Domain III ESL Supplemental Exam: (008, 009 & 010)

Parent-teacher conference

A parent-teacher conference, parent-teacher interview or parents' evening, is a short meeting or conference between the parents and teachers of students to discuss children's progress at school and find solutions to academic or behavioral problems. Parent-teacher conferences supplement the information conveyed by report cards by focusing on students' specific strengths and weaknesses in individual subjects and generalizing the level of inter-curricular skills and competences. Most conferences take place without the presence of the students whose progress is being discussed, although there is evidence that their inclusion increases the productivity of the meetings. The meetings are generally led by teachers who take a more active role in information sharing, with parents relegated mostly to the role of listeners.

Analytical reasoning

Analytical reasoning refers to the ability to look at information, be it qualitative or quantitative in nature, and discern patterns within the information. Analytical reasoning involves deductive reasoning with no specialized knowledge, such as: comprehending the basic structure of a set of relationships; recognizing logically equivalent statements; and inferring what could be true or must be true from given facts and rules. Analytical reasoning is axiomatic in that its truth is self-evident. In contrast, synthetic reasoning requires that we include empirical observations, which are always open to doubt. The specific terms "analytic" and "synthetic" themselves were introduced by Kant (1781) at the beginning of his Critique of Pure Reason.

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement.

Dual Language Immersion (DLI)

Dual language immersion (DLI) The dual language immersion two-way bilingual program model in Northside is research-based. The dual language model seeks to create bilingual, biliterate, and bicultural students by developing their academic proficiency in English and Spanish. This program serves K-8 English learners and Non-English learners at six elementary schools and two middle schools. It serves 858 students at elementary. ELs who are reclassified may continue participating in the dual language program. TAC 89.1210 (d)(3). Rationale Dual language immersion programs provide a positive school environment for all students with access to qualified teachers who participate in continuous training and professional development at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels in instructional design that promotes academic achievement, bi-literacy and bilingualism.

Domain III

Foundations of ESL education, cultural awareness and family and community involvement

Language Proficiency Assessment Committee (LPAC)

Introduction: LPAC Responsibilities The Language Proficiency Assessment Committee's (LPAC) responsibilities follow a cycle throughout the year. The responsibilities include: Identification, Assessment and Documentation Review, Placement, Instructional Methodologies and/or Interventions, Collaboration, Annual Review, Assessment, and Parental Notification. When a student enrolls in school and indicates a language other than English on the Home Language Survey, the LPAC's time requirements begin. Within four weeks of enrollment (or 20 school days), the LPAC should review documentation of the student's language proficiency and academic status, and recommend placement in a Bilingual, English as a second language (ESL), or mainstream education program. Parental permission must be acquired within the 20-day period. The LPAC must also recommend instructional methods and interventions and determine the state criterion-referenced assessment options at the appropriate time. The LPAC also facilitates the participation of limited English proficient students in other special programs for which they are eligible, ensures parent notification of student progress and LPAC decisions made on behalf of the child, and continuously monitors assessment results, interventions, and program appropriateness.

Annual Review and Dismissal Committee (ARD)

In Texas, a child's eligibility for special education services and most of the major decisions about a child's special education program are made by an admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee. You may also hear this group referred to as an individualized education program (IEP) team, which is the term used in federal law. If an ARD committee is formed for your child, you will be a member of that committee.

Standard B (008)

Knows types of ESL programs (e.g., self-contained, pull-out, newcomer centers, dual language, immersion) their characteristics, their goals and research findings on their effectiveness.

