English Language Proficiency Standards Delving Deeper

The New ELP Standards

•  Guide both English language development and content teachers to fuel ELLs’ academic and language development

•  Support ELLs as they develop competence in the practices associated with English language arts (ELA) & literacy, mathematics, and science

•  Developed for grades K-12

•  Highlight a strategic set of language functions and language forms

New ELP Standards Shift the Focus

What language does a student

have?

What is a student able to do with

language within content areas?

ELP Standards 1 construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-

appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

2 participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

3 speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

4 construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

5 conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

6 analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

7 adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

9 create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text

10 make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

ELP Standards 1

construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

2 participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

3 speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

4 construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

5 conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

6 analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

7 adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

9 create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text

10 make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

Language functions

Language features or forms

Modalities Domains Corresponding ELP Standards

Receptive Listening and Reading

1 construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

Productive Speaking and Writing 3 speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

4 construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

7 adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

Interactive Listening, reading, speaking and writing

2 participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

5 conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

6 analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

Alternative Organization of the Standards

MP1. Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them

MP2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively

MP6. Attend to precision

MP7. Look for and make use of structure

MP8. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning

SP1. Ask questions and define problems

SP3. Plan and carry out investigations

SP4. Analyze and interpret data

SP6. Construct explanations and design solutions

EP4. Build and present knowledge through research by integrating, comparing, and synthesizing ideas from text

EP5. Build upon the ideas of others and articulate their own clearly when working collaboratively

EP6. Use English structures to communicate context specific messages

EP7*. Use

technology and digital media strategically and capably

MP5. Use appropriate tools strategically

SP8. Obtain,

evaluate, and communicate

information

EP2. Produce clear and coherent writing

in which the development, organization,

and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience

SP2. Develop and use models

MP4. Model with mathematics

SP5. Use mathematics and computational thinking

EP1. Support analysis of a range of grade-level complex texts with evidence

MP3 and EP3. Construct viable and valid arguments from evidence and critique reasoning of others

SP7. Engage in argument from evidence

Relationships and Convergences

EDUCATIONGRADUATE SCHOOL OF

Found in:1. CCSS for Mathematics (practices)2a. CCSS for ELA & Literacy (student capacity)2b. ELPD Framework (ELA “practices”)3. NGSS (science and engineering practices)

Notes: 1. MP1–MP8 represent CCSS

Mathematical Practices (p. 6–8).2. SP1–SP8 represent NGSS Science and

Engineering Practices.3. EP1–EP6 represent CCSS for ELA

“Practices” as defined by the ELPD Framework (p. 11).

4. EP7* represents CCSS for ELA student “capacity” (p. 7).

Suggested citation:Cheuk, T. (2013). Relationships and convergences among the mathematics, science, and ELA

practices. Refined version of diagram created by the Understanding Language Initiative for ELP Standards. Stanford, CA: Stanford University.

Proficiency Levels and Language Acquisition

As students progress to higher of levels of English language proficiency, they will employ more sophisticated and precise academic uses of language to: 

ELP Standards 1

construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

2 participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

3 speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

4 construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

5 conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

6 analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

7 adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

9 create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text

10 make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

Language functions

Language features or forms

Standard 1 Construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

•  Focuses on constructing meaning rather than determining meaning

•  Involves texts of varying complexity •  Example of a receptive language standard

Classroom Examples Students read a newspaper article and evaluate the author’s purpose Students listen and determine the tone of the speaker in a poem based on the word choice and figurative language used by the author.  

Standard 2 Participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

•  Focuses on exchanging and responding during discussion and the language used to convey ideas, information or analyses

•  Can be paired with other standards •  Can include both academic and social language that supports

development of content understanding/lesson objectives

Classroom Examples

Students communicate with each other for a purpose such as during a think-pair-share or fishbowl class discussion.  

