(Amended 12.12.11)
This module focuses on meeting the needs of English language learners in relation to the reading and writing standards for years 1–8.
Meeting the Needs of English Language Learners is one of a set of professional development modules designed to support school leaders as they lead professional learning about the National Standards for years 1–8 within The New Zealand Curriculum. The modules are suitable for use during the cycles of professional inquiry that leaders and teachers engage in to improve outcomes for their students.
This module focuses on the decisions that schools need to make, and the systems and processes that they use, as they work with the National Standards and the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) to support English language learners. These decisions include:
This module has three main sections.
Key outcome of the module, which:
Reflective questions for school leaders and teachers, which:
Leading shifts in practice through focused activities, which:
A final section, Resources and references, lists texts that are cited or quoted in the module along with resources that include useful information about meeting the needs of English language learners.
School leaders can use this module to identify and explore what they and their school need to know about their English language learners as they work with the National Standards. Leaders can then identify what they and their school need to do to build this knowledge.
Teachers can use the reflective questions and/or activities to guide them through any changes they might need to make as they work with the National Standards.
Schools recognise the diversity of English language learners and provide them with the language learning support needed to enable them to access the New Zealand Curriculum at year-appropriate levels as soon as possible. This is achieved through policies, processes, teaching and assessment practices, professional development, the equitable use of resources, and effective communications with families.
Indicators that this outcome is being achieved include the following:
See also relevant indicators, reflective questions, and activities in other modules in this series. These can help school leaders and teachers to address the needs of English language learners and their families ad whānau.
It is crucial that English language learners are provided with the language learning support needed to enable them to access curriculum content at year-appropriate levels as soon as possible. To do this, they need to make more than one year’s progress every year in order to reach the changing levels of their native-speaking peer cohort.
Students who are learning English as an additional language are over-represented in the group of students who are not achieving at expected levels.
New Zealand schools include large numbers of English language learners from diverse backgrounds.
Source: Ministry of Education, 2009 ESOL database
English language learners include, but are not limited to:
The NZC reading and writing standards for years 1-8 set benchmarks of progress for all students.
English language learners’ progress and achievement in learning to read and write in English will be tracked, monitored, and reported on to parents, families, whānau, and communities using the reading and writing standards.
It is also recommended that schools use the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) to report progress towards meeting the standards.
As many English language learners will initially be below the expectations of National Standards, assessing progress in relation to the English Language Learning Progressions will help parents see that their child is making progress towards meeting the reading and writing standards. Teachers will be better able to support students' language learning and therefore English language learners will be more likely to make accelerated progress towards meeting the expectations of the National Standards.
Schools and teachers will need to decide whether to report each English language learner's progress and achievement using ELLP as well as in relation to the National Standards.
English language learners need to have appropriate levels of English language proficiency before information on them is drawn from assessment tools that have been normed for native speakers of English. If overall teacher judgments include data from such tools, they may not be reliable judgments about English language learners' cognitive ability, but, rather, judgments about their ability to function in English-medium classrooms.
The process for making an overall teacher judgment is similar for all students. However, the data, and the analysis of that data, may be different for English language learners.
In years 1–4
Students working within Foundation Stage and Stage 1 of the English Language Learning Progressions (ELLP) should be tracked and monitored, and have their progress reported to parents and students, using the progressions (ELLP) as well as in relation to the National Standards.
In years 5–8
Students working within Foundation Stage, Stage 1, or Stage 2 of the progressions (ELLP) should be tracked and monitored, and have their progress reported to parents and students, using the progressions (ELLP) as well as in relation to the National Standards.
When students move to a higher stage than that described in the guidelines above, they are getting closer to cohort level but the progressions (ELLP) will continue to be a helpful tool for informing teacher practice.
For further information see the English Language Learners Fact Sheet
At all primary school levels
Teachers will need to decide whether to report each English language learner’s progress and achievement in relation to the progressions (ELLP) or to the National Standards.
However, for all English language learners in years 1–8, it is critical that the National Standards, which are signposts for age-appropriate achievement, are kept in view. The progressions (ELLP) are viewed as a pathway towards meeting the expectations of the National Standards.
English language learners need to have appropriate levels of English language proficiency before information on them is drawn from assessment tools that have been normed for native speakers of English. If overall teacher judgments include data from such tools, they may not be reliable judgments about English language learners’ cognitive ability, but, rather, judgments about their ability to function in English-medium classrooms. (Refer to the ESOL Progress Assessment Guidelines for information about appropriate assessment tools for English language learners.)
The process for making an overall teacher judgment is similar for all students. However, the data, and the analysis of that data, may be different for English language learners.
Overall teacher judgments for English language learners involve decisions about when it is appropriate to track, monitor, and report progress using the progressions (ELLP). When students move to a higher stage than that described in these guidelines, they are getting closer to cohort level and may be assessed in relation to the National Standards. However, the English Language Learning Progressions will continue to be a helpful tool for informing teacher practice.
English language learners’ progress and achievement in mathematics will be reported in relation to the NZC mathematics standards for years 1-8. Students learn mathematics through language and, to a great extent, display their knowledge and understanding of mathematics through language. Teachers need to be aware of their English language learners’ levels of English language proficiency and of the implications of this for how their students display their knowledge and understanding of mathematics.
The following questions are designed to help school leaders and teachers examine their school’s current practices in relation to English language learners. They can then make decisions about any changes that may be needed to better support these students in relation to the National Standards.
Use the reflective questions to identify areas for further exploration through the activities that follow.
1. Are the English language learners in our school able to meet the demands of the curriculum at year-appropriate expectations?
2. What enrolment and identification policies and procedures do we have? How effectively are they used to help teachers build the necessary knowledge of their students? How do we track, monitor, and report on each English language learner’s progress and achievement?
