Reimagining preparation for teachers of designated English learners

Numerous models exist to support designated English learners (ELs) in U.S. schools. One of the most common is sheltered English immersion (SEI), in which instruction is primarily in English, using the students’ home language(s) only when necessary. This is in contrast to such models as transitional bilingual education and dual-language education, in which home-language instruction is a core component of content-area learning.

In Massachusetts, SEI is by far the most common model for educating English learners (ELs). Indeed, as of 2021, 90% of designated ELs in Massachusetts are educated through SEI (Balter, 2022). This came about because a 2002 Massachusetts ballot measure instituted English-only education through SEI as the primary instructional model for designated ELs, defined as multilingual students who, based primarily on standardized test scores of English proficiency, have been deemed to require language services to access grade-level curriculum (Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, 2022). Arguing that bilingual education programs were responsible for the “low English literacy levels” of multilingual students, the law stated that “all children in Massachusetts public schools shall be taught English as rapidly and effectively as possible” using only “a minimal amount of the child’s native language when necessary” (Mass. Acts 386, 2002).

After the referendum passed, the state began offering optional professional development to general education teachers interested in learning more about strategies for “sheltering” materials and instruction for designated English learners and for teaching language through academic content. Then, in 2011, the U.S. Department of Justice informed Massachusetts that it was violating the Equal Educational Opportunities Act by not mandating training for all teachers and administrators working with designated ELs (U.S. Department of Justice, 2011). In response, lawmakers established the Rethinking Equity and Teaching for English Language Learners (RETELL) initiative. A requirement that all general education teachers who teach ELs receive an SEI endorsement course is the cornerstone of that project.