User:UNDRand4/Newcomer education

United States Newcomer Programs
A newcomer program is an educational institution created specifically for those students with limited proficiency in English that have recently arrived from outside the United States within the past one to three years. Newcomer programs offer a safe space for immigrants and refugees new to the United States where the focus can lie on nurturing students as they adjust to a new school and are immersed in English in a non-threatening way. Newcomer programs support this special population of students to grow in English language development while implementing appropriate academic skills necessary for success in United States educational systems. Qualifications to attend such programs also include an initial English placement exam. Educational backgrounds of students differ depending on how much education in their native language they have received. There are literate newcomers who arrive with grade level equivalent skills in literacy and academics due to schooling in their native language. There are also newcomers who arrive with minimal exposure to formal schooling (Limited Formal Schooling or LMS students). Schooling may be interrupted placing the student below grade level. Existing newcomer centers can serve students at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

The organization of newcomer programs vary. One example of a newcomer program are the International Networks Schools that works to provide immigrants a school where they use student's cultural and linguistic backgrounds as a backbone to create academically and language appropriate instruction. The teaching approach used at these schools focuses on that of the "plurilingual" way of instruction. A newcomer center also is complemented by culturally responsive teaching which encompasses all cultural characteristics to make academic instruction authentic for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) students. Another example of a U.S. newcomer program is one set up within a school based upon the community location where newcomer populations are most prevalent. Newcomer programs are also found 1) within a district intake center, 2) located in an area equidistant from surrounding schools, or 3) in a district that offers multiple newcomer centers. Conversely, some school districts across the United States do not offer a newcomer program due to lack of resources.

Literacy Instruction Focus
A foundational goal is for newcomer students to be immersed in a sound literacy program that fosters success in both oral language and English language development in the area of literacy. Unlike a native English speaker who begins literacy instruction in early elementary grades, it is common for newcomer students to first have their first exposure to the English language upon entrance in a newcomer program. To validate this point, Alfred Schifini (2002), zeroed in on literacy for this specific population and states English Language Learners (ELLs) need to have a focus that is, "systematic, explicit, and targeted at diagnosed needs" as he presented at the National Conference on Newcomer Programs. The speech highlighted how a newcomer literacy program provides specialized instruction based on the needs of the students within the program in order to provide meaningful and appropriate instruction.

For implementation of a literacy-focused program to occur, Custodio suggests there be a selected set of elements to consider, fourteen to be exact. The fourteen components that Custodio (2011) highlights in her text, can complement a newcomer program and have been created by Gail Tompkin (2003). These components are summarized as: 1) Instruction of Basic Reading Skills

2) Instruction of High Frequency Words

3) Implementation of Vocabulary Comprehension

4) Incorporation of Reading and Writing Activities that Improve the Fluency and Comprehension

5) Interweaving of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing Simultaneously

6) Instruction of Learning Strategies and Building Background to Aid in Comprehension

7) Incorporating the Visual Strategy of Graphic Organizers

8) Utilization of Varied Genres

9) Incorporation of Routined Reading and Writing Activities

10) Incorporation of Student Choice Classroom Activities

11) Implementation of Writing Scaffolds

12) Student Familiarization of Textbook Features and Study Techniques  13) Orientating Newcomers on Content Level Resources at Student's Grade Level 14) Support in Student's Continued Academic and Language Growth

The above components provide helpful guidelines for ELL newcomer teachers and staff running a program and implementation of these aid newcomer students to thrive and grow in their English language development. Custodio (2011) continues to stress the importance of a strong newcomer literacy program. Implications for a such a program, can push newcomers from, "pre-literacy to a point of fluency and comprehension of grade-level fiction and nonfiction text" (p. 59).

Alongside these components other criteria can be considered: the student's native language background and cultures, limited oral speaking abilities, and the selection of differentiated curriculum.