Fidelity to the sheltered instruction observation protocol (SIOP): Is it possible?

There are many English Language Learners (ELLs) present in today's school system. Many of them are actually native U. S. Citizens. However there is a large gap between the learning of ELLs and their native English speaking peers. There are many programs the at have been suggested and used to make this gap smaller. This study challenges traditional or more common practices for ELLs and finds the best practice to use. The program that has been suggested as the best practice is the Sheltered Instruction Observat ion Protocol or SIOP model. This model includes 8 components and 30 features. It has been said that all components and features need to be implemented in the classroom for the best results. However, because of the enormity of the model it may be hard to implement all components and features into the classroom. This study also explores what are the easiest and the most difficult components to implement from the SIOP model to help teachers get a start on implementing this program.