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1923
Joaquin Miller Grammar School
history
Joaquin Miller Elementary School, formerly known as Joaquin Miller Grammar School, first opened its doors in 1923. The school was named after Cincinnatus Heine Miller who was better known and recognized for his pen name, Joaquin Miller. He was an American poet, author and a frontiersman. This school year marks our centennial year and we are looking forward to a centennial birthday party that is being planned by teachers, staff, and the community members altogether.
2023
Joaquin Miller Elementary School
present day
Miller Elementary is one of the 11 elementary schools within the Burbank Unified School District. It sits on the northeast border of Burbank and is adjacent to the city of Glendale. Miller is a traditional, public school that spans from TK to 5th grade. It is one of the two largest elementary schools within the district with current enrollment at 776 students. According to DataQuest, 66.7% of the school identifies as White, 16.8% Hispanic or Latino, 6% Asian, 4.1% Two or More Races, 2% Black, 0.7% Filipino, 0.4% Pacific Islander, and 0.3% American Indian or Alaskan Native. It is important to note that 66.7% is not a true representation as many of our Armenian and Russian immigrant students are included in this number as well. This is reflected in the languages that are spoken in our students’ homes. It is said that 62.6% of our student population speak Armenian, 9.7% speak Spanish, 8.8% speak Russian, 2.7% speak Arabic, 1.5% speak Telugu, 1.2% speak Hindi and less than 0.5% respectively speak Thai, Tagalog, Japanese, Farsi, German, and Greek.
teachers
Miller has 32 full-time teachers. This number is not inclusive of our support staff such as our RtI teachers, ELD Instructional Aides, and Behavioral Support personnel. Of the 32 teachers, 19 of them identify as White, 4 as Latinx, 4 as Armenian, 3 as Black, 1 as Asian, and 1 as Native American.
equity-driven efforts
There are multi-layered equity issues surrounding our English Learner population. One of the CalAPA cycles had me investigate and collect both quantitative and qualitative data on my student group-- ELs. I specifically focused on their students’ academic performance. Upon investigating and digging deeper into the ELD support system we currently have at Joaquin Miller Elementary School, I found out that the support lacks consistency and cohesion. The number of minutes and support an EL may receive depends on the ELD Instructional Aides and their ELPAC scores. Since 2020-2021, our school has had a large turnover rate of ELD IAs; many of the vacancies have gone unfilled. Currently, the students whose needs are deemed more dire receive additional instructional support. The students who are being prioritized are those who have received 1s and 2s on their ELPAC sub-tests and those who are classified as Emerging on the ELD continuum and/or brand new newcomers. According to our ELD Coordinator on site, we started this school year (2022-2023) with 3 ELD Instructional Aides to service approximately 270 students who are identified as English Language Learners. The ratio sits at 1:90 ELs. The coordinator added that there is a lot to consider when assigning assistants to specific classes; they are to push into classes with the most needs (classes that have a cluster of students with 1s and 2s on ELPAC scores). There isn’t enough time or resources to assist those who are receiving an overall score of 3 or higher though they are still technically of EL standing. This year, I have 25 students on my roster and of the 25, I have had 9 students who are classified as English Language Learners. I had 1 student who reclassified back in December of 2022. I just started getting ELD support 4 times a week (20 minutes a day) at the beginning of April 2023.
Additionally, each ELD Instructional Aide is to provide push-in services to 8 different classes each day. According to the qualitative data provided by the interviewee, it is extremely difficult to plan for these sessions as this model of instructional support demands so much of them. The quality of instruction and the number of minutes EL students receive seem to vary– month to month, year to year, depending on the availability and scheduling.
Though SBAC data and other forms of high-stakes testing is not necessarily an equitable measure of student performance, it does provide a broad picture of the disparity between the two groups– All Students and English Language Learners. The point differential in SBAC ELA grows in the three data points. In 2017-18, 71.2% of All Students met or exceeded standards whereas 44.4% of the ELs met or exceeded standards. The latest data point comes from 2020-21. 46.9% of All Students met or exceeded standards while 15.2% of the English Language Learners met or exceeded standards. The latest disparity gap shows that All Students are outperforming their EL counterparts by 300%. California School Dashboard also provided some data points for ELA academic performance and showed a similar pattern across the board. In 2017, the performance gap between All Students and English Language Learners was 54.8 points. In 2018, the gap grew to 65.2 points and in 2019, the gap widened to 72.6 points.
We recognize that our current system does not serve our ELL students and are working collaboratively to see where the system breakdown is. Our school vision includes ensuring that we provide the necessary academic and social-emotional support for all students to tap into all students’ potentials. We want to make sure that these words are not just lip service, but that each student is able to receive what he/she/they need to thrive in our school community.
unique features that makes miller, miller
Joaquin Miller offers Armenian language classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays after school from 3-4:30pm. It is a program that is brought in by a private group called the Davidian & Mariamian Language School and has allowed space for many of our students to better understand their home language and culture. They put on two shows a year– once during winter time and once during spring time. Additionally, Miller houses three separate after school programs with varying options and financial obligations. We have Boys & Girls Club, Around the Bell, and ASD (After School Daze) available as an option for many of our working families. Both Around the Bell and ASD are open until 5pm and Boys & Girls Club is open until 5:30pm.
We have several parent-led groups that partner with Miller. We have our PTA (Parent Teacher Association) that meets on the second Thursday of each month. Stakeholders are able to join in either in person or via Zoom. The organization is made up of elected officers; the elections are held every spring for the following school year. We also have the Team Jaguar Fundraising Club who oversees fundraising efforts to fund STEM enrichment throughout the year as well as improvement projects around the school such as auditorium seats and new sound system. We also have a School Site Council that meets 4 times a year. This group is composed of the school principal, 3 teacher representatives, 1 classified staff representative and a handful of parents and community members. They work together to develop and approve the Single Plan for Student Achievement, make recommendations for improvements, establish a budget based on SPSA, review and modify SPSA, assess the effectiveness of the planned strategies and actions, and ensure the inclusion of all voices of the school community (burbankusd.org). Additionally, Miller has an English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) that meets 4 times a year. The principal, ELD Specialists, Curriculum Specialist, and parents and caretakers of English Learners are included in this group. ELAC’s purpose is to advise the principal and the school staff on programs and services for ELLs as well as provide input for SPSA as well.
Miller has a student leadership group made up of students in 4th and 5th grade. Every 4th and 5th grade classroom has a primary election within their classrooms to elect two students and an alternate that will represent them and voice their concerns at monthly meetings. They are overseen by the Student Council Advisor at these meetings. Student Council members play a large part in monthly spirit assemblies, coordinate community drives, and actively seek to amplify student voices.
DISTINGUISHED AWARDS
Joaquin Miller Elementary School was recognized in 2014 and again in 2020 as a California Distinguished School. It received its California Gold Ribbon School recognition in 2016. It also received California Exemplary Arts Education Award in 2014 and 2020. It has also been a recipient of Burbank Arts & Education Foundation grants multiple times. Most recently, we received $2,000 funding to better support our early readers in the primary grades.
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