Which Instructional Materials Does Ballard & Tighe Offer for English Language Development?

Ballard & Tighe organizes its English language development (ELD) materials by grade band—preschool/TK, elementary (K–5), and secondary—and by learner need, including newcomers, LTELs, SLIFE, and general language intervention. The catalog combines core and supplemental programs such as Hands-On English, Carousel of IDEAS, Frames for Fluency, and Go English 2!, each built around structured, explicit language teaching with teacher tools like lesson plans, vocabulary cards, theme pictures, and sentence frames. The right choice depends on your students' grade level and whether you need a full core program or targeted supplemental support.

Programs by Grade Level

Preschool / TK

• Carousel of IDEAS — a core ELD program for young learners.
• EnglishMats — supplemental materials for early language exposure.
• IPT Early Childhood English Test — an assessment tool; the site notes it was selected as an approved screener for TK in California.

Elementary (K–5)

• Hands-On English, Grades K–1 — a core program that received the WIDA PRIME 2020 Seal, scoring 4/4 in all areas for alignment to evaluation criteria.
• Hands-On English, Grades 2–5 — the upper-elementary continuation of the same program.
• Carousel of IDEAS — also listed for elementary.
• Frames for Fluency — supplemental oral language practice built on sentence frames.
• Creative IDEAS and Creative Beats — additional supplemental resources.
• Go English 2! and Go Spanish 2! — paired English and Spanish materials.
• Dictionaries — reference support for learners.

Secondary

• Champion of IDEAS — a core ELD program for secondary students.
• Frames for Fluency — carried into secondary for oral fluency practice.
• Go English 2! and Go Spanish 2! — dual-language materials.
• Dictionaries — reference support.
• Explore the Ages — a content-based resource.
• ELTiS — an English language test used at the secondary level.
• One Step (Content-Based Resources) — content-based instructional support.

Matching Materials to Learner Profiles

The site explicitly frames its ELD programs around four learner groups: newcomers, LTELs (long-term English learners), SLIFE (students with limited or interrupted formal education), and all proficiency levels. Core and supplemental programs are described as highly structured, systematic, and explicit, with an integrated skills approach covering reading, writing, listening, and speaking, and an emphasis on oral fluency through targeted sentence-frame practice.

For language intervention, Ballard & Tighe offers systematic grammar and vocabulary development intended to address language gaps for all students—useful when students need targeted skill-building rather than a full core curriculum.

What the Programs Include

Across the ELD offerings, the site describes a complete teacher toolkit: detailed lesson plans, vocabulary cards, theme pictures, sentence frames, and content-based instruction. Sample lessons are available to view before committing.

Assessments Alongside Instruction

Instructional materials sit next to a separate assessment line: language proficiency assessments and screeners for program placement, progress monitoring, and diagnostic reporting with instructional recommendations. The site describes these as affordable and flexible—credits can be used across tests, languages, and grades, with no yearly license fee commitment, plus unlimited support and free training. If you are choosing materials, it is worth checking which assessments pair with your chosen program so placement and progress data line up with instruction.

How to Choose

To confirm fit, the site offers sample lessons, a full WIDA PRIME report for Hands-On English (K–1), and a contact path (Call/Demo/E-mail) for booking time with the team.