CHAPTER 4: Professional Development: Meeting the Needs of English Learners
Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District strives to meet the needs of all English learners and multilingual learn to guide students in realizing their full academic potential in addition to being valued members of our society. Data-driven instructional decisions to improve teaching and learning is a strong component of our academic and language programs. The overarching English Learner Roadmap principles guiding this chapter are:
PYLUSD utilizes the terms “English learners” and “Multilingual learners” strategically: English Learner (EL) is used when referring to obligations of Title III federal funding, while Multilingual learner is used when referring to the asset-based approach the district takes for language learners. PYLUSD embraces the position that the Multilingual learner designation provides recognition of students’ home languages as assets to their education while acknowledging that learning English is one particular aspect of their education.
Chapter 4: Professional Development - Meeting the Needs of English Learners and Multilingual Students:
- Professional Development & Resources- 2023-2024
The PYLUSD’s Office of Educational Services has created specific professional development (PD) opportunities focused on English learners for all district professionals including classified staff and paraeducators, counselors, teachers, and administrators.PYLUSD will continue to train our leaders and educators with sufficient intensity and duration, to impact EL achievement and ensure the effective implementation of research-based practices and strategies to support our EL and multilingual students.
Best practices for Multilingual learners have been outlined in CDE’s English Learner 2020-21 Program Instrument. The document identifies policies, procedures, and practices each LEA should implement to assure linguistic and academic success for all.
Our Educational Services staff will train site leaders and educators to support English learners in accessing core content through differentiation, scaffolding, and applying research-based strategies to the Universal Supports/Tier I curriculum.
All district PDs are developed under the following principles:
- All PYLUSD staff share responsibilities for Multilingual learners, including students who are English learners as well as ELs who receive special education services (dual-identified ELs.)
- Universal Supports/Tier I instruction includes Integrated ELD in all content areas and daily Designated ELD targeted specifically for English learners.
- Instructional decisions are based on formative and summative data in order to continuously monitor our ELs.
To guide our professional development, PYLUSD uses the CA EL Roadmap’s vision along with our district mission statement. In addition, the district bases professional development on the research-based social-cultural theory of learning. It approaches learning language as a social process that requires varying levels of support during interactions with peers, texts, and academic language in a variety of settings and contexts. PYLUSD believes that focusing professional development on holding high expectations and providing EL and multilingual students with the tools to utilize language as a resource for making meaning creates opportunities for ELs' ongoing success.
CA EL Roadmap Vision:
- English learners fully and meaningfully access and participate in a twenty-first-century education from early childhood through grade twelve that results in their attaining high levels of English proficiency, mastery of grade-level standards, and opportunities to develop proficiency in multiple languages.
PYLUSD Mission:
- We inspire all students through rigorous and relevant educational experiences that empower them to become responsible, ethical, and contributing citizens. We are committed to being a dynamic and supportive learning community that prepares each and every student for success now and in the future.
To realize the full academic and social potential of our Multilingual learners PYLUSD will engage in the following best practices which are based on the CA EL Roadmap Principles:
- Practice # 1 - Asset-Based: Recognize, value, and respond to the diverse assets and needs of Multilingual learners; AND
- Practice # 2 - Daily Designated ELD: Develop academic language proficiency in English while simultaneously mastering grade-level academic content in order to be active contributors; AND
- Practice # 3 - Integrated ELD: Integrate language development in all content areas to provide for equal participation and access to grade-level curriculum; AND
- Practice # 4 - Individualizing for the Whole Child: Monitor EL language and academic progress frequently to provide feedback and to refine instructional approaches using formative data.
Listed below are examples of professional development opportunities at both the district and site levels. These PDs provide administrators, educators, and para-professionals with the tools they need to differentiate instruction, scaffold content, and implement strategies that reflect the Best Practices listed above. In addition to these sessions, the Office of Educational Services works directly with site administrators to tailor professional development to meet the needs of English learners and multilingual students at their individual sites.
- Understanding the unique needs of English learners and multilingual students and strategies to meet them at their point of need.
- Monitoring English learner progress and providing feedback and interventions
- Focus on Best Practice#1 Asset-Based approach: Creating environments that value multilingualism as an asset within and beyond the school.
- Focus on Best Practice #2 Daily Designated ELD: Providing English learners with targeted and differentiated instruction to develop high levels of academic language proficiency and ensure adequate yearly progress.
- Focus on Best Practice #3 Integrated ELD: Building in universal and leveled supports that provide English learners and multilingual students with meaningful access to core content.
- Focus on Best Practice #4: Monitoring our English learners and multilingual students to identify needed interventions and program improvements.
In addition to these PDs, the Office of Educational Services works directly with site administrators to tailor professional development to meet the needs of English learners and multilingual students at their individual sites.
To ensure, that all core content educators will receive necessary ELD professional learning (including daily designated, integrated, differentiation, scaffolding, and other strategies). This process ensures teachers are able to receive the appropriate professional development to support all English learners.
- 2023-24 Publisher Professional Development
- Adopted English Language Development (ELD) Programs
For the 2023-2024 academic year, Placentia Yorba Linda Unified has adopted the following curricular resources for English Language Development:
TK-12 Teacher Resources:
In addition to state adopted curriculum, we have developed a site for teachers to access a variety of resources to support English Learners. The site is organized to support the
- CA ELD Standards
- ELPAC Resources
- Newcomer Resources
- ELL Strategy Library
- ELs & Special Education
- Reclassification
- EL Roadmap Resources
- Family Engagement
- Video Library
- Additional Resources: Supplemental Materials for Emerging/Newcomers