Appendix A: Application of the Standards for English Learners and Students with Disabilities 

English Learners 

The vision of this framework is to prepare all students to evaluate competing ideas, to understand the past, and to promote the ideals of equality, justice, liberty, and the common good for all peoples in the world. English learners are among them.  They are some of the most diverse students in the nation. They represent a range of cultural, linguistic, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds and have many physical, social, emotional, and/or cognitive differences. They bring with them a wealth of assets, such as cultures and languages, as well as additional cognitive, social, emotional, political, and economic potential. 

All students, including English learners (ELs), have the same potential  as native and proficient English speakers to meet the high expectations outlined in the New Hampshire Social Studies Curriculum Framework (“the Framework”).

Districts in New Hampshire must provide ELs with both grade-level academic content and ESL instruction that is aligned to WIDA. Educators should use the Framework in conjunction with language development standards designed to guide and monitor ELs’ progress toward English proficiency.  English learners may require additional time, support, and assessment as they simultaneously work to develop English language proficiency and content-area knowledge. Research indicates that ELs can meet grade-level standards while continuing to work toward proficiency in English (Boals, Kenyone, Blair, Cranley, Wilmes, & Wright 2015; Cook, Linquanti, Chinen, & Hung 2012).

The structure of programs serving ELs acknowledges that ELs develop language throughout the day, during all of their classes. All educators are responsible for students’ language development and academic achievement; collaboration and shared responsibility among administrators and educators are integral to student and program success. 

The term English language development (ELD) describes all of the English language development that occurs throughout a student’s day, both during content and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.

Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Programs: 

The SEI History/Social Studies Class: In SEI programs, ELD happens in an integrated way in all content classrooms that have at least one EL. SEI-endorsed, content-licensed educators shelter academic instruction and help ELs develop discipline-specific academic language. ELD takes place in SEI classrooms as ELs learn grade-level content along with their proficient English-speaking peers.

The ESL Class: Additionally, English language development also happens in ESL classes (self-contained, embedded, or hybrid settings), in which ELs are grouped together and licensed ESL teachers provide systematic instruction focused primarily on English language development. 

Two-Way Immersion (TWI) and Transitional Bilingual (TBE) Programs: In TWI and TBE programs, students receive the content both in English and in a partner language. ELD happens both during content classes delivered in English and through integrated/embedded ESL. For example, if a TWI program that has Spanish as a partner language offers a history class in English, then ELD happens in an embedded, integrated way in that class, as well as in other content classes delivered in English. However, if the program delivers history content in Spanish, then Spanish language development is embedded and integrated in the class, as well as in other content classes delivered in Spanish. 

Regardless of program model (SEI, TWI, or TBE), the distinctive learning needs of ELs require that content instruction include effective language development (in English and/or in the partner language) beyond basic social or vocabulary terms, as proficiency is not attained independently of the specific language processes embedded within the discipline (Accurso, Gebhard & Purington, 2017; Fang & Schleppegrell 2008, 2010; Gebhard & Harman 2011, Schleppegrell, 2004; Zwiers 2014). As with all students, ELs must acquire discipline-specific language practices that enable them to learn the given content effectively.

ELs may have some prior knowledge of the United States, but it is important to recognize that social studies instruction presents some unique challenges for students who, in addition to doing the double work of simultaneously developing their skills in English while learning new content, also may be learning new interpretations of historical events, a different conception of government, and perhaps a different philosophy of citizenship. On the other hand, EL background knowledge can be an advantage, as many ELs bring cultural and political knowledge and experience that other students may not yet have.

Accordingly, effective social studies instruction supports ELs in gaining cultural literacy and background knowledge as they learn about the society, history, geography, civic life, economy, and political system of their new country (Szpara & Ahmad 2006).  Promising practices for the social studies classroom include, but are not limited to: developing socially and culturally supportive classrooms; explicitly teaching reading, comprehension, and critical literacy skills; building background knowledge; addressing the three dimensions of academic language at the word/phrase, sentence, and discourse levels; incorporating well-structured pair work; strategically using video and other visual supports; and providing explicit instruction in academic strategies necessary for successful comprehension of challenging content (Gottlieb 2013; Reutebuch 2010; Szpara 2006; Understanding Language 2012).

Regardless of the specific curriculum used, all ELs in formal educational settings must have access to:

• Adequate resources, including district and school personnel with the skills and qualifications necessary to support ELs’ growth.

• Literacy-rich environments where students are immersed in a variety of robust language experiences.

• Speakers of English who know the language well enough to provide models and support.

Educating ELs effectively requires diagnosing each student instructionally, tailoring instruction to individual needs, and monitoring progress closely and continuously. For example, ELs who are literate in a home language that shares cognates with English can apply home-language vocabulary knowledge when reading in English; likewise, those with extensive schooling may use conceptual knowledge developed in another language when learning academic content in English. Students with limited or interrupted formal schooling (SLIFE) may need to acquire more background knowledge before engaging in the educational task at hand.

Six key principles should therefore guide instruction for ELs:

• Focus on providing ELs with opportunities to engage in discipline-specific practices that build conceptual understanding and language competence in tandem.

• Leverage ELs’ home language(s), cultural assets, and prior knowledge.

• Provide ELs rigorous, grade-level appropriate, and provides deliberate, appropriate, and nuanced scaffolds to support students in attaining the standards. 

