ELL Student Development: Developing ELL Students

ELL Student Development

Developing ELL Students

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

Time, Diversity, Culture, and Possibility are four aspects in the development of English Language Learner students.

From one day to several years, the length of time an ELL student will require, to successfully exit the program, will be varied from student to student.  It takes time for students to develop the skills needed to successfully communicate in a new language.  Some students arrive with advanced English language skills from prior education, while others will be experiencing a new language for the first time.  With a program for ELL students that has been established, and is successful, the transition from "English Learner" to "English Learned" will be proper, prompt, and perfect.

How diverse is the new school and how familiar is the student with diversity?  If the student has been introduced to diversity, then the student's learning, in a new education setting that is diverse, should be consistent.  When going from a non-diverse school to a diverse school, or a diverse school to a non-diverse school, an additional challenge is presented to the students, and they must also adapt to this while learning a new language.

There are many levels of culture that an ELL student will face throughout their education.  These will vary from academic to social, environmental to community, and many others.  ELL students should learn how to include the many levels of culture they will be experiencing in their lives.  By learning from both the positive and the negative, what is agreeable and disagreeable, students can develop a cultural level that is balance and helps grow their own cultural identity.

ELL students are the first true ambassadors that students observe, interact, and meet with.  They have the potential of presenting their patronage in a positive light for others to see, while learning a new language, maintaining pace with their mainstream fluent counterparts, and as they attempt to achieve equal education.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Student Development: Final Assessment

ELL Student Development

Final Assessment

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

We want for students to succeed in their learning.  Just as schools want students to graduate, and become self-sustained life-long learners, English Language Learners should be encouraged by their ELL program to become self-sustained English language learners.  With consistent measuring of student progress, with accurate analysis of these measurements, and with communication, collaboration, and cooperation, amongst all participants in the students education, the ELL student should become able to demonstrate the necessary skills and meet the established requirements to exit the ELL program, and succeed with mainstream and native students of similar age and grade level.

To ensure that the students, which have exited the ELL program, are succeeding, it is recommended that they be guarded from any possible academic downfall by implementing observatory monitoring of students, who may begin to under-perform academically, following the student's exit from the ELL program.  While we expect for most ELL students to make a smooth transition into mainstream education and succeed, there may be those who may be in need of further support from an ELL program whose aim is also to work with students who have exited the program.

An English Language Learner will be one for life.  They will have less of a life-time experience with the language than a native speaker.  With education the ELL student can develop skills equal to that of a native speaker, and with further education, the student can expand their understanding of the language and even add to the growth of it.  English Language Learners benefit the community by expanding the culture and diversity of schools.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Student Development: ELL Program

ELL Student Development

ELL Program

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

The English Language Learner Program, should serve as a bridge, that allows students, who are identified as ELL, to merge successfully with their English fluent classmates, as they transition into a new school setting and learn the language.  A good ELL program should have a balance of language and culture understanding, and should serve, not just the student, but the family as well.  It should facilitate the involvement and participation of families in school.  In addition, a good ELL program is fully supported by the school and the district.

The responsibilities of the ELL program are not limited to the students and their families, but expand from classroom instruction and faculty training, to district policy implementation.  To an ELL student, the ELL program may be only a temporary transition in their educational path, but it has an effect that transcends learning English.  A successful ELL program can provide a school with an influx of students that add to the diversity of the school and can help the school prepare them to become successful in their academic pursuits.

Copyright 2012.  MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Student Development: Initial Assessment

ELL Student Development

Initial Assessment

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

The first step in the development of English Language Learner (ELL) students is the initial assessment of their English language level.  The student's English language level assessment should measure the students ability to speak, read, and write the English language.  The results of the student's initial assessment will vary between students, and will change over time.  An ELL student is merging into a main stream student population that has an English language level that, not only has the ability, but has developed the skills, that allow main stream students to speak, read, and write.

Measuring the ELL student's ability to speak, read, and write English in an initial assessment provides for us the foundation for developing that student's merging into main stream education.  Establishing a solid foundation on which the student can develop and grow is an important step to take toward helping the student develop in a positive way.  If we can help the student merge, in a positive way, into main stream education, the ELL student should be able to succeed just as main stream students do.  The ELL student that is properly assessed initially should have a greater chance of successfully become a Fluent English Learner (FEL) than one who is not properly assessed and is wrongfully placed in the merging path toward English language fluency.

Copyright 2012 MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved.

ELL Student Development

ELL Student Development

Preview

Author: Manuel R. CortezRodas

This week, MRCR Education, takes a look at English Language Learner student development. The topics for these theme are: 

1. Initial Assessment.  
2. English Language Learner Program.  
3. Final Assessment.  
4. Developing English Language Learner Students.

Each day MRCR Education takes a look at each of these topics to give an analysis on how each topic helps ELL students develop into main stream learners that are capable of being successful amongst their classmates.  Each topic will be addressed as follows:

• Initial Assessment
• English Language Level:
• Speak.
• Read.
• Write

• ELL Program
• Prior Education.
• New Education.
• Transition.

• Final Assessment
• Language Age Level.
• Language Grade Level.
• ELL Exit

• Developing ELL Students
• Time.
• Diversity.
• Culture.
• Potential

MRCR Education looks forward to your participation in our weekly theme, and we encourage you to read our posts throughout this week.

Copyright 2012 MRCR Educational Consulting Firm.  All Rights Reserved