Long-Term English Learners

Share / assign

Why it works

Long-term English learners (LTELs), students who have attended U.S. schools for many years but remain classified as English learners, are a sizable and often-overlooked group with distinct needs: typically conversationally fluent but lacking the academic language and literacy to exit EL status, sometimes disengaged after years of not progressing. Research shows they need different support from newcomers: explicit, rigorous academic language and literacy instruction, meaningful engagement and high expectations (not remedial repetition), affirmation of their bilingualism, and attention to why they have plateaued. Business-as-usual keeps them stuck.

The research: Research on long-term English learners (Olsen).

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: support LTELs with targeted instruction

Teachers leave with targeted academic-language supports for LTELs.

Identify long-term English learners (years in U.S. schools, still classified EL, conversationally fluent but academically stuck).
Provide explicit, rigorous academic language and literacy.
Engage them with high expectations, not remedial repetition.
Affirm their bilingualism and address why they plateaued.

Targeted academic language, not more of the sameLong-term English learners are stuck at a plateau, not newcomers. They need rigorous academic language, high expectations, and engagement, not remedial repetition.

Facilitator notes

Distinguish LTELs from newcomers, and provide rigorous academic language.
Engage with high expectations, and affirm bilingualism.
Address the plateau.

Business-as-usual keeps LTELs stuckTreating long-term English learners like newcomers, or with low-expectation remediation, keeps them plateaued. Provide targeted, rigorous academic language and engagement.

Adapt it

Elementary: academic language, engagement, high expectations.
Secondary: academic language and literacy, engagement, rigor.
All settings: targeted academic language, high expectations, engagement.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Long-Term English Learners: targeted support

Not newcomers, and not stuck: rigorous academic language, high expectations, engagement, and affirmed bilingualism.

The long-term English learners in my class:
The explicit, rigorous academic language I provide:
How I engage them with high expectations:
How I affirm their bilingualism:
Why they may have plateaued:

Make it stick

Targeted, not more of the same:

Provide targeted academic language.
Keep expectations high.
Bring an LTEL support that helped to the next PLC.

Common questions

How are long-term English learners different from newcomers?

Newcomers are new to English; LTELs have been in U.S. schools for years but remain classified as ELs, usually conversationally fluent but lacking academic language. They need targeted support, not newcomer instruction.

Why are they stuck?

Often from years of instruction that did not build academic language, low expectations or remedial repetition, and disengagement. They plateau without targeted, rigorous support.

What do they need?

Explicit, rigorous academic language and literacy, meaningful engagement and high expectations, affirmation of their bilingualism, and attention to why they plateaued, not more of the same.