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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate understanding of the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards Framework and apply strategies for establishing grade-level-appropriate academic and language development goals and expectations for English learners at various levels of proficiency that are aligned with relevant student learning standards.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for designing appropriate and sustainable standards-based instruction and co-teaching instruction (e.g., co-teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate linguistic goals and expectations for English learners at various levels of proficiency.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for identifying and incorporating in lesson planning key academic and content-specific language needed for English learners at various levels of proficiency to engage successfully in grade-level content learning, including as part of specific lessons, curriculum units, projects, or activities and in co-teaching contexts, and for incorporating appropriate related scaffolds, visual aids, differentiation, and assessments as part of lesson planning.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for contextualizing content and vocabulary (e.g., through demonstrations; using realia and visual scaffolding such as illustrations and graphic organizers; relating to students' background knowledge) and modifying language without simplifying content (e.g., providing comprehensible input by repeating key concepts, breaking up long sentences, and/or paraphrasing) to make content-area lessons accessible to English learners.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for implementing appropriate and sustainable instruction and co-teaching instruction that leverage and validate English learners' funds of knowledge as assets and resources for making connections with and accessing grade-level content.
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable instruction and co-teaching instruction that promote English learners' use of their full linguistic repertoires (e.g., code-switching; translanguaging practices) to successfully engage in grade-level content learning, collaborative problem solving, and meaningful communication.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for selecting appropriate and sustainable materials, resources, and technologies that effectively promote English learners' access to standards-based and grade-level language and content learning.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for promoting English learners' engagement in self-directed language and content learning through the use of problem-solving and cognitive-learning skills (e.g., note-taking skills, organizational skills, study skills, research skills, test-taking skills) and strategies (e.g., categorizing words and concepts, integrating prior knowledge with new ideas, self-reflection and self-monitoring).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and effective scaffolding strategies, such as verbal scaffolding (e.g., prompting, questioning, elaborating), procedural scaffolding (e.g., explicit teaching, modeling), and metacognitive scaffolding (e.g., planning, regulating, evaluating), for promoting English learners' language and content learning and verifying comprehension.
- Apply knowledge of strategies for developing, scaffolding, and implementing a variety of ongoing classroom assessments and common assessments (e.g., formative, summative, self-assessments) that effectively and appropriately measure English learners' language development and academic progress.
- Apply knowledge of techniques for analyzing, interpreting, and synthesizing classroom assessment results to reflect on, inform, and make purposeful adjustments to language, literacy, and content instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency.
Sample Item:
Use the information below to answer the question that follows.
An EL teacher and a ninth-grade science teacher co-teach a science class that contains several English learners. The teachers design a focused journal activity for English learners to complete prior to viewing a content-related video. Following is an excerpt from the journal of an English learner at Level 3 (developing) of English reading and writing proficiency.
| Physics – Waves and Electromagnetic Radiation |
Focus Question 1:
Which energy sources in your homes use electromagnetic waves?
Focus Question(s) 2:
Which kind of wave has the highest frequency? Which kind of wave has the longest wavelength?
(radio waves, infrared waves, X-rays, visible light, ultraviolet light) |
Key Vocabulary:
wave, electromagnetic radiation, radio, light, microwave, electric field, magnetic field, frequency |
| Background Knowledge |
What I know about the focus questions and vocabulary:
I know about the energy it is like power like electric
wave: meaning "ondo" – like the water in the ocean where I go for swimming with my friends the last summer – big waves
microwave – like in the kitchen for cooking my breakfast on every Friday
micro means small – little waves I cant see
magnet
electricity
field – is like plants in a space – like where you plant the carrots
but don know electric or magnetic maybe like a fence to protec? |
| Prediction |
I think the video will be about:
how use we energy in the house and maybe for the fence for the field and the energy coming in waves and we cant see the waves |
The focused journal activity promotes English learners' engagement in self-directed learning primarily by:
- demonstrating how to take consistent and organized notes when exploring new topics.
- demonstrating the value of thinking about relevant language and content prior to exploring new topics.
- modeling how to separate and categorize new language and content they encounter when exploring new topics.
- providing them with strategies for increasing their motivation and lowering their anxiety prior to exploring new topics.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
B. The focused journal prompts students to engage with vocabulary and activate background knowledge relevant to the content they will be learning, as well as make predictions about what they will encounter in the video. These practices guide students to access and explore their individual funds of knowledge to apply them to new academic contexts, both in the scenario presented and in future situations.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of strategies for designing appropriate and sustainable standards-based instruction and co-instruction (e.g., co-teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate interpretive language development goals and expectations for English learners at various levels of proficiency.
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based methods (e.g., engaging students in close reading, including rereading; scaffolding access to texts for students reading below grade level; choosing academic and literary texts that reflect students' backgrounds and interests) and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency related to reading and constructing meaning from grade-level-appropriate literary and informational texts in English (e.g., determining the meaning of words and phrases, determining a central idea or theme, explaining how central ideas or themes are developed by supporting ideas or evidence, summarizing a text, analyzing and describing elements of fiction and nonfiction texts).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency related to listening and viewing skills (e.g., constructing meaning from oral presentations, determining a theme or central idea and how it is conveyed through particular details, determining the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations, integrating and evaluating information presented in various media and formats, delineating a speaker's argument and specific claims).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based strategies for promoting English learners' use of listening, reading, and viewing skills to gain understanding (e.g., focusing attention, observing, gaining and interpreting information, checking for understanding), conduct research, evaluate findings, and analyze and critique the arguments of others.
