In New York City (NYC), we provide bilingual programs (Transitional Bilingual Education and Dual Language) that strengthen students’ native language development and content knowledge while they transition to English. These programs must include the necessary English as a Second Language (ESL), Native Language Arts (NLA), and English Language Arts (ELA) instructional units according to state law.We also provide English as a Second Language (ESL) programs that use various strategies, sometimes with native language support, so students develop language and content knowledge in English. These programs must include the necessary ESL and ELA instructional units. For all ELL programs, the number of ESL, NLA and ELA instructional units provided is based on English proficiency and all units must be standards-based. To view state learning standards available on the New York State Department of Education Web site, click the language arts area of interest: ESL, NLA, ELA.OELL’s Partnership with Understanding Language at Stanford UniversityWe are pleased to announce an exciting venture the Office of English Language Learners undertook with Understanding Language at Stanford University. This partnership led to our involvement in Understanding Language’s first pilot of a Common Core-aligned unit of study for ELLs, which took place during the 2011-12 Title III Summer Enrichment Program. The Key Principles for ELL Instruction, created during OELL’s collaboration, can be found on Understanding Language’s website, along with the newly created Guidelines for ELA Instruction Materials Development, both of which are valuable resources for teachers.