English Learners in STEM Subjects Transforming Classrooms, Schools, and Lives (2018) / Chapter Skim
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8 Building Capacity to Transform Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Learning for English Learners
8 Building Capacity to Transform Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Learning for English Learners
Pages 251-292
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From page 251... ...
Given that implementation researchers have long found that capacity can serve as both a resource and a constraint for change (e.g., DarlingHammond, 1993; Penuel et al., 2011) , the first half of this chapter outlines aspects of federal and state policy and practice that enable or constrain district and school capacity-building efforts focused on transforming STEM learning opportunities for ELs.
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policy context that has historically treated language learning as separate from the learning of content. These aspects of federal and state policy are described below, in addition to relevant shifts in policy that have opened up opportunities for considering language and content integration in STEM subjects.
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Title I provisions now require states to administer and report school performance on annual assessments of core content as well as English language proficiency, and to determine long-term goals for progress in both areas. In terms of core content, ESSA maintains the requirement that students participate in statewide achievement testing in reading/language arts and mathematics in Grades 3–8 and once in high school, with some exceptions allowed for recently arrived ELs.
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would provide similar information and indicate the extent to which ELs are exposed to STEM content in the primary grades. English Language Proficiency and Content Standards Beyond accountability and assessment requirements, Title I provisions require that states adopt rigorous college- and career-ready standards in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science, as well as corresponding English language proficiency standards that reflect the skills and practices
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. English Learner Reclassification ESSA provisions under Title III also require that states adopt standardized entry and exit procedures for identifying and reclassifying English learners.
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Many states also provide supplementary funding to school districts using a weighted formula based on the size of their EL populations. Some states base the amount of funding that districts receive on ELs' grade level and/or language proficiency level, or the types of services provided.
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Given that school districts play key roles in setting and implementing instructional policy in the United States (Honig, 2006; Spillane, 1996) , the programs designed and implemented by district leaders often serve as local language policies that guide the provision of services for ELs
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These programs focus on developing ELs' English language proficiency in separated environments. Content instruction is then provided to ELs in integrated classrooms either when they are deemed proficient enough in English to be successful, or when a teacher can provide sufficient attention to language development.
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Many ELs at the secondary level have difficulty fulfilling these requirements because they are required to demonstrate sufficient proficiency in English or complete English language development prerequisites. This is especially true for newcomers at the high school level, who are often placed in non-credit-bearing courses as they learn English (Callahan, 2005)
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CAPACITY BUILDING AT THE DISTRICT AND SCHOOL LEVEL The first section of this chapter outlined how federal and state policy approaches both enable and constrain the integration of language and STEM content. District and school leaders wrestle with these challenges and opportunities as they work to design and implement equitable instructional and assessment practices for ELs in grades PreK–12, the ideals of which have been outlined in previous chapters.
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school districts describe three interrelated areas around which such continuous improvement efforts align: organizational culture, educators' capability, and policy and management (Blumenfeld et al., 2000)
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Organizational Culture Improving student learning in deep and sustained ways requires "reciprocal accountability" (Elmore, 2004) , where all community stakeholders (e.g., district and school leaders, teachers, families, students)
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As such, our focus in this section is on practical strategies district and school leaders can use to transform ELs' STEM learning, which have diversity, equity, and inclusion at their core. Central office leadership.
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For example, leaders with EL expertise work alongside STEM content experts to develop instructional frameworks, plan and deliver professional development, and communicate with school leaders. One study of school districts demonstrating success with ELs noted that these collaborative organizational structures allowed for the distribution of EL-related expertise across content experts (Horwitz et al., 2009)
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. Nonetheless, when school leaders are committed to changing practice and invest in the professional development of all teachers, school capacity to teach ELs in STEM subjects can be developed (Elfers and Stritikus, 2014)
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Data points relevant to informing EL and STEM improvement efforts include student academic performance and grades, English language proficiency growth, reclassification rates, attendance rates, graduation rates, program enrollment, course-taking and completion patterns, and teacher qualifications and years of experience. Initial data analyses can inform such questions as: • Do ELs have equitable access to STEM content and coursework?
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• How is EL access to and performance in STEM subjects related to attendance and/or high school graduation rates? In conducting such analyses, it is important to look at results holistically, as Robinson-Cimpian, Thompson, and Umansky (2016)
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At the secondary level, district and school leaders regularly examine EL reclassification rates, course-taking trends, and success rates. They study the extent to which ELs are included in college preparatory and Advanced Placement mathematics and science courses and their rate of success, failure, or drop-out.
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. Developing peer networks across school systems can help to facilitate a culture of collaboration in which leaders plan and implement changes that strengthen system-wide policies, programs, and practices that transform STEM learning for ELs.
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partnership brings together instructional teams from five dual-language elementary schools, the district's science and EL departments, and external partners (e.g., the Bay Area Writing Project) , who work together to integrate science and language instruction and design integrated lesson plans that attend to both science and ELD standards (Feldman and Malagon, 2017)
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Committee experience suggests that external partnerships focused on STEM learning for ELs usually have a district-based coordinator who establishes relationships with museums, businesses, industry, professional organizations, and universities and works with them to develop activities that introduce and deepen students' and families' understandings of STEM. Activities might include speaker series, field trips, mentorships, internships, and conferences for teachers, students, and families.