Second Language Acquisition

Second-language acquisition (SLA), second-language learning, or L2 (language 2) acquisition, is the process by which people learn a second language. Second-language acquisition is also the scientific discipline devoted to studying that process. The field of second-language acquisition is a subdiscipline of applied linguistics, but also receives research attention from a variety of other disciplines, such as psychology and education. A central theme in SLA research is that of interlanguage, the idea that the language that learners use is not simply the result of differences between the languages that they already know and the language that they are learning, but that it is a complete language system in its own right, with its own systematic rules. This interlanguage gradually develops as learners are exposed to the targeted language. The order in which learners acquire features of their new language stays remarkably constant, even for learners with different native languages, and regardless of whether they have had language instruction. However, languages that learners already know can have a significant influence on the process of learning a new one. This influence is known as language transfer. The primary factor driving SLA appears to be the language input that learners receive. Learners become more advanced the longer they are immersed in the language they are learning, and the more time they spend doing free voluntary reading. The input hypothesis developed by linguist Stephen Krashen makes a distinction between language acquisition and language learning (acquisition-learning distinction), claiming that acquisition is a subconscious process, whereas learning is a conscious one. According to this hypothesis, the acquisition process in L2 is the same as L1 (Language 1) acquisition. The learning process is consciously learning and inputting the language being learned. However, this goes as far as to state that input is all that is required for acquisition. Subsequent work, such as the interaction hypothesis and the comprehensible output hypothesis, has suggested that opportunities for output and for interaction may also be necessary for learners to reach more advanced levels. Research on how exactly learners acquire a new language spans a number of different areas. Focus is directed toward providing proof of whether basic linguistic skills are innate (nature), acquired (nurture), or a combination of the two attributes. Cognitive approaches to SLA research deal with the processes in the brain that underpin language acquisition, for example how paying attention to language affects the ability to learn it, or how language acquisition is related to short-term and long-term memory. Sociocultural approaches reject the notion that SLA is a purely psychological phenomenon, and attempt to explain it in a social context. Some key social factors that influence SLA are the level of immersion, connection to the L2 community, and gender. Linguistic approaches consider language separately from other kinds of knowledge, and attempt to use findings from the wider study of linguistics to explain SLA. There is also a considerable body of research about how SLA can be affected by individual factors such as age, learning strategies, and affective factors. A commonly discussed topic regarding age in SLA is the critical period hypothesis, which suggests that individuals lose the ability to fully learn a language after a particular age in childhood. Another topic of interest in SLA is the differences between adult and child learners. Learning strategies are commonly categorized as learning or communicative strategies, and are developed to improve their respective acquisition skills. Affective factors are emotional factors that influence an individual's ability to learn a new language. Common affective factors that influence acquisition are anxiety, personality, social attitudes, and motivation. Individuals may also lose a language through a process called second-language attrition. This is often caused by lack of use or exposure to a language over time. The severity of attrition depends on a variety of factors including level of proficiency, age, social factors, and motivation at the time of acquisition. Finally, classroom research deals with the effect that language instruction has on acquisition.

Standard A (010)

The beginning teacher: Applies knowledge of effective strategies advocating educational and social equity for ESL students (e.g., participating in LPAC and ARD meetings, serving on SBDM committees, serving as a resource for teachers).

Standard D (008)

The beginning teacher: Applies knowledge of research findings related to ESL education, including research on instructional management practices in ESL, to assist in planning and implementing effective ESL programs.

Standard C (008)

The beginning teacher: Applies knowledge of the various types of ESL programs to make appropriate instructional and management decisions.

Standard C (010)

The beginning teacher: Applies skills for communicating and collaborating effectively with the parents/guardians of ESL students in a variety of educational contexts.

Standard E (009)

The beginning teacher: Applies strategies for creating among students an awareness of and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity.

Standard D (009)

The beginning teacher: Demonstrates sensitivity to students' diverse cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds and shows respect for language differences.

Standard C (009)

The beginning teacher: Knows factors that contribute to cultural bias (e.g., stereotyping, prejudice, ethnocentrism) and knows how to create a culturally responsive learning environment.

Standard D (010)

The beginning teacher: Knows how community members and resources can positively affect student learning in the ESL program and is able to access community resources to enhance the education of ESL students.

Standard B (009)

The beginning teacher: Knows how to create an effective multicultural and multilingual learning environment that addresses the affective, linguistic and cognitive needs of ESL students and facilitates students' learning and language acquisition.

Standard A (008)

The beginning teacher: Knows the historical, theoretical and policy foundations of ESL education and uses this knowledge to plan, implement and advocate for effective ESL programs.

Standard A (009)

The beginning teacher: Understands cultural and linguistic diversity in the ESL classroom and other factors that may affect students' learning of academic content, language and culture (e.g., age, developmental characteristics, academic strengths and needs, preferred learning styles, personality, sociocultural factors, home environment, attitude, exceptionalities).

Standard B (010)

The beginning teacher: Understands the importance of family involvement in the education of ESL students and knows how to facilitate parent/guardian participation in their children's education and school activities.

