A Focused Approach to Systematic ELD Instruction

/ English Learner Instruction
District Implementation Plan /
Creating Effective Systems for English Learners

Once a district decides to modify their English Learner program to better meet instructional needs, an important next step is to identify a professional development initiative that aligns to a clear, compelling vision of the school system’s future. New initiatives thrive in systems that strategically organize and align their resources to their goals. This requires district leadership to:

§ Plan-to-plan considering the district context and goals

§ Plan for administrator and teacher training

§ Plan ongoing support for implementation

§ Plan for monitoring both quality of implementation and student achievement

Successful implementation takes into account the need for urgency while honoring that change is a process (Sparks and Hirsh, 2000). Professional development plans should account for the extended time and support required for district and building administrators to learn the content, how to manage schools’ time and human resources, monitor teacher implementation, provide relevant instructional feedback, and develop systems to monitor student progress.

Effective professional development plans also account for the extended time and support required for teachers to learn the content, reflect on current and desired practice, incorporate new skills in the classroom, effectively monitor student growth, and adjust instruction accordingly.

District Planning / Training/Institutes / Implementation
§ District context and achievement data
§ District priorities
§ District EL guidelines
§ Readiness to launch a new initiative
§ Professional development
§ Ongoing support for implementation
§ Effective use of evaluation data / § Attend institutes as teams of teachers, coaches, and administrators
§ Deepen knowledge
§ Learn tools
§ Try it out to practice and refine
§ Share how it’s going / § Institutional support: time, materials, coaching, collaborative planning
§ Refinement sessions
§ Student data to plan and manage instruction
§ Classroom walk-throughs and observations
§ Teacher and administrator surveys

E.L. Achieve works with district teams as they develop their District Implementation Plan. This implementation plan is designed to support districts to plan, launch and successfully sustain an initiative to improve instruction for English Language Learners.

This template can be downloaded in Word and fillable PDF formats at http://www.elachieve.org/ELD-Home.html

Identifying Information

District: / Date:
Lead Author: / Contributor(s):
Email: / Telephone:
Is this an initial plan or an update to an existing plan? o Initial Plan o Update
Note the focus of this plan (all that apply). o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o / Elem SysELD / o / Sec SysELD / o / Elem CM / o / Sec CM
What other initiatives are being implemented? o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o / Elem SysELD / o / Sec SysELD / o / Elem CM / o / Sec CM

I. Context and Baseline Achievement Data

Total # of students: / 5 / Total # of schools: / Grade Span:
District English Learner (ELL) Demographic Profile:
Overall
ELL / % / Low Socioeconomic / % / Migrant Ed / %
English Language Learner Demographics
Long-term: / % / Newcomers: / % / Spanish: / % / Other languages:
English Proficiency Levels Percentage of English Learners at each proficiency level (total 100%)
1. Beginning / % / 2. Early Intermediate / % / 3. Intermediate / % / 4. Early Advanced / %
5. Advanced / %
Progress in English Proficiency Percentage of ELLs at the same proficiency level for multiple years:
1. Beginning / % / 2. Early Intermediate / % / 3. Intermediate / % / 4. Early Advanced / %
5. Advanced / %
Current ELL performance: Is your district currently meeting AMAOs?
AMAO 1 / Y / N / AMAO 2 / Y / N / AMAO 3 (Math) / Y / N / AMAO 3 (Reading/Lang. Arts) / Y / N
Summary of ELL Performance Data
Based on the AMAOs and other assessment data, what are the key areas of strength and also the main concerns in your current ELL program?
Master Plan
How might Systematic ELD and/or Constructing Meaning professional development and ongoing implementation support be integrated into the district’s Master Plan for English Learners?
Other Current Initiatives
Are there other major district professional development initiatives currently under way? What are the implications of launching Systematic ELD or Constructing Meaning (time, funding, resources to provide support)?
Successful Implementation

Describe successes the district has had implementing other initiatives. What made them successful?

