Implementing the Common Core for English Learners: Responses to Common Questions
This Practitioner Brief by the Center for Applied Linguistics (CAL) is written in response to the many questions encountered by the CAL staff about integrating the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) into content area curricula for English learners. The questions were raised by “English as a second language and bilingual teachers, who are charged with increasingly rigorous grade-level content instruction; by content area teachers, many of whom are newly incorporating language development techniques in their subject area classes; and by administrators, instructional support coaches, and other school staff working to integrate the CCSS into their educational practice” (p. 1). This brief focuses on the instructional considerations involved in helping English learners meet the CCSS.
This policy brief provides an excellent description of effective CCSS implementation for English language learners. Its practical suggestions for teaching and learning in alignment with the CCSS are appropriate for all students and imperative for English language learners in their journeys to become college and career ready.