Good Morning,
 
Thank you for inviting me to present today.  I have enjoyed reading about how the content standards have been implemented in other states.    
 

Why did your state choose to adopt ESL/ESOL content standards?

 

The demand to provide services for non-native English speaking adults in the mid to late 90's greatly increased the demand for ESL/ESOL instruction.  Instructors across the state were concerned about what language skills they should teach at specific levels.  Based on the concerns expressed, the Maryland ESL /ESOL Workgroup was formed and was assigned the task of designing and developing the Content Standards for Adult ESL/ESOL for the state of Maryland.  The group began by gathering, comparing, and contrasting models that had been developed in states such as Arizona, New York, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Florida.  While some models provided very detailed standards and curricula, Maryland's approach to Content Standards is to provide a framework as a resource, rather than a prescription, for local programs to use to align their instruction. 

 

The Maryland Content Standards for Adult/ESL/ESOL published in 2003 is a blueprint for ESL/ESOL administrators and instructors.  The ESL/ESOL content standards document includes the following sections:  Content Standards by Level, Content Standards by Skill, Competencies, Cultural Skills, Workplace Skills, Technology Skills, Metacognitive Skills, Unit Planning, Lesson Planning, and Ten Strategies for Success. The content standards are reviewed and revised frequently. The latest revised edition and training materials are available on the Maryland Adult Literacy Resource Center website, www.umbc.edu/alrc <https://owa.msde.state.md.us/exchange/kgianninoto/Drafts/www.umbc.edu/alrc> . All instructors are required to complete Maryland ESL/ESOL Content Standards Training. 

 

What standards has your state adopted?

 

In addition to the ESL/ESOL Content Standards, Maryland has adopted Maryland Adult ESL Quality Program Standards and Maryland Adult Education Technology Standards.  This year, Maryland has developed Professional Standards for Teachers in Adult Education.  Currently they are in the draft form and available for review by the field.  In the future, the Maryland State Department of Education plans to develop reading and math standards.

 

Links:

ESL Program Standards

 http://www.umbc.edu/alrc/Standards/Texts/MdESLStand.html <http://www.umbc.edu/alrc/Standards/Texts/MdESLStand.html> 

Technology Standards

http://www.umbc.edu/alrc/Standards/Texts/TechnologyStandards.pdf <http://www.umbc.edu/alrc/Standards/Texts/TechnologyStandards.pdf> 

 

What has been the process of moving from official adoption to  

actual implementation?

 

The process Maryland used for implementing the standards had several steps, which involved a key position in each local program.  The role of the instructional specialist is important for each program because the instructional specialist is a member of the program's leadership team and responsible for mentoring teachers and providing professional development for instructors.  In fact, we have created a content standards training manual (http://www.umbc.edu/alrc/standards.html) for the instructional specialists to ensure consistency in training across the state and have plans to offer an online content standards course for instructors this fall. 

 

The early stages of implementing the content standards included an unveiling of the content standards at the state adult education conference, and a three-day training for instructional specialists was held to familiarize the instructional specialists with the content standards document and to explain how each section of the content standards document would be used in planning instruction.  

 

During the next three years, targeted local programs developed a content standards training plan.  By the third year, all the programs had implemented training and positive reports were indicated about the use of the standards.  Maryland continues to provide state training each year for new instructional specialists and relies on the instructional specialists to provide training locally and provide the support instructors may need to implement the standards in their lessons. 

 

What successes and challenges have you found in implementing  

the content standards?

 

We completed a state content standards survey in June 2006.  One of the biggest outcomes of implementing the content standards was that instructors can validate their instruction.  It has brought them a degree of professionalism as well.  Some other successes the survey indicated were the following:  

 

·         90% have received training

·         78% use the document for planning lessons

·         94% think they are easily understood and have clear and appropriate expectations for learners at each level. 

·         86% think they provide guidance for lesson and unit planning

·         95% think they focus on relevant skills and knowledge

·         84% think they provide knowledge and skills for learners transferring to further education or training

 

The real challenge is keeping the content standards alive and off the shelf.  Instructors need reinforcement about why the standards are important link to instruction and assessment.  I think the real challenge is getting instructors to change their practice and keeping the momentum going when they do decide to make changes. 

 

What do you recommend happen at the federal level to support  

the development of standards-based adult basic education by states?

 

Maryland has benefited from the support we have received from the federal level, and I hope that federal support can continue to support initiatives that help states develop and implement standards.  

 

Maryland participated in the CAELA Pilot, which provided us guidance on content standards training and provided us with tools for looking at our ESL data to develop an ESL training plan.  We also had the opportunity to pilot ESL training materials developed by CAELA.      

 

Last year, we participated in Standards in Action.  The tools we used through this pilot, we have now added to our content standards training.  The SIA Tools helped instructors and instructional specialists analyze the language skills indicators, see the connection between the standards and assessment, connect the standards to texts and other resources, and develop unit and lesson plans aligned to the content standards.  In summary, SIA refined the content standards training process in Maryland.  Our plan is to continue using the tools this year and provide additional assistance to instructional specialists in examining student work.  The purpose will be to develop a deeper understanding of the state content standards, and model a process for instructional specialist to use when mentoring instructors, to diagnose student strengths and needs to inform instruction. 

 

Also, the Content Standards Warehouse is a wonderful resource to use in developing, reviewing, and revising standards.

 

Karen Lisch Gianninoto

ESL and Professional Development Specialist 
MSDE
200 W. Baltimore St. 
Baltimore, MD
410-767-4150
410-479-4542
410-924-1529
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