Center for Applied Linguistics

CAL SIOP for Dual Language Programs: Developing Academic Language and Content in Two Languages
2024-12-02
December 2–5 and 9–10, 2024
Learn SIOP methods for meeting the three pillars of dual language education: bilingualism and biliteracy, high academic achievement, and sociocultural competence!
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Newcomers in Your School: Cultural Connections and Instructional Strategies
2024-12-03
December 3, 10, and 17, 2024
Learn effective strategies and activities to increase your newcomer students’ inclusion and learning in the classroom.
Please join CAL for this engaging and interactive three-day virtual institute providing practical resources for building a welcoming environment, both socially and instructionally, for all students.
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CAL SIOP Training of Trainers: Advanced Coaching Strategies
2025-01-09
January 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2025
Learn effective strategies for providing job-embedded support for teachers implementing the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) Model in your schools. Please join us for this engaging 2025 online version of our CAL SIOP TOT.
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Teaching Reading to Students Learning English: Direct Strategies
2025-01-22
January 22, 29, and February 5, 2025
Learn effective strategies and activities to develop English learners’ literacy skills as they develop language proficiency.
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Spanish-English Biliteracy Instruction: Advanced
2025-01-27
January 27–30 and February 3–4, 2025
Dig deep into the Spanish and English language systems and structures to promote students’ metalinguistic awareness ability and the use of their full linguistic repertoires!
This new institute is designed to help participants deepen their knowledge about similarities and differences between Spanish and English and enhance their biliteracy instruction and coaching in programs where content is delivered in Spanish and English, such as dual language and transitional bilingual education programs.
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NAELPA Conference Presentation—Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice
2025-02-19 14:40 - 17:00 UTC
Centering Multilingual Learners to Ensure Equity in Literacy Instruction: Integrating Research, Policy, and Practice

Date & Time: February 19, 2025 | 2:40 PM
Location: Techwood Room
Presenters:

Ester de Jong (University of Colorado-Denver)
Martha Hernandez (Californians Together)
Diep Nguyen (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Julie Sugarman (Migration Policy Institute)

Description:
“States and districts face challenges implementing literacy policies and programs that are appropriate and beneficial for multilingual learners. A panel will share their perspectives and efforts to bring attention to the impact of adopted policies and practices that marginalize MLs. They will describe the landscape of policymaking and implementation that impacts MLs. Panelists will also share research-based findings on culturally and linguistically appropriate literacy practices for MLs.”

NABE Conference Presentation-Federal Policy Perspectives on Multilingualism
2025-02-20 08:00 - 08:30
Federal Policy Perspectives on Multilingualism

Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 8:30 AM – 9:50 AM
Location: Inman RM
Presenters:

Amalia Chamorro (Director of Educational Policy Project/Unidos )
Diep Nguyen (CEO/President- CAL)
Andrea Senteno ( Regional Counsel/MALDEF).

Description:
“Join a special session with national partners of the Hispanic Education Coalition to hear about the state of affairs for bilingual education. Representatives from leading advocacy, research, and legal organizations will share insights during this time of transition and elevate strategies for how community stakeholders can prepare, protect and advance opportunities to ensure multilingualism for all.”

NABE Conference Presentation-Suporting General Education Educators Serving Multilingual Students Through Multifaceted Professional Development
2025-02-20 08:00 - 17:00
Supporting General Education Educators Serving Multilingual Students Through Multifaceted Professional Development
Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 2:20 PM
Location: Hanover E
Presenter(s):

Marybelle Marrero-Colón (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Research has shown that well-trained professionals improve the quality of education through continual refinement of best practices (Zepeda, 2013), yet teachers report feeling unprepared to meet the needs of their multilingual learners. For many, the only PD provided are single-session workshops/webinars. In addition, educator PD activities may consist of brief, episodic events on topics selected by administrators which are disconnected from authentic classroom contexts (Fairman, Smith, Pullen, Lebel, 2020). This workshop presents alternatives such as guided lesson design, lesson study, educator-led PLCs, peer mentoring, gamification, and hybrid co-planning. Participants will engage in group discussions, jigsaw activities, and planning activities.