• Take into account students’ English proficiency levels and prior schooling experiences. 

• Foster ELs’ autonomy by equipping them with the strategies necessary to comprehend and use language in a variety of academic settings.  

• Use responsive diagnostic tools and formative assessment practices to measure ELs’ content knowledge, academic language competence, and participation in disciplinary practices.

Native Language Supports: 

Students’ languages and cultures are valuable resources to be tapped and incorporated into schooling. Students draw on their metacognitive, metalinguistic, and metacultural awareness to develop proficiency in English and in additional languages. Students' academic language development in their native language facilitates their academic language development in English, and conversely, students' academic language development in English informs their academic language development in their native language (WIDA, 2012). Finally, research demonstrates that bilingualism and multiculturalism are assets that provide cognitive, social, emotional, educational, and employment advantages for all students (Adesope, Lavin, Thompson, & Ungerleider, 2010).

References:

Accurso, K., Gebhard, M., & Purington, S. (2017). Analyzing diverse learners’ writing in mathematics: Systemic functional linguistics in secondary pre-service teacher education. International Journal for Mathematics Teaching and Learning, Vole 18.1, 84-108. 

Adesope, O. O., Lavin, T., Thompson, T., & Ungerleider, C. (2010). A systematic review and meta-analysis of the cognitive correlates of bilingualism. Review of Educational Research, 80(2), 207-245.

Boals, T., Kenyon, D. M., Blair, A., Cranley, M. E., Wilmes, C., & Wright, L. J. (2015). Transformation in K–12 English language proficiency assessment: Changing contexts, changing constructs. Review of Research in Education, 39(1), 122-164. 

Barac, R. & Bialystok, E. (2012). Bilingual Effects on Cognitive and Linguistic Development: Role of Language, Cultural Background, and Education. Child Development. 

Cook, G., Linquanti, R., Chinen, M., & Jung, H. (2012). National Evaluation of Title III Implementation Supplemental Report: Exploring Approaches to Setting English Language Proficiency Performance Criteria and Monitoring English Learner Progress. Draft. Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development, U.S. Department of Education. 

Fang, Z., Schleppegrell, M.J. (2008).Reading in secondary content areas: A language-based pedagogy. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.

Gebhard, M., & Harman, R. (2011). Genre theory in K-12 schools: A response to high-stakes school reforms in the United States. Journal of Second Language Writing. 20, 45 – 55.

Gottlieb, M. (2013). Essential actions: A handbook for implementing WIDA’s Framework for English Language Development Standards. WIDA Consortium. 

Reutebuch, C.K. (2010). Effective Social Studies Instruction to Promote Knowledge Acquisition and Vocabulary Learning of English. CREATE. Retrieved September 18, 2016. 

Schleppegrell, M. (2004). The language of schooling: A functional linguistics perspective. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Szpara, M.Y., Ahmad I. (2006). Making Social Studies Meaningful for ELL Students: Content and Pedagogy in Mainstream Secondary School Classrooms. Essays in Education, 16. Retrieved September 18, 2016.

Understanding Language. (2012). Six Key Principles for ELL Instruction. Stanford, CA: Stanford University, Understanding Language Initiative.

WIDA. (2012). Guiding Principles of Language Development. Madison, WI: Wisconsin Center for Education Research.

Zwiers, J. (2014). Building academic language: Meeting common core standards across disciplines, grades 5-12. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Students with Disabilities

TheSocial Studies Curriculum Framework articulates seven social studies practices, rigorous grade-level content standards, and grade-level expectations for reading, writing, speaking, and listening in social studies. These learning standards identify the social studies knowledge and skills all students need in order to be successful in college and careers. The curriculum  must challenge students with disabilities—students eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)— to excel within the general curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives, including college and/or careers. Attention to effective implementation of research-based instructional practices will help improve access to social studies standards for all students, including those with disabilities.

Students with disabilities are a heterogeneous group. Those eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) have one or more disabilities and, as a result of the disability/ies, are unable to progress effectively in the general education program without the support of specially designed instruction, or are unable to access the general curriculum without one or more related supplemental services. The annual goals included in students’ IEPs and related instructional strategies and other supports must align to and facilitate students’ attainment of grade-level learning standards. 

Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the Curriculum Frameworks. The supports and services to make these expectations attainable for students with disabilities may include:

• Instructional learning supports based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allow students multiple means to demonstrate their understanding of the content. UDL is defined by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (PL 110-135) as “a scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice that (a) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the ways students are engaged; and (b) reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains high achievement expectations for all students, including students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient.”

• Instructional accommodations (Thompson, Morse, Sharpe & Hall, 2005), such as alternative materials or procedures that do not change the standards or expectations, but provide additional support for students to learn within the framework of the general curriculum.

• Assistive technology devices and services to ensure access to the general education curriculum and the standards for social studies.

These supports, accommodations, services and devices all serve to ensure that students have access to multiple means of learning and opportunities to demonstrate that learning, while also meeting the high expectations of the Curriculum Framework. 

References:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 34 CFR §300.34 (a). (2004).Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 34 CFR §300.39 (b)(3). (2004).

Thompson, Sandra J., Morse, Amada B., Sharpe, Michael, and Hall, Sharon. (2005). Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer and Evaluate Use of Accommodations and Assessment for Students with Disabilities, 2nd Edition. Washington, DC: Council of Chief State School Officers.