New demands of the Common Core State Standards imply instructional transformations for all classrooms in the United States, but teachers of students designated as English language learners (ELLs) are among those most likely to feel the impact in their daily professional lives. Language is an integral part of classroom learning in all subject areas, and this article addresses the new and special demands made by the English language arts Common Core Standards that are particularly relevant for the education of ELLs in mainstream and sheltered language arts and English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) classrooms. The authors propose three key reconceptualizations for teachers of ELLs in English language arts, outlining what is necessary to realize opportunities provided in the standards for these students' linguistic development and academic achievement. They illustrate these reconceptualizations with examples from an instructional unit that has been designed for linguistically diverse middle school Common Core classrooms and exemplifies subject‐specific instructional practices that meet the needs of ELLs.
In the United States, new common state standards in English language arts and disciplinary literacy require K-12 students to "read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently." Issues of text complexity have spurred debates in the mainstream literacy, educational practice, and policy communities. Issues raised for English learners (ELs)-and their teachers-are even more vexing. This article considers first language (L1) and second language (L2) reading theory and research to articulate challenges facing ELs as they engage with complex text and to evaluate instructional responses. Reviewing historical and contemporary perspectives on text complexity and reading comprehension, the authors argue that (a) the complexity involved in comprehending difficult text transcends textual features to include dimensions of the reader, task, and pedagogical support; and (b) the path to success for ELs will not be paved solely by attempting to match readers with "appropriate" texts or by modifying existing texts to meet perceived student reading levels. If what is "complex" about reading certain kinds of texts is the relationship among the text, its reader, the task the reader is being asked to perform, and the context in its multiple dimensions, then pedagogical responses for ELs must keep all of these in mind.
T he standards movement has become omnipresent in contemporary education, impacting English teaching and learning in second and foreign language contexts around the world. A particular set of issues, however, is relevant to primary and secondary school settings for learners of English in which English is used as the predominant means of educating the student population across the curriculum. In these contexts, students are not just learning English as a subject matter but are learning (and being assessed upon) standards-based academic content in English as well. In these settings, standards, curricula, and assessments are designed with varying understandings and incorporation of issues related to the linguistic and academic development of English language learners (ELLs). A focus on standards-based reform in such English-medium contexts is a particularly relevant and timely focus for a TESOL Quarterly special issue because many countries with Englishmedium education have growing numbers of school-aged immigrant and indigenous ELL students and ongoing, contested debates about how best to educate them.
This department focuses on literacy leaders, including school and instructional leaders, teachers, and external partners, who are working to improve outcomes for adolescent and adult learners in a wide range of education settings. Columns investigate the challenges and complexities inherent in such work and share lessons learned, impactful strategies and approaches, and promising pathways forward.
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