This study was part of the Promoting Science among English Language Learners (P-SELL) efficacy study, a research and development project that implemented a curricular and professional development intervention to improve science achievement of English Language Learners (ELLs) in urban elementary schools. The study used a cluster randomized control…

As the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts (ELA)/literacy and the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) highlight connections across subject areas, convergences and discrepancies come into view. As a prominent example, this article focuses on how the CCSS and the NGSS treat "argument," especially in Grades…

Despite the expectation that all students should achieve high academic standards, content area instruction and English for speakers of other languages instruction for English language learners (ELLs) have traditionally been conceptualized as separate domains, resulting in educational inequities for ELLs. This is because effective instruction to…

The "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") push students to have "a deeper understanding of content" (NGSS Lead States 2013, Appendix A, p. 4). However, with the reality of high-stakes assessments that rely primarily on multiple-choice questions, how can a science teacher analyze students' written responses…

Background: Current classroom practices have largely been shaped by changing student demographics, including English language learners (ELLs), and evolving accountability policies. The teacher professional development intervention in this study takes place against this backdrop. Research Questions: This study examined change in teachers' knowledge…

This study examined the effect of fidelity of implementation (FOI) on the science achievement gains of third grade students broadly and students with limited literacy in English specifically. The study was conducted in the context of a professional development intervention with elementary school teachers to promote science achievement of ELL…

This study examined the impact of the 3-year implementation of a professional development intervention on science achievement of culturally and linguistically diverse elementary students. Teachers were provided with instructional units and workshops that were designed to improve teaching practices and foster positive beliefs about science and…

Background/Context: While different instructional approaches have been proposed to integrate academic content and English proficiency for English language learning (ELL) students, studies examining the magnitude of the relationship are non-existent. This study examined the relationship between the "form" (i.e., conventions, organization, and…

This study is part of a 5-year professional development intervention aimed at improving science and literacy achievement of English language learners (or ELL students) in urban elementary schools within an environment increasingly driven by high-stakes testing and accountability. Specifically, the study examined science achievement at the end of…

This study examined patterns of change in beliefs and practices as elementary teachers learned to establish instructional congruence, a process of mediating academic disciplines with linguistic and cultural experiences of diverse student groups. The study focused on six bilingual Hispanic teachers working with fourth-grade, mostly Hispanic…

Focuses on two aspects of literacy related to science performance: interpretations of science task cards depicting a series of activities and written language samples summarizing science tasks. Results highlight difficulties that students experience in developing and expressing their understandings of science activities. Illustrates the need to…