Enhancing Instruction for English Learners in Response to Intervention Systems: The PLUSS Model

Abstract

This paper proposes a model of effective instruction and intervention for English Learners (ELs) within a Response to Intervention (RTI) framework. First, we review literature on effective instruction for ELs and how RTI can address the needs of these students. Then, we describe the PLUSS model, which integrates research on effective instruction for ELs, tiered models of support, and teacher practices. The model includes the following elements: Pre-teaching critical vocabulary; Language modeling and opportunities to use academic language; Using visuals and graphic organizers; Systematic and explicit instruction; and Strategic use of native language and teaching for transfer. Finally, we provide an example of a PLUSS model lesson for Tier 2 instruction within an RTI framework. Mrs. Shinn is a fourth-grade teacher in a school implementing Response to Intervention (RTI). She is responsible for core and Tier 2 instruction in her classroom. She has a Tier 2 intervention group of six students, four of whom are English learners; of these, three speak Spanish and one speaks Vietnamese. She uses a program that incorporates effective instructional practices recommended in the literature for native English speakers and English learners (e.g., Gersten et al., 2007), but her students sometimes struggle with the vocabulary and language structures used in the intervention program. She wonders what she can do to make Tier 2 instruction more effective for her English learners. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2011) reported that the number of English Learners (ELs) in public schools rose from 4.7 to 11.2 million between 1980 and 2009, representing an increase of 21 percent. While ELs are a diverse population, representing more than 400 languages, what defi nes them as a group is their need for specialized and effective language support to fully participate in English-only educational programs (Goldenberg, 2008). Of all ELs, 73 percent are Spanish-speakers (NCES, 2011). Data on the school achievement of ELs reinforce the importance of assuring that all teachers have the skills necessary to assure that students with limited English profi ciency meet high academic standards. In 2010, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported a gap of 36 points between EL and non-EL students in reading at fourth grade, a 47-point gap in eighth grade, and a staggering 50-point gap in grade 12. As alarming as these statistics may seem, it is hard to interpret NAEP results because ELs were tested in English, a language they are