Some Issues Raised at June 6, 2018 Policy 138 Meeting

By Cherie Micheau

How has OMCP addressed/improved/monitored these issues?

A. Identification, Placement, Graduation

  • High school rostering issues for ELs at different levels
  • Clustering students in a few ESOL-friendly classes per grade (elementary)
  • Evaluation of foreign transcripts: Speed, accuracy, “over-acceptance” of credits
  • Moving students from schools without ELD programs to “cluster schools”
  • Including language data/parents’ language in the new SIS system
  • Timely/appropriate identification of ELs for special education + inclusion of parents and ESOL teachers in the IEP process
  • Monitoring language access for ELs and their families in enrollment, IEP meetings, etc.
  • Route to graduation for newcomer seniors with zero English: Earning credits with zero English

B. Programming and Professional Development

  • Implementation (and effectiveness?) of push-in mandate, especially for newcomers; evaluation?
  • Pull-out ESOL instruction: How flexible is the policy?
  • Teacher (classroom, ESOL) PD on topics such as language instructional practices, co-teaching, adapting materials for newcomers, accommodations in content
  • Implementation of QTEL training in schools, mandating QTEL for more teachers, monitoring the degree to which QTEL-trained teachers are rostered in sheltered classes
  • PD for administrators and other school staff on topics such as accommodations for ELs at different levels, for counselors on high school admissions/post-secondary options
  • Programs for newcomers at the middle and high school level/programs for students with limited formal schooling: Establishment of new programs, improvement of current ones
  • Plans for an autonomous international high school
  • Uses of such tests as the Benchmarks and AIMS Web for newcomer ELs (Levels 1-2)
  • Language curriculum for ESOL students, especially for newcomers and especially for use in a multilevel push-in classroom + support for teachers in adapting materials for ELs

C. Equitable Access

  • Support for Els and their families in high school applications/LeGare (and role of FACE)
  • Monitoring of high school admissions for ELs in criteria-based schools, ESOL support in those schools (is SDP being held accountable for LeGare enforcement)
  • Equal access for ELs to gifted, CTE and other special programs (and language support)
  • Hiring of bilingual psychologists and training in identifying language vs. learning needs
  • BCAs assignments to schools (numbers languages) + their roles
    Services for students at schools with small ESOL populations (.5 teachers or other)