Cobb County ESOL

Can Do Descriptor Tool (middle school)

Click here to download a copy of the WIDA Can Do Descriptor tool for middle school:

Download 6-8-can-dos-for-language-objectives

Can Do Descriptor Tool (high school)

Click here to download a copy of the WIDA Can Do Descriptor tool for high school: Download 9-12 Can Dos for Language Objectives

Strategies from WIDA

See the links below to download the handouts:

Content Reading Strategies & Activities: Download 60_Content-Reading-Strategies-Activities

30 Writing Activities: Download 30WritingActivities

Quizlet on Classroom Teaching Practices Supporting Academic Content: http://quizlet.com/_3p5gn

 

Can Do Descriptor Tool (elementary)

Stacey Abbott, AP at Belmont Hills Elementary School has shared the tool that she and her staff use to differentiate instruction and create language objectives. Click below to download:

1st - 2nd grade: Download 1-2 Language Objective BHES Plan

3rd - 5th grade: Download 3-5 Language Objective BHES Plan

ACCESS Tier Placement Video

Click here to watch a video from WIDA on determining ACCESS Tier placement of students.

WIDA member states

The WIDA Consortium now serves 27 states and the District of Columbia. See below for a map of the members. (It is important to note that Colorado, Nevada, and Utah have only adopted the WIDA standards and NOT the assessments.) Should a student enroll in Cobb County School District from one of the other states, please do NOT immediately assess the student, but contact the school in that state to obtain the W-APT, MODEL or ACCESS scores. For assistance in obtaining scores from other states and districts, please contact Carol Fussell via email.

 
States determine their own eligibility and exit criteria. For information regarding a state's criteria, go to the appropriate WIDA website and click on the state.

Introduction to WIDA English Proficiency Standards

The WIDA Consortium has provided an online tutorial overview of the WIDA English Proficiency Standards.

 

WIDA's English Language Proficiency Standards

There are five English Language Proficiency standards, which are then differentiated to encompass the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing

The five overarching ELP standards are:

 English Language Proficiency Standard 1:  English language learners communicate in English for SOCIAL AND INSTRUCTIONAL purposes within the school setting.

 

English Language Proficiency Standard 2:

English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of LANGUAGE ARTS.

 

English Language Proficiency Standard 3:

English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of MATHEMATICS.

 

English Language Proficiency Standard 4:

English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of SCIENCE.

 

English Language Proficiency Standard 5:

English language learners communicate information, ideas, and concepts necessary for academic success in the content area of SOCIAL STUDIES.

These five standards are further defined through over 800 distinct Model Performance Indicators. These Indicators (MPIs) are arranged into tables by Grade Level Cluster, Standard, Language Domain, and English Proficiency Level. Within each of the standards tables, the MPIs form a row, or linear strand. Each strand of indicators is presented in a developmental sequence across language proficiency levels.  As the student’s level of language proficiency increases, the Language Function of the MPI becomes more complex. For planning purposes, teachers can access the standards table arranged first by standard, or by language domain. During the preplanning Professional Learning Day all CCSD ESOL teachers received a copy of WIDA's English Language Proficiency Stantards and Resource Guide 2007 Edition. The State DOE has provided additional detailed information on working with the standards, including sample learning tasks, in the document “Working with the Standards.” 

Click here to download: Download Working with the WIDA ELP Standards

WIDA Standards - Instructional Videos and Handouts

Our ESOL colleagues in the Virginia Department of Education have developed some excellent instructional videos that explain the WIDA English Proficiency Standards. Each video shows a Virginia educator demonstrating activities that can be used to teach the WIDA standards. The handouts for the activities demonstrated in the videos are also included! Click here to access these videos and handouts.

Can Do Descriptors - Research and Suggestions for use

WIDA, in collaboration with the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL), underwent a multi-step
process from November 2007 through August 2008 to maximize the involvement of educators
across Consortium states to develop the new grade level cluster Can Do Descriptors. The primary intent of this project was to validate a series of CAN DO Descriptors as a means of confirming the meaning of the WIDA English language proficiency levels and language domains. The information, used in conjunction with an analysis of data from the ACCESS for ELLs®, and the WIDA English language proficiency standards
provides a fuller understanding of the construct of academic language proficiency.  
Click here to download a copy of the Research Brief:  Download Research_Brief

The brief includes the following list of suggestions of use for teachers:

• share with classroom teachers as a way to describe or explain the stages of English
language development using concrete examples;
• work with content teachers to show language may be integrated within a given discipline or
content area; 
• use to plan with tutors or mentors who work with English language learners;
• develop or co-develop lessons with differentiated language objectives;
• set language goals with their English language learners;
• explain students’ progress in listening, speaking, reading and writing to parents/ family
members;
• suggest language goals to be incorporated into Individual Education Programs (IEPs) for
English language learners with diagnosed disabilities;
• translate English language proficiency test scores (i.e., ACCESS for ELLs®, the W-APT™,
WIDA MODEL™) into instructional practice;
• observe and note levels of student performance as a precursor to using WIDA Speaking
and Writing rubrics for formative assessment;
• advocate on behalf of English language learners to show what they CAN DO.

