Mountain BOCES

Module 1
The English Learners module serves as an introduction to, and clarification of, the students who are generally referred to
as English Learners or English Language Learners. Various descriptions and definitions, including those provided by
WIDA, NCTE, Education Week, etc., provide the student with pertinent knowledge of the varying terminology used to
describe EL's and their programs. Further, students will "get to know" some actual EL's and learn how they describe
themselves. Emphasis is placed on the diversity of cultures and language backgrounds of the EL's and their families.
Finally, teachers will research and write a summary of the English learners in their own schools and the terminology their
schools use to describe both students and programming. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete
and is intended to be the first of 18 five-hour modules.
Module 2
The Immigrant, Migrant and Refugee Populations module will orient teachers to immigration issues worldwide, in the
United States, in Colorado, and over time. Teachers will develop a knowledge base about the history of immigration in
the United States while learning about the various ways in which the families of their English learners come to their
schools. By the end of the module, teachers will have developed a standard vocabulary for describing the different forms
of immigration, and they will summarize what they have learned. In addition, they will begin to plan ways of reaching
their English learners in their own classes. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended
to be the second of 18 five-hour modules.
Module 3
The English Learners and the Law module will provide teachers with a robust background on the laws affecting English
learners, their families, and their schools. Teachers will develop a knowledge base and create a timeline of the passage
of legislation and various court cases leading up to the present day rules governing the instruction of EL’s. They will
develop an understanding of general protected class status, and how the federal and state departments of education
inform their practice. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the third of 18
five-hour modules.

Module 4

The Accountability module focuses on how the federal, state and district governing agencies make determinations about
and ensure the effectiveness of programs, by gathering individual and sub-group level data. Experience looking at
comparison data at all levels will provide teachers with important information on the achievement and growth of English
learners both as a sub-group of identified students as well as the achievement gap that may persist between EL’s and
regular education students. Teachers will become familiar with state and federal level guidelines on identification,
placement, re-designation and other practices and procedures intended to provide accountability for the English
learners. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the fourth of 18 five-hour
modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 5
The Language Acquisition module will provide teachers with a very cursory introduction to the basics of first and second
language acquisition theory and much of the terminology used to describe all that goes into working with learners who
are acquiring English as their second/next language. In addition, the module explores the concept of developing
bilingualism. The main goal of the module is to help teachers develop an understanding of how their own students are
acquiring English, and thus be able to help them appropriately as they develop both language and content proficiency.
This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the fifth of 18 five-hour modules in
this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 6
The Programming for English Learners module will explore the federal and state level rules, regulations and guidelines
for the programming that English learners are typically offered in the schools. In addition, teachers will learn about the
most common similarities and differences of US and Mexico schools, including leveling, curriculum, and grading.
Teachers will consider how they can apply their new “big picture” understanding to teaching the students in their
classrooms. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the sixth of 18 five-hour
modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 7
The Cultural Awareness module will provide teachers with a basic understanding of the elements of cultural competence,
including the difference between celebrating and valuing cultural differences. Teachers will lean what it means to be
culturally self-aware and how to create a classroom environment that institutionalizes and adapts to cultural diversity. In
addition, teachers will discuss, in writing, how they themselves can demonstrate and implement their cultural
competence to benefit the language, academic and social proficiency of their students. This module should take
approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the seventh of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional
Development series.
Module 8
The Adaptation of Content module will provide teachers with a “big picture” view of the necessity of integrating the
content standards with the language acquisition standards for English learners. In addition, teachers will learn some
basic strategies for “adapting,” or making the content comprehensible, for their EL’s without watering down the level of
rigor. The ideologies behind SDAIE (Specifically Designed Academic Instruction in English) and SIOP (Sheltered
Instruction Observation Protocol) will be introduced, and teachers will practice using some strategies to “adapt” their
curriculum. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the eighth of 18 fivehour
modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 9
The WIDA module is intended to familiarize Colorado teachers with the standards and resources available to them
through our membership in the WIDA consortium of 39 U.S. states and territories. The Colorado English Proficiency
Standards, a requirement set forth by the state in 2009, are predicated on the 2007 WIDA standards for English
language development. Teachers will utilize resources on the WIDA website to experience how this robust resource canaid them in planning high-quality learning experiences for their English learner students. This module should take
approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the ninth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional
Development series.

