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Researchers work with middle school teachers to identify key practices for sheltered instruction and to develop a professional development model that enables more teachers to use sheltered instruction effectively in their classrooms. Sheltered instruction, where teachers use specific strategies to teach a specific content area (e.g., social studies or math) in ways comprehensible to the students while promoting their English language development, has become a common instructional approach for language minority students at the secondary level, particularly as schools prepare students to achieve high standards. This project will be conducted for 7 years (1996-2003) by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE). Funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement and based at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the Center's mission is to assist the nation's population of diverse students, including those at risk of educational failure, to achieve academic excellence.
Although sheltered instruction is widely advocated as an effective instructional strategy for language minority students, there is little agreement among practitioners as to what constitutes an effective sheltered lesson. This project's goals are to: 1) develop an explicit model of sheltered instruction; 2) use that model in four large urban districts to train teachers in effective sheltered strategies; and 3) conduct field experiments and collect data to evaluate teacher change as well as the effects of sheltered instruction on LEP students' English language development and content knowledge.
Major Research QuestionsSelected Findings from the CREDE SIOP Research ProjectThe research questions posed by this project are:
- What are the characteristics of sheltered instruction, and how does it differ from high-quality non-sheltered instruction?
- What are the characteristics of an effective professional development program for implementing quality sheltered instruction to a high degree?
- Does sheltered instruction improve the achievement of LEP students in content areas such as social studies?
- Are there significant differences in achievement data (reading scores, writing samples, attendance) for students of project teachers versus students in sheltered classes whose teachers have not received CREDE training?
In the first 2 years of the project we identified, based on literature review and classroom research, effective teaching strategies involved in sheltered instruction and developed a model of sheltered instruction that utilizes the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP). From 1997-2000, we worked with teachers through collaborative inquiry and video-based research to conduct sheltered lessons, and train them to implement the professional development model. Several of the teachers were also trained as trainers, thus building capacity within the school systems.
Jana Echevarria, CSULB & Deborah Short, CAL, © 2001
- After 5 years of collaboration with practicing teachers, CREDE researchers developed a model of high quality sheltered instruction, known as the SIOP model. This model takes into account the special language development needs of English language learners which distinguishes it from high quality non-sheltered teaching. For specific details about the model, see Making Content Comprehensible for English Language Learners: The SIOP Model (Echevarria, Vogt, & Short, 2000).
- After several years of field-testing the SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol), a study was conducted to establish the validity and reliability of the instrument (Guarino, Echevarria, Short, Schick, Forbes, & Rueda, 2001). Findings indicated that the SIOP is a highly reliable and valid measure of sheltered instruction/SDAIE.
- 1997-98: Researchers compared ELL students in classes whose teachers had been trained in implementing the SIOP to a high degree to a control group (taught by teachers not trained in the SIOP Model) using a prompt that required narrative writing. They scored the prompt using the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) rubric. The ELL students in classes whose teachers had been trained in implementing the SIOP to a high degree demonstrated significantly higher writing scores than the control group.
- 1998-99: Researchers compared ELL students in classes whose teachers had been trained in implementing the SIOP to a high degree to a control group (taught by teachers not trained in the SIOP Model) using a prompt that required expository writing. They scored the prompt using the Illinois Measure of Annual Growth in English (IMAGE) rubric. ELL students in classes whose teachers had been trained in implementing the SIOP to a high degree out-performed control students. See results below.
1998-99 Writing Results
Rubric Component Language Production
(sd)Focus
(sd)Support/Elaboration
(sd)Organization
(sd)Mechanics
(sd)Average
(sd)Gain
(sd)SIOP Pre
(n=241)2.6500
(.7778)2.8075
(.8676)2.6515
(.7819)2.7718
(.9627)2.7220
(.8765)2.706
(.700)
SIOP Post
(n=241)3.2208
(.7850)3.3013
(.9751)3.2573
(.7247)3.3154
(.7800)3.2822
(.8728)3.277
(.664).571
Control Pre
(n=77)2.7662
(.7762)3.0130
(.8810)2.8312
(.6959)3.1558
(.9186)2.8442
(.8594)2.922
(.674)
Control Post
(n=77)3.0909
(.7288)3.1688
(.9376)3.1818
(.8067)3.2078
(.7134)3.1688
(.9376)3.164
(.691).242
SIOP N Mean Standard Deviation GAIN Control 78 .241 .4945 Treatment 246 .5711 .6512
- Special education students made significant improvement overall in their writing, both narrative and expository. See results below.
1998-99 Writing Results for Special Education Students
Rubric Component Language Production
(sd)Focus Support/Elaboration Organization Mechanics Average Pre 2.2500
(1.0351)2.1250
(.6409)2.3750
(.9161)2.2500
(.7071)2.0000
(.7559)2.200
(.650)Post 2.7500
(.8864)2.6250
(.9161)2.7500
(.7071)2.6250
(.5175)2.5000
(.9258)2.625
(.682)Significance .033 .227 .080 .197 .033 .010
- Though professional development is a complex and multifaceted endeavor, the SIOP is an effective tool for improving teachers' instructional practice. (See ERIC Digest.) A professional development program has been designed for teacher educators and staff developers. (See product section below.)
Implications for Teaching and Research
- The SIOP is a valuable instrument that promotes reflective teaching for those working with English language learners at all levels.
- For teachers of English-only students, the SIOP facilitates reflection and self-evaluation about teaching. Some of the areas the teachers have self-identified as needing improvement are language and content objectives, grouping, vocabulary development, comprehension strategies, and pacing.
- For classroom teachers of English language learners, peer analysis, collaboration, and support greatly enhance the implementation of SIOP indicators.
- For reading teachers and specialists who are expected to work on language and reading development with English language learners, the SIOP is an effective tool for lesson planning, self-evaluation, and coaching other teachers.
- Further study is warranted on (1) the connection between diagnostic teaching, standards-based teaching, and the SIOP; and (2) the impact of the SIOP on other areas of student achievement.
References
Guarino, A. J., Echevarria, J., Short, D., Schick, J. E., Forbes, S., & Rueda, R. (2001). The sheltered instruction observation protocol. Journal of Research in Education, 11(1).
Echevarria, J., Vogt, M. E., & Short, D. (2004). Making content comprehensible for English learners: The SIOP model. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
For more information, contact:
Jana Echevarria
California State University, Long Beach
(562) 985-5759
Deborah Short
Center for Applied Linguistics
(202) 362-0700