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The schools work strategically with organizations to expand opportunities for students to: • olster the academic and extracurricular opportunities they offer to students B • ffer college-level courses, so that students often graduate with college O credits • rovide mentoring or internship opportunities P • rovide intensive college counseling and guidance including college visits, P application support, and mentorships Each high school's vision drives the type of partnerships secured. Common fea tures of the external partnerships include • lignment to vision and mission of the school; a • elevance to students' needs, interests and aspirations; r work with families so that the families can serve as advocates for their children to be included in college preparatory STEM courses and in STEMrelated experiences.
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Overall, these partnerships can help to create a rich ecosystem of STEM learning for educators, students, and families that may not otherwise be possible given policy and funding constraints outlined in the first part of this chapter.
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. In school districts where committee members have observed progress on state assessments and graduation rates for ELs, continuous improvement efforts are guided by a clear vision for EL instruction that is grounded in principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion and articulates goals for language and content integration that are aligned to rigorous language and content standards.
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First, instructional frameworks inform the development of demanding core academic curriculum that is aligned to both college- and career-readiness standards and English language proficiency standards and ensures equitable practices to assess ELs' content learning and language development. Second, they acknowledge that ELs' backgrounds, cultures, and home languages are assets for learning.
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Importantly, this approach to language development in STEM subjects is communicated across the system to all stakeholders, including leaders, teachers, family members, and students. Districts with a clear language development approach require all educators to be responsible for the design and implementation of high-quality EL STEM instruction.
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On the other hand, school districts with large and long-standing EL populations that tend to speak one or two languages may have bilingual pathways in place for students across PreK–12 that attend to language and content for ELs and other students. Given these variations in EL instructional models, the ways in which language and content are integrated to transform STEM learning opportunities for ELs will necessarily require different allocations of instructional time, resources, and staffing.
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Learning for Recently Arrived English Learners (ELs) in High School Transforming STEM learning for recently arrived ELs (i.e., newcomers)
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In districts where committee members have observed attention to course placement at the elementary level, district and school leaders create structures so that designated or pull-out ELD does not take away from content instruction, and push-in ELD are allocated across all content areas, including STEM. At the secondary level, ELs are placed into STEM classes with both equity and access in mind to ensure placement into appropriate coursework as well as the provision of resources to facilitate their success, such as highly qualified teachers.
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. Although all teachers would benefit from professional development opportunities that attend to explicit integration of STEM content and disciplinary language, the professional learning needs of elementary and secondary teachers may differ somewhat.
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These districts have used dedicated ELD time to increase science learning for ELs by engaging students in high-quality science instruction that integrated science and language development. Strategies employed by districts to increase the quality and quantity of inte grated science and ELD include increased science instructional time for ELs by integrating science and ELD; providing high-quality, job-embedded professional learning for teachers and administrators to build science content knowledge and capacity to integrate research evidence–based ELD strategies; partnering with science institutions to support teacher professional learning; and aligning fiscal resources to better support the efforts (see National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [2017]
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noted that standalone ESL courses incur costs but do not confer graduation credits to students, in comparison to the integrated co-teaching of ELD and STEM or the provision of bilingual content courses. As described above, school districts receive a combination of federal, state, and local funding for EL education, and district and school leaders are tasked with deciding how to allocate funding across schools.
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Beyond instructional staff, some school districts use extra funding to hire community or parent liaisons whose work focuses on newcomer integration, translation services, and other mechanisms that foster homeschool connections (Garcia and Carnock, 2016)
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These types of intake processes are often facilitated by bilingual liaisons and counselors, which again requires the alignment of fiscal and human resources to ensure these staff members are supported and prepared for this work. Monitoring and Guidance Continuous improvement efforts focused on teaching ELs in STEM are often guided by actionable improvement and monitoring plans that allow stakeholders to monitor progress and communicate the impact of new policies and practices.
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In school districts that are successful in serving ELs, central office leadership holds tight to its instructional vision, defines core and supplemental instructional programs, and outlines competencies required of educators. District leaders build tools and professional learning opportunities for teachers, principals, and central office staff to support and deepen implementation of new instructional policies and practices.
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. Realizing Opportunities for English Learners in the Common Core English Language Arts and Disciplinary Literacy Standards.
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. Framework for English Language Proficiency Development Standards Corresponding to the Common Core State Standards and the Next Generation Science Standards.
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. Educating California's English Learners: Chula Vista's Expansion of Dual Language Programs in an Era of English-Only Policies.
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. Programs and Services for High School English Learners in Public School Districts: 2015–16 (NCES 2016-150)
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. The effects of changing test-based policies for reclassifying English learners.
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. Preparing English Learners for College and Career: Lessons from Successful High Schools.
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Ameri can Educational Research Journal, 51(5)
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