Building Capacity to Serve English Language Learners

ALAS Summit on Hispanic Education

Sarah Lang, SIOP CoachDr. Katherine Meads, Executive Director ESL Student Education

Charlotte Mecklenburg SchoolsFriday October 14, 2011

True/False answers

1. False. At the time an ESL program was established in Charlotte Mecklenburg, the major language groups were Greek and Vietnamese.

2. True. 17.4% of CMS students are Hispanic.

3. True. This contributed toward the district’s winning of the Broad Prize in 2011.

4. Partly true. Elementary ESL teachers continue to provide pull out ESL in addition to co teaching.

True/False continued….

5. True. There is no native language testing for EOG/EOC testing in CMS and NC.

6. True. State LEP funding is appropriated based on a yearly count of ELs.

7. True. ESL is offered district-wide.

Source: NC DPI http://esl.ncwiseowl.org/legislation___policy/headcount_and_home_languages/

4

North Carolina: A New Destination State Growth in LEP Enrollment (Pre-K – 12)

2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 20090

100002000030000400005000060000700008000090000

100000110000120000

60,14970,912

78,39583,627

96,725

112,534 118,573 111,925

CMS Growth in LEP EnrollmentCMS experienced approximately 980% growth

in the # of LEP students from 1995 to 2007!

988511,510

13,30714,883

17,03518,407 16,747

16,220

02000400060008000

100001200014000160001800020000

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

Why North Carolina?

How Things Have Changed• 10 years ago, 48 schools in the district

offered ESL—now ESL is in all 134 schools.

• 5 years ago, the department developed a charter for EL education. First time “at the table.”

• Now--all administrators receive professional development in serving EL students.

Responses to a Changing Demographic

• Spanish for Native Speakers classes• Dual language schools established• LEP Committees at all schools• District level Talent Development/EL

Professional Learning Community formed• Use of SIOP strategies is a part of the

district’s “non negotiables”

Talent Development (TD, Gifted Program) and English Language Learners

• District Level TD/LEP Professional Learning Community formed

• Goal: Increase numbers of TD placements of LEP gifted students

• Goal: Provide planned experiences focusing on analytical thinking aimed at increasing LEP students’ academic growth and high levels of learning in TD placements

Pilot at Albemarle Road Elementary (2010-11)

• Identify LEP second graders

• Use non-verbal CogAT scores of 87 or above to identify LEP students as eligible for gifted identification through the portfolio assessment process

• Provide planned experiences focusing on problem solving and analytical thinking skills

Building Capacity Through Professional Development for All

Everyone Teaches ESL Students

• Provide professional development for teachers and administrators

• Target schools with the most need• Encourage Title I and Title III collaboration• Increase collaboration with central office

administration

Professional Development

• Offer differentiated and tiered professional development opportunities

• Include ESL teachers, content area teachers, administrators

• Provide high quality, relevant courses

Research Based

Targeted support

• Criteria for rubric with comments rev 7_2011.docx

High Quality Workshops

• WiDA • SIOP (Center for Applied Linguistics)• ExCELL (Dr. Margarita Calderon)• Co-Teaching Model (Dr. Marilyn Friend)• Technology (Discovery Education)

Tiered Professional Development

• Introductory workshops• Review and Renew sessions• Train the Trainers• School site visits• Coaching sessions

Teacher Professional Development

Building Capacity Through Title I and

Title III Collaboration

How Did Collaboration Start?

Title I and Title III collaboration• Title III offers district-wide support• Title I coaches provide more intense

support on site at highest need schools• Title I teams at strategically targeted

schools• Ongoing opportunities for planning and

collaboration

What Does Collaboration Look Like?

Title I Teams

• Exceptional Children Coach• Datawise Coach• Literacy Coach• Math Coach• SIOP Coach (due to collaboration with

Title III)

What are the Results?

Building Capacity by Integrating Technology into the

ESL Curriculum

Student Testimonial

Building Capacity Through Parent Outreach

Parent Outreach

• Interpreter teams• School based parent activities• Communities in Schools with

bilingual coordinators• Parent University• ESL WIKI with parent outreach

activities

Parent University

Gracias, aprendí mucho de ustedes estatarde. Que Dios los bendiga.”

— Cita directa de participantede Parent University

Parent University Surveys

Survey question:Would you be interested in serving on your

school’s leadership team?

Yes, but I thought this was only for citizens.

A CMS parent attending CMS 101 in Spanish

Examples of Parent University Classes Provided in Spanish (Spring 2011)

• Understanding EOG and EOG Tests• Graduation Requirements• Adolescence 101• Math Investigations—Understanding the

New Elementary Math Curriculum• CMS 101• De-stress—Simple Tools for Renewing

Yourself

Challenges Remain

• Graduation rate for LEP is 42%; Hispanic is 58%

• Ownership across departments• Ownership at the school level• 162 languages spoken• Identifying gifted students• Retention rate is higher for ELs

Challenges Remain

• Transition to different program models such as co teaching

• RTI with ELs and scheduling at secondary level

• Implementation of Common Core

Share Your Wisdom• Directions for activity:

– On the back of your True/False quiz you will find a number.

– Go to the poster with that corresponding number and begin sharing ideas for that challenge.

– On our signal, move to the next poster by number sequence.

– Place checks next to any ideas you agree with, or with which you have experienced success.

• Sarah Lang, SIOP Coach, Sarahm.lang@cms.k12.nc.us• Dr. Kathy Meads, Executive Director ESL k.meads@cms.k12.nc.us• Bruce Yelton, Praxis Research Inc.praxisresearchinc@gmail.com 704-266-2340• Ron Thompson, Executive Director of Federal

and State Complianceer.thompson@cms.k12.nc.us • Jenny Grabiec, Technology Resource TeacherJenniferr.grabiec@cms.k12.nc.us