In an effort to help districts meet the needs of a diverse student population, Ellevation has launched new online professional development (PD) modules covering an array of relevant and urgent topics focused on teaching multilingual learners. The 13 modules are delivered either synchronously or asynchronously and are adaptable to every grade.
According to the Migration Policy Institute, “Nearly two-thirds of all teachers have at least one English Learner (EL) in their classroom—but less than half have taken any courses on instructing ELs.” This fact, in addition to the “unprecedented shortages of qualified teachers” as referenced by NPR, means fewer educators are prepared to support ELs. The online PD modules, which were developed for the Ellevation Strategies program currently used for instructional support in more than 45 states, are designed to address this issue.
Ellevation Strategies modules meet ESSA requirements and focus on relevant, urgent topics such as Welcome Newcomers to the Classroom and Foster Interactions with Academic Conversations. The enhancements will simplify how districts—and their teachers—develop the expertise to help their multilingual learners acquire linguistic and academic content mastery.
“The modules are built to be intuitive, guided, and participatory. They help teachers contextualize their own students’ data right within the program,” said Teddy Rice, president and co-founder of Ellevation. “Input from our customers influences all our work. After one and a half years of discovery and development, this is the most significant upgrade we have made to the product since we first launched it six years ago.”
The new modules, which use a simple Learn–Teach–Reflect model, complement the 100+ instructional activities currently offered.
Ellevation is committed to supporting districts with dual-language programs and its content has been specifically designed to strengthen all three pillars of the program: Bilingualism/Biliteracy, Cultural Competency, and High Academic Achievement. The dual-language modules—available to all Strategies customers—can also be used to advance a range of bilingual programs and sociocultural competency initiatives. The program also provides educators with access to high-quality, professionally transadapted instructional resources.
About Ellevation
Ellevation, part of the Curriculum Associates family, is the nation’s leading software and services company serving ELs for more than 10 years. Founded in 2011, Ellevation is a mission-driven, web-based software company focused exclusively on ELs and the educators who serve them. They offer comprehensive solutions that help districts with EL data and instructional planning, professional learning, and academic language development. Currently, Ellevation serves more than 1,000 district partners and more than 3 million current and former EL students.
