and spoken texts (ELD.PI.9–12.12a). English learners
continue to express their views by using nuanced
modal expressions (ELD.PI.9–12.11b) and knowledge
of morphology to manipulate word forms (ELD.PI.9–
12.12b).
All students, especially ELs, benefit from a focus
on making choices about how to use language in their
writing for clarity, precision, and variety, adapting
their choices to be appropriate for the task, purpose,
and audience. As do all students, ELs in high school
work their way towards fluency and proficiency in
English by becoming increasingly conscious about
how and why they manipulate language. In other
words, they deliberately employ complex language
structures in order to synthesize ideas and information,
communicate different levels of generality, and make
logical relationships clear. Supporting ELs to develop
this metalinguistic awareness, with which they become more conscious of how English works and
deliberate about the language choices they make, enhances students’ comprehension of texts and
provides them with options for speaking and writing. It also conveys to students that grammar is not
a set of rules but rather a resource for making meaning with an endless constellation of language
choices that are available to them.
Writing is of crucial importance in college and career readiness. In the 2002 study Academic
Literacy: A Statement of Expected Competencies of Students Entering California’s Public Colleges and
Universities (ICAS 2002), college faculty assert that incoming students must be able to demonstrate
clear thinking through clear writing; writing is routinely assigned “to help students engage critically
and thoughtfully in course readings, to demonstrate what students understand from lectures, to
structure and guide their inquiry, to encourage independent thinking, and to invite students into
the ongoing intellectual dialogue that characterizes higher education. Writing in college is designed
to deepen and extend discourse in the pursuit of knowledge” (5). Echoing these views of writing,
the Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing states “[t]he ability to write well is basic to
student success in college and beyond. Students
can become better writers when they have
multiple opportunities to write in classes across
the curriculum throughout their education—from
elementary school through university” (CWPA,
NCTE, and NWP 2011, 2).
Writing is important for all students, not only for
those who are headed off to college immediately
after graduation. For example, as part of the
application process for the California Highway
Patrol, candidates must take an exam that consists
of both a multiple choice section that measures
specific elements of writing, and an essay that
is graded on a familiar six-point rubric; in other
words, to become a member of the highway
patrol, applicants must be able to write clearly
(Gallagher 2011). The National Commission on
Writing (2004) reports that “eighty percent or more
As do all students, ELs in high
school work their way towards
fluency and proficiency in
English by becoming increasingly
conscious about how and why they
manipulate language. In other
words, they deliberately employ
complex language structures
in order to synthesize ideas
and information, communicate
different levels of generality, and
make logical relationships clear.Writing is of crucial importance in
college and career readiness.... college
faculty assert that incoming students
must be able to demonstrate clear
thinking through clear writing; writing
is routinely assigned “to help students
engage critically and thoughtfully in
course readings, to demonstrate what
students understand from lectures,
to structure and guide their inquiry,
to encourage independent thinking,
and to invite students into the ongoing
intellectual dialogue that characterizes
higher education... .”Grades 9 to 12 Chapter 7 | 687