ESOL SUPPORT - All Day, Every Day Can we make it happen - again?

1. ESOL SUPPORT - All Day, Every Day Can we make it happen - again? Robin Gower, Principal, Tadmore Elementary School Dr. Anna Sargent, Director of ESOL, Title III, and Migrant Programs Hall County Schools

2. Goals for this session Participants will recognize that our journey to find the most effective scheduling, instruction, and mindset processes for ELs is not a 100-yard dash, but an ultra-marathon. Presenters will share the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!

3. Demographics • 564 Students • 459 Hispanic • 2 Asian • 15 Black • 76 White • 12 Two or more races • 95.74 Free/Reduced Lunch • 6 languages spoken

4. How ESOL students WERE being served... In the beginning...students were pulled out for small group language instruction. Then...as the EL population grew, they were served by push-in teachers. Neither provided true differentiated instruction specifically designed to help second language learners.

5. How ESOL teachers performed and were perceived... ESOL teachers did not have to do lesson plans or grade papers. So their job was not as important, right? Push-in/co-teachers are paraprofessionals at the disposal of the classroom teacher...right?

6. How do we fix it? What do we do? We need the facts...just the facts! What we were/are doing was/is not working. We need to change the perception and the performance. We need to know the research. We need a sense of urgency!

7. We need a new mindset! We read research. Principal takes ESOL endorsement courses. We study data.

8. Epiphany… you can’t train for a marathon by running only 45 minutes a day!

9. OUR JOURNEY…. • We jumped in with both feet!

10. We needed... • Smaller class sizes with purpose • More teachers with ESOL endorsement • Respect for the experts-ESOL teaching team • PLCs • Parent engagement • Buy-In for All Day-Every Day

11. Buy-in and Professional Learning came first… Instruction has been modeled in our school-wide PLC: Tools for Your Toolbox

12. COMPONENTS OF A GOOD LESSON

13. LEARNING TARGET Today, I will review how the Instruction & Data Notebook is organized with GO TO STRATEGIES.(today’s lesson) (http://www.cal.org/what-we-do/projects/project-excell/the-go-to-strategies So I can employ effective strategies for teaching all students. (our PLC subject/unit subject) My success will be evidenced when I implement tools in my classroom with selected students based on the EL Guide. (assessment)

14. Instruction &Data Notebook (organization / layout) TOOLS FOR YOUR TOOLBOX 78 strategies • Community Building • Interactive • Teaching • Student Learning • Vocabulary • Reading • Writing

15. When you return for our next whole group PLC, plan to bring with you an example of student work. You should be able to show/tell about how you have used 1 of these strategies with a student - based on his/her proficiency level. WHAT’S NEXT? YOUR TURN

16. PLC - Learning to recognize the strategies We have watched videos. We have discussed strategies. We have reduced class size. We have been intentional.

17. Expectations for staff • ESOL strategies incorporated into lesson plans • ESOL teachers are writing lesson plan specific to the skills needed • Co-teaching versus “extra hands” • we have discussed push-in vs. co-teach • All teachers will work toward ESOL endorsement • We have three teachers completing their endorsements • Language targets will be added to learning targets • not happening in every classroom, but we are working on it.

18. IN THE MEANTIME... • ESOL co-teachers have their own PLC time • We have lesson study time once each month with all ESOL teachers. We are discovering instructional weaknesses, planning effective lessons, modeling for the group, and reflecting on how the lesson can be used in each classroom.

19. How ESOL students ARE being served... • Reduced class size w/ESOL endorsed classroom teachers • Push-in model with expert teachers • Expert teachers sharpening their skills through PLC • Classroom teachers are aware of All Day, Every Day strategies

20. Parent Engagement Jeopardy 97%, 167, 78, 65, 121, 75, 352 What is the number of parents attending our parent engagement activities?

21. SUPER PARENT AWARDS • Parents are recognized at promotion ceremonies if they have attended the required number of activities throughout the year. • Stickers on promotion certificates • Names are called and parents stand with their child • Specific activities are designated as SUPER PARENT requirements - • parent conferences • Title I Annual Meeting • video of meeting in Spanish and English, parents choose the one to attend • Combine with other activities

22. PARENT EDUCATION • GED and English Classes • partnership with Lanier Technical College • GED prep in English • Basic English instruction • no charge, free babysitting, transportation reimbursement

23. SUMMARY OF OUR JOURNEY We recognize that our journey to find the most effective scheduling, instruction, and mindset processes for ELs is not a 100-yard dash, but an ultra-marathon. We are still working on moving from a 5K to a 10K, but we have made great progress. This journey will continue.

24. The numbers tell our story! Ga Milestones EL Subgroup Performance CCRPI CCRPI % of ELs with a positive movement from one performance band as measured by ACCESS

25. QUESTIONS?

26. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST AND ATTENTION. Robin Gower, Principal, Tadmore Elementary School robin.gower@hallco.org 770 536-9929 Dr. Anna Sargent, Director of ESOL/Title III/Migrant Programs anna.sargent@hallco.org 770 534-1080