Equitable Learning Opportunities For English Language Learners in Mainstream Content Area Classrooms: A Professional Development Resource for Scaffolds and Supports at the Secondary Level

Noble, Stephanie (2020). Equitable Learning Opportunities for English Language Learners WIDA Levels One Through Three in Mainstream Content Area Classrooms: A Professional Development Resource for Scaffolds and Supports at the Secondary Level. While the number of English Language Learners (ELLs) continues to rise among our schools, it is imperative that mainstream classroom teachers are equipped with the tools necessary to help scaffold instruction and support these students throughout the learning process. By doing so, they are providing these diverse learners with more equitable learning opportunities accessing the content standards and meeting the needs of their specific language proficiency level. The guiding question address in this project was: how can we help ensure that English Language Learners (WIDA Levels 1-3) in grades nine through twelve are maximizing their learning potential and are being provided with equitable learning opportunities within the mainstream content area classrooms? This Capstone project is a professional development website for mainstream content area teachers, specifically at the secondary level. This project seeks to empower mainstream teachers by providing them with research-based strategies to better instruct ELLs within their setting. Every student deserves an equitable, high-quality learning learning environment, and this project lays out a very intentional path to educating mainstream content area teachers on educational equity and best practices to accomplish this goal. Through understanding how to interpret and utilize data gained from WIDA, these research-based strategies will allow mainstream teachers to work towards creating equitable learning opportunities for every student. Additionally, the history of ELLs in the U.S. public education system and teacher misconceptions in regards to ELLs and second language learning will be explored. The outcome of this project is a website of resources that mainstream teachers can use to aid in supporting individual ELL needs and increasing equitable learning opportunities within the mainstream secondary classrooms. (269 words