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From 2015 to 2019, Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Equity for English Learners (CEEL), in partnership with the Wexford Institute, conducted a rigorous multi-year evaluation of the Sobrato Early Academic Language (SEAL) model in 67 schools from 12 districts.
This replication study followed a previous evaluation of SEAL in two Bay Area school districts. The evaluators found that SEAL improved teaching practices and that SEAL English Learners demonstrated stronger student engagement as well as positive language development and academic outcomes. This evidence demonstrates that SEAL can be replicated at scale.
Student Outcomes
SEAL’s research-based model and results demonstrate that when we design powerful learning opportunities that put English Learners at the heart of our education system, they succeed.
The CEEL and Wexford Institute study found that students in SEAL schools were more joyful and engaged in their learning, and demonstrated positive outcomes in English and Spanish language development as well as in English language arts and mathematics achievement. This supports a previous evaluation that found that students in SEAL pilot sites demonstrated significant gains on language, literacy and cognition measures.
SEAL students demonstrated positive outcomes in 4 key areas:
Student Engagement
Educators reported that students were more joyful, confident, and engaged following the implementation of the SEAL model.
English Language Development
Most ELs started kindergarten with beginning or early intermediate levels of English fluency; by the fourth grade most had already been reclassified as English proficient or were ready for reclassification.
Academic Achievement
By fourth grade, SEAL Ever ELs and Reclassified Fluent English Proficient students performed as well as or better than their peers statewide in both English language arts and math, even though SEAL schools have higher concentrations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students than California schools as a whole.
Biliteracy
SEAL EL students in bilingual programs also improved in their home language, Spanish, while those in English-only classrooms suffered Spanish language loss.
SEAL students demonstrated positive outcomes in 4 key areas:
Student Engagement
Educators reported that students were more joyful, confident, and engaged following the implementation of the SEAL model.
English Language Development
Most ELs started kindergarten with beginning or early intermediate levels of English fluency; by the fourth grade most had already been reclassified as English proficient or were ready for reclassification.
Academic Achievement
By fourth grade, SEAL Ever ELs and Reclassified Fluent English Proficient students performed as well as or better than their peers statewide in both English language arts and math, even though SEAL schools have higher concentrations of socioeconomically disadvantaged students than California schools as a whole.
Biliteracy
SEAL EL students in bilingual programs also improved in their home language, Spanish, and their English language proficiency progressed at a greater rate than it did for ELs in Standard English Immersion (SEI) programs.
Educator Practice
The SEAL model is a comprehensive approach to systems change that couples professional learning for teachers with leadership development opportunities for district and site-level administrators and instructional coaches. School and district staff engage in this professional learning for two to three years.
According to the evaluation findings, teachers in SEAL schools who received SEAL training significantly increased their use of research-based best practices for teaching English Learners and increased their confidence and sense of efficacy as educators. Teachers also reported being more effective at engaging families of English Learners in their children’s learning and making home-to-school connections.
Educator Practice
The SEAL model is a comprehensive approach to systems change that couples professional learning for teachers with leadership development opportunities for district and site-level administrators and instructional coaches. School and district staff engage in this professional learning for two to three years.
According to the evaluation findings, teachers in SEAL schools who received SEAL training significantly increased their use of research-based best practices for teaching English Learners and increased their confidence and sense of efficacy as educators. Teachers also reported being more effective at engaging families of English Learners in their children’s learning and making home-to-school connections.
Implementing and Sustaining SEAL
SEAL is successful because it is a comprehensive whole-school, systemic change strategy. It encourages district leaders, principals, and teachers to establish systems and practices that support language development, literacy, and engaging, joyful learning—not just for English Learners, but for all students. SEAL also encourages these leaders and educators to use SEAL’s Depth of Implementation Tool to continuously improve by regularly reflecting upon how deeply they are implementing the model.
The multiyear evaluation found that SEAL can be replicated across districts throughout California. Yet while SEAL has taken root in many classrooms, schools, and districts, others are still working to implement SEAL consistently and in a way that is sustainable. To strengthen and sustain SEAL in current schools and implement it in others, schools and districts will need to support those in the coach–facilitator role, invest in continued professional learning, create more coherence with SEAL and other initiatives across grade levels, use data to support improvement, and provide time for district and site-level planning and for teacher collaboration.
Case Study Series:
The SEAL Model and Its Implementation Across Three Exemplar Districts
The SEAL Model and Its Implementation Across Three Exemplar Districts
This series of in-depth school district case studies, authored by Social Policy Research Associates, illustrates how education systems change when an assets-based and research-based approach to learning for ELs/DLLs is applied. The case studies offer an inside look at how SEAL was implemented in three California school districts: Mountain View School District, Oak Grove School District, and Redwood City School District. In addition to the three case studies, the series includes an Overview companion piece that describes the SEAL model, including its origin story, central design principles, and highlights from its pilot and expansion efforts.
The studies complement a recent multi-year evaluation conducted by Loyola Marymount University’s Center for Equity for English Learners and Wexford Institute, which found that SEAL positively influenced instructional practices, student engagement, and academic outcomes. We hope these studies will inspire educational leaders as they work to support Dual Language Learners/ English Learners and provide insight into how your district can benefit from approaches aligned with the SEAL model.
Oak Grove School District
The Oak Grove School District case study explains how the district adopted the SEAL model in 2013 after broader education policy shifts led district leaders to create a new approach to educating EL students. It also illustrates how the district strengthened the implementation, alignment, and sustainability of the SEAL model within schools and across multiple school sites by expanding SEAL into the upper elementary grades and prioritizing teacher voice, teacher collaboration, and professional development.
Redwood City School District
The Redwood City School District case study highlights the important role that bilingual educators played in the adoption of SEAL in the district, and showcases SEAL implementation in the preschool and elementary school context. It also describes the district’s centralized approach to curriculum development as a result of their involvement with SEAL, which led to stronger curriculum alignment across grade levels, including between preschool and kindergarten classrooms.
Mountain View School District
This case study describes the unique district-wide approach to SEAL implementation that the Mountain View School District employed, which included modifying aspects of SEAL’s professional development model to fit their unique context and desired timeline. It also provides a powerful example of how a district can productively collaborate with the teachers’ union to ensure successful teacher buy-in and districtwide implementation of a comprehensive educational change initiative.
Evaluation Publications
Evaluation Publications
SEAL Evaluation Findings
Fact Sheet
October 2021
SEAL Evaluation Findings
Summary Brief Describing a Multiyear
Evaluation Studying SEAL’s Replication
October 2021
Supporting Pandemic Recovery for English Learners and Dual Language Learners
Policy Brief
October 2021
Sobrato Family Foundation Early Academic Language and Literacy Project After Five Full Years of Implementation
Research Report
March 2015
SEAL Model: Final Report of Findings from a Four Year Study of Replication
January 2020
Overview: The SEAL Model and Its Implementation Across Three Exemplar Districts
Case Study of SEAL Implementation: Oak Grove School District
Case Study of SEAL Implementation: Redwood City School District
Case Study of SEAL Implementation: Mountain View School District