Literacy Development

The development of literacy involves development of writing and reading as conjoined activities with shared cognitive processes that shape each other, and are affected by (and affect) the context in which they occur. Fitzgerald (1989) argues that writing and reading, or, more specifically, such subprocesses of writing and reading as revision in writing and critical reading are "highly related and draw on similar thought processes" (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 42). Fitzgerald (1989) describes revision in writing and critical reading as dissonance resolution processes based on reciprocal dynamic, and interdependent relationship between writers, readers, and texts. More specifically, as Nystrand (1986) puts it, the writers "write on the premises of the reader" (Nystrand, 1986, p.46), taking the readers' expectations into account, and shaping their texts to meet such expectations of the audience. On the other hand, readers' goals, expectations, and beliefs cab be influenced by the writers' goals, and readers "read on the premises of the writer" (Nystrand, 1986, p. 49). Boiarsky (1984), referring to work of such composition scholars as Murray and Graves, states that during parts of the revision process, "the writer � stops to read" (Boiarsky, 1984, p. 65), and moves between thinking about the piece from the reader's perspective, to writing down the ideas and re-organizing them, to re-reading his/her text. There are certain textual cues that help readers shape their expectations and facilitate the process of reading. For example, readers have different expectations when opening an encyclopedia than when reading a mystery novel, and such expectations of the type of information anticipated in a certain text and an expected genre are "influenced by past experience or prior knowledge" of these genres (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 43). If during revision process the writers notice a potential mismatch (dissonance, in Fitzgerald's terms) between their own and readers' expectations and the actual text, they attempt to resolve this mismatch problem by making changes to the text and/or their goals in writing. On the other hand, during critical reading, the readers compare the text to their own goals and beliefs, and "to what they think the writers' goals are" (Fitzgerald, 1989, p. 44). If mismatches occur, readers try to resolve them by changing their expectations and goals in reading the text. This interrelationship between reading, writing, and thinking can be further supported by Vygotsky's (1962) work. Vygotsky (1962) establishes a basis for his theory of the relationship between thought and word, by suggesting that words give rise to thoughts, which, in turn, are expressed in words. The concept of reading and writing as modes of learning in the college context led the researchers and teachers to develop the concept of "critical literacy", where reading and writing can be used in ways that surpass the functional and minimal literacy demands and allow the students to develop and use skills for analysis, synthesis and creative expression (Flower, 1989). The purpose of this paper is to provide a theoretical overview of the role of peer reviews as a means of integrating college reading and writing processes, and discuss the results of three studies (two previously published, and one conducted by the author in her composition classes) examining various aspects of peer reviews in a composition classroom.

Language Experience Approach (LEA)

The language experience approach (LEA) is a whole language approach that promotes reading and writing through the use of personal experiences and oral language. It can be used in tutorial or classroom settings with homogeneous or heterogeneous groups of learners. Beginning literacy learners relate their experiences to a teacher or aide, who transcribes them. These transcriptions are then used as the basis for other reading and writing activities. The LEA, first developed for Maori-speaking (Ashton-Warner, 1963) and native-English-speaking children (Spache & Spache, 1964; Stauffer, 1965), has also been used successfully with learners of all ages. Adult learners entering ESL programs may or may not have previous educational or literacy experiences; nonetheless, all come to class with a wealth of life experiences. This valuable resource for language and literacy development can be tapped by using the LEA. The approach develops literacy not only with the whole learner in mind, but also the whole language. Features of the Language Experience Approach The LEA is as diverse in practice as its practitioners. Nonetheless, some characteristics remain consistent (Hall, 1970): Materials are learner-generated. All communication skills--reading, writing, listening, and speaking--are integrated. Difficulty of vocabulary and grammar are determined by the learners own language use. Learning and teaching are personalized, communicative, creative.

Lau vs. Nichols

United States Supreme Court LAU v. NICHOLS, (1974) No. 72-6520 Argued: December 10, 1973 Decided: January 21, 1974 The failure of the San Francisco school system to provide English language instruction to approximately 1,800 students of Chinese ancestry who do not speak English, or to provide them with other adequate instructional procedures, denies them a meaningful opportunity to participate in the public educational program and thus violates 601 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bans discrimination based "on the ground of race, color, or national origin," in "any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance," and the implementing regulations of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. Pp. 565-569.

