BILINGUAL/ESL EDUCATION PROGRAM: TRANSITIONAL MODEL FOR PREKINDER Presented by Maria V. Gonzales Bilingual/ESL Education Administrator July 28, 2011 Their right, our responsibility…

We can, whenever and wherever we choose, successfully teach ALL children whose schooling is of interest to us. We already know more than we need to do that. Whether or not we do it must finally depend on how we feel about the fact that we haven’t so far. -- Dr. Ron Edmonds

PERFORMANCE BASED MONITORING ANALYSIS SYSTEM The following programs comprise PBMAS:  Special Education  Bilingual / ESL  Career and Technical Education  No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Economically Disadvantaged Migrant LEP Progress Safe and Drug Free Schools Refer p. 13

Texas Bilingual/ESL Program *Required Bilingual/ESL Program: 20 or more Limited English Proficient (LEP) students of the same language classification at any one grade level district wide Must implement PK-end of elementary BISD 2010 PK COUNTS = 3010 students 60% in Bilingual Program 1750 & Waivers 30 *19 TAC Chapter § Required Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language Programs Framework for LPAC Process Manual for additional information:

PREKINDER ELIGIBILITY  MUST MEET ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA  REFER TO MEMO March 31 st  COMMUNICATION IS KEY!  HLS, SSLP/SELP, LPAC

Transitional Bilingual/ESL Model Characteristics State compliance model of bilingual education Teacher provides instruction and support in two languages Native language used to build literacy skills and academic concepts before transition to English Must include primary language in all academic content areas Instruction in the first language is phased out and most students exit by Grade 3 Sheltered methodology Instructional ESL Modifications Address the PK Guidelines with state adopted materials

Transitional Model Uses students’ primary language and English via ESL for instruction Students grouped according to language proficiency Teacher must be proficient in students’ primary language (Title III requirement) Support and development in both languages is commensurate with students’ language proficiency.

What the Research Says about Cross-linguistic Transfer There is a positive transfer between L1 and L2 in several areas: phonemic awareness; decoding through phonics and word recognition strategies; use of cognates and general comprehension strategies.

What the Research Says about Bilingual Readers Bilingualism enhances metalinguistic awareness. The learning curve in their L2 is different from L1 reading, with a higher level of miscues in syntax as L2 decoding is established. Their biggest obstacle in reading is lack of VOCABULARY in L2. Background knowledge for specific texts is essential to comprehension. They utilize translation & familiarity with cognates to support comprehension.

To teach an unknown concept, use the known language. To teach an unknown language, use a known concept. The Language-Concept Connection Basic Principles of Preview-Review

The Transitional Model of Bilingual Education PK/ K ESL Early Reading ESL Sheltered Reading Sheltered Content On Level Reading Language Arts Sheltered Content Pre-reading & early reading skills Basic Concepts Social Skills Reading/ Language Arts Content Reading/ Lang. Arts & Content Voc. & Content Enrichment Spanish English Unknown Concepts -- Spanish Language Known Concepts -- English Language

BISD Transitional Bilingual Model Ratios refer to % of instructional time in each language at the beginning of the program % of primary language instruction decreases while % of English increases Example of “80/20” Model Time Ratio Progression in the instructional week: Grade Primary English Language PK-K 80% 20% 1 – 2 70% 30% 3 50% 50% 4 40% 60% 5 30% 70%

Transitional Model: Grade Level ___  Guidance on language use Reference pp ________  Curricular resources & supports listed by grade and by subject Reference pp _______  Sample schedules address Reading requirements Reference pp ______  Assessments Reference p. ______

QUESTIONS… “A Thousand Mile Journey, Begins with One Step” – Confucius