II. District Priorities

Where does the district want to focus initial efforts? / Priority #1 / Priority #2 / Priority #3 / N/A
Schools with high percentages of ELLs / o / o / o / o
Specific grade level/s or content area/s from each school – e.g. secondary language arts / o / o / o / o
Develop leadership capacity
(Establish district-certified presenter/facilitator team to provide Institutes and ongoing implementation support) / o / o / o / o
Program improvement schools / o / o / o / o
Other ______/ o / o / o / o

III. District English Language Learner Program Guidelines

Articulate the district’s expectations for ELL support (SysELD and/or CM) across district classrooms. Providing clarity minimizes variance among schools and classrooms.

This should be shared with participants during the Institutes.

Teacher Qualifications
What authorization or training is required to teach Systematic ELD and/or content area coursework to English Learners? / ·
Instructional Framework
What scope and sequence of language and/or content will drive instruction (standards, framework, course sequence)?
Instructional Materials/Curriculum
What materials are teachers provided? What materials are they expected to use? / 
·
·
Placement
How is course/class placement determined?
For SysELD: How will students be grouped and time allocated?
What is the process for moving students from ELD into the academic core? / ·
Assessment
What assessments will be conducted for placement, to monitor learning, and as exit criteria or movement to another course/class? / ·
Instructional Delivery
What are the expectations for how instruction is delivered (backward design; I/We/You Do; structured student interaction)? / ·

IV. District Readiness Online Survey

Please contact E.L Achieve for online access and a sample email to send teachers and administrators.

What do the survey results indicate about the district’s overall readiness to launch this initiative?

Where we are / è / Where we want to be
Next Steps: What will the district do to get from “Where we are” to “Where we want to be” to ensure the majority of teachers and administrators are ready to launch a new initiative?

V. Professional Development Activities to Launch New Initiative

What professional development activities are you planning based on Readiness Survey results and district priorities?

Purpose & Outcome / Who Facilitator(s) / Who Participant(s) / Dates & Location / Cost
Readiness: Establishing Buy-in
Review EL achievement data, conduct readings (Leadership Toolkit), discuss current practices, etc.
Institute
Administrator Orientations
Use “Learning the Skills” Tool Map expectations and plan first-year implementation support

VI. Ongoing Implementation and Leadership Development for the Initiative

What activities will you offer to support teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators so they can effectively implement the initiative?

Purpose & Outcome / Who Facilitator(s) / Who Participant(s) / Dates & Location / Cost
Teacher Collaboration
Collaborative planning, lesson study, peer observations, vertical teaming, etc.
Lesson Observation
Walk-throughs or Learning Walks using Lesson Observation Tool(s) and/or Rubrics
Refinement Sessions/
Boosters
Chunking adult learning to refine skills for specific objectives
Leadership Development
Study groups, Leadership Seminar, Administrator strand, etc.
Other

Implementation Survey

When will you survey teachers, teacher leaders, and site and district administrators on how implementation is progressing? (If the district has multiple E.L. Achieve initiatives, schedule a survey for each.)

Date of implementation survey o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o / Elem SysELD / o / Sec SysELD / o / Elem CM / o / Sec CM
Date of implementation survey o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o Sec SysELD o Elem CM o Sec CM / o / Elem SysELD / o / Sec SysELD / o / Elem CM / o / Sec CM
Who will be involved in discussing the survey results?

Once you have analyzed the survey results, complete the section below:

Where we are / è / Where we want to be
Next Steps: How will you use the survey results? What information materials and/or tools can be provided to teachers, coaches, and site leadership to improve or sustain implementation?

VII. Evaluation: English Learner Achievement Results

How will we evaluate the effectiveness of our district’s Systematic ELD and/or CM implementation?

Indicators of Success / ·
·
·
Data Collection Tools
Sources of Data
Timetable for Data Collection/
Analysis
Cost

Updated Assessment Data

Progress in English Proficiency: Percentage of ELs at the same proficiency level for multiple years:
1. Beginning / % / 2. Early Intermediate / % / 3. Intermediate / % / 4. Early Advanced / %
5. Advanced / %
Current ELL performance: Is your district currently meeting AMAOs?
AMAO 1 / Y / N / AMAO 2 / Y / N / AMAO 3 (Math) / Y / N / AMAO 3 (Reading/Lang. Arts) / Y / N

Effective Use of Evaluation Data
Describe the strategies for using the evaluation results of this initiative. How will the evaluation data be shared with whom, when, and for what purpose?