English Language Development

Teachers who participate in effective collaboration with their peers benefit by improving their
knowledge and instructional practice, and they also have opportunities to exercise leadership and
share in decision-making at the grade, department, and school levels (and often at the district level).
Teachers in these settings are often able to pursue new paths for leadership beyond the traditional
administrative routes. The Center for Teaching Quality (as cited in Greatness by Design 2012) suggests
that rather than leave the classroom altogether, teachers should occupy new roles in which they split
their time between leadership and teaching. Three alternate tracks are proposed: a mentor teacher
track, a specialization track, and a hybrid teacher leader track. Opportunities for teachers to earn a
reading specialist credential, teacher librarian credential, reading/language arts added authorization,
or a Master’s degree in reading, English language development, English language arts, or library and
information science should be explored with local universities to support teachers who may wish to
pursue specialization.

The two snapshots that follow offer examples of promising approaches to professional learning
and collaboration. Snapshot 11.1 describes how a school might take initial steps to delve into this
ELA/ELD Framework in ways that enact the principles for effective professional learning and collegial
work discussed earlier in this chapter.

Snapshot 11.1. Using the ELA/ELD Framework as a

Resource for Site-Based Professional Learning

King Elementary School’s principal and teacher leaders (the leadership team) have been

preparing year-long professional learning on the ELA/ELD Framework for the school’s teachers

and paraprofessionals. Prior to providing the professional learning, the leadership team

participated in intensive professional learning on the ELA/ELD Framework so that they could

better understand how to implement the CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and CA ELD Standards

in tandem. In the first session they provided to their faculty, they presented an overview of

the framework and facilitated a conversation about how to begin integrating the vision and

principles of the framework into existing practice. Today, the teacher leaders are facilitating

collaborative conversations with their colleagues on the grade-span chapters, which all of the

teachers have read prior to the session. The grade-level teams were asked to take notes as

they were reading their grade-span chapters and to annotate the ELA and ELD vignettes in

their grade-level section. As they discuss the vignettes, the teachers share what they have

highlighted using the following questions:

• Which CA CCSS for ELA/Literacy and CA ELD standards are in action at different points
  in the vignettes?


• How are teachers collaborating with one another and with parents, administrators, and
  others?


• How are students interacting meaningfully with others and with content?


• How are students using language, and what types of new language are they
  developing?


• How does the teacher determine when students need additional support and how is the
  support provided?


• What is the role of content, and what is the role of language?


• How does this connect to your current practice?

Implementing Instruction Chapter 11 | 987