Building Capacity to Serve English Language Learners

1. Building Capacity to Serve English Language Learners ALAS Summit on Hispanic Education Sarah Lang, SIOP Coach Dr. Katherine Meads, Executive Director ESL Student Education Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools Friday October 14, 2011

2. True/False answers • 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.

3. 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.

4. North Carolina: A New Destination State Growth in LEP Enrollment (Pre-K – 12) Source: NC DPI http://esl.ncwiseowl.org/legislation___policy/headcount_and_home_languages/

5. CMS Growth in LEP Enrollment CMS experienced approximately 980% growth in the # of LEP students from 1995 to 2007!

6. Why North Carolina?

7. 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.

8. 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”

9. 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

10. Building Capacity Through Professional Development for All

11. 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

12. Professional Development • Offer differentiated and tiered professional development opportunities • Include ESL teachers, content area teachers, administrators • Provide high quality, relevant courses

13. Research Based

14. Targeted support • Criteria for rubric with comments rev 7_2011.docx

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

16. Tiered Professional Development • Introductory workshops • Review and Renew sessions • Train the Trainers • School site visits • Coaching sessions

17. Teacher Professional Development

18. Building Capacity Through Title I and Title III Collaboration

19. How Did Collaboration Start?

20. 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

21. What Does Collaboration Look Like?

22. Title I Teams • Exceptional Children Coach • Datawise Coach • Literacy Coach • Math Coach • SIOP Coach (due to collaboration with Title III)

23. What are the Results?

24. Building Capacity by Integrating Technology into the ESL Curriculum

26. Student Testimonial

33. Building Capacity Through Parent Outreach

34. Interpreter teams School based parent activities Communities in Schools with bilingual coordinators Parent University ESL WIKI with parent outreach activities Parent Outreach

35. Parent University Gracias, aprendí mucho de ustedes esta tarde. Que Dios los bendiga.” — Cita directa de participante de Parent University

36. 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

37. 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

38. 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

39. Challenges Remain • Transition to different program models such as co teaching • RTI with ELs and scheduling at secondary level • Implementation of Common Core

40. 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.

42. 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 Compliance er.thompson@cms.k12.nc.us Jenny Grabiec, Technology Resource Teacher Jenniferr.grabiec@cms.k12.nc.us