Language Assistance Program Update
January 26, 2018
2018 WIDA ACCESS Testing
Making Reading Passages Comprehensible for English Learners
This article shares strategies and resources for teachers to help English Learners by building vocabulary, teaching background knowledge, and explaining how to navigate passages with difficult syntax.
Websites for Young Learners
It's important to use visuals to help English Language Learners understand. The websites are a great way to offer multi-modal input to students:
Learn the Alphabet website allows students to select a letter to view a two-minute video about that letter and its sound. The video shows photos of items as well as the words.
The Wordsmyth interactive dictionary is very student-friendly and has a lot of interesting features for young learners.
Reading Bear online phonics-based reading lessons from WatchKnowLearn.org uses videos to teach beginning reading concepts.
Oxford Owl offers over 200 free ebooks for students ages 3 to 11.
Scholastic.com offers 15 free nonfiction read-along ebooks.
Diversity Law Day at IU School of Business
Enrolling New Students
When you enroll a new potential English learner, please follow the below steps to find out if that student is a former ELL, needs testing, or should be monitored.
Check the cum folder/information from previous schools to see if there is any record of testing.
Check the STN site to see what Indiana schools, if any, the student attended and if they have or have ever had an LM report.
Check for information about the student on the Learning Connection.
If you still are unsure about the student’s status, contact the last school the child attended and ask to speak to an ESL teacher/staff member.
Following these steps is critical when it comes to ensuring that you have data for new students during the WIDA ACCESS testing window.