Welcome to ELAC! Discovery Elementary January 14, :00, Discovery Cafeteria

Meeting Agenda  Recap of last meeting  Introduction of ELAC Officers and Representatives for DELAC  DELAC Report  Interpreting CELDT Scores and Reclassification  EL Instructional Strategies in the classroom  LCAP Support Needed  Updates and Next Meeting Date

ELAC – English Learner Advisory Committee  A committee of elected parents who ADVISE AND PROVIDE RECOMMENDATIONS on the following:  To the principal and staff on the school’s program for English Learners  To the School Site Council (SSC) on the development of the School Plan  Assist in the development of the school’s Needs Assessment  Assist in the school’s annual language census (R-30 LC Report)  Assist with the school’s efforts to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.

ELAC is a place…  To receive training  To receive information on programs and their effectiveness  For parents to participate  To become aware of student academic progress  To ask key questions regarding educational themes and issues.  To exercise leadership before the principal, school staff and students.

ELAC vs. General Parent Meetings  ELAC is an elected group of parents who act in an ADVISORY role with specific responsibilities.  General Parents Meetings can be workshops or informational meetings depending on topics.

Thank you to our 2015 – 2016 Officers!  President: Araceli Torres  Vice-President: Maria Antonieta Hernández  Secretary: TBA  DELAC Representative: Elizabeth Siqueira

What is CELDT? (California English Language Development Test)  CELDT is a state mandated test under the Federal Law (No Child Left Behind)  School districts are required to administer to students whose home language is not English.  Purpose of CELDT is to identify students who are English Learners in kindergarten through grade 12, to monitor their progress in learning English, and to document their English proficiency.

Who must take the CELDT?  All students whose home language is not English must take the test within 30 calendar days after they are enrolled in a California public school.  The CELDT must be given once each year to English Learners until they score proficient in English.

Where is the home language identified?  The parent/guardian or adult student identifies their home language in the Language Survey section of the Student Enrollment Application.  If any of the following three questions are answered with a language other than English, the CELDT test must be administered.  What language did your child first learn to speak?  Which language does your child most frequently use at home?  Which language do you most frequently speak to your child?

How are the CELDT results scored?  There are five levels of proficiency a student can achieve.  Beginning  Early intermediate  Intermediate  Early advanced  Advanced  The report for each student provides:  A proficiency level for each domain of the test  An overall English proficiency level

How are the results of the CELDT used?  Initial test results for newly-enrolled students are used to help identify English Learners who need to develop their speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills in English.  Annual CELDT results are used to assess the student’s progress towards English proficiency.  Students are expected to make one level of growth each year.

What does the CELDT report look like and how do I interpret the results?  Please click below for the current school year's CELDT Interpretation Guides

When is a student reclassified?  Students are reclassified when the following criteria is met:  Student obtains an overall score of Early Advanced or Advanced on the CELDT and all domains are a 3 or higher.  Student is achieving at the basic level or higher on assessments in English language arts such as: SBAC, Fountas and Pinnell, and Reading Enterprise.  Teacher observation of language acquisition indicates student is English proficient.  Parent/Guardian opinion and consultation is taken into account and has taken place.

TEACHER STRATEGIES & TOOLS FOR TEACHING ENGLISH LEARNERS (ELs)

Teachers Consider Background of ELs & ALL Students (Everyone benefits!)  Familiar/Prior Knowledge  Cultural Background  CELDT Levels & Reading Assessments

Teachers Consider Subject Matter and Rigor of Content  Reading, Math, Science/Social Studies (History)  Attention to selection (level) of text  Front-loading information  Frequent Opportunities for Conversation and Writing Practice

Instructional Tools: Best Practices for Teaching and Learning  Graphic Organizers  Idea Organizers/Maps/Charts  Sentence Starters/Sentence Frames  Color Coding  Diagrams, Pictures, Photographs, Realia  Strategic seating

Instructional Strategies: Best Practices for Teaching and Learning  Small Groups  Mini Lessons  Word/Vocabulary Charts -Identify Most Important Words for ELs -Build Understanding: -in conversation -in reading & writing -Identify Cognates -example: animal = animales -Posted on the Walls  Kinesthetic Movement/Songs/ Chants/Poems  Partner Activities/Think-Pair-Share, flexible groups/strategic partnering -example: EO & EL practice Summarizing  Think Time  Lessons: “I do” – “We do” – “You do”  Opportunities for Conversation & Practice  Frequent Check for Understanding  Color Coding

School - Home Connection  Embrace home language, attention to variety of vocabulary, idioms  Have conversations, ask questions  Read in first language – skills and knowledge transfer

LCAP Representative  One ELAC representative is needed to attend the District LCAP meetings where they will bring forward recommendations and input on the District’s LCAP goals  Representative will need to attend one full day meeting and two evening meetings.  March 8th (Tentative) 8:00p.m. - 3:30p.m.  April 14th 4:30p.m. - 6:00p.m.  April 28th 4:30p.m. - 6:00p.m.  Representative will share information at the General ELAC meeting held after March 8th and gather feedback and input  Representative will present feedback from Discovery’s ELAC at the April 14th meeting

Update on Language Needs Assessment  District is in the process of reviewing the survey.  Once complete, electronic and paper copies will be sent out.  We need your help getting to word out so that we get a high level of participation.

Thank you for coming!  Our next ELAC meeting is February 18 th  Please feel free to contact me at: or ext. 3026