These additional resources are helpful for understanding research related to supporting English Learners and Emergent Bilinguals.
Resources
Fast Facts from the Office of English Language Acquisition
Resources from the National Council for Improving Literacy (in Spanish)
Multi-Tiered System of Supports for English Learners
Delaware Department of Education: Science of Reading for MLLs
Literacy Foundations for English Learners
10 Evidence-Based Practices Supporting Bilingual Students’ Reading Development
Center for the Success of English Learners
Colorín Colorado: A website for educators of English learners
Science of Reading the Podcast: Empowering English language learners with Elsa Cárdenas-Hagan
Supporting Integrated English Learner Student Instruction
Fostering Language and Literacy Development
In working together to clarify a definition, the Science of Reading: Defining Guide was created to provide all stakeholders with a clear understanding of what the science of reading is, what it is not, and much more. The Defining Guide also includes 11 calls to action for all stakeholders. Pertinent to this Curriculum Decision Makers content is the following call to action: “We call on curriculum publishers and professional learning providers to create and promote products that are aligned with the science of reading and to eliminate non-aligned products from their offerings.” Unfortunately, some publishers continue to offer materials and professional development that claim to be aligned with the science of reading but are not.
Many states have mandated the use of high-quality instructional materials to be chosen from lists based on alignment to standards, useability, and often one other feature—outdated practices. Alignment with the science of reading was frequently not included in the development of these lists. While some have identified aligned practices within curricula, none identified non-aligned practices. As a result, many states adopt curricula featuring instructional practices that can inadvertently prevent students from developing proficient reading and writing skills.
To assist curriculum decision makers, The Reading League developed its Curriculum Evaluation Tool, later renamed Curriculum Evaluation Guidelines (CEGs) in 2022. The most recent update of the CEGs (February 2023) places red flag practices front and center in the review process to help decision makers steer clear of curricula featuring them.