The degree to which the use of sheltered instructional strategies in classrooms impact student access to common core content as a consequence of professional development

2015-04-24English language learners (ELLs) will be faced with the challenges of demonstrating proficiency on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) in the future. The purpose of this study was to explore the degree to which the use of Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (SIOP) instructional strategies in classrooms have an impact on student access to the Common Core content as a consequence of professional development. Two research questions were posed regarding (a) to what degree the use of SIOP instructional strategies in classrooms impacts student access to the core content as a consequence of professional development; and (b) what resources are required to provide teachers with effective implementation of SIOP professional development to support the transition to the CCSS. A comparative analysis on sheltered instruction (SI) strategies was conducted pre and post the implementation of the CCSS. The study population was 12 secondary teachers providing instruction to beginning to intermediate California English Language Development Test (CELDT)‐level students. The methodology included qualitative data from pre and post interviews and observations. This method allowed the assessment of how teachers were attending to the instructional strategies presented and how it impacted their teaching in the classroom. Instruments were 18 open‐ended interview questions and an observation protocol. Using triangulation through document analysis, interviews, and observations, contributed to the internal validity of this study. The following themes emerged: (a) lesson preparation, building background knowledge, and use of strategies were the most frequently utilized components of SIOP; (b) lesson preparation and building background knowledge were believed to foster increased student achievement; (c) group projects, written assignments, and class discussions were most frequently used to adjust classroom instruction, thereby improving access to the content; (d) goal setting for both teachers and students was seen as having an increased importance as they transitioned into the CCSS; (e) peer collaboration time, follow‐up professional developments, and materials and curriculum are essential; and (f) frequent professional developments are needed to implement SIOP with fidelity. Recommendations for further study are provided