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About Dakota Breen

14^th year of teaching sheltered Language Arts and Language Development at West Fargo High School.

4^th year as EL Coordinator of West Fargo Public Schools in West Fargo, ND.

5^th year on North Dakota’s EL Program Advisory Committee.

National Board Certified Teacher of ENL since 2019.

School Wide English Learning (SWEL) trained since 2023.

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Today’s Agenda

Review and test out the EL Program Reflection tool.

Discuss potential challenges for implementation.

Explore supporting resources for implementation.

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Take Inventory & Reflect

Using the handout provided, take a moment to reflect on the EL programming in your own context.

Reflection statements are guided by federal law & best practices.

The goal is to identify what programs are already doing well: Strengths

And to identify areas in which improvement could be made: Opportunities

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Small Group Discussion�

Have a small group discussion (3-4) people with those around you with the below questions.

Which areas are your strengths?
Which 1-2 items stood out as most urgent needs for growth?
Compare & Contrast:

Is there something that is an area of growth for your site that another site represented in your group does well? What ideas could be shared?
Are there common areas of strength or areas of growth between sites? What systems or practices contribute to this?

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Limited Understanding of Language Development	Many administrators and content teachers see English proficiency as a “support” issue rather than a core academic need. They may not fully understand how language develops over time or how it directly impacts access to content.

Why it happens	What helps
Misconception that “once they can speak English, they’re fine.” Lack of training in language acquisition and scaffolding strategies. WIDA levels and data are seen as “compliance,” not instructional tools.	Making WIDA Language Charts or proficiency data visible in team planning. Sharing examples of how language growth connects to student achievement data

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Competing Priorities and Initiative Overload	Schools are often focused on district initiatives (e.g., literacy frameworks, MTSS, SEL), leaving EL supports as an “add-on.”

Why it happens	What helps
EL priorities aren’t integrated into the larger school improvement plan. Administrators may see EL support as a specialist’s responsibility.	Framing EL strategies as good teaching for all students (e.g., visual supports, structured talk, scaffolds). Connecting EL growth goals directly to district literacy or equity goals.

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Fragmented Collaboration Structures	EL and content teachers often work in silos without consistent co-planning or data discussions.

Why it happens	What helps
Scheduling and staffing barriers. Lack of clear expectations for collaboration. EL teachers pulled for testing or compliance work.	Embedding short, regular co-planning time or PLC agenda items around ELs. Using shared planning tools or co-teaching models to build accountability.

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Deficit Mindsets and Low Expectations	Some educators unintentionally lower expectations for ELs, assuming they can’t do grade-level work until they’re “fluent.”

Why it happens	What helps
Focus on what students can’t do rather than what they can. Lack of awareness of the “language of schooling.”	Highlighting asset-based language (e.g., “emerging multilingual learners”). Showcasing ELs’ progress and successes in staff meetings.

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Data Misuse and Misunderstanding	EL data (ACCESS, WIDA levels, growth targets) is often misunderstood or ignored.

Why it happens	What helps
Teachers don’t see how language scores connect to classroom performance. Data is presented without instructional next steps.	Translating language data into classroom implications (e.g., “At Level 3, students need sentence frames to explain cause and effect”). Including EL data in the same conversations as reading and math data.

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Addressing the Challenges

The Challenge	The Roadblock
Limited Administrative Leadership in EL Education	Even well-intentioned administrators may lack expertise or confidence in supporting EL programs.

Why it happens	What helps
Few training opportunities for administrators on language instruction. Focus on compliance rather than capacity-building.	Coaching principals on how to monitor EL instruction. Providing “look-fors” for language supports during walkthroughs.

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Supports & Resources

Before you leave, I will ask you to begin goal setting based on your inventory and reflection. First let’s explore resources that can guide you.

Resources for EL Program Reflection Padlet

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Application & Commitment

Take some time to start writing a SMART goal related to your reflection, exploration, and discussion today. Use the handouts provided.

Take more time to explore the resources or have more conversations to help you write your SMART goal if needed.