Designing Programs to meet the needs of Long Term English Learners Laurie Olsen, Ph.D. Californians Together

Review: LTEL characteristics Weak language in both L1 and L2 Accumulated academic gaps Non-engagement, passivity in classes and school learning Years of struggling academically Often unsure of how they are doing and implications for their future

Basic Principles! Focus upon distinct needs Language development is more than literacy development – LTELs need both Language development + Academic gaps Crucial role of home language Invite, support, insist that LTELs become active participants in their own education

Maximum integration without sacrificing access Rigor, relevance, active engagement and empowering pedagogy Relationships matter An affirming, inclusive environment Urgency!

A secondary school recommendation Specialized ELD – separate from other ELs Clustered in heterogeneous classes for content Explicit language/literacy development across the curriculum – and SDAIE strategies for access Focus on study skills, critical thinking Data chats, preparation, accommodations Programs, activities, student leadership to create an affirming school climate Native speakers classes (through AP)

Comparison between EL groups over time

Seems to be power in SNS that is both Spanish literacy AND enhances English skills Explicitly links transferability of cognitive skills, cognitive and vocabulary development, academic language, writing structures, rigorous writing assessment Is aligned to state English language arts standards Solid preparation for AP language and AP literature Focused on high level of oral, reading and writing skills - while enhancing English skills Includes cultural focus and empowering pedagogy

Instruction matters….. Differentiation Checks for understanding Accountability/engagement Standards-based Maximum language development structures and practices

Two Secondary School Case Examples Ventura Unified School District Modesto City Schools

Ventura Unified School District Serves 17,331 students, K-12 Close to 20% English Learners 90% of English Learners speak Spanish at home 87% of secondary ELs are LTEL; 79% been enrolled since K/1

Fact finding….. Focus groups and behavioral survey Start early to be sure on track for graduation Very low frequency of reading outside of school Not sure what means to be an EL or to exit Insufficient ELD curriculum Problems with student placement Teachers lacked resources and training

VUSD: Key elements of the action plan… English Learner courses revised based on student needs ELD course sequence rewritten ELD 4 and SDAIE courses are “UC/CSU accepted” Specific placement criteria for all courses based on multiple criteria Two period block of instruction for ELD courses Appropriate curriculum (Hampton Brown’s Edge for ELD) and technology Pacing guides and assessment routines

Professional Development Teambuilding and ongoing support for EL teachers from all content areas using Teaching English Language Learners – A Differentiated Approach by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey 2007 Stipends, catered by culinary arts program Technology as “hook” and support “Fishbowl” approach Coaching support for teachers and Asst. Principals – “the secret weapon” Year Two WRITE training for ELD and English teachers WRITE support for content area teachers SB472 Training for Edge

Multilingual Recognition Seal on VUSD High School Diplomas beginning in June, 2009 awarded over 150 seals

Student “Pep” Talks This action step brings students into the conversation regarding their progress as English Learners. * About the ELD program; * About new courses and materials; * UC approval for courses; * Reclassification criteria; * Multilingual SEAL criteria; * CELDT, CST and CAHSEE target scores and strategies for success

Working Across Campus to Build Students’ Assets Bilingual Opportunities Pathway Program Two New Courses: Spanish for Careers in the Community and Spanish for International Careers

Title III Improvement Plan Addendum “Operation Prevent LTELs” Middle School – Articulation, program revision, Inside curriculum, PLC meetings, coaching, observations, technology, Pep Talks 4 th and 5 th Grade - Pep Talks and book clubs PIQE series for families at Program Improvement schools VUSD K-12 assessment plan + RtI model “Common Sequence of Language Functions” for K- 5 ELD

Results so far…. Substantial increase in reclassification rates at pilot high schools (from 14% to 20.9% - compared to district average 9.1% - 9.5%) Improved growth on CELDT (from 44.9% moving 1 level to 60.9%; from 22.2% achieving proficiency to 26.8%)

Increase in LTEL scoring “Proficient” Language ArtsMathLanguage ArtsMath Pilot School A 8.7%17.4%25%32.7% Pilot School B 11.3%33.3%17.5%33.3%

Routines and Structures Support Success Monthly Updates at K-12 Principals’ Meetings Monthly VUSD English Learner Coordinating Council Meetings lead by Superintendent Principals’ Checklists Compliance Readiness Review Cycle Catch-Up Plans