Home Language Survey

(a) School districts shall conduct only one home language survey of each student. The home language survey shall be administered to each student new to the school district and to students previously enrolled who were not surveyed in the past. School districts shall require that the survey be signed by the student's parent or guardian for each student in prekindergarten through Grade 8, or by the student in Grades 9-12. The original copy of the survey shall be kept in the student's permanent record. (b) The home language survey shall be administered in English and Spanish; for students of other language groups, the home language survey shall be translated into the home language whenever possible. The home language survey shall contain the following questions. (1) "What language is spoken in your home most of the time?" (2) "What language does your child speak most of the time?" (c) Additional information may be collected by the school district and recorded on the home language survey. (d) The home language survey shall be used to establish the student's language classification for determining whether the school district is required to provide a bilingual education or English as a second language program. If the response on the home language survey indicates that a language other than English is used, the student shall be tested in accordance with §89.1225 of this title (relating to Testing and Classification of Students). Source: The provisions of this §89.1215 adopted to be effective September 1, 1996, 21 TexReg 5700; amended to be effective May 28, 2012, 37 TexReg 3822.

Translator

1A person who translates from one language into another, especially as a profession. 'the translator of Hardy's poems into Icelandic'

Dialogue Journals

A dialogue journal is an ongoing written interaction between two people to exchange experiences, ideas, or reflections. It is used most often in education as a means of sustained written interaction between students and teachers at all education levels. It can be used to promote second language learning (English and other languages) and learning in all areas. Dialogue journals are used in many schools as a form of communication between teachers and students to improve the life that they share in the classroom by exchanging ideas and shared topics of interest, promoting writing in a non-evaluative context, and promoting student engagement with learning. They are also used between teachers and teacher trainers to provide professional development opportunities and improve teaching. Dialogue journal interaction occurs in notebooks, letters, email exchanges, and audio journals. The important feature is that two people are communicating with each other, about topics and issues of interest to both, and the interaction continues over time. Dialogue journals are a teacher-developed practice, first researched in the 1980s in an ethnographic study of a sixth grade American classroom with native English speakers, supported by a grant to the Center for Applied Linguistics from the National Institute of Education (NIE), Teaching & Learning Division. Applications to other educational settings developed quickly as a way to enhance writing development and the teacher-student relationship across linguistic and cultural barriers, with increasing use in second language instruction, deaf education, and adult literacy education. Since the 1980s, dialogue journal practice has expanded to many countries around the world.

Acculturation

Acculturation is a process in which members of one cultural group adopt the beliefs and behaviors of another group. Although acculturation is usually in the direction of a minority group adopting habits and language patterns of the dominant group, acculturation can be reciprocal—that is, the dominant group also adopts patterns typical of the minority group. Acculturation may be evidenced by changes in language preference, adoption of common attitudes and values, membership in common social groups and institutions, and loss of separate political or ethnic identification. Studies on acculturation have routinely found a correlation between a person's socioeconomic status and the level of acculturation one has experienced. A highly educated and high-income member of a minority group in the United States is likely to have experienced more acculturation than a person from that same minority group with less education and income.

Affective Filter

Affective Filter is the term Stephen Krashen has used to refer to the complex of negative emotional and motivational factors that may interfere with the reception and processing of comprehensible input. Such factors include: anxiety, self-consciousness, boredom, annoyance, alienation, and so forth. In FOCAL SKILLS programs, we maintain low affective filters in the following ways: We do not test students on the material they are working with. This eliminates a major source of anxiety. The only testing in the program is for placement purposes; whatever anxiety this generates is associated with the infrequent placement procedure, not with the daily classroom environment. We do not require students to perform when they are not ready and willing to do so. Speaking is always voluntary and always welcome; hence, it is genuine speaking, in contrast to the embarrassed, strained output that passes for speaking in some methods. We never make our students feel awkward or self-conscious by putting them on the spot. We use authentic materials — feature movies, newspapers and magazines, popular fiction, etc. — rather than ESL textbooks and the like. Boredom is less likely with these materials, since they are the kinds of things normal people enjoy in real life. We do not use exercises, drills, or any kind of artificial task that has no ostensible or sensible purpose other than language practice. Instead, we maintain a flow of ordinary, meaningful language about people, places, things, ideas, stories, and so on. Such activities do not become annoying; they are universally accepted as normal, basic modes of human interaction. Teachers function as partners and mentors (positive roles) but not as testers and judges (negative roles). All testing and placement is done at the program level, not by the individual teachers. This helps prevent feelings of alienation and hostility toward teachers. Frequent placement testing enables us to keep students in groups that reflect their current needs and abilities. Since all of the students in a class have similar skill profiles, they function well as a community. This helps maintain positive attitudes and good will among the class members.

