AskNCELA is a helpful resource for educators, parents, learners, leaders, and other stakeholders. It provides valuable information to ensure that every student, including English learners (ELs), receives a high-quality education and has opportunities to succeed. In the recent National Convening on English Learners’ Civil Rights, we discussed statutes, regulations, and case law that are relevant to the civil rights of ELs. Resources to help state educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) meet their obligations to EL students and families were highlighted. In this blog, we will take a look at the session on Monitoring and Exiting English Learners from EL Programs and Services (EL Toolkit Chapter 8).
Check out our FAQ for helpful responses from experts, including Fariba Hamedani, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Stacy Brown, ORR Contractors and Oklahoma City Public Schools; and Lynda Espinoza Idle, Responsive Inclusive Strategic Education Professional Development (RISE PD).
1. How do you develop the capacity for monitoring language proficiency?
Effective strategies are crucial for educators, including teachers and English language specialists, to monitor language proficiency. These strategies enable tracking of students’ progress and adaptation of teaching methods to their individual needs. Collaboration between classroom teachers and English language specialists, based on data about EL progress, ensures that students make steady gains in both language and content understanding.
To develop the capacity for monitoring language proficiency, the following steps can be taken: create an individualized learning plan for each student, provide access to grade-level content throughout the school day, foster a positive outlook on students’ capabilities, and train teaching staff to collect and analyze data. By integrating these strategies, educators can ensure that students not only learn a new language but also excel in their studies.
2. How do you build staff capacity for supporting the exiting process?
To enhance staff support for the exiting process, two key steps are crucial. First, involving directors from various regions to review state assessment data is essential. Second, it’s important to gather a variety of evidence that goes beyond the assessment results. The National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition (NCELA) has developed a tool based on those used by SEAs and LEAs. This form proves valuable in monitoring an EL’s educational progress throughout the school year. It enables classroom teachers and English language specialists to assess students’ progress in mastering academic content standards and determine the necessary support and services for ELs.
3. What processes do you have in place to monitor reclassified ELs?
Ensuring a smooth transition and continued academic success for reclassified ELs is a priority. To achieve this, make sure to employ a multifaceted monitoring approach that includes the following:
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employing a district monitoring plan
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collaborating with English language development and content teachers
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utilizing quarterly monitoring forms
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collecting student work samples
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considering external factors impacting student progress
4. What processes do you have in place to monitor LEAs to ensure they are addressing academic concerns in a timely manner?
SEAs must monitor LEAs to ensure they are providing ELs meaningful access to grade-level core content instruction and remedying any academic deficits in a timely manner. To ensure that LEAs are promptly addressing academic concerns, several key elements are suggested. These include integrating the Growth to Standards Model into your accountability framework, communicating student progress to families and teachers, incorporating English language proficiency scores on the state report card, implementing a comprehensive state growth plan, fostering consistent communication with teachers and administrators, and establishing specialized “Exit Groups” for high-achieving students. These steps collectively ensure that academic concerns are actively monitored and resolved in a timely manner.
Disclaimer
AskNCELA is intended to share information that can be of use to educators, parents, learners, leaders, and other stakeholders in their efforts to ensure that every student, including English learners, is provided with the highest-quality education and expanded opportunities to succeed. The information and materials presented in AskNCELA do not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition, the Office of English Language Acquisition, or the U.S. Department of Education.