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English Learner Roadmap Principle Four

Alignment and Articulation within and Across Systems: elements and case examples.

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English learners experience a coherent, articulated, and aligned set of practices and pathways across grade levels and educational segments, beginning with a strong foundation in early childhood and appropriate identification of strengths and needs, continuing through to reclassification, graduation, higher education, and career opportunities. These pathways foster the skills, language(s), literacy, and knowledge students need for college- and career-readiness and participation in a global, diverse, multilingual, twenty-first century world.

Principle Four Elements

Each principle is broken down into its corresponding elements. Below are Principle Four's elements.

Element 4.A: Alignment and Articulation

English learner (EL) educational approaches and programs are designed for continuity, alignment, and articulation across grade levels and system segments beginning with a strong foundation in early childhood (preschool), and continuing through elementary and secondary levels onto graduation, postsecondary education, and career preparation.

Element 4.B: Providing Extra Resources

Schools plan schedules and resources to provide extra time in school (as needed) and build partnerships with after-school and other entities to provide additional support for English learners, to accommodate the extra challenges English learners face in learning English and accessing/mastering all academic subject matter.

Element 4.C: Coherency

EL educational approaches and programs are designed to be coherent across schools within districts, across initiatives, and across the state.

Illustrative Case Examples: Principle Four

The examples below were submitted by local educational agencies (LEAs) and demonstrate Principle Four and its corresponding elements in action. The illustrative examples will be updated as new submissions become available.

Illustrative Example: Improving Post-Secondary Opportunities by Addressing System Inequity
This example, from the Fresno Unified School District, demonstrates Principle Three, Elements 3.A and 3.D, and Principle Four, Element 4.A, in action.

Illustrative Example: Sobrato Early Academic Language Model
This example, from the Sobrato Family Foundation, demonstrates Principle 1, Elements 1.A, 1.B, 1.C, and 1.D; Principle Two, Elements 2.A, 2.B, 2.C, 2.D, 2.E, and 2.G; and Principle Four, Element 4.A, in action.

Questions:   Multilingual Support Division | ELROADMAPPROJECT@cde.ca.gov | 916-319-0938
Last Reviewed: Friday, June 20, 2025
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