Limited English Proficient (LEP) student

An LEP student is classified as one : (A.) who is aged 3 through 21; (B.) who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary school; (C.) (i.) who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English; and who comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant

Casteñeda vs. Picard

Castañeda vs. Pickard (1981) [full text] In this case, which was filed against the Raymondville, Texas Independent School District (RISD), Mexican-American children and their parents claimed that the district was discriminating against them, because of their ethnicity. They argued that classrooms were segregated using a grouping system based on racially and ethnically discriminatory criteria. School districts were required to establish bilingual education according to the Lau vs. Nichols ruling, yet, there was no way to evaluate the adequacy of the school's approach. Consequently, sometimes it could result in inadequate separation. This case was tried and on August 17, 1978 the judge ruled in favor of the defendant, stating that the district had not violated any of the plaintiff's constitutional or statutory rights. The ruling was appealed and in 1981, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in favor of the plaintiffs. In addition, the Castañeda vs. Pickard case established three criteria for a program that serves LEP students. These measures determine whether a school district is serving the LEP students and if the program addresses the needs of these students. The principles are as follows: It must be based on "a sound educational theory." It must be "implemented effectively," with adequate resources and personnel. After a trial period, it must be evaluated as effective in overcoming language handicaps.

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP)

Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) CALP refers to formal academic learning. This includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing about subject area content material. This level of language learning is essential for students to succeed in school. Students need time and support to become proficient in academic areas. This usually takes from five to seven years. Many studies have been conducted in bilingual- speaking regions of Canada.Academic language acquisition isn't just the understanding of content area vocabulary. It includes skills such as comparing, classifying, synthesizing, evaluating, and inferring. Academic language tasks are context reduced. Information is read from a textbook or presented by the teacher. As a student gets older the context of academic tasks becomes more and more reduced. The language also becomes more cognitively demanding. New ideas, concepts and language are presented to the students at the same time.

Content-area instruction

Content-based ESL is a method that integrates English-as-a-second-language instruction with subject matter instruction. The technique focuses not only on learning a second language, but using that language as a medium to learn mathematics, science, social studies, or other academic subjects. Although this approach has been used for many years in adult, professional, and university education programs for foreign students, content-based ESL programs at the elementary and secondary school levels are just emerging. One of the reasons for the increasing interest among educators in developing content-based language instruction is the theory that language acquisition is based on input that is meaningful and understandable to the learner (Krashen, 1981, 1982). Parallels drawn between first and second language acquisition suggest that the kinds of input that children get from their caretakers should serve as a model for teachers in the input they provide to second language learners, regardless of age. Input must be comprehensible to the learner and be offered in such a way as to allow multiple opportunities to understand and use the language. If comprehensible input is provided and the student feels little anxiety, then acquisition will take place. Krashen posits a dichotomy between acquisition and learning, with one (acquisition) serving to initiate all language and the other (learning) serving only as a monitor or editor, activated when the learner has time and is focusing on the correctness of his or her language. In another dichotomy, Cummins (1979, 1981) has hypothesized two different kinds of language proficiency: basic interpersonal communication skills (BICS), which are language skills used in interpersonal relations or in informal situations; and cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP), which is the kind of language proficiency required to make sense of and use academic language in less contextually rich (or more context-reduced) situations. Cummins suggests that BICS are relatively easy to acquire, taking only 1 to 2 years, but that CALP is much more difficult, taking 5 to 7 years and necessitating direct teaching of the language in the academic context.

