• In a perfect world, what would you like to see as an EL program at your school?

I believe that the first and most important step to improving EL services at my school is identification.  At this point, we have no students identified as EL, but we have many students who have participated in EL programs in the past or should have.  Half of our students are Latino, and most of them are native Spanish speakers.  The other half of our students are African-American, and many of them need support in improving Standard American English. 

 

If I were creating a program, I would have students take a placement test as they enter which would determine if they are proficient in English or if they need additional support.  I would also be sure the application process collected information about language skills and background.  Next, I would disseminate this information.  I would be sure that all teachers had language information available to them about each student with special flags for students who need additional EL support or who had completed an EL program earlier in their lives.  That way, we would be able to support these students appropriately rather than wasting time in the school year before recognizing their needs or missing their needs altogether.

 

Next, I would provide training for all teachers in EL identification and instruction.  Though we would not be teaching specifically EL classes, I would be sure that all of the teachers knew how to work with students to be sure that their language needs were met.  This would include strategies, appropriate assessment, language development, and identification procedures.  I would have ongoing professional development and oversight to be sure that everyone felt comfortable with the skills.

 

Finally, I would provide a resource teacher to assist both students and faculty.  I would be sure that students who had greater language needs got appropriate outside help whether it be in speaking, writing, listening, or reading.  That teacher would also be available to help teachers create and deliver appropriate instruction and assessment.   

 

• What does this look like in the classroom – both the physical classroom as well as instruction? 

In the classroom physically, the teachers would know which students have lower English proficiency and would be able to work with them appropriately.  They would be able to place these students appropriately in the classroom so they would have the best sightline to the teacher and instruction as well as placing them near students who could help them if they didn’t catch everything that was said.  The physical classroom would also have many visual aids helping EL students to grasp and reinforce concepts.  For example, the teacher would post instructions and homework in writing as well as saying it verbally.

 

In terms of instruction, the teacher would be sure to teach language through content.  She would differentiate by providing strategies which would benefit all students but particularly the EL students.  For example, she would provide graphic organizers and vocabulary instruction which is specific and repeated.  She would reference previous knowledge and provide collaboration and interaction opportunities.  She would be sure that all students took part in reading, writing, listening and speaking at their appropriate level.  She would assess all students through a variety of methods including authentic assessment as well as traditional assessment.  All of these ideas and skills would be taught and supported by professional development and the resource teacher. 

• What does this look like as a school?  What does this look like with respect to the community or parents? 

As a school, the administration would create channels which would make EL identification and support a priority.  They would make a concerted effort to gather and disseminate information about each student’s language background and needs.  They would also support the classroom teachers through professional development and training as well as with a resource specialist who could continue training as well as working with specific students as needed. 

 

Our school draws from a wide variety of communities, and we don’t do a lot specifically with the immediate community of Watts.  One strong connection that we have is an after-school tutoring program with children who attend the neighboring public elementary.  We could encourage our students to work with EL students in this program, and we could also perhaps share the professional development with teachers at the elementary. 

 

Working with the parents is key in helping students to achieve.  We already provide some translation services—in individual meetings, in the newsletter, and at major functions.  We could improve our parent relations if translation services were more readily available for phone calls home, for Back-to-School Night, for smaller events, and most especially, for parent-teacher conferences.  This would help the parents to be a full part of the school community, and it would also show the families and students that we value their language and culture. 

• What changes do you think are realistic to make at your school site now?

I think the most realistic change would be to work on making language information more readily available.  All of our students take the high school placement exam, and I would assume that their application materials reference their language background in some way.  Even knowing the language their parents speak would be helpful and is certainly part of the process.  I don’t think it would be out of the question to compile this information and make it available to all teachers through the student data program.  That way, we would at least know which of our students we should make an extra effort to watch.   

 

Though our school does not have significant extra cash available, there is budgeted money for professional development.  At the department level, we could certainly choose to spend money for development related to EL students.  I think it would also be possible, and significantly more helpful, to bring in professional development (whether an outside presenter or a knowledgeable staff member) which would address teaching methods of particular benefit to EL students and/or issues and knowledge about EL students and their needs. 

 

Finally, I think providing additional translation would be very realistic.  A significant number of staff and faculty are fluent in both English and Spanish, so they would be able to provide much help.  At larger events such as Back-to-School Night or conferences, we could possibly recruit parents who are fluent in both or school alums to help provide full translation.

 

• What are the obstacles keeping you from implementing the rest of your plan? Be specific and give lots of details.  

Two primary factors would keep my school from implementing this plan.  The first is lack of money.  Professional development, resource teachers, and testing are all expensive.  Our school has been struggling more than usual to make ends meet lately.  We depend on donors for a significant amount of revenue, so in these lean financial times, we have no extra dollars for new programs.

 

The second factor is lack of organization.  My school has been improving its consistency and organization every year for the past 5-6 years.  However, there is still a long way for it to go.  We have implemented tutoring, a literacy program, and Student Success Teams for struggling students.  However, there has not been enough time or enough communication in record keeping available up to this point to put together an entire language ability tracking program.  In fact, at this point, we have no access to scores or data of any kind from the application process or past performance.  In the future, I feel that the language assessment and tracking program would be a distinct possibility.  However, because we do not accept students who have significant language needs, it is currently not a priority.  Our students are all proficient at the conversational level, and most have an English language reading level within three years of their current grade level.  Language tracking and additional language support would be helpful, but are not yet a reality.