ELD Priorities Presentation Slides
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Welcome Back, ELD Educators!
Growing Language. Building Independence. Supporting Multilingual Learners.
This year, our focus is simple: Simplicity, consistency, and purposeful language development. We don't need to add more to our plates—we just need to be highly intentional.
Facilitator Note (Focus & Tone)
Welcome teachers warmly. Emphasize that this is a supportive, streamlining year, not a "new initiative" year.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our North Star
"We create classrooms where multilingual learners are not just learning English — they are using English to think, communicate, learn, and show what they know."
Core Opportunities
- Academic & social language
- Rigorous, grade-level content
- Language development through active use
Facilitator Note (Our Mission)
Highlight the shift from passive learning to active using. Multilingual learners are assets, not deficits.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our WIDA Foundation
WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition
Equity
All MLs deserve access to rigorous, grade-level curriculum.
Integration
Language and content instruction work together.
Collaboration
Language acquisition is a shared schoolwide goal.
Functional
Using language for real purposes in context.
Facilitator Note (WIDA Core)
Validate the existing WIDA expertise in the room. This slide aligns our goals with state/national standard expectations.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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What Does This Look Like in ELD?
1
PURPOSE
What language are students developing?
2
PRACTICE
How will students practice using that language?
3
PROGRESSION
How does today's learning connect to what came before and next?
Facilitator Note (Three Pillars)
This is the core planning framework for the year. If teachers can answer these three questions, they are successful.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Pull-Out ELD Expectations
A Dedicated Space for Language Development
Instruction should be grounded in the WIDA Framework, Reach Higher/Our World, and student performance data—not structured as a reteaching class.
The Key Distinction
"ELD is not simply a reteaching period. We do not recreate the general education classroom."
💡 We use academic content as the CONTEXT for language growth.
Facilitator Note (Clarifying ELD Role)
Be gentle but firm here: ELD is NOT homework help or math tutoring. Content is the vehicle, not the destination.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Connecting ELD & General Education
Value Connection, Not Duplication
Curriculum is grounded in Reach Higher or Our World. But connections to grade-level classroom topics can enrich the language context.
"Does this classroom topic provide a meaningful context for language development?"
The Golden Rule
We are not reteaching content. We are developing the language students need to engage with content.
Example: If Gen Ed is teaching ecosystems, ELD teaches the language of cause and effect using ecosystems.
Facilitator Note (Co-planning Tips)
Emphasize strategic alignment. Adjusting unit pacing can help match classroom themes, but do not drop ELD materials.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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From Words ➔ Sentences ➔ Discourse
WIDA's Dimensions of Language
01
Word & Phrase
Vocabulary building, specific/general terms, and idioms.
➔
02
Sentence
Grammatical structures, mechanics, and syntax.
➔
03
Discourse
Cohesion of ideas, organization, and social usage.
The goal is always to support language use at the Discourse Level.
Facilitator Note (WIDA Dimensions)
Explain that vocabulary is just a brick. Sentences are the frames. Discourse is the actual house. We must build the house!
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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A Simple Pathway: Exposure ➔ Practice ➔ Use
EXPOSURE
Students hear, read, and encounter new vocabulary and structures in rich academic contexts.
PRACTICE
Students utilize language with explicit teacher modeling, peer-to-peer activities, and structures.
USE
Students apply language independently to communicate their own thoughts, ideas, and arguments.
Facilitator Note (Moving Past Knowledge)
Ensure teachers realize that "knowing" a grammar rule is NOT the same as "using" it. Keep the push toward authentic usage.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Reach Higher / Our World
A Built-In Language-Development Pathway
Build Knowledge
Unit themes establish cognitive schemas.
Systematic Pacing
Logical scaffolding from vocabulary to final units.
Our Key Responsibility
The curriculum provides the meaningful context. Our job is to make the language development visible, active, and intentional in every lesson.
Facilitator Note (Leveraging Curriculum)
Acknowledge teachers' familiarity with Reach Higher/Our World. Focus on how they use it—as a tool for language, not just reading.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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The Project Is the Destination
"What will students ultimately need to communicate?"
01. Vocabulary
What terminology is crucial?
02. Sentences
What syntax models support them?
03. Structure
How is the discourse organized?
04. Practice
Where is the low-stakes rehearsal?
Facilitator Note (Backward Design)
Explain the concept of backward planning for unit projects. Ensure the end goal dictates the daily scaffolds.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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WIDA Key Language Uses
What are students doing with language?
NARRATE
Tell experiences, stories, and historical events.
INFORM
Provide definitions, descriptions, or group classifications.
EXPLAIN
Clarify how or why phenomena occur or systems work.
ARGUE
Defend ideas, claims, and perspectives with solid evidence.
Facilitator Note (Prioritizing Language)
Have teachers quickly share which Key Language Use they find most challenging for students to write in (usually Argue or Explain).
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Interpretive vs. Expressive Language
INTERPRETIVE
Listening
Reading
Viewing
EXPRESSIVE
Speaking
Writing
Representing
Facilitator Note (Modes of Communication)
Explain how lessons should sequence communication modes. Move from interpretive input (listening/reading) to expressive output (speaking/writing).
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Projects: Scaffold, Don't Script
"Our goal is meaningful communication — not a perfect product."
Adapt final unit tasks based on proficiency, background, and specific learner profiles. Ensure voice and choice are central components.
