CHANGE PRACTICE TO CHANGE PERCEPTION ON HOW ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS ATTAIN PROFICIENCY

This study’s purpose is to change practitioners and administrators’ understanding, knowledge, practice, and biases (perception) of how ELLs acquire a second language so that there won’t be any unnecessary referrals to interventions or misidentification. I want to show how focused and target best practices of second language development/acquisition in Tier 1 instruction, when connected to three change strategies (Think-Pair-Share, Frayer-Model, ELL Shadowing Protocol for oral language practice), can convince practitioners and administrators that ELLs are capable to learn a second language. This study will show how ELLs need to be given equitable opportunities to acquire a second language through three change strategies. It all starts with changing the knowledge, perception, and practice of practitioners that directly impact ELLs.

The problem of practice that this study addresses is that too many ELLs are being referred to Tier 2 and Tier 3 English Language Arts (ELA) interventions and to special education services (RSP; Alternative Placement) unnecessarily because of gaps in Tier 1 instruction in ELA, particularly in oral language development. When the process of referring occurs, it can be mitigated by looking at where Tier 1 instruction is in our practice first, to measure the level of quality so that there won’t be any unnecessary referrals to interventions that can potentially lead to misidentification. This study focuses on impacting the process of referrals before they start (at the Tier 1 instruction level in ELA). It can be a leverage to stop unnecessary referrals and misidentification.