More to do……. VUSD grading committee to revise policy and promote best practices Master Schedule Issues - Consideration of 7-period day Expansion of Two-Way Immersion Program Focus on AYP proficiency for 10 th grade English Learners and RFEP students

Case Example: Modesto

K-8 and 9-12 Districts Title I Program Improvement Status Year 3 K-8 District Title III Year 5 of not meeting all AMAO goals 9-12 District Title III Year 4 of not meeting all AMAO goals 23 MCS Title I and Title III STATUS

Who are our English Learners? # Years in US School Grades 7-12 Language Institute Tier I Tier II 1212 (92) 3% Tier III Tier IV 3434 (178) 7% 5+ Program 5 Or more (2,344) 90% 24

Language Institute Tier I - IV High School hosted at one site Jr. High hosted at one site As determined by an Individual Learning Plan may need: a. 5th year option (for HS graduation) b. longer day c. summer school Grade levels would be mixed

Course Terminology ELD Strategic English Language Development to increase the student’s English proficiency ALD Academic Language Development strategically focused on developing academic language through intensive writing instruction 26

Terminology cont.  Spanish for Spanish Speakers Correlated with the Spanish Language Arts Standards and English Language Arts Standards in order to promote literacy in both primary language and English through explicit transference If student is not Spanish speaking, then elective that is language based, such as, drama, speech, choir, computer based primary language program, or other foreign language. 27 National Literacy Panel

5+ Program (LTEL) 7 th & 8 th Grade PeriodCourse 1ELAREAD 180 2ALDREAD 180 3Spanish for Spanish Speakers 4Math 5Science 6SS 7PE 28

5+ Program 9 th Grade PeriodCourse 1ELA READ 180 2ALD READ 180 3Spanish for Spanish Speakers 4Math 5Earth Science 6PE 7Elective (A-G) : Visual Performing Arts, Support, or AVID 29 NOTE: World Religions/Health classes in summer school or senior year. Computers in any four years, summer school, or test out OR

Differentiated placement in 9 th gr. 2 period block of Read 180, using L book by Kate Kinsella (accepted as ELD) with a bilingual paraprofessional (for students who are really intensive and struggling at all levels academically) – for Freshman year only High end of Below Basic/low Basic  ELA + ALD Advanced or Proficient on ELA-CST  opt out of ALD and are monitored

Other Districts journeys….. Escondido Union High School District (ELD Monitoring, Spanish for Native Speakers, Bridging Multiple Worlds, Saturday school, WRITE Institute units) San Francisco Unified School District (New Lau Action Plan)

District EL Master Plan describes research- based program models for different typologies of EL students (or site) Specify a LTEL program and appropriate placements Support development of new courses where necessary Provide materials and professional development – as high priority for use of resources System of monitoring placements Action Steps 

Reflection/Dialogue How does this compare to what LTELs are getting in your school(s)? What seems most interesting/promising to you about what you have heard? Which of these ideas seem do-able to you? Which of these ideas seem promising but you feel would be very difficult to make happen in your school(s)? Why?

Programs to Prevent the creation of LTELs

Quick review: Need for program consistency in placement Need for well-articulated programs Need for English Learner services (incl. ELD) Importance of developing L1 along with English Need to assure access to academic content while learning English so no gaps develop Need a full curriculum Need to monitor and identify students lagging behind – triggering support

Children who start behind, stay behind…. Skills in kindergarten predict academic achievement in later years Initial gaps in “readiness skills” between EL and English proficient children do not narrow by 3rd grade - and often grow Initial readiness gaps between ethnic groups widen by 3rd grade

High quality preK contributes to meaningfully higher levels of school achievement among low SES children, including low SES Hispanics -- However, there is limited impact in the area of language development! Substantial short-term positive outcomes. But a Fade out effect of PreK and Full day Kinder (60- 80% of cognitive gains dissipate by Spring of first grade - by 3rd grade mostly gone) For English Learners, the gap narrows but does not close as a result of preschool What is missing????

