EL Roadmap at a Glance: Information Sheet

The California English Learner Roadmap: Strengthening Comprehensive Educational Policies, Programs, and Practices for English Learners
At a Glance

The English Learner Roadmap Project:

The California English Learner Roadmap: Strengthening Comprehensive Educational Policies, Programs, and Practices for English Learners (CA EL Roadmap) is the product of the English Learner (EL) Roadmap Project, a collaboration between the California Department of Education (CDE), the Sobrato Family Foundation, researcher Dr. Laurie Olsen, Professor Emeritus Dr. Kenji Hakuta, and the EL Roadmap Workgroup. The EL Roadmap Workgroup consisted of teachers, administrators, county offices of education representatives, educational non-profit representatives, and other partners. The project was designed to assist local educational agencies (LEAs) as they implement California’s twenty-first century college- and career-ready standards, curriculum, instructional programs, and assessments for English learners. It is also intended to provide resources and information to students, parents, and community members about EL education and effective research-based practices. The information and resources available assist LEAs to engage in continuous improvement and to advance outcomes for English learners, their families, and their communities.

California English Learner Roadmap: Strengthening Comprehensive Educational Policies, Programs, and Practices for English Learners:

The CA EL Roadmap is a collection of resources and information that includes a published document and accompanying online resources. The CA EL Roadmap includes:

• The Published Document
  • This document includes the history of EL education, the interrelated principles and their corresponding elements, the policy, and illustrative examples from the field that demonstrate the principles in action.
  • The document is available to order in print on the CDE Press Educational Resources Online Order web page and for free online on the CDE EL Roadmap web page.
• The Policy
  • The policy is titled California English Learner Roadmap: Strengthening Comprehensive Educational Policies, Programs, and Practices for English Learners.
  • The policy was approved by the State Board of Education on July 12, 2017.
  • The policy is available now on the CDE EL Roadmap web page.
• The Web-based Resources
  • The Web-based Resources are housed on the CDE EL Roadmap web page.
  • The resources are a dynamic collection of illustrative examples from the field and other resources.

A Common Vision for Educating English Learners:

The Vision:

English learners fully and meaningfully access and participate in a twenty-first century education from early childhood through grade twelve that results in their attaining high levels of English proficiency, mastery of grade level standards, and opportunities to develop proficiency in multiple languages.

The Mission:

California schools affirm, welcome, and respond to a diverse range of EL strengths, needs, and identities. California schools prepare graduates with the linguistic, academic and social skills and competencies they require for college, career, and civic participation in a global, diverse, and multilingual world, thus ensuring a thriving future for California.

The Principles:

• Assets-Oriented and Needs-Responsive Schools
• Intellectual Quality of Instruction and Meaningful Access
• System Conditions that Support Effectiveness
• Alignment and Articulation Within and Across Systems

The principles are further broken down into elements that make up each principle. These elements are the concrete actions that need to be taken in order to enact each principle. The elements are described in the CA EL Roadmap published document.

Connection to the Local Control and Accountability Plan:

The CA EL Roadmap helps LEAs update their Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) and Title III plans to ensure that their goals are aligned with the State Board policy. The resource “From Principles to Practice: Crosswalk to LCAP State Priorities,” available on the CDE EL Roadmap web page, demonstrates the connections between the principles in the EL Roadmap Policy and the LCAP.