Teachers who work with English as a Second Language learners will find ESL/ESOL/ELL/EFL reading/writing skill-building children's books, stories, activities, ideas, strategies to help PreK-3, 4-8, and 9-12 students learn to read.
Colorado
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As of the 2007-2008 school year, Colorado's schools were home to more than 82,000 English language learners (ELLs), which marks a 37% increase from the 1997-1998 school year (NCELA, 2010). The top five languages or language groups spoken by ELLs in Colorado are Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean and Tagalog (EPE, 2009).
The Colorado State Department of Education allows local education agencies [LEAs] a good deal of flexibility in determining the means by which English learners are identified, assessed and instructed. Its regulations call for each district to identify its English learners through the usage of observations and parent and teacher observations. It also requires LEAs to assess students using testing that has been approved by the Colorado State Department of Education.
State ELL Resources
State Agency: Colorado Department of Education (CDE)
ELL Manual: Guidebook on Designing, Delivering, and Evaluating Services for English Learners
Additional information is available on the CDE Language, Culture, and Equity website.
Laws & Regulations
The following documents offer additional information about statewide ELL regulations:
English Language Proficiency Act
ELL Identification
According to Colorado's laws and guidelines, Title 22 (Education) Article 24 English Language Proficiency Act, each district shall identify its English learner and provide them with a program for English language development. Further information about the laws governing the education of English learners may be found through the Title III Abstract and Guidelines.
Home Language Survey: Title III information includes a Home Language Survey.
Placement Exam: Colorado English Language Assessment for Placement (CELAplace)
ELP Standards & Assessment
ELP Standards: Colorado has adopted the WIDA EL Proficiency Standards. While it is not a WIDA state in terms of its assessment system, it follows these proficiency standards in accordance with federal and state laws. See the Colorado Academic Standards Crosswalk for more information.
ELP Assessment: Colorado English Language Assessment for Proficiency (CELApro)
ELL Instruction
The Colorado State Department of Education allows LEAs a good deal of flexibility in determining the means by which English learners are instructed.
Statewide Standards-Based Assessment
Assessment: Transitional Colorado Assessment Program
ELL Accommodations: Colorado Accommodations Guide
Additional Information
NCELA: Title III Information
Common Core State Standards: Yes
CFT, the Colorado statewide affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers, gains improved working conditions for teachers and better learning conditions for students by proposing statewide tenure laws, teacher certification standards, school district reorganization, and improved school financing.
Colorado Education Association
Colorado Education Association is a National Education Association State Affiliate that regularly lobbies legislators for the resources schools need, campaigns for higher professional standards for the teaching profession, and files legal actions to protect academic freedom and the rights of school employees.
Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC)
The Colorado Parent Information and Resource Center (CPIRC) at Clayton Early Learning provides information about the No Child Left Behind Law and support for school and family partnerships in Colorado that lead to increased student achievement. CPIRC also offers trainings for schools, parents, and districts, and some of these training resources such as PowerPoint presentations are available for free online.
CoTESOL is a dynamic, growing organization of educators involved in various aspects of second language learning and bilingual education.
References
Editorial Projects in Education (EPE). "Most Common Non-English Languages Spoken by ELL Youths, by State." Perspectives on a Population: English-Language Learners in American Schools (Education Week's Quality Counts 2009 Report). Pg. 13. Retrieved from http://www.edweek.org/ew/toc/2009/01/08/index.html. January 2009.
Office of English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement for Limited English Proficient Students. Colorado Rate of EL Growth (1997/98-2007/08). Compiled July 2010 and retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/t3sis/state/colorado/data.
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