NABE Conference 2025—Keeping Schools Safe for Learning: Advocating for Multilingual Learners' Right to Education
2025-02-20 08:00 - 17:00
Keeping Schools Safe for Learning: Advocating for Multilingual Learners’ Right to Education
Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 6:00–6:45 PM
Location: Regency V
Presenter(s):

Julie Sugarman (Migration Policy Institute)
Amalia Chamorro (UnidosUS)
Convener & Moderator: Diep Nguyen (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Across the country, educators and advocates are working to keep schools a safe space for learning for all students. This town hall-style conversation will focus on the constitutional and legal provisions that protect immigrant students’ rights to attend school safely. These rights serve as the foundation for safe zone declarations and educator guidance being developed in many U.S. schools and districts. In addition to featured speakers, educators from several states and districts will share how they have developed and communicated policies to create a safe, welcoming environment for students, families, and communities.

NABE Conference Presentation—Gamify Academic Language: Classic Games with a Twist
2025-02-20 13:20 - 14:10 | Atlanta, GA
Gamify Academic Language: Classic Games with a Twist

Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 1:20–2:10 PM
Location: Embassy A
Presenter: Maria Cieslak (CAL)
Description:
“Explore an innovative approach to learning on gamifying academic language through classic games with a twist. Experience how games like Tic Tac Toe, Uno, Dice, and Jenga can be transformed into powerful educational tools, enhancing language acquisition and multilingual education. This interactive session will provide practical strategies, live demonstrations, and hands-on activities designed to engage students and make learning both effective and fun. Ideal for educators, instructional designers, and educational leaders, you’ll leave equipped with creative ideas to enrich your teaching practices and boost student engagement. Join us and revolutionize your classroom!”

NABE Conference Presentation—Supporting General Education Educators Serving Multilingual Students Through Multifaceted Professional Development
2025-02-20 14:20
Supporting General Education Educators Serving Multilingual Students Through Multifaceted Professional Development

Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 2:20 PM
Location: Hanover E
Presenter(s):

Marybelle Marrero-Colón (CAL)
Kia Johnson (CAL)

Description:
“Research has shown that well-trained professionals improve the quality of education through continual refinement of best practices (Zepeda, 2013), yet teachers report feeling unprepared to meet the needs of their multilingual learners. For many, the only PD provided are single-session workshops/webinars. In addition, educator PD activities may consist of brief, episodic events on topics selected by administrators which are disconnected from authentic classroom contexts (Fairman, Smith, Pullen, Lebel, 2020). This workshop presents alternatives such as guided lesson design, lesson study, educator-led PLCs, peer-mentoring, gamification, and hybrid co-planning. Participants will engage in group discussions, jigsaw activities, and planning activities.”

NABE Conference Presentation—Co-designing Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory Activities with NC Educators
2025-02-20 14:20 - 15:10 | Atlanta, GA
Co-designing Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory Activities with NC Educators

Date & Time: February 20, 2025 | 2:20–3:10 PM
Presenter(s):

Keira Ballantyne (CAL)
Ivanna Mann Thrower Anderson (North Carolina Department of Public Instruction)

Description:
“The Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory (M2-Si) is an innovative formative tool for classroom educators to understand what their students know and can do in science, not just what they know and can do in science in English. In this presentation, we will describe the collaborative process of creating and pilot testing M2-Si activities with a cohort of G3-5 educators in dual and monolingual settings in North Carolina. We will share a revised rubric for infusing opportunities for multilingual and multimodal communication into classroom activities in science.”

NABE Conference Presentation—Emerging Horizons: Integrating Generative AI in Multilingual Education
2025-02-21 08:30 - 09:50 | Atlanta, GA
Emerging Horizons: Integrating Generative AI in Multilingual Education

Date & Time: February 21, 2025 | 8:30–9:50 AM
Location: Embassy B
Presenter: Maria Cieslak (CAL)
Description:
“Explore the transformative potential of integrating generative AI into multilingual education. Discover how cutting-edge AI technologies can enhance language learning experiences, promote cultural understanding, and personalize educational content. This session offers insights into practical applications and research findings at the intersection of AI and education. Engage in discussions on ethical considerations, implementation strategies, and future trends in educational technology. Ideal for educators, researchers, and technology enthusiasts looking to innovate and enrich language education through AI advancements. Join us to envision the future of learning in a dynamic, multicultural world.”

