Notes and talk: an examination of a long-term English learner reading-to-learn in a high school biology classroom

Cautionary Questions

“…If states were to shirk their responsibilities in using accountability data to gain insights into what can be done to improve instructional programs for LTELs, then admittedly the optimistic outlook that I'm trying to maintain would need reexamining. At the very least, protecting the interests of certain states’ rights groups at the expense of providing better instruction for LTELs would be intolerable and go against the research recommendations that Brooks (, 2016a, 2016b) and others have set forth.…”

“…I would like company, of course, if the following scenario were to play out. The cautionary question that I am pursuing in such scenario building is one that has plagued me long before I stumbled across Brooks's (2016a) case study of Lisbeth Sanchez, a LTEL in a high school biology classroom where daily oral reading practices dominated. As Brooks noted in her observation notes, such practices enabled both teacher and student meaning making but in ways that differed markedly from the reading processes required in high‐stakes tests.…”

“…Rather, as Brooks (2016a) explained, her study provides a valuable “counter‐narrative about a population that is frequently represented as lacking both academic and linguistic ability” (p. 235). It also provides a backdrop against which to pose my third cautionary question: If the preference for oral reading continues, will there come a time when independent and silent reading strategies are dropped entirely from the curriculum, or will silent reading be so significantly sidelined that it is no longer an element of serious consideration?…”

Pushing Past Myths: Designing Instruction for Long‐Term English Learners

“…Research also indicates many ways in which LTEL students are also academically successful. For instance, I documented how one of the five case study students with a history of low standardized ELA scores successfully navigated the reading demands of her 10th grade biology class (Brooks, ). In one central Texas school district, the percentages of LTEL students who did not reclassify as proficient at the end of the school year and met the standard or received a commended score on academic achievement tests ranged from 40% in science to 71% in social studies (Brunner, ).…”

Long‐term English learners: Current research, policy, and practice

“…Despite the lack of a national picture, a number of case study and survey research projects have examined these learners (Brooks, , ; Kibler et al., ; Menken & Kleyn, ; Menken et al., ; Olsen, ). These and other studies (Brooks, , ; Kibler et al., ; Olsen, , 2014a, 2014b) note the following characteristics as consistent with the LTEL population; however, it is important to recognize that not all apply to all long‐term English learners.…”