3. Are we confident that we as teachers know and can use the assessment tools and processes that are most appropriate for English language learners?
4. Do we know our English language learners well enough to make informed decisions to support their learning? Do we have the knowledge and skills to support students who are acquiring English as an additional language?
5. Are our English language learners well supported by strong, active partnerships between parents, schools, teachers and the wider community and by regular reports on their progress provided in a way that their parents can understand?
Use the understandings gained from discussing the reflective questions above to identify the shifts in practice and/or professional learning that may be required in the school. Select from the following activities to support these shifts as part of your professional learning plan.
Select activities that will help deepen understandings of English language learners and their teaching and learning needs. Further exploration may be needed to reach the outcome of this module. For example, discussions may reveal a need to explore the ways in which teachers use the progressions (ELLP) as they plan for teaching and assessment tasks.
School leaders and teachers may also wish to draw on activities from other modules in this series in order to focus on one aspect, such as strengthening partnerships or engaging students with texts.
The activities can be used in a variety of ways for whole-staff, syndicate, group, or individual inquiry. For example, an activity that relates to mathematics may be carried out differently from the same activity that relates to reading and writing. Teachers working with years 1–3 may also carry out some activities differently from those working with years 4–8.
The activities in all the modules, including this one, are based on the core resources listed in the Overview. Refer to these as appropriate when exploring practice through the activities.
Are the English language learners in our school able to meet the demands of the curriculum at year-appropriate expectations?
Read and discuss the following scenarios.
Scenario 1
Yu Wen was born in New Zealand and speaks Mandarin at home. She had some preschool experiences and started school in New Zealand on her fifth birthday. She has had nine months at school. She is at Foundation Stage in oral language and Stage 1 in writing and reading.
Scenario 2
Sione started school in New Zealand in year 4 after his family arrived from Sāmoa. He speaks fluent Samoan, but has minimal English, especially in reading and writing. He is at Stage 1 in oral language and Foundation Stage in reading and writing.
In Scenario 1, note that Yu Wen’s written language is more developed than her oral language. This is a typical pattern of progress for some English language learners. At home, Yu Wen’s family encourage and support her to practise the reading and writing skills she is learning at school. For example, they listen to her read (in English) the books her teacher sends home, and they discuss the ideas in the stories with her (in Mandarin). Her family is less able to support Yu Wen’s English oral-language development because of the levels of their own English language proficiency. The use of the progressions (ELLP) will be a useful tool for ensuring that Yu Wen continues to make progress, especially in oral language.
In Scenario 2, Sione's teacher has definitely decided to use ELLP in conjunction with the standards as he is working at the Foundation Stage and Stage 1 during his first year at a New Zealand school. This will ensure that his teacher is able to monitor his progress in relation to the year 4 curriculum expectations. Sione's teachers will continue to do over the following period of time until Sione is well established at Stage 2.
Consider the following questions:
After discussing one or both scenarios, use the guidelines for reading and writing to:
What enrolment and identification policies and procedures do we have?
Do we know our English language learners well enough to make informed decisions to support their learning, including using information from the students themselves?
With teachers, use the English Language Learning Progressions Facilitation Manual, resource 1C, page 9.
Refer to the English Language Learning Progressions introductory booklet and Facilitation Manual.
Are we confident that we as teachers know and can use the assessment tools and processes that are most appropriate for English language learners?
It is possible for teachers to inaccurately diagnose the cause of errors and to therefore make inappropriate teaching decisions. Information relating to this can be found in The English Language Learning Progressions introductory booklet (page 5). The ESOL Progress Assessment Guidelines also contain information that may be helpful to schools when choosing assessment tools for English language learners.
Do we have the knowledge and skills to support students who are acquiring English as an additional language?
Are our English language learners well supported by strong, active partnerships between parents, schools, teachers, other students, and the wider community?
1. Use resource 2B (Mind Map) from The English Language Learning Progressions Facilitation Manual, pages 14–15, to explore understandings about the process of acquiring an additional language.
2. Gather some school-wide data on the numbers of parents attending meetings or events at the school (such as parent–teacher interviews) that inform parents about English language learners’ progress and achievement.
1. Depending on the identified professional learning needs, select one or more of the following areas to explore.
Like all teachers, we need in-depth knowledge of specific strategies and approaches, including language learning strategies and scaffolding approaches that enable English language learners to access The New Zealand Curriculum at a year-appropriate level.
We need specific knowledge about text complexity and about the features of texts that English language learners can identify and use at different stages.
We also need to remember that, at the early stages of literacy acquisition, texts may need to reflect a student’s own life experiences. This has implications for our choices and purchases of texts.
Discussion of text features can be found in the reading sections of the English Language Learning Progressions books.
As we work with English language learners, we need to be able to:
Specific guidance for doing these things can be found in several Ministry of Education resources, including Supporting English Language Learning in Primary Schools (SELLIPS) – A Guide for Teachers of Years 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8 (four separate books), Making Language and Learning Work 3 (DVD and teacher workbook), The English Language Intensive Programme Primary Resource (ELIP Primary), The English Language Intensive Programme Years 7–13 Resource (ELIP), and ESOL Online.
2. Consider what professional development we may need in order to strengthen our school’s ability to meet the needs of English language learners. For example, areas for group or individual professional learning could include:
Also consider whether further teacher study is required, for example, via literacy scholarships or the TESSOL scholarships available through the Ministry of Education. To access specific advisory support, contact your local school support services.
This section includes details of texts that are cited or quoted in the module and/or that will be helpful to users of this particular module. The full list of core resources is available in the Overview.
Updated on: 20 Jun 2013
