Helping Educators Work Effectively with English Language Learners
Foundational Research on the SIOP Model
The SIOP Model was developed in a national research project sponsored by the Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence (CREDE), a national research center funded by the U.S. Department of Education from 1996 through 2003 to assist the nation’s population of diverse students, including those at risk of educational failure, to achieve academic excellence.
One of the goals of CREDE was to develop an explicit model of sheltered instruction. When the research began, sheltered instruction was widely advocated as an effective instructional strategy for language minority students, but there was little agreement among practitioners as to what constitutes an effective sheltered lesson.
Through literature review and with the collaboration of practicing teachers, researchers at California State University, Long Beach (Jana Echevarria and Mary Ellen Vogt), and the Center for Applied Linguistics (Deborah J. Short) identified instructional features of high-quality sheltered lessons. The model was refined over several years of field testing.
Early research found the SIOP Model to be effective with English
Language Learners (ELLs) as measured by narrative and expository
writing assessments. CAL is currently conducting further
research in schools by facilitating professional
development on the SIOP
Model and examining the effects of SIOP-based instruction
on
student achievement in core content areas and in English
language development.
| Visit the CREDE project page for more information and to review selected research findings. |
