Content and Language Standards as Policy Initiatives to Guide Classroom Practices: Argument Writing as an Example

ABSTRACT

Content standards are expected of all students, including those who are learning the language of instruction as an additional language. In the United States, federal legislation mandates that students learning English as an additional language meet both content standards and English language proficiency or development (ELP/ELD) standards. WIDA ELD Standards Framework, 2020 Edition (WIDA 2020 hereafter) is the latest among multiple sets of ELP/ELD standards across the US states. WIDA 2020 is based on contemporary conceptions of language learning and is aligned with the current generation of content standards, including contemporary science standards called the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS). This article describes how the NGSS and WIDA 2020 reflect parallel conceptual and instructional shifts. Specifically, the article highlights argument, which is one of the eight science and engineering practices in the NGSS and one of the four Key Language Uses in WIDA 2020. Using argument writing samples, the article illustrates the four components of WIDA 2020 in the context of the NGSS. The article closes with implications for classroom practices across science and language education. Ultimately, understanding how the NGSS and WIDA 2020 are mutually supportive could contribute to the design of more coherent standards‐based curriculum materials and instructional approaches.