Saint Paul Public Schools
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ESL Programs Experts in the field of second language acquisition advocate the teaching of second language through, not prior to, academic content; in recent years, the ELL programs in SPPS have been guided by this philosophy. The district’s ELL programs provide instruction in which learners acquire English through participation in age-appropriate, academic content that is driven by national, state, and district standards. The teaching of English through academic content requires ELL instruction that is aligned with and integrated into grade-level curriculum. Academic content must be differentiated as necessary to make standards and curricula accessible to ELL students at all levels. In order to effectively teach language through academic content, it is necessary for general education staff and ELL staff to work together. Collaboration between ELL and classroom teachers appears to be one of the best means for serving English language learners in elementary schools. In a review of scholarly literature on teacher teaming, Spraker (2003) nicely sums up the need for collaborative practices among teachers in Teacher Teaming in Relation to Student Performance: Findings from the Literature: "Those working on educational reform today argue that quality schooling is achieved through an ongoing, collaborative, and transformative process in a situation where people work together in respectful collegiality, rather than isolation, and where they create solutions through mutual decision-making and adaptation" (p. 3). |
