Helping ELL Students in the ESSA Era

With the continued support of federal funding, Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) legislation has had significant implications for English Language Learners (ELL). States now have to establish an entrance and exit plan to move ELL students into the general education population.

Vocabulary is the cornerstone to establishing such plan. ELLs need exposure to both academic and social vocabulary to build word knowledge. Other considerations for ELL vocabulary instruction include:

An increase of multiple exposures to words A safe environment to practice where they won’t be judged Opportunities to hear, read, speak, write and play with words Corrective feedback while learning Engaging games and learning activities