States Get Support for ELLs
English Language Learners (ELLs) are not a monolithic group, and meeting the needs of each student is challenging. The World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) Consortium involves 27 States and the District of Columbia working to meet NCLB instructional and assessment requirements.ELL Students Benefit from Formative Assessments
The WIDA Consortium (World Class Design and Assessment) helps educators and administrators teach and monitor the progress of ELL students. Now supporting a consortium of 27 states, WIDA designs and helps implement curriculum and assessments for ELL students of all kinds, including those with learning disabilities.
One area of assessment—formative assessment—has recently grown in importance. Formative assessment occurs regularly during the school year and helps teachers and students monitor learning progress. Formative assessments help teachers identify where students are, and where they need to be, relative to learning goals. Teachers and students then address these gaps. Learning to Speak the Language
Federal accountability provisions require states to establish accountability systems for English language programs in school districts that support English Learner students. Gary Cook and colleagues wrote a federal report that illustrates several methods state policymakers, standard-setting panels, and technical advisory panels can use to do this kind of work. Learning to Speak the Language
Federal accountability provisions require states to establish accountability systems for English language programs in school districts that support English Learner students. Gary Cook and colleagues wrote a federal report that illustrates several methods state policymakers, standard-setting panels, and technical advisory panels can use to do this kind of work. Cultural Brokering Stresses Students, Families
When moving to a new country, families often need help navigating the culture and language. Through their experiences in school and making new friends, children usually learn the language and adjust to the culture more quickly than their parents. As a result, in immigrant families, children often act as translators and interpreters during phone calls and daily conversations.
The acts of translating and interpreting may actually help students academically. However, the responsibilities of translating and interpreting for adults can create stress for children and also lead to tension among family members which can, under certain conditions, lower children’s performance in school. | 
