Toolkits & Guides

Culturally and linguistically responsive (CLR) decision making is essential to providing students with diverse abilities sufficient and appropriate opportunities to learn, including students with communication disorders. CLR decision-making occurs when educators value the strengths, qualities, and funds of knowledge that diverse learners and their families bring to the teaching and learning environment.

REME CLD Literacy Teaching and Strategies Tool:

The REME CLD Literacy Teaching and Strategies Tool provides 41 instructional practices grouped within nine major categories. These practices reflect high quality teaching to successfully deliver general class core literacy instruction to English learners. Source of strategies: 50 Strategies for Teaching English Language Learners by Adrienne L. Herrell & Michael Jordan, 3rd ed. (2008).

Ten-item referral tool for use by educators to develop a culturally and linguistically responsive special education referral. Sources to gather the necessary referral body of evidence along with suggested professionals who might collect the information are also provided.

Multitiered Instructional Brief:

In this introductory brief, three model demonstration projects (Cohort 5 of the Model Demonstration Coordination Center) describe their work implementing various tiered instructional models focused on language and literacy at schools with high percentages of English learners in kindergarten through grade 3. This brief is the first in a series devoted to effective practices for English learners.

CSR is a set of research-based instructional strategies to improve reading comprehension and content learning. With CSR students work together in collaborative groups to read text and apply comprehension strategies to better understand science, social studies and language arts content. CSR includes methods for monitoring comprehension, engaging in student-led discussions, reviewing and synthesizing information, asking and answering questions, and taking steps to improve understanding.

Core ESL Instructional Practices (CEIP):  Research-based Instructional Guide for Teaching English Learners

CEIP is a research-based guide grounded in literature that describes best/effective practices in the teaching of English Learners in K-5 general education classrooms.  CEIP was developed through input from over 100 K-5 teachers from schools in urban, suburban, and rural Colorado.  CEIP is validated for teacher self-assessment of their practices within general education classes to inform classroom instruction, professional development, and instructional coaching in the education of English learners.

Presentation provides an overview of the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ Boulder Double Endorsement MA degree program delivered at a 2016 Colorado Department of Education regional stakeholder session. Program is interdisciplinary leading to Colorado state K-12 teaching endorsements in both Special Education and Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education.

This publication is a tool to help school districts craft their professional development activities. It has been a joint effort on the part of CDE, Colorado school districts, professional organizations and other interested parties, both public and private, committed to high quality education for ELs. In addition, CDE, whose mission is to help develop guidance, materials and broad recommendations concerning standards, instruction and assessment/data collection for ELs, will assist in this work.

The (now updated to align with ESSA) helps state and local education agencies help English Learners (ELs) by fulfilling these obligations. The Toolkit has 10 chapters (one for each section of the DCL), and contains an overview, sample tools, and resources.