Resources

RISLUS has created a variety of free resources for educators. Click on the links below to view these documents (PDF on webpage). 

Guidance for Newcomer Intake

Considerations for Identifying and Supporting Newcomer Students (PDF): This document offers considerations to help districts determine: how to define and identify newcomer students; what educational and language background information is needed for educational decision-making; how to obtain the needed information; and how to use the obtained information to inform program and instructional placement, as well as wraparound supports. Moreover, this document can help districts consider how to collect data and whether the systems in place continue to be the most effective in yielding accurate and actionable information to support newcomer students.

FAQs for Educators

These documents were created for educators to understand more about newcomer students in the US. 

Afghanistan Reference: This guide describes the educational context in Afghanistan as well as the use of Dari and Pashto, the two most widely spoken languages. 

Arabic Speaking World Reference: Arabic is spoken in many countries. This map shows the many places you will find Arabic speakers, as well as information about the different varieties of Arabic.

Francophone Africa Reference: This guide includes an interactive map and information on countries in Africa which have a high prevalence of French speakers.

Ukrainian Reference: A guide to understanding educational circumstances and language of students coming from Ukraine.

Language Transfer Guides

These guides were produced to help teachers working with English Learners from specific language backgrounds.
Understanding the sounds used in students’ home languages can help educators identify common patterns of pronunciation specific to students from a particular language background.

Arabic Language Transfer: This language guide overviews the sounds of spoken Arabic and the key differences between Arabic and English.

Spanish Language Transfer: This language guide overviews the sounds of Spanish and key differences between Spanish and English.