From the research: – Learning to speak and use language is a major task of the early years - development of language is wired into the human brain – There is a developmental continuum of language/literacy development in young children (birth to 8) – Young children engaged in two language worlds have unique needs

Attention to PreK - K school “transition” and beyond Two different systems - little connection Preparation for academic success - kindergarten “readiness” is too low for academic success The transition itself is a vulnerable time - need strategies and policies to support transition Period from ages 3 to eight is critical for language development

The PreK-3 movement Public schools nationwide are increasingly serving more 4 year olds and even 3 year olds Instead of how to prepare children in ECE for K- view it as an articulated and connected schooling experience Systems based integrated approach Move away from separate notions of ECE and K-12 - focus on alignment (horizontal, vertical, temporal)

Start with an early foundation of rich language development (PreK-3) in both English and the home language (where possible) Attention to the alignment, articulation and transition between preschool and elementary grades Make room for and provide professional development related to building a powerful ORAL language foundation for literacy Full curriculum – with language development across all content areas

A PreK-3 Case Example The SEAL Model: A solid foundation of early academic literacy for English Learner success Redwood City San Jose

Six foundational components of SEAL Academic language and literacy in English and Spanish Rich oral language development Text-rich environment and curriculum Language developed through enriched curriculum Affirming learning environment Teachers and Parents working together Preschool through third grade !

TWBI-ABE-SEI: Basic educational principles apply across early education settings…. Language development should occur in context Developmental/play based preschool Emphasis on rich and “academic” oral language L1 developed to extent can be done - and always honored Resources for enriched environment and books/text Parent/home/school connection More TIME - full day programs, multi-year summer bridge programs Small ratios Home visits (Parents as Teachers)

Use and work with local resources – but have to develop their understanding of language development Schmahl Science Workshops Bilingual Authors Early Childhood Language Development Institute (SMCOE) for preschool providers and parents Young Audiences of Northern California Triton Art Museum

Build connections across the PreK and K-3 systems Articulation meetings and visits PreK-K Support families and children in transitioning between and across the systems Summer Bridge programs engage both grade-levels working together in the NEW setting Seek professional development, assessments and strategies that can build similar learning conditions across the grades Through data, research & dialogue, build a SHARED VISION PreK - 3

The Evaluation/Research Dr. Kathryn Lindholm-Leary Longitudinal design following cohorts of students from entering preschool through third grade Data points/analysis - PreK entry, K entry, First grade entry, end of third grade

Data Pre LAS (language assessment scale) in both English and Spanish at start and end of preschool Desired Results Developmental Profile (DRDP- R) – CDE accountability measure for CDCs – in Fall 09 and Spring 10 Initial CELDT at kindergarten enrollment Evaluation focuses on Spanish speakers

The Population Schools are more heavily Hispanic, English Learner and Free/Reduced lunch than district, county and state SEAL Cohort has far lower level of parent education than average student in the state and Cohort 0 (baseline) SEAL students come from homes with very low income ($27,384/family of 4)

Major questions To what degree did the performance of SEAL preschool students improve during the 09/10 year? How do the SEAL Cohort I students compare to other students who are demographically similar to them? Is there a difference between students receiving English/SEI vs. bilingual instruction?

CONCLUSIONS Began with very low levels of development and language proficiency Variation across SEAL sites. Regardless of starting point, all children made significant gains at each school in all areas of development Excellent progress in Spanish language development, while continuing to make significant gains in English language development

SEAL children far outscored Head Start comparison group in spring DRDP-R post-test SEAL children scored comparable or higher than all comparison groups –including a first grade dual language comparison group in both English and Spanish language development Children in both SEI/English and Bilingual programs made significant growth overall. Children in bilingual programs made greater growth, and scored equal to or higher than peers instructed through English (including on measures of reading and writing in English)

Now working in Kinder…. Infusing intensive language-rich strategies into the core program Creating coherence – core program, direct instruction, GLAD, Anti-bias, SEAL strategies Introducing the arts (music, theater, art) as context for language development The huge problem of TIME in the day The huge problem of TIME with teachers

Reflection/Dialogue How does this compare to what English Learners are getting in your school(s)? What seems most interesting/promising to you about what you have heard? Which of these ideas seem do-able to you? Which of these ideas seem promising but you feel would be very difficult to make happen in your school(s)? Why?

For all of these….. Professional development Appropriate materials Clarity about placement criteria Clarity about program model Adapting of daily schedule and master schedule Monitoring

We are all learning….. Collect data, conduct evaluations Document what you are doing that works Share what you are learning – at conferences, through Californians Together

Thank you! For more information, contact: Laurie Olsen, Director Sobrato Early Academic Literacy Program