Developing A Program For New Arrivals

1. Developing A Program For New Arrivals Irene Jiménez Director of Bilingual/ESL Programs Hays CISD jimenezi@hayscisd.net

2. District Profile • Hays CISD is in North Central Hays County/South of Austin • 2008-2009: 13,800 students • 19 campuses/2 High Schools, 2 Alternative Programs, 4 Middle Schools, 11 Elementary Schools

3. District Profile • ELL Population: 1800 (2000-2001 364 ELLs) • Dual Language Programs: One Way Program K – 5 Two Way Program K – 5 • Content Based ESL Instruction

4. District Profile • SIOP Trained Secondary Teachers • Content Area Intervention Teachers • SIOP Trained Instructional Strategists • Newcomer Center

5. Challenges We Faced • Improve Attendance–ELL students were not showing up for school • Provide Support for Teachers-Our teachers could not communicate with their students Help, they don’t speak English!

6. Challenges We Faced • To improve TAKS scores • To show growth in English reading proficiency as measured by TELPAS Reading • To motivate students to attend school and graduate

7. What We Had Tried • Content Mastery • ESL Strategies for Content Area Teachers • Translations • Mexican textbooks

8. Looking For Solutions and Exploring Our Options Leadership Team: Director of Secondary Curriculum, Principals, Assistant Principals, Counselors, Communities in School, Bilingual/ESL Director, ESL Teachers, Math and Science teachers

9. Findings • Increasing number of recent immigrants • Students and teachers could not communicate with each other • Students were not mastering the curriculum • Students were not participating in class

10. Findings • Secondary teachers were unprepared to instruct English Language Learners • Lack of appropriate resources or materials for ELLS for content area subjects • Unable to provide support for students with gaps in their education • No available assessment instrument in L1

11. Goals To Assist ELL Students • To acquire social and academic English • To develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in English • To integrate with native English speakers

12. Goals • To improve attendance • To acquire credits toward graduation • To master TAKS • To increase their confidence to participate in class

13. Our Dream Develop a New Arrival Center

14. New Arrival Center To Serve ELL Students • enrolled in grades 9-11 • who were Non-English Speakers • who had been in the country for less than 1 year

15. Questions • What entry and exit criteria would we have? • How would it be different from an ESL class? • What assessment instrument would we use?

16. Questions • Where would the program be housed • How would we ensure that they were integrated with other students? • Would we have a full day or a half day? • Would we have a semester or all year program?

17. Questions • Class size • Where would the students attend classes after exiting the program? • How would we monitor them after exiting? • Teacher qualifications • What program would we use? • What training would teachers receive? • Would the students earn credits ?

18. Teacher Qualifications • ESL certified – Bilingual preferred • Experience working with second language learners • Secondary certification • Flexible and innovative

19. Assessments • Logramos (Vocabulary, Reading & Math Skills) • LAS Oral, LAS Reading • Released RPTE

20. Steps Taken • Superintendent approval • Visited New Arrival Center in Galena Park ISD • Generated parent and student interest/Bilingual Advisory Council

21. Steps Taken • Board Approval • Attended the Accelerated Learning Training for New Arrival Centers- Phase I and Phase II • Bought the curriculum

22. District Level Coordination • Registrar at each campus referred students who were recent immigrants to Lehman High School • Counselor would meet with student and parents to explain program and goals • Transcripts were evaluated for credits

23. District Level Coordination • Students were tested • Counselor had to hand schedule students • Transportation had to be coordinated

24. Program Design/ First Year • Half day program for 1 semester • Class size was limited to 20 students • Credits earned: .5 ESL, .5 U.S. History, .5 Public Speaking, .5 Reading (as a local credit)

25. Program Design/ First Year Afternoon classes: • Students with gaps in education took: Fine Arts, Physical Education, Computer • Strong students in L1 took: Math, World Geography, Fine Arts or Computer

26. Program Design • Bilingual paraprofessional would trail students in content area classes to provide support • Newcomer teacher provided intervention to students who had gaps in education in L1 • The second semester students stayed at Lehman and were supported by the bilingual paraprofessional