NABE Conference Presentation—Using Your Program Data for Self-Evaluation: A Simple Quantitative Method to Understand Inequity
2025-02-21 08:30 - 09:50 | Atlanta, GA
Using Your Program Data for Self-Evaluation: A Simple Quantitative Method to Understand Inequity

Date & Time: February 21, 2025 | 8:30–9:50 AM
Presenter: Keira Ballantyne (CAL)
Description:
“Quantitative analysis of program data can be daunting, but not all analysis types require specialized training. In this hands-on workshop, we will explore how you can use fractions to understand potential inequities in your dual language programs. This mathematically simple analysis is nevertheless extremely powerful in understanding inequities such as racial inequity, or over- or under-representation of students with disabilities in EL status. We will first explore some common patterns of inequitable representation, then work to understand how to apply these analyses to data. Participants will leave with easy-to-use self-evaluation tools that can be used in many diverse contexts.”

NABE Conference Presentation—Evidence-Based Compliance: Tools & Strategies for Collaborative Title III Data Collection
2025-02-22 08:00 | Atlanta, GA
Evidence-Based Compliance: Tools & Strategies for Collaborative Title III Data Collection

Date & Time: February 22, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Location: Hanover C
Presenter(s):

Kia Johnson (CAL)
Ashley Millet (CAL PD Consultant)

Description:
“This workshop aims to equip general education teachers, ESL teachers, and school/district administrators of multilingual learners with the tools and strategies needed to effectively collect data and evidence demonstrating compliance with Title III federal regulations. Participants will learn how to utilize Title III funding efficiently, collect programmatic evidence, and implement program evaluation processes to enhance multilingual education programs.”

NABE Conference Presentation—A Bridge Connecting Creativity & Writing Proficiency for English Learners
2025-02-22 08:00
A Bridge Connecting Creativity & Writing Proficiency for English Learners

Date & Time: February 22, 2025 | 8:00 AM
Location: Fairlie Room
Presenter: Marybelle Marrero-Colon (CAL)
Description:
“Writing as an academic process is both complex and multifaceted. It involves having the writer perform continuous problem-solving and decision-making activities. For second-language learners, the ability to write precisely and coherently is a major challenge. Playwriting techniques allow English learners to become both purposeful and authentic in their written communication; likewise, it lays the foundation for students to gain mastery in their English language development, as well as their cultural, social, and emotional progress. This workshop will focus on using playwriting as a technique to approach English writing development and will showcase classroom methods and samples of student work.”

Multilingual & English Learner Conference Presentation — How to Foster Spanish-English Bilingual Students' Metalinguistic Awareness
2025-02-26 13:00 - 16:00
How to Foster Spanish-English Bilingual Students’ Metalinguistic Awareness
Date & Time: February 26, 2025 | 1:00–4:00 PM
Presenter(s):

Igone Arteagoitia (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
This session will provide leaders with actionable strategies, tools, and inspiration to advance linguistic equity and create a lasting impact in their schools and districts.

Multilingual & English Learner Conference Presentation — Embracing Multilingual Learners' Linguistic and Cultural Assets to Enhance Learning and Promote Inclusivity
2025-02-27 08:20 - 09:20
Embracing Multilingual Learners’ Linguistic and Cultural Assets to Enhance Learning and Promote Inclusivity
Date & Time: February 27, 2025 | 8:20–9:20 AM
Presenter(s):

Igone Arteagoitia (Center for Applied Linguistic Description:
The United States, a nation of immigrants where nearly one in five students speaks a language other than English at home, has often failed to recognize the rich linguistic and cultural resources multilingual learners bring to schools. These learners are frequently viewed as challenges rather than valuable assets. This presentation will draw on empirical research demonstrating the cognitive, academic, and social benefits of multilingualism to challenge current educational policies that are predominantly informed by studies on English-speaking monolingual children. We will advocate for bilingualism and biliteracy as fundamental rights for multilingual learners and any student who pursues them. The presentation will also showcase examples of effective practices that honor and harness the full linguistic and cultural repertoires of multilingual learners to support their academic growth, promote equity, and create inclusive learning environments.

