Findings: English language learners
Results on this standard are much more mixed than those for the state learning standards, even though it would seem as if integration of practice could use the same vehicle (a lesson planning template): Of the programs we evaluated, about one-fifth of undergraduate programs failed to meet the standard, as did about one-half of graduate programs. About 40 percent of undergraduate programs met the standard, but only 25 percent of graduate programs did. A recent U.S. General Accounting Office survey found that about 20 percent of teacher preparation programs nationwide provide instruction on ELL in a stand-alone course, but no Illinois program that we evaluated did so.1
The lesson-planning template used for all coursework at Quincy University is an exemplar for how an
institution can ensure that teacher candidates practice accommodating ELL students in their instruction. At
Quincy, each lesson plan prepared by teacher candidates must explicitly address the types of accommodations
required for the "student who needs instructional material in a language other than English."
How Illinois teacher preparation programs fare on this standard
1Teacher Preparation: Multiple Federal Education Offices Support Teacher Preparation for Instructing Students with Disabilities and English
Language Learners, but Systematic Departmentwide Coordination Could Enhance This Assistance, GAO-09-573, July 20, 2009.
