Questions This Guide Will Answer
The guide provides a perspective to answer the following big questions:
Which instructional practices and resources best serve multilingual learners?
School Leaders...
Monitor the implementation of instruction that occurs schoolwide and the effectiveness for different groups of students, providing support where needed.
Teachers...
Integrate and coordinate the development of literacy and language skills through high-quality, responsive instruction for multilingual students in both English-medium and bilingual settings (primarily Spanish/English)
Deliver systematic tier 1 instruction that is intentionally designed to support multilingual learners complemented by differentiated and targeted ELD and small group instruction.
So that Multilingual Learners...
Benefit from:
Seeing themselves in the curriculum
Opportunities to bring their home language and culture into the classroom
Engaging in critical thinking, rich academic content, and language comprehension
Systematic foundational skills instruction that is grounded in language rich context, and when instruction is in a bilingual setting, within a bilingual framework that is authentic to the language of instruction
How do I ensure that my instruction and pedagogy is culturally and linguistically responsive?
School Leaders...
Help their teachers challenge the former standardization of public schooling that has previously focused on adhering to the values and practices of white-dominant culture- and instead highlight the assets and diversity shared by the unique blend of their students and families.
Teachers...
Actively incorporate diverse perspectives, honor students' backgrounds, and adapt their teaching methods to address the unique needs and experiences of all learners.
Develop family partnerships and utilize instructional practices that focus on student self-efficacy and result in authentic student engagement
So that Multilingual Learners...
Feel and experience a sense of belonging because their classrooms recognize individual literacy strengths in multiple contexts and develop critical consciousness.
Are deeply engaged in the learning community as self-reflective learners and know that their families are partners with the school community
How do I leverage data to inform me on the unique needs of multilingual learners?
School Leaders...
Engage in schoolwide data analysis protocols that include language and literacy assessment information to highlight trends, successes, and areas of growth at the school, grade level, and individual teacher level in both English and dual language settings(?).
Teachers...
Understand the unique assets and needs of every individual student through the analysis of actionable data that guide the teacher in making instructional decisions, understanding progress, and identifying areas of strength and need. This same data is also shared with students and families to ensure their partnership and agency to their child’s development.
Use multilingual data to view students holistically
So that Multilingual Learners...
Receive small group, individualized and targeted instruction to help support their growth as a learner, writer, speaker, and thinker on top of tier 1 instruction in the language(s) of instruction.
Meet individualized literacy and language goals.
What should be considered when developing and engaging in professional learning to address the distinct literacy instruction needs of multilingual learners?
School Leaders...
Design and provide professional learning experiences that focus on instructional best practices that emphasize the intersection of literacy instruction and language development.
Understand the nuances, assets, and needs of multilingual students and put systems and structures in place that facilitate growth and excellence for both teachers and MLs.
Teachers...
Understand the research behind developing foundational literacy skills and its relationship with language development, enabling them to identify best practices for literacy instruction for MLs
Acquire expertise in how multilingual learners learn to read, comprehend, speak, and write in English (with resources that are transferable for language development, as well as literacy resources specifically tailored to Spanish instruction)
So that Multilingual Learners...
Have teachers who elevate their unique assets, support their development of metalinguistic awareness, and are able to respond to their specific and unique literacy and language assets/needs.
Meet language and literacy benchmarks that represent high expectations and view multilingualism as an asset