Module 10
The Student and Family Engagement module is intended to develop an understanding of the importance of engaging
families of English learners in the education of their children. In addition, the unique and ample needs of newcomers
and their families will be emphasized. Teachers will utilize multiple resources for developing student and family
engagement and plan new activities in an effort to more effectively reach out to their students and families. This module
should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the tenth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD
Professional Development series.
Module 11
The Multilingualism and Translation/Interpretation module explores the concepts of being multilingual (including
bilingualism) and the resultant need for translation and interpretation services in the schools. Specifically, teachers will
learn about the difference between written translation and spoken interpretation and how these important concepts can,
and should, be used in the schools and classrooms. Teachers will develop scenarios and share thoughts on how and
when translation and interpretation can be appropriately utilized for the benefit of students. This module should take
approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the eleventh of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional
Development series.
Module 12
The English Learners and Special Education module provides teachers with many resources dealing with the intricacies of
students who are both language learners and qualified for receiving special education services. The information
provided in this module is intended to assist regular educators with the many issues of working with special education
students, and should NOT be interpreted in any way as representing rules or regulations of any kind. For information or
advice on dealing with an individual student, the regular educator must consult with their district’s licensed special
education personnel. This module is intended for the sole purpose of gaining “big picture” knowledge of the issues
related to students who may be eligible for both English Language Development and Special Education services. This
module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the twelfth of 18 five-hour modules in this
CLD Professional Development series.
Module 13
The Sheltered Instructional Planning module provides teachers with foundational knowledge of what sheltered
instruction is, how it has developed over time, and what benefits it can bring to the regular classroom for both English
Learners and other students. Teachers begin to employ strategies such as the use of clear, direct, simple English and
scaffolding strategies to communicate meaningfully in the content area with their students. Learning activities that
connect new content to students' prior knowledge, that require collaboration among students, and that spiral through
curricula, offer English learners the grade-level content instruction of their English-speaking peers, while adapting
lesson delivery to suit their English proficiency level. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is
intended to be the thirteenth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 14
The Teaching that Works with English Learners module provides teachers with a variety of tested practices and activities
that will help them reach their English learners in the classroom. Examples of activities include the use of cooperative
learning, providing cues, context and organizers, summarizing, identifying similarities and differences, jigsaw,
reciprocal teaching, and many more. Teachers will develop activities and try them out in their classrooms, emphasizing the concept of “comprehensible input.” This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to
be the fourteenth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 15
The Vocabulary Instruction module reinforces the idea that, as location is to real estate, vocabulary is to language
development: “It’s vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary!” Teachers will develop strategies for teaching vocabulary and start to employ these in their classrooms right away. In addition, they will explore what vocabulary is needed, and when,
as well how vocabulary instruction fits in to the whole language development domain. The module will also reinforce the
idea that although vocabulary is very important, it should not be taught in isolation or to the exclusion of other
important content and language development needs. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is
intended to be the fifteenth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 16
The Literacy Development module emphasizes the two receptive domains of reading and writing, and provides teachers
with multiple tried and true strategies and activities that will reinforce the steps English learners must take to become
literate in their newly developing language. Teachers will create instructional plans that take into account best practices,
motivation for reading and writing, building on the strengths that EL’s bring with them, and accessing prior knowledge.
In addition, teachers will investigate the linguistic features of their students’ home languages and begin to make
decisions about which activities will help or hinder literacy development. This module should take approximately 5 hours
to complete and is intended to be the sixteenth of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 17
The Cooperative Learning and Diversity module is particularly important for teachers of English learners and regular
students. Teachers will learn and experience how cooperative learning activities promote peer interaction, and the
learning of concepts and content. They will discuss the importance of assigning ELs to different teams so that they can
benefit from English language role models and learn to express themselves with greater confidence, all while working in
small teams. In addition to 'picking up' vocabulary, EL’s benefit from observing how their peers learn and solve
problems. Teachers will create activities in which each student in a team is assigned a role, as in reciprocal teaching.
This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to be the seventeenth of 18 five-hour
modules in this CLD Professional Development series.
Module 18
The Assessment, Progress Monitoring and Grading module will focus in on how teachers will determine whether their
English learner students are appropriately developing content knowledge as they increase their language skills. Teachers
will plan for assessment, and experiment with techniques for monitoring the progress of EL’s. They will discuss grading
practices with their colleagues through the on-line forum feature of the module. In addition, teachers will learn about
the many formal, standardized and “high-stakes” assessments required of English learners. Teachers will practice
creating formative assessments that can be informal or formal, in an effort to continuously monitor progress and adjust
the curriculum and activities as needed. This module should take approximately 5 hours to complete and is intended to
be the eighteenth, and final, of 18 five-hour modules in this CLD Professional Development series.