> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.learningcommons.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# English Learners Success Forum Guidelines

> English Learners Success Forum Guidelines in Knowledge Graph: ELA, Math, and Science guidance for designing materials that support multilingual learners.

export const OpenBadge = ({size = "md", children}) => {
  return <Badge color="green" size={size}>
      {children == null || children === "" ? "Open" : typeof children === "string" ? children.trim() : children}
    </Badge>;
};

[Dataset last updated September 22, 2026.](#dataset-release-history)

## Overview

<Note>
  The English Learners Success Forum Guidelines dataset uses Instructional
  guidance
  [entities](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#entities)
  and
  [relationships](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#relationships).
</Note>

The English Learners Success Forum Guidelines dataset was developed by the [English Learners Success Forum (ELSF)](https://www.elsuccessforum.org/) ↗ to help content developers design and refine instructional materials to support multilingual learners. These guidelines were built in collaboration with researchers, practitioners, and subject-matter experts.

|                          |                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| :----------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Source**               | [English Learners Success Forum (ELSF)](https://www.elsuccessforum.org/) ↗                                                                                                                   |
| **Supported grades**     | K–12 (the guidance applies across all grades; no part of it is grade-specific)                                                                                                               |
| **Includes**             | <ul><li>**Math guidelines** <OpenBadge /></li><li><Tooltip tip="English Language Arts">**ELA**</Tooltip> **guidelines** <OpenBadge /></li><li>**Science guidelines** <OpenBadge /></li></ul> |
| **Dataset dependencies** | None                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| **REST API endpoints**   | None                                                                                                                                                                                         |

This dataset provides guidance *about* instructional materials — other datasets cover what students should know (e.g., [U.S. academic standards](/knowledge-graph/datasets/standards/us-academic-standards) and [Math learning components](/knowledge-graph/datasets/learning-components/math-learning-components)) and the curriculum itself (e.g., [IM® v.360](/knowledge-graph/datasets/curriculum/im-v360)).

## Use cases

| Use case                                               | Examples                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| :----------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Differentiation support in AI tools**                | <ul><li>Generate or adapt instructional content for multilingual learners, grounded in a published framework rather than a model's recall of one</li></ul>                                                                   |
| **Materials review and self-assessment**               | <ul><li>Check existing curriculum against a specification-level checklist to find where it does and doesn't support multilingual learners</li><li>ELSF publishes self-assessment tools built on this same guidance</li></ul> |
| **Curriculum development**                             | <ul><li>Build new materials against the guidance from the start, at whichever grain the task needs — a broad Area of Focus for planning, a Specification for a concrete design decision</li></ul>                            |
| **Combining guidance with other differentiation data** | <ul><li>Use ELSF alongside other learner-variability data in the graph so one tool can draw on several sources at once</li></ul>                                                                                             |

## Schema

The data uses [Instructional guidance](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance) entities to represent **Areas of Focus**, **Guidelines**, and **Specifications** in a 3-level tree:

<Frame>
  <img
    src="https://mintcdn.com/czi-60a2a443/0O8toJEXZMNYIDls/images/knowledge-graph/elsf-guidelines.jpg?fit=max&auto=format&n=0O8toJEXZMNYIDls&q=85&s=41c1ce0137ddc8d87d3ae42555562136"
    alt="Data model diagram: GuidanceFramework connected by hasChild to
GuidanceFrameworkItem Area of Focus, Guideline, and
Specification"
    width="2526"
    height="962"
    data-path="images/knowledge-graph/elsf-guidelines.jpg"
  />
</Frame>

<Info>
  The Area is a theme, the Guideline is a statement of intent, and a
  Specification is something a reviewer could check a set of materials against.

  <ul>
    <li>
      <strong>Framework</strong> — ELSF Guidelines for Improving Mathematics
      Materials for English Learners (<code>academicSubject</code>: Mathematics)
    </li>

    <li>
      <strong>Area of Focus I</strong> — Interdependence of Mathematical
      Content, Practices, and Language
    </li>

    <li>
      <strong>Guideline 1</strong> — Strategic opportunities to use and refine
      both language and mathematics over time
    </li>

    <li>
      <strong>Specification 1a</strong> — Materials highlight, define,
      illustrate, and show the purpose for mathematical language within the
      context of the lesson (not in isolation).
    </li>
  </ul>

  For more details, see the [Instructional guidance schema
  reference](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance).
</Info>

|                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              |
| :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [**Entities**](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#entities)           | <ul><li>[`GuidanceFramework`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframework) — Root of each subject tree (e.g. <em>ELSF Guidelines for Improving Mathematics Materials for English Learners</em>)</li><li>[`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem) with 3 `statementType`s:<ul><li>**Area of Focus** — Broad theme within a subject, coded with a Roman numeral (e.g. <em>Interdependence of Mathematical Content, Practices, and Language</em> (`I`))</li><li>**Guideline** — Statement of what materials should do, coded with an integer (e.g. <em>Strategic opportunities to use and refine both language and mathematics over time</em> (`1`))</li><li>**Specification** — Concrete, checkable expression of a Guideline, coded as the Guideline's number plus a lowercase letter (e.g. <em>Materials highlight, define, illustrate, and show the purpose for mathematical language within the context of the lesson (not in isolation).</em> (`1a`))</li></ul></li></ul> |
| [**Relationships**](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#relationships) | <ul><li>[`GuidanceFramework`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframework) → [`hasChild`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#haschild) → **Area of Focus** ([`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem))</li><li>**Area of Focus** ([`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem)) → `hasChild` → **Guideline** ([`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem))</li><li>**Guideline** ([`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem)) → `hasChild` → **Specification** ([`GuidanceFrameworkItem`](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance#guidanceframeworkitem))</li></ul>                                                                                                                                                                          |

<Note>
  Guidance entities reuse the property vocabulary of
  [Standards](/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/standards) entities.
  `jurisdiction`, `adoptionStatus`, `caseIdentifierURI`, `caseIdentifierUUID`,
  and `normalizedStatementType` are not part of this schema. Every node and
  relationship is scoped to a single subject — no edge connects nodes across
  frameworks.
</Note>

## Dataset release history

| Date               | Changed                                                                                |
| :----------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| September 22, 2026 | First release with English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science guidelines included |

## Related topics

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Instructional guidance schema reference" icon="share-nodes" href="/knowledge-graph/schema-reference/instructional-guidance">
    Review entities, relationships, and property definitions for Instructional
    guidance.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>