Critical thinking skills

Critical thinking means making reasoned judgments that are logical and well-thought out. It is a way of thinking in which you don't simply accept all arguments and conclusions you are exposed to but rather have an attitude involving questioning such arguments and conclusions. It requires wanting to see what evidence is involved to support a particular argument or conclusion. People who use critical thinking are the ones who say things such as, 'How do you know that? Is this conclusion based on evidence or gut feelings?' and 'Are there alternative possibilities when given new pieces of information?' Additionally, critical thinking can be divided into the following three core skills: 1. Curiosity is the desire to learn more information and seek evidence as well as being open to new ideas. 2. Skepticism involves having a healthy questioning attitude about new information that you are exposed to and not blindly believing everything everyone tells you. 3. Finally, humility is the ability to admit that your opinions and ideas are wrong when faced with new convincing evidence that states otherwise.

Culture Shock

Culture shock is an experience a person may have when one moves to a cultural environment which is different from one's own; it is also the personal disorientation a person may feel when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life due to immigration or a visit to a new country, a move between social environments, or simply transition to another type of life. One of the most common causes of culture shock involves individuals in a foreign environment. Culture shock can be described as consisting of at least one of four distinct phases: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and adaptation. Common problems include: information overload, language barrier, generation gap, technology gap, skill interdependence, formulation dependency, homesickness (cultural), infinite regress (homesickness), boredom (job dependency), response ability (cultural skill set). There is no true way to entirely prevent culture shock, as individuals in any society are personally affected by cultural contrasts differently.

Cultural Dissonance

Definition In its simplest definition, dissonance means a fundamental lack of agreement. Differences between cultures are inherent. Cultural dissonance is the term commonly used to describe a sense of discomfort, discord or disharmony arising from cultural differences or inconsistencies which are unexpected or unexplained and therefore difficult for individuals to negotiate. Dissonance can be experienced by all parties in the cultural interchange and attempts to resolve discordant issues can be bewildering or distressing.Commentary Cultural psychologists maintain that where children in education systems experience cultural dissonance, they become vulnerable to educational disadvantage, thus cultural dissonance can have a profound and negative effect on academic achievement and the personal development of students. Cultural dissonance may provoke the tendency either to resort to ethnocentrism, or to abandon inherent cultural values and adopt those of the school culture, in order to achieve success. Cultural dissonance may also lead to erroneous interpretations of parent behaviours, creating misunderstandings between home and school According to Gordon and Yowell (1999) one of the risk factors is the failure of the surrounding environment to support the persons individual, culturally-influenced needs. Schools, within education systems are generally seen as being embedded in the culture of society and, as such, act as agents in the transmission of the traditional and long held views and values of the society in which they are set. In order to minimize the effects of cultural dissonance, schools may need to review aspects of the formal and informal curriculum, including the attitudes of staff. Merely providing culturally relevant materials will not eliminate dissonance; learning contexts must also allow for differences in the values, knowledge, skills, and learning styles that children bring to the classroom. Tierney (1993) suggests a border pedagogy that helps students negotiate back and forth between cultures, teaching them cultural savvy so that they can succeed in the predominate culture, but at the same time, honor and support their own cultural roots and traditions. ResourcesGordon, E., Yowell, C. (1999). Cultural dissonance as a risk factor in the development of students. In E. Gordon (Ed.), Education and justice: A view from the back of the bus (pp. 34-51). New York: Teachers College Press.Tierney, W. (1993). Building communities of difference: Higher education in the twenty-first century. Westport, CT: Bergin and Garvey

Pull-out Program

ESL Pull-out projects - programs specifically designed to provide education for immigrant children by using their native language to make instruction more meaningful

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)

Experts such as Jim Cummins differentiate between social and academic language acquisition. Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) are language skills needed in social situations. It is the day-to-day language needed to interact socially with other people. English language learners (ELLs) employ BIC skills when they are in the cafeteria, at parties, playing sports and talking on the telephone. Social interactions are usually context embedded. That is, they occur in a meaningful social context. They are not very demanding cognitively. The language required is not specialized. These language skills usually develop within six months to two years after arrival in the U.S. Problems arise when teachers and administrators think that a student is proficient in a language when they demonstrate good social English (i.e., BICS)

