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Californians Together

Championing the Success of English Learners

Long Term English learners

Secondary School Courses Designed to Address the Language Needs and Academic Gaps of Long Term English Learners

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by Laurie Olsen, Ph.D.

A Californians Together Publication

Well over half of the secondary school English Learners in California are Long Term English Learners – struggling academically and stuck in progressing towards English proficiency despite six or more years in U.S. schools.   Many secondary schools and districts, feeling the urgency of meeting the needs of these Long Term English Learners, are attempting to modify curriculum or create new courses that address the unique language and academic gaps of these students. This new publication culls the lessons learned from districts throughout the state and provides needed guidance for the field. The contents include:

  • Overview of the need for an LTEL course
  • Case studies from four districts about how the LTEL courses were developed
  • Overview of Ten Essential Components of LTEL courses
  • Description of the materials and curriculum drawn upon for LTEL classes
  • Discussion of things to consider in structuring the classes
  • Impacts
  • Discussion of common challenges and lessons learned
  • Recommendations for the state
  • A Planning Checklist to use in preparing for and implementing LTEL classes

Secondary School Course Designed to Address the Language Needs and Academic Gaps of Long Term English Learners

Reparable Harm: Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California’s Long Term English Learners

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By Laurie Olsen, Ph.D.

This report and research published by Californians Together and funded by The California Community Foundation, presents the results of data from 40 school districts and over 175,00 secondary English learners highlighting the urgent need to address the language and academic needs of Long Term English Learners (LTELs). It calls upon state policymakers and leaders to provide solutions and outlines basic principles and promising approaches for school districts to meet the needs of LTELs more effectively.

Executive Summary English Executive Summary Spanish

Governor Sign AB 2193 (Lara) -Long Term English Learners

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AB 2193 (Lara) sits on Governor Brown’s desk and we need him to sign our bill.  AB 2193 begins to address some of the recommendations from our research and policy document, Reparable Harm:  Fulfilling the Unkept Promise of Educational Opportunity for California’s Long Term English Learners.  AB 2193 does the following: 1) establishes a statewide uniform definition of Long Term English Learners (LTELs) and a student at risk of becoming a LTEL and 2) requires the California Department of Education to report the numbers of each cohort of LTEL students to each school and school district.  Please read the action alert and email the governor NOW.

AB 2193 (Lara) LTEL Action Alert

Secondary School Courses Designed to Address the Language Needs and Academic Gaps of Long Term English Learners

by

by Laurie Olsen, Ph.D.

Well over half of the secondary school English Learners in California are Long Term English Learners –struggling academically and stuck in progressing towards English proficiency despite six or more years in U.S. schools. Many secondary schools and districts, feeling the urgency of meeting the needs of these Long Term English Learners, are attempting to modify curriculumor create new courses that address the unique language and academic gaps ofthese students.  Most are doing so without guidance, without a clear sense of how best to design these classes, and making do with whatever curricular resources they happen to have or hear about. Now, a new publication, “Secondary School Courses Designed to Address the Language Needs and Academic Gaps of Long Term English Learners”, culls thelessons learned from districts throughout the state and provides needed guidance for the field.
Secondary School Course Designed to Address the Language Needs and Academic Gaps of Long Term English

“Long Term ELLs Poised for More Attention in California

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“Long-Term ELLs Poised for More Attention in California,” (Learning the Language Blog) August 31, 2012.

 

Californians Together, a research and advocacy group for the state’s 1.6 million English-learners, is the brain trust behind this bill and catapulted the long-term ELL issue into the national spotlight a few years ago with its report showing that large numbers of such students were languishing in California’s public schools.