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The Common Core State Standards and English learners: Finding the silver lining

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2026

Betsy Rymes ,
Nelson Flores  and
Anne Pomerantz
Betsy Rymes*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
Nelson Flores*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
Anne Pomerantz*
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
*
University of Pennsylvania, Graduate School of Education, 3700 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104 [brymes@gse.upenn.edu]
[nflores@gse.upenn.edu]
[apomeran@gse.upenn.edu]
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Abstract

In this article we lay out the tenets of a communicative repertoire (CR) approach to meeting the needs of English learners (ELs) in the context of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). We begin by critiquing the underlying theory of language that has long guided approaches to EL instruction. We then illustrate how the CR approach builds on more contemporary understandings of language and language development, noting its compatibility with the CCSS, and providing an example of what this approach looks like in a twelfth-grade English literature class for ELs. Building from this example, we illustrate the general framework for developing lessons from a CR perspective that align with the CCSS and can be used across a variety of instructional settings. Finally, we discuss what policies and opportunities for teacher professional development might be conducive to supporting this instructional approach and to ensuring that the CCSS is implemented in ways that maximize EL academic achievement and engagement.

Keywords

Common Core State StandardsEnglish language learnerscommunicative repertoiremultilingualism

Information

Type
Languageand Public Policy
Information
Language , Volume 92 , Issue 4 , December 2016 , pp. e257 - e273
Copyright
Copyright © 2016 Linguistic Society of America

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