So… WIDA? So What?

John WolfeMultilingual Program Facilitator

john.wolfe@mpls.k12.mn.us612.668.0407

http://www.mplsesl.wikispaces.comJune 15, 2012

or, Now That You Got WIDA Levels, What Do

You Do With Them?

The WIDA Levels

One score for each Language Domain … and one score to bind them

Sure, the ESL teacher loves all this WIDA stuff.

But what does it mean to you?

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

Relax … Everything (and more) is on The Wikihttp://www.mplsesl.wikispaces.com/

The Essence of WIDA

WIDA gives you key information about the language that an English Learner

can handle for grade-level

learning.

The Essence of WIDA

WIDA gives you key information about the language that an English Learner

can handle for grade-level

learning.

The Essence of WIDA

WIDA gives you key information about the language that an English Learner

can handle for grade-level

learning.

The Essence of WIDA

WIDA gives you key information about the

language that an English Learner can handle for grade-level learning.

How hard – how difficult, how

challenging – can that language be?

In other words, Essence of WIDA …

Is this too hard?

What can the ELs do while the other kids are answering these questions?

How do I know I’m not lowering

my expectations?

He should be able to do this,

right?

WIDA Proficiency Levels (Nutshell Perspective)

WIDA Levels describe the

difficulty of the language we can

reasonably expect a student to be able to use for grade-level content learning.

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

At its simplest, WIDA = 6 levelsEach Level = describes the language ELs can handle.

Remember! language serves content learning

What students can do with language BROADLY

But what might that look like in a particular lesson in a particular unit?

But what does that look like at different grades? With different language domains? (Speak/Listen/ Read/Write)

… but nothing’s ever that simple…

WIDA Criteria = WIDA DNA

WIDA CVC Criteria: Your New Best Friend

1 – Entering 2 – Emerging 3 – Developing 4 – Expanding 5 – Bridging

Linguistic Complexity

Single words Phrases, short sentences

Series of related sentences

Moderate discourse

Complex discourse

Vocabulary Usage

Most common vocabulary

High frequency vocabulary

General and some specific vocabulary

Specialized & some technical vocabulary

Specialized & technical vocabulary

Language Control

Memorized language

Errors inhibiting communication

Meaning overrides errors

Language w/minimal errors

Language comparable to English peers

WIDA Skeleton:

The Can-Do

DescriptorsFor each grade cluster, suggests examples of

the Listening, Speaking, Reading & Writing

tasks that are appropriate for each

WIDA Proficiency Level.

Figure 3G: Examples of Sensory, Graphic and Interactive Supports Sensory Supports Graphic Supports Interactive Supports • Real-life objects (realia) • Manipulatives • Pictures & photographs • Illustrations, diagrams &

drawings • Magazines & newspapers • Physical activities • Videos & Films • Broadcasts • Models & figures

• Charts • Graphic organizers • Tables • Graphs • Timelines • Number lines

• In pairs or partners • In triads or small groups • In a whole group • Using cooperative group

structures • With the Internet (Web

sites) or software programs • In the native language (L1) • With mentors

I stress:

“with visual, graphic, or interactive support through

Level 4”

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

WIDA Philosophy in a Nutshell

WIDA: The Bigger Nutshell1. Language is the tool for learning!

2. LEP’s are in mainstream classrooms. (Easily 80% of the time in MPS.)

3. LEP’s use their Limited English to learn in 5 basic contexts (Language Arts, Science, Social Studies, Math, Social & Amplification.)

4. EL’s English -- no matter how limited – is an asset for learning. You work with what you’ve got!

5. WIDA is designed to help all teachers modify the language demands of instruction to provide LEP students with meaningful access to content.

Modifying the Language

Demands to Match the Learner’s

Language Proficiency:

The 3 ½-Step

Process

For every activity in a

learning sequence…

3 ½ Steps Towards Differentiating Learning Activities with WIDA

1. Identify

five key features of the activity … in order to clarify the activity’s language demands

For the activity, identify the following:

(a) primary Language Domain, Is it primarily a speaking, listening, reading or writing activity?

(b) the Language Function, See the list at http://mplsesl.wikispaces.com/file/view/langfunc.pdf.

(c) the Content Ffocus, to determine needed content vocabulary & comprehension support

(d) the Standards-Related Learning Target What essential learning is the activity in the service of?

(e) the Language Supports See the list at the bottom of the page.

2. Determine the WIDA Proficiency Levels the activity is “pitched” to… using the WIDA CVC Criteria. In other words, what’s the lowest WIDA Proficiency that could meaningfully participate?

Criteria for Performance Definitions Linguistic Complexity: The amount and quality of speech or writing for a given situation Vocabulary Usage: The specificity of words or phrases for a given context Language Control: The comprehensibility of the communication based on the amount and type of errors

1 – Entering 2 – Emerging 3 – Developing 4 – Expanding 5 – Bridging Linguistic

Complexity Single words Phrases, short

sentences Series of related

sentences Moderate discourse Complex discourse

Vocabulary Usage

Most common vocabulary

High frequency vocabulary

General and some specific vocabulary

Specialized & some technical vocab

Specialized & technical vocab

Language Control

Memorized language

Errors inhibiting communication

Meaning overrides errors

Language w/minimal errors

Language comparable to English peers

3. Figure out an analogous activity for lower proficiency levels.…

How can the learning goal be furthered with less demanding language?