The brief also includes the following list of suggestions of use for school leaders:

• share with community leaders, organizations, and Boards of Education;
• explain English language proficiency data (i.e., the results from ACCESS for ELLs®, the 
W-APT™, or WIDA MODEL™);
• set school improvement goals;
• work with school or district committees;
• provide resource teachers within a school or district, such as Title I or literacy coaches,
additional information on English language learners.

NEW!: WIDA's Can Do Descriptors by Grade Level Clusters

 

ESOL teachers and regular ed teachers have found the Can Do Descriptors to be the best tool for assisting in the differentiation of instruction in the classroom for ELLs and now WIDA recently released the Can Do Descriptors by grade level clusters! Check them out!

PreK - K Can Do Descriptors: Download PreK-K CAN DOs
1 - 2 Can Do Descriptors: Download 1-2 CAN DOs
3 - 5 Can Do Descriptors: Download 3-5 CAN DOs
6 - 8 Can Do Descriptors: Download 6-8 CAN DOs
9 - 12 Can Do Descriptors: Download 9-12 CAN DOs

WIDA Resource Guide

WIDA has recently developed a resource guide which provides model performance indicators and can do descriptors. Click here to download a copy of this resource guide: Download Resource_Guide_web.pdf

See below an example from the Resource Guide:

Figure 5A: The Relationship among WIDA’s Strands of model Performance Indicators, ELP Standards, CAN DO descriptors and Performance definitions

There are three ways of framing the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPs)...through Performance Definitions, CAN DO Descriptors and the strands of Model Performance Indicators (MPIs). Each of these is delineated by the ELP levels.

Each of these resources build upon one another. As shown in Figure 5A, the Performance Definitions are the most global (representing the base of the pyramid) with criteria that reflect the general characteristics of ELLs from Kindergarten through grade 12 for each proficiency level. The CAN DO Descriptors build upon the Performance Definitions by describing what students can do at each proficiency level by domain but do not distinguish among students in different grade levels. While not part of the standards’ matrices, these two resources are essential foundations to understanding and using the five proficiency levels exemplified in the MPIs. 

The MPIs are the building blocks of the standards’ matrices. Like the Performance Definitions, their strands are assembled according to the progressive levels of English language proficiency. Along with the CAN DO Descriptors, they are divided into the four domains, but they are also structured around example topics and genres by grade level cluster. Thus, they are the most detailed representations of the ELP standards.

Figure 5A above shows the relationship between the Performance Definitions, the CAN DO Descriptors, the ELP standards and the strands of MPIs. The resources in the lowest levels of the pyramid contain the broadest definitions of the levels of English language proficiency, narrowing to their most specific representation at the top.

WIDA Standards 2007

The WIDA Standards are the operational standards for ESOL this year. These standards are not yet available in PICASSO for Cobb teachers. For all sheltered content classes, teachers should use the grade level content standards and align the WIDA standards accordingly.

The 2007 version of the WIDA Standards preK - 12: Download prek12_f_s_standards1.doc

The WIDA Standards preK - 5(includes formative and summative framework): Download prek5_standards_web.pdf

The WIDA Standards 6 - 12 (includes formaive and summative framework): Download 612_standards_web.pdf

WIDA/ACCESS Standards forms

These are blank forms for you to allign the GPS standards with the WIDA/ACCESS standards and the daily activities you do with your students. Instead of creating a separate Picasso entry for ESOL we want to start attaching ESOL standards and activites to existing content area Picasso entries.

There are three separate documents for each grade level cluster: 1) An at-a-glance overview of all WIDA standards for each grade level cluster and proficiency level--ideal for sharing with classroom teachers so they can understand the abilities of different students at different levels 2) A spreadsheet of all WIDA standards with a column for compatible GPS codes 3) A spreadsheet for WIDA standards, GPS standards, and accompanying activities.

K-2 Standards Documents:

Download wida_standards_at_a_glance_grades_k2.doc

Download wida_k2_standards_alignment.doc

Download wida_k2_standards_and_activities.doc

3-5 Standards Documents:

Download wida_standards_at_a_glance_grades_35.doc

Download wida_grades_35_standards_alignment.doc

Download wida_grades_35_standards_and_activities_template.doc

6-8 Standards Documents:

Download wida_standards_68_at_a_glance.doc

Download wida_grades_68_gps_standards_alignment.doc

Download wida_grades_68_gps_standards_and_activities.doc

9-12 Standards Documents:

Download wida_standards_912_at_a_glance.doc

Download wida_grades_912_gps_standards_alignment.doc

Download wida_grades_912_gps_standards_and_activities.doc