English Learners and Effective Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) Strategies
2025-03-03
March 3, 10, 24, and 31, 2025
Learn to distinguish between typical second language development and the needs of students who may demonstrate academic difficulties or possible disabilities and develop a proactive plan for effective classroom interventions to promote student success.
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Leading Dual Language Programs for Student Success
2025-03-10
March 10–13 and 17–18, 2025
Learn how to enhance or develop your dual language program based on the seven research-based strands of effective dual language education in the CAL publication Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education (Howard et al., 2018). Sign up with your leadership team and work collaboratively to make your dual language program the best it can be!
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TESOL Convention Presentation—Evidence-Based Compliance: Collaborative Tools and Strategies for Title III Data Collection
2025-03-19 11:30
Evidence-Based Compliance: Collaborative Tools and Strategies for Title III Data Collection
Date & Time: March 19, 2025 | 11:30 AM
Location: Long Beach, CA
Presenter(s):

Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Ashley Millet (Center for Applied Linguistics Consultant)
Description:
This workshop equips general education teachers, ESL teachers, and administrators of multilingual learners with the tools and strategies needed to effectively gather evidence demonstrating strong Title III programs. Participants learn how to implement program evaluation processes to enhance multilingual education programs supported by Title III funds.

TESOL Convention Presentation—Supporting General Education Educators Serving MLs Through Multifaceted PD
2025-03-21 11:30 - 11:45
Supporting General Education Educators Serving MLs Through Multifaceted PD
Date & Time: March 21, 2025 | 11:00–11:45 AM (Pacific Time)
Location: Room 103B, Long Beach Convention Center, TESOL, Long Beach, CA
Presenter(s):
Marybelle Marrero-Colon (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Kia Johnson (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
This session explores impactful PD alternatives for general educators of multilingual learners, addressing the need for continuous, classroom-connected learning (Fairman et al., 2020; Zepeda, 2013). Participants engage in collaborative activities and learn strategies like guided lesson design, educator-led professional learning communities, peer mentoring, and hybrid co-planning.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—A Descriptive Study of Students’ Multilingual and Multimodal Communication Practices in Elementary School Science
2025-03-22 08:35 - 09:05
A Descriptive Study of Students’ Multilingual and Multimodal Communication Practices in Elementary School Science
Date & Time: March 22, 2025 | 8:35–9:05 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):
Keira Ballantyne (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Caitlin Fine (Metropolitan State University of Denver)
Description:
The last decade has seen increasing interest in benefits that K–12 students gain from using their full linguistic repertoire in classrooms. Foundational theoretical work has established that multilingualism is a fluid and adaptive set of practices embedded in sociocultural interactions (García, 2009; García & Lin, 2016; Lopez et al. 2015). Scholars use the term translanguaging to describe the fluid linguistic practices of bilinguals (García, 2009; Otheguy, García & Reid, 2015; Wei & García, 2022) and also the pedagogical practices that support bilingual students’ full linguistic selves (e.g., Cenoz & Gorter, 2020; García, 2018; Seltzer & García, 2020).
This empirical study seeks to understand how children use their full linguistic repertoire and communicative resources to represent their understanding of elementary school science. Our study is a component part of developing and validating the Multilingual Multimodal Science Inventory (M2-Si), a formative assessment that supports educators in understanding what their students know and can do in science, not just what their students know and can do in science in English.
In collaboration with educators, the team developed 16 M2-Si classroom activities designed to support multilingual multimodal responses from participating students. The current study examines a large sample of student work produced in response to these activities (n=959).
Data comes from elementary school science classrooms across seven school districts in North Carolina. Classrooms include monolingual English and multilingual students, and dual language and monolingual instruction. Data were collected collaboratively by researchers and a cohort of eleven practicing classroom educators.
Our descriptive study seeks to understand the range of multilingual and multimodal practices that students leverage in scientific sense-making activities. We present a classification schema for the activities, descriptive statistics on the distribution of multilingual and multimodal response types, and detail on specific communicative practices observed in the dataset.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—K-16 World Language Program Articulation in the United States
2025-03-22 10:40
K-16 World Language Program Articulation in the United States
Date & Time: March 22, 2025 | 8:40 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):Jamie Morgan (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Rachel Myers (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Jenna Bushton (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Although articulation between the K–12 and post-secondary levels can bolster enrollment in post-secondary language courses and promote proficiency attainment for language learners (Strawbridge et al., 2019), more research is needed on best practices for building, sustaining, and advocating for effective K–16 world language program articulation.
This poster presents findings from the first year of a three-year research study to identify program models and practices that strengthen K–16 world language program articulation in the United States. This part of the study addresses the following research questions:

What is the landscape of K–16 world language program articulation in the United States?
What are higher education practices for crediting previous world language study?
What is the current state of world language enrollments in institutions of higher education?