Plyler vs. Doe

Held: A Texas statute which withholds from local school districts any state funds for the education of children who were not "legally admitted" into the United States, and which authorizes local school districts to deny enrollment to such children, violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Pp. 210-230. (a) The illegal aliens who are plaintiffs in these cases challenging the statute may claim the benefit of the Equal Protection Clause, which provides that no State shall "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." Whatever his status under the immigration laws, an alien is a "person" in any ordinary sense of that term. This Court's prior cases recognizing that illegal aliens are "persons" protected by the Due Process Clauses of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, which Clauses do not include the phrase "within its jurisdiction," cannot be distinguished on the asserted ground that persons who have entered the country illegally are not "within the jurisdiction" of a State even if they are present within its boundaries and subject to its laws. Nor do the logic and history of the Fourteenth Amendment support such a construction. Instead, use of the phrase "within its jurisdiction" confirms the understanding that the Fourteenth Amendment's protection extends to anyone, citizen or stranger, who is subject to the laws of a State, and reaches into every corner of a State's territory. Pp. 210-216. (b) The discrimination contained in the Texas statute cannot be considered rational unless it furthers some substantial goal of the State. Although undocumented resident aliens cannot be treated as a "suspect class," and although education is not a "fundamental right," so as to require the State to justify the statutory classification by showing that it serves a compelling governmental interest, nevertheless the Texas statute imposes a lifetime hardship on a discrete class of children not accountable for their disabling status. These children can neither affect their parents' conduct nor their own undocumented status. [457 U.S. 202, 203] The deprivation of public education is not like the deprivation of some other governmental benefit. Public education has a pivotal role in maintaining the fabric of our society and in sustaining our political and cultural heritage; the deprivation of education takes an inestimable toll on the social, economic, intellectual, and psychological well-being of the individual, and poses an obstacle to individual achievement. In determining the rationality of the Texas statute, its costs to the Nation and to the innocent children may properly be considered. Pp. 216-224.

The US vs. the state of Texas

In the court case United States v. Texas, known by its docket number Civil Order 5281, resulted in the largest series of desegregation orders in legal history. In 1970, the ruling gave Chief Judge William Wayne Justice the authority to order the Texas Education Agency to assume responsibility for overseeing desegregation in Texas public schools and institutions. The case originated in the Johnson administration in the 1960s when the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare investigated allegations of discrimination in several small Texas school districts. Judge Justice used this case to issue a series of orders to end discrimination in public schools by means of specific orders, guidelines, and mandatory annual reviews. The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit confirmed Justice's ruling, but removed his authority to issue orders to districts that were or would be under the jurisdiction of other federal courts in Texas. Justice attempted to expand this order in 1982 to alleged discrimination against Mexican Americans in Gregory-Portland Independent School District. Enforcement of these orders became sporadic at best by the early 1990s. Source: Kemerer, Frank R. "United States v. Texas." Handbook of Texas Online. Accessed May 26, 2010. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/jru02.

Newcomer program

Newcomer programs are programs designed for recent immigrants at the secondary school level who have little or no English proficiency, and limited or no formal education in their native countries. These programs have been developed to meet newcomers' needs before they enter into general education classrooms. The goals of newcomer programs are mainly to help kids develop linguistic survival skills and start adapting to the new culture. Establishing newcomer programs is a complex process. Leadership is an important component to clearly outline the vision and structure of the program. The program goals and objectives need to be realistic, and the design must be able to meet the actual needs of the learners. The program should make use of the primary languages used by the group of students to be served. Issues such as: grade levels, course offerings, scheduling, instructional materials, curricular design, assessment should also be carefully considered. Personnel necessary for newcomer programs include teachers, paraprofessionals, guidance counselors, translators and interpreters, native speakers, family members and parents, and people from the local community. Although fairly recent in the United States, newcomer programs offer another opportunity for immigrant students to have their linguistic, social, and cultural needs met since in some cases, traditional English as a second language and bilingual programs are not designed to address those particular needs. The major challenge of newcomer programs is the level of complexity involved in creating and running them. Unless stakeholders have a clear vision of the program mission, design, and needed resources, it may not root and thrive.

Competency 008

The ESL teacher understands the foundations of ESL education and types of ESL programs

Special Education

Special Education programs are designed for those students who are mentally, physically, socially and/or emotionally delayed. This aspect of "delay," broadly categorized as a developmental delay, signify an aspect of the child's overall development (physical, cognitive, scholastic skills) which place them behind their peers. Due to these special requirements, students' needs cannot be met within the traditional classroom environment. Special Education programs and services adapt content, teaching methodology and delivery instruction to meet the appropriate needs of each child. These services are of no cost to the family and are available to children until they reach 21 years of age. (States have services set in place for adults who are in need of specialized services after age 21.) The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) defines Special Education as "specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability," but still, what exactly is Special Education? Often met with an ambiguous definition, the umbrella term of Special Education broadly identifies the academic, physical, cognitive and social-emotional instruction offered to children who are faced with one or more disabilities.

