The Work

In partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education, we addressed inequities facing students who are emergent bilingual and strengthened instructional practice across the state.

The Arkansas Department of Education recognized that teacher capacity is essential for improving outcomes for all students—including English learner students. To build teachers’ capacity to design language-rich lessons, we delivered ongoing professional learning on Intentional Planning Practice—a four-part instructional system that helps disciplinary content and language teachers elevate language use and engage all students in standards-aligned teaching and learning.

Through this project, teacher leaders from seven school districts in three regions of Arkansas were able to access high-quality professional learning opportunities both in person and virtually.

Educator Impact

Educators gained the tools, knowledge, and capacity to:

• Identify language development opportunities in their content area standards
• Build language-rich lessons aligned to standards, supported by scaffolds
• Apply the English Language Proficiency Standards to design lesson outcomes, differentiate supports, and provide standards-based formative feedback

When educators plan with the end in mind, content area standards help them design creative ways to engage students in illustrations of learning. These invitations create a language-rich backdrop to drive planning.

Student Experience

With Intentional Planning Practice, students have amplified access to grade-level standards and opportunities to use language in authentic ways. Students experience language development throughout the school day because language proficiency standards are integrated across their classes and instruction is scaffolded to meet their needs. In addition, all students benefit from generally effective practices like backwards planning, cooperative learning, formative assessment practice, and modeling.

• Students receive high levels of support: they achieve grade-level standards when educators anticipate the language demand associated with content area standards and design intentional supports as needed.
• Students learn as a social act, especially when they engage actively with their peers who have diverse strengths and abilities.

Download Case Brief

Additional Intentional Planning Practice (IPP) Projects

• Successful English Learner Initiatives - Video
• Ontario schools overcome the pandemic to set English learners up for success - Blog Post
• Teaching Newcomer English Learners: Four Powerful Vocabulary Practices - Video