To investigate these research questions, we conducted a literature review and gathered information from state, district, and individual school/institution web pages, examining existing articulation practices and policies within and across high schools, community colleges, and four-year institutions of higher education.
Findings presented in the poster will focus on higher education practices for recognizing and crediting previous world language study, collaborative agreements between schools/institutions, and the relationship between articulation and enrollment.
Presenters will discuss implications of the findings and how they can be used to overcome barriers to articulation, support diverse learners following non-traditional paths to language learning, and improve and expand instruction in world languages.
Strawbridge, T., Soneson, D., & Griffith, C. (2019). Lasting effects of pre‐university language exposure on undergraduate proficiency. Foreign Language Annals, 52(4), 776-797.

2025 AAAL Conference Presentations—Examining Status in Collaborative Teaching: How Conceptualizations of Language Influence Co-Teaching Hierarchies
2025-03-24 10:05 - 11:05
Examining Status in Collaborative Teaching: How Conceptualizations of Language Influence Co-Teaching Hierarchies
Date & Time: Monday, March 24, 2025 | 8:05–9:05 a.m.
Location: Windows Tower, Second Level
Presenter: Sarah Howard, CAL Intern

2025 AAAL Conference Presentation—Building Effective Heritage Language Programs: Training for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, and Families
2025-03-24 18:00 - 19:00
Building Effective Heritage Language Programs: Training for K-12 Teachers, Administrators, and Families
Date & Time: March 24, 2025 | 4:00–5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: AAAL, Denver, CO
Presenter(s):
Leslie Fink (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Jamie Morgan (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Description:
Experts agree that heritage language education should be provided in public schools (Potowski, 2021), but most heritage language learners in the U.S. are unable to access any form of education in their home languages in K–12 schools (Carreira, 2021), and there is limited guidance about how to start a K–12 heritage language program.
In this session, we will discuss a free, online self-access training program that will support teachers, administrators, and families in understanding best practices for and their roles in building and sustaining an effective K–12 heritage language program.
We will provide an overview of the findings from our initial research activities and share parts of the training program that were developed in the first year of this three-year project, as well as our plans for additional module and resource development.
This interactive roundtable will be designed to elicit feedback from attendees on the current state of and future plans for the training program. Presenters will invite attendees to share their experiences and perspectives on K–12 heritage language programs in U.S. public schools, with a focus on best practices for building and sustaining these programs. Information gathered will be used to improve the training program, which will in turn support the growth and development of research-based, high-quality heritage language programs.
Carreira, M. (2021). The vitality of Spanish as a heritage language in the United States. In S. Montrul & M. Polinsky (Eds.), The Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics (pp. 230-251). Cambridge University Press.
Potowski, K. (2021). Elementary school heritage language educational options and outcomes. In S. Montrul & M. Polinsky (Eds.), Cambridge Handbook of Heritage Languages and Linguistics (pp. 761-776). Cambridge University Press.

