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In NYS the program options for ELLs/MLLs are Bilingual Education and English as a New Language. Within the Bilingual Program is the Transitional Bilingual Education Program and the Dual Language Program. These programs allow students to read, write, and speak in English and their home language. The ENL Program focuses on English acquisition. These programs can have Integrated ENL where students learn English while learning the content in class or Stand-alone ENL where students are in a separate setting learning ENL strategies. My school offers the ENL program with a mix of Integrated ENL and Stand-alone ENL.According to the NYC DOE website the student demographics are 29% Asian, 3% Black, 27% Hispanic, 39% White, and 1% Pacific Islander. The demographic of the teachers is 87% white and fewer than 5 teachers are Asian, Black, or Hispanic. About 15% of students in each grade are considered English Language Learners and about 18% of students are in Special Education settings.
My district’s policies regarding culturally and linguistically diverse students is reflected in the Commissioner’s Regulations Part 154. The CR Part 154 Comprehensive ELL Education Plan identifies that the district, school, and staff members are all responsible and required to give support to the ELLs/MLLs of their school community. The CR Part 154 Plan states the needs of ELLs/MLLs and plans to help meet these needs. Some things included in this document is addressing the needs of ELLs in early childhood education, providing resources and technical assistance to school districts to prepare bilingual and English as a New Language teachers to raise standards and achievement levels for ELLs, identifying instructional strategies for ELLs with interrupted/inconsistent formal education, and developing resource documents to support literacy development for ELLs.
The ESL parents are not very involved at the school. The Parent Teacher Association has little to no ESL parents present at the meetings. The language barrier is a factor in parent participation. The meetings are held in English which would be difficult for a parent who is a non-English speaker. In addition, many of the parents are working long hours and multiple jobs.
A current accommodation for parent-teacher conferences is a translation phone line that teachers can call to get a translator for the meeting. There are currently no translators at PTA meetings. Newsletters sent home are occasionally translated for parents but are usually sent home in just English. A new tool teachers in grades K-2 are using is an app called Class Dojo. Parents can join this app and translate anything posted into any of the many available languages. This tool has increased communication with ESL parents. A suggestion I would have is for all classes to adapt using Class Dojo for parent communication since it has this translation feature. Another suggestion would be to have bilingual members or translators in PTA meetings to help ESL parents feel more welcomed, comfortable, and able to join in. In addition, all papers sent home should be translated for parents so they can receive all the important information in their language.
When reflecting on colleagues’ attitudes about ESL students I noticed the patience when working with these students is very low. Many times I’ve heard teachers yelling, “Speak English Only” at ESL students trying to get clarification from a peer in their native language. I think this stems from not knowing the more recent research and practice of ESL education. I should share my expertise about using L1 in the classroom and explain how students can transfer their learning to their L2. I would share ideas of showing vocabulary words in English and students’ native language with lots of visual support.
Analyzing data changed my thoughts about advocacy because I concluded there are some regulations in place but there can definitely be more things in place to further accommodate ELL families. I now feel more responsible with my TESOL background to help share ideas and advocate for ELL students and their families.
Sources:
Program Options for ELLs and MLs. (2020). New York State Education Department. http://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/program-options-english-language-learnersmultilingual-learners
NYSED:SSS:Commissioner’s Regulations - Sections 117.1-3. (2010, March 31). NYSED. http://www.p12.nysed.gov/sss/lawsregs/117-1-3.html
THE NEW YORK STATE ASSOCIATION FOR BILINGUAL EDUCATION. (2013). NYSABE. https://www.nysabe.net/
CR Part 154 Comprehensive ELL Education Plan (CEEP). (2020, October 13). New York State Education Department. http://www.nysed.gov/bilingual-ed/cr-part-154-comprehensive-ell-education-plan-ceep
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