Standard 3 Speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

•  Productive language •  Refers to both formal presentations as well as informal

classroom discourse •  Use language to summarize key ideas and to organize or

develop topics and experiences

Classroom Example Students read narrative fiction and write about the character development of the main character.

Standard 4 Construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

•  Takes place in the context of the construction of arguments •  An argument consists of a claim, reasoning or a justification,

and evidence •  Claims, reasoning, and evidence all require specific language

forms

Classroom Examples Students write a persuasive letter using a claim, reasoning or a justification, and supporting evidence. For early grades, students take a side on an issue and provide evidence and reasons for their opinion.

Standard 5 Conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

•  Interactive language •  Research includes both text as well as observation and

experiment (such as in science) •  Great example of how language is embedded in disciplinary

practices

Classroom Examples Students research using the internet to gather and evaluate evidence to understand and take a stand on a controversial topic. Students undertake scientific research of conducting and observing an experiment to explore a hypothesis.  

Standard 6

Analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

•  Interactive language •  Involves cognitive complexity and increased academic

language demands •  Extension of Standard 4

Classroom Example

Students participate in an oral debate and present two sides of a controversial issue.  

Standard 7 Adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

•  Language practices are socially constructed •  Students need to select precise language for the social and academic

context based on the environment, task, topic, or register •  Students should also consider other perspectives, disciplines, and

cultures when choosing precise language •  Teachers must explicitly teach language patterns and expectations

Classroom Examples

In a science lab, students ask questions to model the scientific method. A teacher provides sentence frames to foster academic discussions, e.g. I agree with _________. However, ____________.

Reflection Questions

1. Notice that many of these standards refer to grade-level appropriate skills, practices, and content.

–  What does grade-level appropriate mean to you? –  How can you make content and skills “grade-level appropriate” in your

class ? 2. How might you acknowledge and point out where it makes sense to pair up standards? Think about how the productive, receptive, and interactive modalities work together.

ELP Standards 1

construct meaning from oral presentations and literary and informational text through grade-appropriate listening, reading, and viewing

2 participate in grade-appropriate oral and written exchanges of information, ideas, and analyses, responding to peer, audience, or reader comments and questions

3 speak and write about grade-appropriate complex literary and informational texts and topics

4 construct grade-appropriate oral and written claims and support them with reasoning and evidence

5 conduct research and evaluate and communicate findings to answer questions or solve problems

6 analyze and critique the arguments of others orally and in writing

7 adapt language choices to purpose, task, and audience when speaking and writing

8 determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

9 create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text

10 make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

Language functions

Language features or forms

Standard 8 Determine the meaning of words and phrases in oral presentations and literary and informational text

•  Focuses on academic vocabulary development •  Words and phrases •  Vocabulary development should not occur in isolation, but

instead work to support the first seven standards

Classroom Examples Students pause during a read aloud and ask questions that help clarify understanding of new or difficult words. Students determine the meaning of a word or phrase using context clues during independent reading.  

Standard 9

Create clear and coherent grade-appropriate speech and text

•  Clear speech and text is understandable and message gets across effectively

•  Coherent speech and text follows logical and socially constructed organizational structure

•  Verbal language important as written language when the emphasis is on language for use

Classroom Example Students use appropriate organizational structure based on the content and purpose of informational writing.  

Standard 10 Make accurate use of standard English to communicate in grade-appropriate speech and writing

•  Focuses on accuracy of English language forms •  Examples include verbs conjunctions and phrases,

inflections, syntactical structures, etc. •  Developing proficiency in standard English should NOT

foreclose students from participating in rigorous academic and language tasks

Classroom Example Students begin to use appropriate tense, syntax, and sentence structure to communicate ideas.

Reflection Questions

1. How do the last three standards support the language functions of the first seven?

–  Specifically, how could you make connections between the language forms that are needed to accomplish language functions that are central to the first seven standards?

2.  Different disciplines use and require different discourse patterns. What is your role in helping students to become aware of these patterns and make choices about their use?