Can-Do Descriptor for Grade Cluster 3-5 Speaking

Level 2: Expanding Level 3: Developing Level 4: Expanding • Ask simple, everyday questions (e.g., “Who is absent?”)

• Restate content-based facts • Describe pictures, events, objects, or people using phrases or short sentences

• Share basic social information with peers

• Answer simple content-based questions

• Re/tell short stories or events • Make predictions or hypotheses from discourse

• Offer solutions to social conflict • Present content-based information

• Engage in problem-solving

• Answer opinion questions with supporting details

• Discuss stories, issues, and concepts

• Give content-based oral reports • Offer creative solutions to issues/problems

• Compare/contrast content-based functions and relationships

3.5. Consider whether greater levels of scaffolding will be enough to support the less proficient students … but be careful with this!

Figure 3G: Examples of Sensory, Graphic and Interactive Supports Sensory Supports Graphic Supports Interactive Supports

• Real-life objects (realia) • Manipulatives • Pictures & photographs • Illustrations, diagrams & drawings • Magazines & newspapers • Physical activities • Videos & Films • Broadcasts • Models & figures

• Charts • Graphic

organizers • Tables • Graphs • Timelines • Number lines

• In pairs or partners • In triads or small groups • In a whole group • Using cooperative group

structures • With the Internet (Web sites) or

software programs • In the native language (L1) • With mentors

Figure 3G: Examples of Sensory, Graphic and Interactive Supports Sensory Supports Graphic Supports Interactive Supports • Real-life objects (realia) • Manipulatives • Pictures & photographs • Illustrations, diagrams & drawings • Magazines & newspapers • Physical activities • Videos & Films • Broadcasts • Models & figures

• Charts • Graphic organizers • Tables • Graphs • Timelines • Number lines

• In pairs or partners • In triads or small groups • In a whole group • Using cooperative group structures • With the Internet (Web sites) or

software programs • In the native language (L1) • With mentors

Examples of Vocabulary Types

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

Two Key Roles of the ESL Teacher

English Language Development

Meaningful Access to Grade-Level Learning

Informed by Second Language Acquisition Theory • a communicative focus,

• commitment to Academic language

• intensified practice of academic speaking and listening

• opportunities to focus on FORM (i.e., grammar, correctness of language)

• systematic attention to developmentally appropriate vocabulary & grammatical structures

Informed by WIDA Standards & Tools differentiate instruction based on student

language proficiency,

match the language demands of content instruction to the student’s language abilities,

(and, ultimately) provide learners with supported opportunities to expand proficiency through challenging language tasks (speaking, listening, reading and writing) above their current levels (i+1 or ZPD)

In the service of both goals: Ongoing Progress monitoring of English Language Development

Stoop down for content instruction ….

Make students stretch for language instruction …

Because you can modify your language to meet your English Learners’ needs – but they can’t modify theirs to meet your demands.

One approach: Ongoing focus on ELD through content instructionhttp://mplsesl.wikispaces.com/MDE-WIDA-ProgressMonitor

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

How will ESL teachers develop the expertise to do all this?

Natural brilliance … and

Ongoing job-embedded professional development

Meeting ELs’ Needs: Take 2Instruction to support ELs’ language-related learning needs should be characterized by five features:

• What you’re aiming for

• What language the students can handle

• How to use the right language

• How to know if the students are learning

• How to get all this done

• Standards-Based / Learning Target Focused

• WIDA-Informed

• Language Intensive

• Formative Assessment

• Collaborative

The PD Options(a) Saturday and after-school Learn-Work-and-Share sessions, where

teachers will develop supports for these five features related to the specific topics, units, learning targets, and state standards they're currently working with,

Everyone

(b) a Collaboration Institute targeted to ESL teachers and collaborating classroom teachers, to explore collaboration more in-depth

Some

(c) a NeXT teacher cohort to provide monthly and interim support to first-year ESL teachers and others (ESL teachers and collaborating partners) who have committed to the PD experience,

New teachers and some others

(d) a cohort of teachers pursuing National Board Certification, who will develop these five key features through carefully focused efforts to document best practices in their classrooms,

“Master Teachers” (cohort already formed)

(e) a "PD-in-a-box" presentation in which ESL teachers present the five key features to all other teachers in their buildings (twice -- once first quarter, once second quarter)

All Staff

(f) on-line Moodle Courses that support each of these five features at three varying levels of depth,

Open to all (online)

(g) an on-line, public sharing site of just-in-time resources, where teachers across the district will publish the strategies and supports they're developing (creating, locating) for curriculum-related student learning (and access and use materials developed by their peers)

More and more teachers use this …

Toda

y (W

hat W

IDA

Mea

ns to

You

) 1. The Essence of WIDA

2. The DNA and SKELETON of WIDA» DNA = The WIDA Criteria» Skeleton = The Can-Do Descriptors

3. WIDA in a Nutshell» 3 ½ Steps

4. But there’s more … EL’s need TWO things!Support for Content Learning & ELD (English Lang Development)

5. ELD: » Stoop for Content Instruction; Stretch ‘em for ELD

» ELD through Ongoing Progress Monitoring

6. How to meet the WIDA Challenge? The Multilingual Department’s Five Key Features of Instruction for EL’s

Let the collaboration begin …