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Modifying Instruction to Meet the Needs of ELLs: Professional Development Grounded in SLA Theories
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2025-05
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As student demographics shift across New York State, the number of English language learners (ELLs) continues to rise, presenting educators with the challenge of ensuring equitable learning outcomes, particularly on high-stakes assessments like the NYS ELA Regents. This capstone explores how teachers can modify instruction to support ELLs learning outcomes, framed through the lens of second language acquisition (SLA) theories. The overarching question guiding this study is: How can teachers modify instruction to support ELLs learning outcomes in high-stakes assessments? The literature identifies three main challenges, (1) linguistic barriers, (2) lack of access to differentiated instruction, and (3) teacher preparedness. In response, this project implements a two-day professional development (PD) for teachers of all content areas. The PD deepens the understanding of modification strategies such as differentiation, scaffolding, translanguaging, and activating prior knowledge, aiming to equip educators with theoretical and practical tools to better support ELLs. Participants apply strategies in real classroom settings and later reflect on engagement, instructional outcomes, and challenges. The PD anticipates an increase in teacher confidence in modifying lessons, stronger collaboration across departments, and improved ELL engagement. This capstone concludes that when teachers are equipped with practical tools grounded in SLA theory, they can meaningfully reduce barriers for ELLs on high-stakes assessments. Future studies should explore the long-term impact of ongoing PD and examine student outcomes across content areas.