2025 AAAL Conference Colloquium—Dual Language Bilingual Education in Non-Dominant Partner Languages: Expanding the Research Base
2025-03-25 10:00 - 12:00
Dual Language Bilingual Education in Non-Dominant Partner Languages: Expanding the Research Base
Date & Time: March 25, 2025 | 8:00–10:00 a.m. Mountain Standard Time
Location: Silver, AAAL, Denver, CO
Organizer
Hina Ashraf, Georgetown University
Organizer
Lourdes Ortega, Georgetown University
Discussant
Ester de Jong, University of Colorado Denver
Discussant
Diep Nguyen, Center for Applied Linguistics
Author
Mahassen Ballouli, Arabic Immersion Magnet School of Houston
Author
Jayoung Choi, Kennesaw State University
Author
Vashti Wai Yu Lee, Michigan State University
Author
Alisha Nguyen, Lesley University
Description:
Dual language bilingual education (DLBE) pursues four primary goals: academic achievement, bilingualism and biliteracy, sociocultural competence, and critical consciousness (Freire, Alfaro, & de Jong, 2024; Howard et al., 2018). Based on the 2021 American Councils directory, approximately 80% of DLBE programs in the U.S. partner with Spanish. This trend reflects DLBE’s ties with civil rights movements of Latinx communities (Moore, 2024) and the demographic presence of Spanish speakers in the U.S. However, this focus has resulted in a research gap concerning non-dominant, and particularly non-European, partner languages (Morita-Mullaney, 2024). Increasingly diverse linguistic, cultural, and ethnic communities desire DLBE programs, and these communities inhabit different valences and histories in the U.S. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach to the four goals of DLBE will be impossiblein this diversified landscape. This colloquium foregrounds research on DLBE programs with 5 partner languages that are widely spoken globally but under-taught and under-researched in the U.S.: Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Urdu, and Vietnamese. Each DLBE context presents its own challenges to sustainability, points of tension around programmatic and equity goals, and opportunities for success. The Presenters focus on different dimensions of DBLE: (1) program success against all odds (Arabic), (2) learning to span complex research-practice boundaries for collaboration (Korean), (3) a teacher’s development of ideological clarity (Mandarin), (4) the evolving, emotion-imbued beliefs about biliteracy of six teachers (Urdu), and (5) power negotiations over linguistic justice among community leaders, educators, and district administrators (Vietnamese). The colloquium is organized as follows. After an introduction by the co-organizers, each presenter will do 15-minute presentations. Two senior DBLE scholars will be our discussants, each taking 10 minutes to synthesize lessons across presentations and theorize the unique value added—for research and for practice—of DLBE in non-dominant partner languages. We will conclude the session with 20 minutes of audience interaction.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation—Transforming Adult English Literacy Assessment: Introducing BEST Literacy 2.0
2025-03-31 15:00 - 16:10
Transforming Adult English Literacy Assessment: Introducing BEST Literacy 2.0
Date & Time: March 31, 2025 | 3:00–4:10 p.m. Central Time
Location: Sanger B, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Elyssa Sun (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Amya McKoy (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Anna Zilberberg (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Recent calls for increased rigor in adult education led to the release of revised National Reporting System (NRS) Educational Functioning Level (EFL) Descriptors for English as a Second Language (ESL). This prompted the development of a new generation of adult ESL assessments aligned with these standards. One such test is BEST Literacy 2.0, a print-based assessment that uses a variety of tasks to measure adult English language learners’ ability to read and write in English. Specifically crafted with modern adult learners in mind, BEST Literacy 2.0 has been approved for use by the U.S. Department of Education for NRS accountability reporting through July 13, 2030.
This presentation will first introduce the test design of BEST Literacy 2.0, followed by an overview of the rigorous test development and validations steps undertaken for BEST Literacy 2.0. Through sharing example items and tasks in an interactive activity, we will highlight the improvements and innovations in BEST Literacy 2.0. To better assist programs in this transitional phase, we will also share different training options available for BEST Literacy 2.0.
Join us to discover best practices for integrating BEST Literacy 2.0 into your program, from initial training to ongoing administration, to ensure a seamless transition.

COABE 2025 Conference Presentation—Effective Differentiation and Scaffolding Strategies for Your NRS Standards-Aligned Classroom
2025-04-01 12:50 - 14:00
Effective Differentiation and Scaffolding Strategies for Your NRS Standards-Aligned Classroom
Date & Time: April 1, 2025 | 12:50–2:00 p.m. Central Time
Location: Gaston A, COABE, Dallas, TX
Presenter(s):

Kate Moran (Center for Applied Linguistics)
Mathilda Reckford (Center for Applied Linguistics)

Description:
Aligned to OCTAE’s new NRS standards, this presentation equips adult English educators with practical strategies for effective differentiation and scaffolding in multi-level classrooms and is a preview of a self-paced online course available through the Center for Applied Linguistics.
Guidance will be provided on adapting and creating materials to meet the needs of learners from Beginning ESL Literacy to Advanced ESL while also promoting learning across all three NRS domains: interpretive, productive, and interactive.
Participants will explore three types of scaffolding (verbal, instructional, and procedural), learning how to implement, adapt, and gradually remove scaffolds in their lessons. Using NRS standards, the presentation will explore how to support students’ growth between levels, focusing on skills such as identifying main ideas, constructing claims, and participating in discussions appropriate to each level.
By the presentation’s end, participants will understand how to apply the principles of differentiation and scaffolding effectively to support language learning for adult English learners. Interested participants can engage with this topic at a deeper level by enrolling in the Scaffolding and Differentiation for Adult English Learners course available online through the Center for Applied Linguistics.