27. Program Design • New Arrival Teacher met weekly with content area teachers. • Student grades were monitored every six weeks • Students invited to attend ESL summer school program

28. End of Year Program Evaluation What We Had Provided: • Orientation to school system and community • Individualized attention • Support services: CIS counselors, Health Clinic, Tutoring

29. End of Year Program Evaluation What We Discovered: • Second semester students were not handling content area class well. • Not enough time in that supportive environment • Needed more teacher training • Additional resources for content area support

30. End of YearProgram Evaluation What We Discovered • There was a need for new methods to help accelerate the second language acquisition process. • Educating second language learners at the secondary level required providing content area intervention. • That learning a second language is emotionally and psychologically draining

31. Making Changes • Awarded LEP SSI Grant • Partner with ISLA- Institute for Second Language Acquisition/ Texas A & M Corpus Christi • July 2005: Bilingual Advisory Council met to create an improvement plan to be funded by the LEP SSI Grant.

32. ISLA Support • Conducted a Needs Assessment which was created by ISLA http://ell.tamucc.edu/shelteredinstruction.html • ISLA reviewed our Needs Assessment and gave us feedback • Provided technical support as we designed an implementation plan

33. Findings • For success we need a program for all campuses • Administrators and faculty needed an awareness of the process of second language acquisition • Faculty need to be trained in sheltered instruction • Instructional Strategists were needed for new to profession teacher support

34. Findings • Teacher support for content area teachers working with ELL students • Content area intervention was needed for ELL students • Supplemental content area resources appropriate for ELL students

35. Plan Goes Into Action • ISLA provided an ESL Academy which was attended by elementary and secondary content area teachers and a few administrators (Second Language Acquisition) • Training was provided to campuses This training is very important and must be provided before any other training such as sheltered instruction

36. Plan Goes Into Action • ISLA provided SIOP and CALLA training. We sent selected teachers and academic deans • Provided training on Best Practices • District provided Instructional Strategists for every campus with local funding • Grant funds provided Content Area Intervention Teachers on every secondary campus

37. SIOP Trained Teachers • Principals required teachers to attend SIOP training. Why ?? Scheduling!! • Required does not work • Next year principals identified teachers who wanted to take on this role • Students were hand scheduled into these classrooms

38. Implementation Plan • The teachers who attended SIOP and CALLA training became our content intervention teachers and instructional strategists. • The instructional strategists took on the role of SIOP coaches, providing monthly training by content area, modeling lessons and helping with lesson plans • Our academic deans were better informed of what to look for in the classrooms

39. New Arrival Center Changes • From a half year program to a full year • Dropped US History credit • Awarded:1 ESOL, 1 Reading, 1/2 Public Speaking, 1/2 Communications • Modified curriculum: Integrated Access Math, Access Science, Access History - Great Source

40. Second Year Changes • Content Area Intervention Teacher • Hand scheduled into classrooms with SIOP trained teachers • After school tutoring • Summer School ESL Program

41. Where We Are Now • Secondary campuses have SIOP trained teachers – not SIOP classrooms • Content Area Intervention Teachers are providing intervention, not tutoring • Bought appropriate content area resources • Instructional Strategists provide monthly training for sheltered instruction

42. Training • Summer ESL Academies • Summer SIOP Training/ 2 days • CALLA Strategies/ 1 day

43. District Sustainability • Commitment to continue the New Arrival Center • Instructional Strategists and Content Intervention Teachers • Title III funds will be used to continue the tutoring that was being provided by grant funds. • SIOP training will continue to be provided by the instructional strategist

44. Curriculum • High School NAC Curriculum from Maximum Capacity Learning • Hampton Brown- The Basics • Great Source- Access Math, Access Science, Access History • National Geographic Resources

45. Maximum Capacity Learning • Lesson Plans • Large Full Color Flash Cards • Full Color Posters • Classical CDs • Drama Books • History Books

46. Maximum Capacity Learning • Ángeles Chávez : angeles@aclanguageschool.com 281/265-3276 • Dr. Georgi Lozanov’s Theory • Emphasis a safe & positive environment • Recognizes learning styles • Promotes collaboration • Encourages learning language in content • Incorporates music • Supports field trips