A New School Year, a Renewed Focus on Language

Welcome—or welcome back—to English Learner Portal! I’m Kelly, and I’m starting this blog to share more of the work I’m doing alongside educators, the questions we’re exploring, and what we’re learning along the way. I know many of us are working through similar topics, ideas, and challenges—and experiencing successes that others could learn from. My hope is that this blog opens up opportunities for collaboration and conversation, giving us a place to share what’s working, think through what’s difficult, and learn from one another.

This school year, my main areas of focus are the Functional Language Academy and coaching and professional development in two school districts. Much of my district work centers on middle schools, but the topics we’ll explore apply across grade levels. Wherever we teach, we need to think intentionally about how students develop language while learning content.

Our kickoff meetings have brought a few shared priorities into focus.

Making language development part of content instruction

We’re exploring practical language development strategies that content area teachers can use within the lessons they’re already teaching. That means identifying the language students need to explain their thinking, interpret a text, compare ideas, or support a claim—and planning opportunities to teach and practice that language.

Getting clear about proficiency and exit expectations

With English language development teachers, we’re digging into our rubrics and expectations for exiting English learner services. We want a shared understanding of what students need to demonstrate and how those expectations can guide daily instruction and feedback.

A particular focus is students who have remained in English learner services for several years without reaching exit criteria. We’re looking closely at their strengths, identifying the specific language skills they need to develop, and aligning instruction to help them move forward. That means being explicit and strategic about what we teach, how students practice, and how we recognize progress toward proficiency and exit.

Connecting reading, writing, vocabulary, and discourse

We’re also examining how close reading, writing, vocabulary development, and purposeful student discourse can work together in every content area. These practices give students opportunities to make sense of challenging ideas, develop their language, and communicate what they know.

Across the Functional Language Academy and my district partnerships, I’ll return to these priorities throughout the year, sharing reflections, practical examples, and questions that emerge from our work.

I hope this blog becomes a place for conversation, too. What are you thinking about? What are you trying in your classroom? What are you working on with your students or colleagues?

Stay tuned for regular reflections and ideas—and always feel free to send me what you’re thinking and what you’re working on. I’d love to learn alongside you.

—Kelly