English Language Learners

Instruction of English Language Learners (ELL) in SPPS is the shared responsibility of many, including ELL teachers, classroom or content teachers and specialists, and bilingual educational assistants. The current instructional model has shifted from focusing primarily on reading instruction to an explicit focus on academic language development within content areas. SPPS ELL programs are shaped by the language as action perspective and engage students in well supported, significant, and authentic activity that develop academic autonomy over time. Language as action complements the rigorous expectations laid out in the Common Core State Standards.