SupportEd
SupportEd
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SLIFE / SIFE SLIFE / SIFE

What is SLIFE? Importance to MLs SupportEd’s approach

Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE), also referred to as SIFE, are a unique group of MLs that enter U.S. schools after second grade and have had limited opportunities for education or have had major gaps in their education. SLIFE students may have had a lack of access to schools because of living in places like rural settings or refugee camps or living in situations of violence or civil unrest making it unsafe to attend school. In addition, the structure and requirements of the education system could have prevented SLIFE from attending, such as gender expectations, educational costs, or formal education ending at a certain grade. 

SLIFE bring many strengths to their education, such as resiliency, problem solving, cultural pride, strong family ties, motivation, sense of community, and backgrounds and experiences. However, SLIFE also can need additional instruction to build foundational literacy and numeracy skills due to their gaps in education or lack of education. Being new to a country coupled with new academic expectations can lead to stress, isolation, and frustration. SLIFE may also have additional social-emotional needs due to trauma endured prior to and during their arrival to the U.S. 

The SupportEd team takes an assets-based approach to supporting SLIFE by building upon their backgrounds and experiences while developing skills to adapt to American schooling. In addition, SupportEd provides tools and resources to support the development of SLIFE programming in areas such as overall SLIFE programming, instructional resources and strategies, intake and enrollment, and supporting and engaging SLIFE families. For more information about our approach to SLIFE, check out our on demand SLIFE course. 

SILFE / SIFE illustration

Printables Printables

Effectively Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

Study Guide

SLIFE-SupportEd-english-leaners

EL Newcomers and Students with Limited/Inconsistent Formal Education (SLIFE) Intake

Enrollment Checklist

SLIFE-Students-Checklist

Culturally Responsive Unit Planning

Template

Unit-Planning-Culture

SLIFE Scheduling

Planning Document

SLIFE-students-planning

SLIFE Scenarios

Practice Guide

SLIFE-students-planning-document

SLIFE Program Review

Planning Tool

SLIFE-review-document

Self-Paced Learning Self-Paced Learning

Program Development Strategies for SLIFE and LTELs online course

Program Development Strategies for SLIFE and LTELs Program Development Strategies for SLIFE and LTELs

SILFE Collaborative Online Course

Effectively Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) Effectively Reaching Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

Webinars Webinars

Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction Elevating SLIFE Success: Strategies for Programming and Instruction

Explore research-based practices for SLIFE, get a deeper understanding of effective SLIFE programming, receive instructional practices and tools that can be immediately put to use in your context.

Presenter: ML Technical Assistance Specialist, Shannon Smith, MEd.

Guest presenter: Dr. Carol Salva, award-winning educator, host of Boosting Achievement: The ESL Podcast and author of Boosting Achievement: Reaching Students with Interrupted or Minimal Education.

Effectively Supporting Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) in Your Schools Effectively Supporting Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE) in Your Schools

Learn innovative strategies and tools used by the nation’s tenth largest school district to effectively support SLIFE and improve their chances for academic and personal growth.

  • Practical tools for effectively identifying and assessing SLIFE
  • Strategies for providing literacy intervention and support to SLIFE
  • Innovative strategies for providing consistent socio-emotional support for SLIFE

Guest presenters: Karen Kleiber and Sonia Arellano of FCPS

Articles Articles

Carol-Salva-SLIFE-Shannon-Smith
14
Sep/23

SupportEd, Dr. Carol Salva to host webinar addressing SLIFE Strategies 

SLIFE-English-Learners
19
Jul/22

5 Ways to Serve Your Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (SLIFE)

Assessment Tools Assessment Tools

SLIFE Screener English Sample Items SLIFE Screener English Sample Items

View sample English math, reading, and writing items at the 4-5 and 9-12 grade bands based on the SLIFE Screener we developed for the Maine Department of Education in collaboration with our partner, Agora Learning. 

SLIFE Screener Spanish Sample Items SLIFE Screener Spanish Sample Items

View sample Spanish math, reading, and writing items at the 4-5 and 9-12 grade bands based on the SLIFE Screener we developed for the Maine Department of Education in collaboration with our partner, Agora Learning. 

Partner Resources Partner Resources

SLIFE Data Map

SLIFE / SIFE Data Map SLIFE / SIFE Data Map

Explore the Inlier Learning data map tracks changes related to the definition for Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education across the U.S.

SLIFE Toolkit

Welcoming, Registering, and Supporting Newcomer Students Welcoming, Registering, and Supporting Newcomer Students

Reference the Institute of Education Sciences Toolkit for Educators of Immigrant and Refugee Students in Secondary Schools

SLIFE Maine Department of Education

Maine Department of Education SLIFE Resources Maine Department of Education SLIFE Resources

Review the Maine DOE SLIFE definition and recordings of professional development sessions conducted by SupportEd.