The focus of these 2 days of professional development is to provide the knowledge and information about the research regarding the challenges facing English Learners with Learning disabilities, build an understanding about instructional skills necessary to implement a doable, daily, research-based set of specific strategies to tailor academic instruction for English learners and students with learning difficulties such as specific learning disabilities.  School and district educators will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to align these research-based strategies with other improvement initiatives and prior professional development.

Participants will…

1. Understand the stages of language acquisition of English learners at different development levels to learn and communicate what they are learning;
2. Learn the characteristics of students with specific learning disabilities;
3. Understand the differences, similarities, and challenges of students who are duel-identified as EL and a student with a disability;
4. Integrate research-based strategies (Universal Design for Learning) to scaffold content learning for the variety of learners in the classroom;
5. Understand the importance of providing structured opportunities for students to engage in academic discussion;
6. Apply new learning to lesson and instructional plans;
7. Develop a sustainable plan to share learning with other educators and continue to refine classroom instruction.