Two Critical Reflections
1. How can I make this task accessible without lowering expectations?
2. Where can students have authentic agency and choices?
Facilitator Note (Equity Over Aesthetics)
Remind teachers that copied templates are scripts. Authentic drafts, even with structural errors, demonstrate real growth.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Gradual Release of Responsibility
Scaffolds should support—not replace—student thinking.
Modeling
Teacher thinks aloud, shows expectations explicitly.
Guided
Co-constructing linguistic paths as a whole group.
Collaborative
Partner interactions, small group low-stakes practice.
Independent
Authentic communication with scaffolds faded.
Facilitator Note (Fading Scaffolds)
Discuss "over-scaffolding." If students use the exact same frames for 6 months, the scaffold is now a crutch. Plan to fade.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Planning: Three Questions
Question 1
WHAT?
What specific language are students actively developing, practicing, or refining today?
Question 2
WHY?
Why does this language matter for student connection, class learning, or district targets?
Question 3
HOW?
How will students actually use the language? Will ALL students have chances to practice?
Facilitator Note (Lesson Audit)
Introduce this as the 30-second daily lesson filter. Keep copies of these three questions on planning templates.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our Coaching Focus
Observations this school year will align to two primary pillars:
Pillar 1
Instructional Purpose
What specific language goals are students working toward, and why does that language matter?
Pillar 2
Student Language Use
How much meaningful space is given for all students to produce and refine target language?
Facilitator Note (Coaching Clarity)
Demystify observations. We are looking for these two points. Share this transparently to ease teacher anxiety.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Coaching Lens #1
Instructional Purpose
- What specific language do you want students to know and practice today?
- How does this lesson connect to previous and upcoming targets?
- How does the language connect to the unit project?
A Simple Framework
PURPOSE
➔
PROGRESSION
➔
PRODUCT
Facilitator Note (Lesson Alignment)
Explain that if a student is asked "What are you learning?", they shouldn't say "Ecosystems." They should say "I am explaining cause and effect."
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Coaching Lens #2
Student Language Use
We look for structured interaction, repetitive opportunities for low-stakes practice, and meaningful peer conversations.
Key Reflection
"Who is doing the talking, thinking, reading, writing, and communicating?"
✓ Balance teacher talk time and active student linguistic practice.
Facilitator Note (Student-Centered Class)
Remind teachers: the person doing the talking is doing the learning. Limit teacher-led monologues.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our Daily Compass
How much meaningful language practice did students get today?
Not just:
Did I cover vocabulary?
But: Did they USE it?
Not just:
Did I model sentence frames?
But: Did they speak them?
Not just:
Did they complete it?
But: What language did they grow?
Facilitator Note (Impact over Output)
Ask teachers to write this question on a sticky note and place it on their laptops. Simple filters change actions.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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We are NOT looking for:
- ✖ Every lesson looking identical
- ✖ Scripted curriculum delivery word-for-word
- ✖ Formal standards written on the board daily
- ✖ Sentences frames required for every single utterance
- ✖ Perfect lessons with zero errors
We ARE looking for:
- ✓ Highly clear language purposes
- ✓ Meaningful, high-quality content
- ✓ Frequent active language use by students
- ✓ Responsive instruction based on actual learner data
- ✓ Scaffolded steps toward student independence
Facilitator Note (Myth Busting)
Relieve anxiety. Give teachers permission to be responsive human beings rather than curriculum-dispensing robots.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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What Our Coaching Looks Like
A collaboration, not a checklist.
The Coaching Cycle
Notice ➔ Reflect ➔ Adjust ➔ Grow
Our Conversations Focus On:
- What is currently working
- What student data/work is showing us
- Where students need further scaffolds
- Creative paths to try in future units
Facilitator Note (Building Trust)
Reinforce your availability for co-planning. Build strong supportive alliances rather than transactional relationships.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our Shared Commitments
Be Intentional
Know exactly which language features we are building every day.
Be Responsive
Use daily formative evidence to alter instruction pathways.
Prioritize Voice
Deliver student opportunities to communicate their raw perspectives.
Build Independence
Slowly fade scaffolding toward total self-reliance.
Collaborate
Consistently coordinate targets with general education partners.
Keep Learning
Leverage current district resources and the WIDA network.
Facilitator Note (Team Alignment)
Ask teachers which of these commitments resonates most with them personally. Use their voices to close out the commitments.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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When Things Feel Complex
Return to Our Core Three Questions
1
WHAT LANGUAGE?
What is the active structural objective?
2
WHY THIS?
Why does this fit the active unit objective?
3
WHAT USE?
How do they perform the daily practice?
Facilitator Note (Focus Anchor)
Use this slide to bring the entire room back to a center of calm. Teaching isn't about complexity; it's about intentionality.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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Our Shared Resources Portfolio
WIDA 2020 Framework
Foundational integration theories and frameworks.
Digital Explorer Tool
Online access to specific student grade descriptors.
WIDA Language Charts
Mapping scaffolds across word, sentence, and discourse levels.
Standards in Action
Practical lesson models and templates in multiple content spaces.
Facilitator Note (Reference Share)
Point to the digital explorer as a quick tool during planning time. No need to memorize every WIDA code.
ELD Priorities 2026–2027
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We don't need to do more.
We need to be intentional about what we already do.
• Know the language goal.
• Connect it to content.
• Give opportunities to use it.
• Use student evidence for next steps.
Thank you for everything you do for our multilingual learners!
Facilitator Note (Closing Reflection)
Close with a strong statement of gratitude. Reiterate that we are a team and we do this vital, life-changing work together.