Sample Item:
Use the information below to answer the question that follows.
An EL teacher and a second-grade classroom teacher plan a collaborative learning activity in which small groups of students will solve a mathematics problem. The teachers review the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® and classroom performance data for an English learner in preparation for the activity. Below are excerpts of the data.
WIDA ACCESS® Performance
WIDA ACCESS® Performance
| Language Domain |
Proficiency Level Score |
| Listening |
3.4–Developing |
| Speaking |
2.6–Emerging |
| Reading |
1.5–Entering |
| Writing |
1.2–Entering |
Classroom Observation of Student Performance
Classroom Observation of Student Performance
| Speaking and Listening Learning Standards |
Rarely |
Occasionally |
Frequently |
| Follows agreed-upon rules for discussion. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Builds on others' talk in conversation by linking their comments to others' remarks. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Asks for clarification and further explanation as needed about topics under discussion. |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
| Produces appropriate language in order to provide requested detail or clarification |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
| Asks questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Recounts or describes key ideas from information presented orally or through other media |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
Based on the assessment data, the teachers can primarily anticipate that the student can perform which task during the learning activity?
- following steps described orally to solve problems
- critiquing the mathematical problem solving of others
- constructing arguments to explain how to solve problems
- comparing mathematical strategies presented during instruction
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. A student at Level 3 in English listening proficiency who exhibits the behaviors documented in the observation section of the assessment (e.g., recounting multiple ideas they have understood by listening) can be expected to comprehend multi-step instructions communicated orally.
Descriptive Statements:
- Apply knowledge of strategies for designing appropriate and sustainable standards-based instruction and co-instruction (e.g., co-teaching models) that build on assessment results and knowledge of students and that incorporate grade-level-appropriate expressive language development goals and expectations for English learners at various levels of proficiency.
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency related to speaking skills (e.g., preparing for and engaging effectively in a range of discussions on grade-level-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics; following rules for collegial discussions; constructing claims and supporting them with reasoning and evidence; making counterclaims; adapting language choices to purpose, task, and audience; using appropriate register to communicate, inform, explain, argue, or persuade in grade-level-appropriate speech).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency related to writing processes to produce texts for a variety of purposes in English (e.g., producing clear and coherent writing appropriate to task, purpose, and audience; constructing a claim about a variety of grade-level-appropriate complex topics; providing compelling and logically ordered evidence that effectively supports a claim; providing reasoning to explain how the evidence supports a claim; providing a concluding statement; acquiring and accurately using grade-level-appropriate general-academic and domain-specific words and phrases; writing narratives to develop experiences or events using effective techniques, details, and sequencing; using English structures to communicate context-specific messages, inform, explain, argue, or persuade; developing and strengthening the writing process; using technology to produce and publish writing).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable research-based methods and resources for differentiating and scaffolding instruction for English learners at various levels of proficiency related to producing written text-based responses and research-based writing from sources in English and other languages (e.g., developing personal, textual, and thematic connections within and across genres; conducting research projects to answer a question or solve a problem; gathering relevant information from multiple print and digital sources; using search terms effectively; drawing evidence from informational or literary texts to support reflection, analysis, and research; quoting or paraphrasing the data and conclusions of others using charts, diagrams, or other graphics; citing sources using a recognized standard format, such as APA or MLA).
- Apply knowledge of appropriate and sustainable strategies for creating multiple opportunities for English learners to engage in authentic and meaningful oral, written, and multimedia exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses; respond to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions; and analyze and critique the arguments of others.
Sample Item:
Use the information below to answer the question that follows.
An EL teacher and a second-grade classroom teacher plan a collaborative learning activity in which small groups of students will solve a mathematics problem. The teachers review the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® and classroom performance data for an English learner in preparation for the activity. Below are excerpts of the data.
WIDA ACCESS® Performance
WIDA ACCESS® Performance
| Language Domain |
Proficiency Level Score |
| Listening |
3.4–Developing |
| Speaking |
2.6–Emerging |
| Reading |
1.5–Entering |
| Writing |
1.2–Entering |
Classroom Observation of Student Performance
Classroom Observation of Student Performance
| Speaking and Listening Learning Standards |
Rarely |
Occasionally |
Frequently |
| Follows agreed-upon rules for discussion. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Builds on others' talk in conversation by linking their comments to others' remarks. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Asks for clarification and further explanation as needed about topics under discussion. |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
| Produces appropriate language in order to provide requested detail or clarification |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
| Asks questions about what a speaker says in order to gather additional information. |
blank |
✓check |
blank |
| Recounts or describes key ideas from information presented orally or through other media |
blank |
blank |
✓check |
Which instructional scaffold would most effectively promote the English learner's active engagement in the small-group discussion?
- providing compound sentence frames that encourage the student to elaborate on their thinking
- devising nonverbal response options and modeling how to use them to convey understanding of oral statements
- providing a written bank of the new vocabulary specific to the mathematical unit for the student to use as a reference
- creating a visual outline of the process for solving mathematical problems and modeling how to use relevant language
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. The student has demonstrated that they may benefit from more practice with following discussion norms, building on others' ideas, and asking for additional information from collaborators. A visual outline of the problem-solving process for the student to reference and modeling of specific language they can use to engage meaningfully in the process would be appropriate scaffolds for promoting their engagement in the small-group activity.
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