ELL Endorsement Portfolio by: Sydney Freel

Evidence & Rationale for Competency 2.3

2.3 Candidates understand the diversity within the English
language learner population (e.g., immigrant, migrant, refugee,
and those born in the United States) and the impact of
socioeconomic status, race, religion, class, national origin,
disability, and gender on student learning.
Document Components Overview:
Rationale
Evidence 1: Introduction to English as a Second
Language: Responses 1 & 2 on Midterm
Evidence 2: Introduction to English as a Second
Language: Response 2 on Final Exam
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Rationale:
One piece of evidence includes two responses from a midterm
exam in Introduction to ESL. The first response demonstrates my
understanding of the diversity within the English language learner
population. I did this by providing an overview of language diversity
and bilingualism in the United States with immigration statistics that
are sited from the course textbook. The second response also
demonstrates this understanding by providing more facts and statistics
that portray the immense diversity of English language learners.
The second Piece of evidence I provided is one response from the
final exam in the same course. In this response I demonstrate my
understanding of the impact that socioeconomic status, race, national
origin, and language barrier has on student learning by discussing
some of these influences, including loss of culture and problems with
their identity.

The assignments I provided as evidence for meeting this

competency demonstrates how Ive grown in my understanding of
outside factors that influence student learning through coursework. As
I transition from a college student to an in-service teacher my
understanding of this competency will be enhanced because I will have
opportunities to experience first hand how the diversity within the ELL
population and the impact of socioeconomic status, race, religion,
class, national origin, disability, and gender on student learning.

Evidence 1: Introduction to ESL: Responses 1 & 2 on Midterm

1. Give an overview of language diversity and bilingualism in
American history.
When compared to the 1980s, numbers of immigration in
recent years seems very significant and outstanding. The
nations Hispanic population has nearly tripled since 1980,
and the Asian and Pacific Islander population has more
than tripled (Pg. 4, Crawford, 2007). It seems to be a
common belief that immigration is new to the United
States, but it may only seem that way because of what we
have seen in our own lifetimes. In American History, these
levels of linguistic and ethnic diversity are not unusual.
Todays proportion of Americans, from non-English
backgrounds, is lower than these proportions from 1860 to
1930 (Pg. 8 Crawford, 2004).
2. Who are English language learners in the United States today?
English language learners are students who are learning a
second language, while also learning the academic skills
and knowledge specific to the curriculum of their grade
level. Today, although more than two-thirds of ELLs are
native speakers of Spanish, ELLs in the U.S. come from
over 400 different language backgrounds (Pg. 12,
Crawford, 2007). The top five source countries of
immigration are Mexico, India, China, and the Philippines,
and Cuba. On average, most immigrants are young and are
more likely to have school-age children. A large percent of
these immigrant children face language barriers in school
(Pg. 8 Crawford, 2004). ELL students in the U.S. are a very
diverse population, with varying social economic status,
cultural traditions, family literacy rates, prior schooling,
English proficiency, and other factors.

Evidence 2: Introduction to ESL: Response 2 on Final Exam

2. In Unit 6 Community and Culture, we read, viewed, and listened to
quite diverse course readings, videos (The Legalities of Being), and
guest lectures (Suda Nasser and Melodi Wynne). Why is it important

for ELL/bilingual education teachers to understand and learn about

community and culture? (36 points)
Teachers play an important role in the lives of students. For ELL
students, this role is even more significant. ELL students face a lot of
problems with identity; some examples of these include ethnic
ambivalence and language shyness. Students facing these problems
often experience resentment and disconnect from their cultural
heritage (Crawford 2007, pg. 38-39). Along with the more obvious
downsides to this loss of language and culture, it can also have
academic consequences. Native American children often loose their
sense of identity and pride in their origins. Students that lack the
cultural tools to define themselves often encounter problems in school
(Crawford 2004, pg. 267). It is important that teachers make an effort
to understand and learn about the different cultures of their classrooms
they help to instill a sense of identity and pride in students of all
backgrounds. Understanding community and culture will also improve
low parent involvement due to language barriers. One example of this
is allowing students to conduct their own parent teacher conferences in
a fun and interactive way.