Blog
Connecting data, instruction, & families: An all-in-one system for EL support
Blog
Connecting data, instruction, & families: An all-in-one system for EL support
Connecting data, instruction, & families: An all-in-one system for EL support
In education, connection drives impact—whether it’s students relating with content, building peer relationships, partnering with families, or aligning data with instruction. But too often, the tools educators rely on to support English learners (ELs) feel disconnected or time-consuming. That’s why we’ve made a series of updates across our product suite to leverage the power of connection and equip districts with a cohesive system of support for their English learners (ELs).
When teachers can seamlessly monitor growth, implement data-driven instructional strategies, and collaborate with families—all in one place—they are better prepared to drive meaningful, sustained progress for ELs. Let’s take a look at how we’re bringing this outcome to the forefront of Ellevation.
Introducing Family Communication
Keeping families informed is essential to EL success—and now it’s easier than ever. Family Communication streamlines the process of sending key parent letters home. Using Forms, enjoy a faster way to meet compliance requirements, digitally deliver and collect key information, and effectively inform families about program decisions. With this tool, educators can:
- Speed up compliance: Digitally send parent letters, then collect signatures and input from family members, all through Ellevation
- Enhance communication: Share key information directly to family emails in their home language to keep families better informed
- Save time and resources: Using our digital family communication workflow means less time on paper and postage and more insight into progress.
- Track with confidence: Monitor when communications are sent, responses are received, and signatures are collected—providing clear records to support compliance and program management.
Family Communication is now available for early access as an add-on to Ellevation Platform. By connecting compliance processes with a district’s program management tool, educators can build stronger family-school partnerships without adding more work to teachers’ plates.
Clarity and confidence in instruction
We’re making it easier than ever for educators to turn student data into impactful classroom action. Our latest updates and exciting enhancements on the horizon support more confident planning, clearer next steps, and better outcomes for English learners.
What’s new: Making differentiation a lower lift
When instructional tools are intuitive and connected to student needs, educators feel more motivated to implement them. Recent updates to the Ellevation Strategies activity page are designed to help educators better plan, differentiate, and deliver meaningful instruction that supports multilingual learners, including:
- Easier planning for individual student needs: Teachers can now see their students’ names directly within the activity page, making it easier to plan appropriate scaffolds and tailor instruction based on what each student needs.
- More targeted and impactful support: Filter student support groupings by school and teach to personalize coaching conversations and focus classroom observations where they matter most.
These improvements reflect our ongoing commitment to supporting effective planning and purposeful instruction for multilingual learners.
What’s next: A connected, guided experience
Coming this summer, Ellevation is bringing instructional content and student data even closer together with exciting enhancements that deliver a more unified experience across Ellevation
Here’s what to expect:
- Instructional content, right where you need it: Educators will soon have the option to see Strategies content directly on their Ellevation dashboards — giving them immediate access to activity lists and module pathways within the context of their students' language proficiency data. For example, a district that is focusing on writing instruction can build a dashboard that shows teachers their actual students’ writing proficiency levels alongside relevant module pathways or activity lists such as “Writing to Express Understanding.”
- A simplified starting point for learning activities: Our redesigned activity experience will guide teachers through an activity with a simple, stepped learning experience to help them understand how to use an activity to enhance their practice and drive student instructional outcomes. By delivering this information in bite-sized chunks, we lower the barrier for teachers to get started, while still providing them a rich learning experience to deepen their practice.
These updates bring the best parts of Ellevation together, deepening the connection between data and best-practice instruction and empowering teachers to improve student outcomes.
Fewer clicks, deeper insights: Empowering educators with smarter tools
Recent updates to Forms are all about saving time and making it easier to find, complete, and track key EL program tasks. Now, users can:
- Find forms in fewer clicks: With direct links in email updates, users can jump straight into the forms that need attention. Now, it’s easier to complete multiple forms in one go and stay on top of deadlines.
- Easily access and review documents: Uploaded documents are now easier to review directly in the form. Admins can also add instructions or notes to make sure the right information is being reviewed during each cycle.
- Review status quickly: Easily check on form status directly in the Student List. Instantly see where there are gaps or incomplete items so nothing falls through the cracks.
- Streamlined support insights: Get a consolidated view of modifications across groups of students, with easy export options for planning, analysis, or reporting. Now, educators and admins can make informed instructional decisions more efficiently.
- Better support for multi-identified students: The inclusion of updated Alternate ACCESS descriptors across the Student Profile, Forms, Reports, and Goal Bank helps educators more accurately understand and address the unique strengths and needs of multi-identified students, ensuring instructional plans and supports are meaningful and appropriate.
These enhancements reflect our continued commitment to building tools that reduce administrative overhead while deepening your impact where it matters most – your students. Whether you're managing compliance requirements or crafting the right instructional goals, Ellevation is here to help.
Ready to explore these features in your own workflow?
Reach out to your Partner Success contact or visit the latest releases webpage to get started.