ELL Weekly Update
Striving for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
Adjusting....Slowly
These were the words I used to summarize the start of my school year during the elementary ELL team PLC this morning. It turns out it is taking me longer than I expected to establish the leadership routines I want to have in place to support our team well (beginning of the year meetings, coaching day visits/observations, weekly updates that actually go out on a weekly basis....) I ask for your patience as I continue to get my priorities dialed in. "Well what have you been doing during the first month of the school year, Carder?" Great question. ELL--A lot of getting up to speed with ELL processes, guidance and data. TPEP--Lots of beginning of the year trainings with admins and teachers, DTL--I put together a "Warm Demander" training for our admin retreat in August, and it has gained popularity. I have been asked to present to principals, Cordata staff, 60 classified para-educators in Sept. and Oct., and at the Bellingham Family Partnership Program Fall Learning Together Conference. Click on the following link if your are interested in seeing the presentation.
Engaging with Families...
Staff, students and families were Zumba dancing together at the first annual Shuksan "Homecoming."
Supporting Diverse Needs of Students...
Squalicum newcomers used adaptations of the World History textbook (down to about a 2nd grade level, all present tense, in Spanish and English) to access and understand all the key information to complete the exact same homework as their native English speaking peers.
Great Teaching with Strong Support...
New teachers spent a Saturday with 5D Framework Specialist Erin Meese to learn more about how we define great teaching in Bellingham Public Schools including a strong emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion.
Program Updates
- New Guidance for Monitoring Exited Students: During the OSPI TBIP webinar for new directors, I learned that federal guidance requires us to monitor the academic success of ELL students for four (4) years after they reach proficiency. The state TBIP grant formula provides funding for student who are within the first two year of reaching proficiency, which led many to believe we are only required to monitor for 2 years, so OSPI was careful to clarify. Stay tuned for what this means for our team.
- Long Term English Learners (LTELs): In the webinar, they also clarified that we are responsible for identifying and meeting the unique needs of long term English learners in our district. The state defines LTELs as students who have been in program for 5 years or longer. This led us to identify and begin to plug a hole in our Skyward data--in the past we have not always investigated to find out a student's initial placement in U.S. schools regardless of state or program model. With Kathe's and Summer's help, we will acquire and enter accurate initial placement dates moving forward that will help us access accurate LTEL data.
Happy Weekend!
As always, please call or text with questions, concerns, ideas...
Email: amy.carder@bellinghamschools.org
Phone: 360-389-7388