (as students learn to create precision and different shades of meaning for different types of Discourse). [Note: This standard takes place in the context of understanding other perspectives & cultures.] / Language of math vs. language of science
Should be part of training for general education and content area teachers – training issues.
8 / determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 8 focuses on development of one specific segment of academic language: vocabulary Bunch et al., (2012, 2013) point out that instruction around vocabulary development should not occur in isolation, but take place in service of the first 7 standards.
9 / create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 9 focuses is on how text speakers and writers weave speech and text together. We wanted to address coherence and cohesion in both oral presentations and written texts as students’ development progresses from simple to more complex language. Verbal language is as important as written when the emphasis is on language for use.
10 / make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing
What this standard refers to (+):
• Standard 10 focuses on accuracy of English language forms -- conjugation of verbs and verb phrases, inflections, syntactical structures (compound and complex sentence, independent clauses.)