INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORTS

Overview

Simply put, a student may receive an "accommodation" when the lesson "content of the standard remains the same,
but the method for demonstrating mastery of that content [is] adjusted" or permits alternative forms of assessment²

An individual's eligibility for accommodations is determined by a variety of factors*, including "ACCESS" scores (p. 79)³

All students enrolled in ESL courses will be taught using "Sheltered Instruction" designed "for English learners" (p. 82)³

*Note: If a student has an IEP or 504 Plan, refer to the accommodations featured in their official documents

Research basis

Lesson accommodations in the ESL classroom are based on Krashen's model of "comprehensible input" (p. 78)³:

The instructor will use language "at a level that is just slightly beyond the listener's current level of understanding"³
Adjustments for "age, cognitive abilities, home language competencies, personality, motivation, and self-confidence"³
Use of a variety of sheltering techniques that support diverse learning styles and students' background knowledge

Sheltering Techniques

Lessons will include, but are not limited to, the following modifications, "learning strategies," and sheltering techniques (p. 183)¹:

Visual Aids

Providing visible "pictures, realia, and movement" for student reference throughout instruction reinforces
key lesson vocabulary, content, and objectives by "embedding the target language in context" (p. 78)³

Native Language SUPPORT

Providing clarification for emergent bilinguals and allowing students to draw on their prior content and language knowledge by previewing content, bilingual dictionaries, and learning how to recognize and "use cognates" (p. 183)¹

Collaborative Small Groups

Allowing students to actively participate in lesson discourse, demonstrate their content knowledge, and support peers from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds by rotating roles during collaborative learning activities

Teacher Modeling

Reinforcing the lesson objectives and language expectations as well as clarifying task-related directions and commands through gesture, demonstrations, and modeling of target actions, behavior, and language structures
Providing linguistic scaffolds "by using a slower rate and less complex language" when needed (p. 78)³

ReferenceS

¹ Chamot, A. U. (2009). The CALLA handbook: Implementing the cognitive academic language learning approach (Second ed.). White Plains, NY: Pearson, Longman.

² Jung, L. A., & Guskey, T. R. (2010, February). Grading exceptional learners. Educational Leadership, 67(5), 31-35. Retrieved August 11, 2017, from
http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/feb10/vol67/num05/Grading-Exceptional-Learners.aspx

³ Otto, B. (2014). Language development in early childhood education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.