English Language Development

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Language Acquisition

Newcomers learn English at different rates depending on prior schooling in their home language, previous exposure to English, and the quality of instruction they receive in U.S schools. Research shows that oral language skills develop more quickly than literacy, with most English Learner students taking 3-7 years to reach full academic proficiency.


Students acquire language best when supported by:


  • A welcoming, inclusive, and identity affirming environment

  • Structured group work with peers of different ability levels

  • Scaffolds and frames to support oral and written language

  • Opportunities for translanguaging (using home languages to build understanding)

  • Clear school-wide staffing and support strategies to ensure meaningful access across subjects

In addition to classroom strategies, research highlights the importance of sustained, coherent programming across grade levels. Students benefit when schools align language development supports with content instruction, ensuring that language objectives are explicitly taught alongside academic standards. Teachers who collaborate across departments, share student progress data, and co-plan lessons create more consistent opportunities for English development.

    • Language Instruction References, California Newcomer Network

      Accessible overviews provide teachers with strategies for effective newcomer instruction, guidance for translanguaging, and descriptions of language proficiency levels.

    • Student Talk Protocols, Oakland Unified School District

      Structured Language Practice Strategies (SLPS) are designed to get students talking about content as they produce and practice important academic language. This document provides guidance for 21 of them.

    • Translanguaging: A Guide for Educators, CUNY-NYS Initiative on Emergent Bilinguals

      This comprehensive guide offers practical assistance on leveraging translanguaging for English learners in the classroom.

    • Making Space for Native Languages in Newcomer Classrooms, Edutopia

      A five-minute video showing middle school newcomers thriving with high expectations, collaborative teamwork, and the assets of their home languages.

Required Instruction

Designated ELD is a regular class within the school day for English learners to receive focused instruction in English language skills. Schools are required to provide this on a daily basis. While there is no official minimum time requirement, 30 minutes is generally understood to be the shortest amount of time to effectively provide this support. Most districts provide significantly more.

Several considerations should be taken into account when planning Designated ELD for newcomers, including high quality curriculum, professional development for educators, and course planning that balanced ELD requirements with credit-bearing graduation pathways for high school students. Many newcomers, especially SLIFE, require fundamentally different coursework than the typical California-born English learner.

Integrated ELD is not a separate class. It is the practice of supporting English language development throughout the school day in all subjects. All California teachers are expected to use the state ELD Standards alongside grade-level academic standards so that English learners build their English skills while learning academic content. This can include setting clear content and language goals, using visuals and scaffolds, building in group work, or modeling the use of academic vocabulary.

Schools often structure Integrated ELD supports for recently arrived newcomers through intentional staffing and student cohort placement. One common approach is Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE) classes, which provide grade-level content with added language support strategies. Schools may also strengthen mainstream classrooms by having specialists push in, co-teach, or pull small groups of students to focus on specific skills.

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Assessment

The English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) are tests that help schools understand how well a student can listen, speak, read, and write in English. The results help schools place students in the right classes and provide the support they need.


The Initial ELPAC is administered to all students whose home language survey results indicate a language other than English within 30 days of a student’s first enrollment in a California public school. It determines whether a student is classified as an English Learner (EL) or Initially Fluent English Proficient (IFEP).


The Summative ELPAC is given to English learners each spring to assess progress toward English proficiency. Students who take the ELPAC receive a score between 1 and 4 that combines results from listening, speaking, reading, and writing sections into one overall proficiency level.

When an English Learner demonstrates sufficient English proficiency, they may be reclassified as Fluent English Proficient (RFEP). In California, reclassification decisions are made locally using four criteria:


  • overall performance on the Summative ELPAC

  • teacher evaluation of academic performance

  • parent or guardian input

  • performance on statewide standardized tests in English Language Arts