Structured English Immersion

Structured English Immersion (SEI) is a technique for rapidly teaching English to English Language Learners. The term was coined by Keith Baker and Adriana de Kanter in a 1983 recommendation to schools to make use of Canada's successful French immersion programs. Ironically, the Canadian model was developed to encourage bilingualism through immersing Anglophones in the minority language and replaced many English-only laws in various Canadian provinces before the 1960s, while in the United States the same approach was advocated to force minority speakers to adopt English. More recently, SEI has been defined as a methodology in which English language learners (ELLs) learn English through structured and sequential lessons. Specially developed for ELLs, these lessons are based, to a large degree, on the mainstream curricula. (Haver, Johanna J., Structured English Immersion, Corwin Press, 2002) In the 2009 U.S. Supreme Court decision, Horne v. Flores, the majority opinion stated, "Research on ELL instruction indicates there is documented, academic support for the view that SEI is significantly more effective than bilingual education. Findings of the Arizona State Department of Education in 2004 strongly support this conclusion." The chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity, Linda Chavez, praised the Supreme Court ruling, noting "the failure of bilingual education in performing the number-one job of our public schools, which is to teach children English so they can succeed in 21st century America." SEI is mandatory in California, Arizona and Massachusetts where voter initiatives opted to restrict the use of bilingual education in preference for SEI.

Competency 010

The ESL teacher knows how to serve as an advocate for ESL students and facilitate family and community involvement in their education.

Competency 009

The ESL teacher understands factors that affect ESL students' learning and implements strategies for creating an effective multicultural and multilingual learning environment.

Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964

Title VI, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq., was enacted as part of the landmark Civil Rights Act of 1964. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance. As President John F. Kennedy said in 1963: Simple justice requires that public funds, to which all taxpayers of all races [colors, and national origins] contribute, not be spent in any fashion which encourages, entrenches, subsidizes or results in racial [color or national origin] discrimination. If a recipient of federal assistance is found to have discriminated and voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, the federal agency providing the assistance should either initiate fund termination proceedings or refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate legal action. Aggrieved individuals may file administrative complaints with the federal agency that provides funds to a recipient, or the individuals may file suit for appropriate relief in federal court. Title VI itself prohibits intentional discrimination. However, most funding agencies have regulations implementing Title VI that prohibit recipient practices that have the effect of discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin. To assist federal agencies that provide financial assistance, the wide variety of recipients that receive such assistance, and the actual and potential beneficiaries of programs receiving federal assistance, the U.S. Department of Justice has published a Title VI Legal Manual. The Title VI Legal Manual sets out Title VI legal principles and standards. Additionally, the Department has published an Investigation Procedures Manual to give practical advice on how to investigate Title VI complaints. Also available on the Federal Coordination and Compliance Website are a host of other materials that may be helpful to those interested in ensuring effective enforcement of Title VI.

Total Physical response (TPR)

Total physical response (TPR) is a language teaching method developed by James Asher, a professor emeritus of psychology at San José State University. It is based on the coordination of language and physical movement. In TPR, instructors give commands to students in the target language, and students respond with whole-body actions. The method is an example of the comprehension approach to language teaching. The listening and responding (with actions) serves two purposes: It is a means of quickly recognizing meaning in the language being learned, and a means of passively learning the structure of the language itself. Grammar is not taught explicitly, but can be learned from the language input. TPR is a valuable way to learn vocabulary, especially idiomatic terms, e.g., phrasal verbs. Asher developed TPR as a result of his experiences observing young children learning their first language. He noticed that interactions between parents and children often took the form of speech from the parent followed by a physical response from the child. Asher made three hypotheses based on his observations: first, that language is learned primarily by listening; second, that language learning must engage the right hemisphere of the brain; and third, that learning language should not involve any stress. Total physical response is often used alongside other methods and techniques. It is popular with beginners and with young learners, although it can be used with students of all levels and all age groups.