Policy & Reference Guide August 2024 105
Common Planning
Stand-alone ENL
It is essential that the certified ESOL teacher(s)
have opportunities to meet with common
branch and/or content area teachers. Attending
established meetings (for example grade team)
with common branch and/or content area
teachers ensures that ESOL teachers can plan
lessons/units that build language and literacy
within content areas aligned to the New York
State Next Generation Learning Standards.
While it is not expected that the teachers will
co-plan lessons since the Stand-alone is taught
by the ESOL teacher alone, she/he should have
full access to the grade-level curriculum
materials to align and tailor Stand-alone
instruction to support MLs/ELLs to acquire the
language needed in core content areas.
Integrated ENL
It is essential that the certified ESOL teacher(s)
and common branch and/or content area
teachers have designated time for common
planning so they can co-plan at the unit and
lesson level to ensure that the needs of the
MLs/ELLs are met. Together they are deciding
which model of co-teaching to employ during
the lesson and how to capitalize on the
expertise that both teachers bring to the
classroom. ESOL teachers are taking into
consideration the linguistic demands of the
content so that MLs/ELLs can achieve the grade-
level standards. They are planning purposeful
scaffolds within the lessons (for example
chunking texts, supplemental questions for
close reading) and anticipating potential in the
moment scaffolds, for example, pausing for
MLs/ELLs to use their home language to jot
down ideas/speak to a peer before entering into
a classroom discussion or identifying additional
texts that are not already part of the text set to
build (background) knowledge.
For more information on supporting co-teaching
in the Integrated ENL component in
mathematics, refer to Supporting Academic
language and Content in Mathematics: The
Integrated Co-teaching Model.
Research-based Instructional Approaches for Stand-alone ENL and Integrated ENL
It is essential that all students, especially MLs/ELLs, are in school communities/classrooms that provide a
culturally responsive and sustaining education. The NYSED’s Culturally Responsive and Sustaining
Education Framework delineates four principles, and three must be addressed in Stand-alone and
Integrated ENL classrooms. They are Welcoming and Affirming Environment, High Expectations and
Rigorous Instruction, and Inclusive Curriculum and Assessment. Adhering to these principles creates the
conditions for MLs/ELLs to engage in learning. Also, MLs/ELLs must have opportunities to acquire
advanced literacy skills so they are equally prepared to engage in standards-based instruction that is
called for in the New York State Next Generation Learning Standards.