MTEL-Flex English as a Second Language (902 & 903)

Candidates who register for this option are required to prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to Objective 0005 of the English as a Second Language test framework.

Candidates will prepare a response by analyzing student data or examples and/or referencing one or more of the resources provided below to develop their topic and address the selected descriptive statement(s). In preparing their response, candidates may choose to use their own authentic student data or examples and/or sample data or examples from relevant coursework.

Resources from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition serves as a resource for planning and implementing language curriculum, instruction and assessment for multilingual learners. Educators can use the 2020 Edition to promote and guide systematic, explicit, and sustained language development, support and frame collaboration among educators to plan for content and language integration in culturally and linguistically sustaining ways, monitor multilingual learners' language growth, and provide standards-referenced feedback to students and families.

• Candidates may access these standards and supporting resources by following the steps below:
  1. Access the "Curriculum Frameworks" page of the Department's website.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to select the 2012–2013 English Language Development Standards on the page. This link will take candidates to the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.
• In addition to the standards, candidates can access additional resources by exploring the "Resource Library" section of WIDA website. These resources include:
  • WIDA Can Do Descriptors, Key Uses Edition: provides examples of what language learners can do at various stages of English language development in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
  • Collaboration Tool: a multi-layered, multi-purpose tool designed to help curriculum writers operationalize WIDA Standards in conjunction with the Frameworks. The tool supports curricular planning with the intentional, simultaneous development of language and the analytical practices embedded in the Frameworks. It highlights the need for collaboration between language and content educators and helps teachers prioritize and strategically plan around Key Uses of Academic Language in the context of key academic practices (Cheuk, 2013) common across content area Frameworks. The tool and related processes are planning resources that can help educators prepare to create clear, standards-based language learning goals for developing curricula using the ESL unit template. The tool also includes an interactive guide that demonstrates how the Collaboration Tool can be used in curriculum development, starting with Focus Language Goals.
  • Language Focused Planning Tool: This tool can be used to embed a language-focused approach to planning instruction. Educators can use the guiding questions in the related annotated guide to familiarize themselves with the Language-Focused Planning Tool.
  • WIDA Focus Bulletins provide information on a variety of topics that may be of interest to educators.
  • WIDA Performance Definitions – Expressive Domains
  • WIDA Performance Definitions – Receptive Domains
• The "Next Generation ESL Curriculum Resource Guide" provides:
  • Information about the project's context, the curriculum design framework, and how to use that framework to develop additional ESL units.
  • Description of a continuous improvement cycle prompting critical questioning and strategic decision-making that can be used to improve instructional design.
  • A collection of collaborative templates, tools, processes, protocols, and other resources used in the development of ESL MCUs (e.g., Collaboration Tool, unit template, unit lesson plan template, language unpacking tools, unit and lesson-level protocols, etc.).
  • Resources for professional learning communities (PLCs) to support collaborative ESL curriculum development.
  • Information about other key topics related to the project, such as text complexity, Universal Design for Learning, guidance related to instruction and assessment of dually identified students (ELs with a disability), critical stance, social justice, and other significant components of effective ESL curriculum.

Candidates who register for this option are required to prepare an organized, developed analysis on a topic related to Objective 0008 of the English as a Second Language test framework.

Candidates will prepare a response by analyzing student data or examples and/or referencing one or more of the resources provided below to develop their topic and address the selected descriptive statement(s). In preparing their response, candidates may choose to use their own authentic student data or examples and/or sample data or examples from relevant coursework.

Resources from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

The WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition serves as a resource for planning and implementing language curriculum, instruction and assessment for multilingual learners. Educators can use the 2020 Edition to promote and guide systematic, explicit, and sustained language development, support and frame collaboration among educators to plan for content and language integration in culturally and linguistically sustaining ways, monitor multilingual learners' language growth, and provide standards-referenced feedback to students and families.

• Candidates may access these standards and supporting resources by following the steps below:
  1. Access the "Curriculum Frameworks" page of the Department's website.
  2. Scroll to the bottom of the page to select the 2012–2013 English Language Development Standards on the page. This link will take candidates to the WIDA English Language Development Standards Framework, 2020 Edition.
• In addition to the standards, candidates can access additional resources by exploring the "Resource Library" section of WIDA website. These resources include:
  • WIDA Can Do Descriptors, Key Uses Edition: provides examples of what language learners can do at various stages of English language development in listening, speaking, reading and writing.
  • Collaboration Tool: a multi-layered, multi-purpose tool designed to help curriculum writers operationalize WIDA Standards in conjunction with the Frameworks. The tool supports curricular planning with the intentional, simultaneous development of language and the analytical practices embedded in the Frameworks. It highlights the need for collaboration between language and content educators and helps teachers prioritize and strategically plan around Key Uses of Academic Language in the context of key academic practices (Cheuk, 2013) common across content area Frameworks. The tool and related processes are planning resources that can help educators prepare to create clear, standards-based language learning goals for developing curricula using the ESL unit template. The tool also includes an interactive guide that demonstrates how the Collaboration Tool can be used in curriculum development, starting with Focus Language Goals.
  • Language Focused Planning Tool: This tool can be used to embed a language-focused approach to planning instruction. Educators can use the guiding questions in the related annotated guide to familiarize themselves with the Language-Focused Planning Tool.
  • WIDA Focus Bulletins provide information on a variety of topics that may be of interest to educators.
  • WIDA Performance Definitions – Expressive Domains
  • WIDA Performance Definitions – Receptive Domains
• The "Next Generation ESL Curriculum Resource Guide" provides:
  • Information about the project's context, the curriculum design framework, and how to use that framework to develop additional ESL units.
  • Description of a continuous improvement cycle prompting critical questioning and strategic decision-making that can be used to improve instructional design.
  • A collection of collaborative templates, tools, processes, protocols, and other resources used in the development of ESL MCUs (e.g., Collaboration Tool, unit template, unit lesson plan template, language unpacking tools, unit and lesson-level protocols, etc.).
  • Resources for professional learning communities (PLCs) to support collaborative ESL curriculum development.
  • Information about other key topics related to the project, such as text complexity, Universal Design for Learning, guidance related to instruction and assessment of dually identified students (ELs with a disability), critical stance, social justice, and other significant components of effective ESL curriculum.