Principal Investigator
Funding Agency
Overview
Purpose of the grant and support center: The Limited English Proficient Student Success Initiative Cycle 5 grant from TEA is intended to provide targeted support for secondary-level English language learners (ELLs) and their teachers. Eighty-five middle school and high school campuses that were eligible for the grant are implementing an instructional design that focuses on academic language, oral language development, and sheltered instruction.
The Texas Institute for the Acquisition of Language for Learning (TIALL) serves as a support center for the 26 districts and 85 grantee campuses. It collaborates with the schools and districts in the planning, implementation, and sustainability of effective, research-based instructional practices that meet the needs of ELLs.
The goal of the grant and the support center is to increase the academic achievement of ELLs, as demonstrated through improved scores on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills, growth in English language proficiency, and increased rates of credit accrual that lead to high school graduation. Additionally, it is TIALL’s goal to increase the number of teachers who are proficient in the competencies specific to the instruction and academic achievement of ELLs.
What we do: TIALL provides technical assistance and support that is customized to meet the needs of individual schools and districts. The practices used include planning the use of grant resources, developing and delivering professional development, using classroom observation to provide feedback, analyzing individual and group ELL data with schools to inform instructional decisions, and providing guidance on instructional design implementation and capacity building.
The support center also ensures that technical assistance is reinforced through the development and distribution of materials and other resources that are based on successful practices for ELLs. Their purpose is to make connections to and strengthen participants’ knowledge of the English Language Proficiency Standards and the College and Career Readiness Standards.
Timeline
2010–2012
Participants
85 middle and high school campuses
Sites
Secondary schools in Texas