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.
Delaware
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As of the 2007-2008 school year, Delaware's schools were home to more than 6,800 English language learners (ELLs), which marks a 249% increase from the 1997-1998 school year (NCELA, 2010). The top five languages spoken by ELLs in Delaware are Spanish, Pennsylvania Dutch, French Creole, German, and Chinese (EPE, 2009).
Delaware is a member of WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment), joining in 2003. WIDA is a consortium of states dedicated to the design and implementation of high standards and equitable educational opportunities for English language learners.
State ELL Resources
State Agency: Delaware Department of Education
ELL Website: Key ELL documents may be found on the state's No Child Left Behind website, under the heading Limited English Proficient (LEP) Students & English Language Acquisition.
ELL Identification
Placement Exam: WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) The W-APT is to be used when a student's parents indicate that a language other than or in addition to English is used.
ELL Instruction
Various program options are available for the state's ELs including bilingual programming such as developmental maintenance and transitional bilingual education, as well as ESL pull-out and push in, and Sheltered and structured English immersion. Further information may be found from the Delaware's ELL Program Definitions.*
ELP Standards & Assessment
ELP Standards: WIDA English Language Proficiency Standards
ELP Assessment: WIDA-ACCESS ACCESS for ELLs
Statewide Standards-Based Assessment
Assessment: Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS)
ELL Accommodations: Guideline for Inclusion of Students with Disabilities and English Language Learners* (PDF)
Additional Information
NCELA: Title III Information
WIDA: Delaware Contact Information
Common Core State Standards: Yes
Delaware State Education Association
Delaware State 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.
Delaware State Parent Information Resource Centers
The mission of the Delaware State PIRC (DE State PIRC) is to advance academic outcomes for students most at-risk of academic failure by empowering parents and educators to become knowledgeable and powerful advocates for school improvement and student success.
PennTESOL-East is a professional, non-profit association in eastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey, and Delaware dedicated to the improvement and advancement of teaching English to speakers of other languages.
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. Delaware Rate of EL Growth (1997/98-2007/08). Compiled July 2010 and retrieved from http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/t3sis/state/delaware/.
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