Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Enlists Expert in English Language Development for Its California Program

NEW YORK (Map) - NEW YORK, Nov. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- In California, almost 25 percent of students across grade levels enter state schools as bilingual or speaking a primary language other than English. These students need a variety of teaching methods that support language development.

Josefina Villamil Tinajero, Ph.D., a nationally recognized authority, researcher, and speaker in the field of elementary bilingual education, supports this theory. She served as co-author of Macmillan/McGraw-Hill's new research-based elementary reading and language arts program, California Treasures and its equitable parallel Spanish program, California Tesoros de lectura.

Dr. Tinajero also serves as professor and dean of education at the University of Texas at El Paso and is a consultant on English learners to school districts and universities throughout the United States.

Throughout her career and research, Tinajero has found that a multi- faceted approach to English learner instruction will lead the student toward reading success. Building on prior literacy experience, engaging the student's parents and families, establishing a nurturing classroom environment, engaging the student in oral language activities, using multilevel strategies for instruction, directly teaching vocabulary, and personalizing lessons all contribute to successful language integration.

"School teachers are facing a growing concern in today's classrooms - how to improve the reading achievement of English language learners," said Tinajero. "Because many English learners are scoring among the lowest in reading achievement nationwide, teachers must provide students with the tools to comprehend, interpret, evaluate, apply, and appreciate a wide range of topics."

Tinajero, who is past president the National Association of Bilingual Educators, recommends multilevel instruction strategies to allow for the participation of all students no matter what their level of English proficiency. She believes that by integrating multilevel strategies, the level of student participation and required response during a lesson can be tailored to address varied levels of English proficiency.

"Reading is an interactive process directed toward the sharing of meaning," she said. "The more a student knows about something, the easier it is to talk, read, and write about it. This is crucial for teachers to connect new concepts with a student's personal experiences and past learning."

California Treasures is a comprehensive reading and language arts program that includes differentiated instruction, an English language development program, writing support, and classroom management resources.

California Treasures Tesoros de lectura, a parallel K-6 reading and language arts program in Spanish, incorporates the state-required English language development component to assist students transitioning from Spanish and to ensure the required 30 minutes of English learner instruction every day.

The program also includes built-in English learner student support, which enables teachers to meet the needs of students at all reading language acquisition levels, in both English and Spanish.

About Macmillan/McGraw-Hill

Macmillan/McGraw-Hill is part of McGraw-Hill School Solutions Group (MHSSG).

The group combines Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, which focuses on Grades PreK-6, and Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, which serves Grades 6-12. MHSSG is the only major educational publishing business to provide a comprehensive approach to the development of print and digital instructional materials from pre-kindergarten through high school. Additional information is available at http://www.macmillanmh.com .

About McGraw-Hill Education

McGraw-Hill Education, a division of The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), is a leading global provider of print and digital instructional, assessment and reference solutions that empower professionals and students of all ages. McGraw-Hill Education has offices in 33 countries and publishes in more than 60 languages. Additional information is available at http://www.mheducation.com.

SOURCE Macmillan/McGraw-Hill