Reagan HS MYP Language Policy
Introduction
The Houston Independent School District (HISD) values diversity, including a population
that speaks over 100 languages – and as such takes its responsibility to speakers of all
languages serious. Currently, the language of instruction at all HISD campuses is English,
with significant support provided to those for whom English is not their mother tongue.
HISD Diversity Statistics
Students by Ethnicity
Ethnicity
# of Students
% of All Students
531
0.3
53,680
26.5
5,962
2.9
125,097
61.7
373
0.2
1,241
0.6
American Indian/Alaskan Native
African American
Asian
Hispanic
Native Hawaiian/Other Islander
Two or More
White
15,889
7.8
Total
202,773
100.0
Students by Grade Level
Grade Level
# of Students
% of All Students
Kindergarten & Earlier
33,545
16.54
Elementary 1-5
81,652
40.27
Middle School 6-8
38,598
19.04
High School 9-12
48,978
24.15
202,773
100.0
Total
Students by Program
Program
# of Students
% of All Students
LEP
62,262
30.70
ESL
16,629
8.21
Bilingual
41,783
20.60
At Risk
128,160
63.20
Title I
192,855
95.11
16,503
8.14
27,069
13.35
160,692
79.25
Special Education
Gifted/Talented
Economically Disadvantaged*
*Meets federal criteria for free and reduced-price lunches.
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
Specifically, the district shall provide for ongoing coordination between the English as a
second language (ESL) program and the regular educational program. The English as a
second language program shall address the affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs of
limited English proficient students as follows:
Affective- Limited English proficient (LEP) students shall be provided instruction using
second language methods in English to introduce basic concepts of the school environment
which instills confidence, self-assurance, and a positive identity with their cultural heritages.
The program shall address the history and cultural heritage associated with both the students'
home language and the United States.
Linguistic- Limited English proficient students shall be provided intensive instruction to
develop proficiency in the comprehension, speaking, reading, and composition of the English
language. The instruction in academic content areas shall be structured to ensure that the
students master the required essential knowledge and skills and higher order thinking skills.
Cognitive- Limited English proficient students shall be provided instruction in English in
mathematics, science, health, and social studies using second language methods.
The instruction in academic content areas shall be structured to ensure that the students
master the required essential knowledge and skills and higher order thinking skills.
Programs Offered
All LEP students shall participate in a required ESL program offered at each campus. The
following is a description of the two types of ESL programs.
Many students enter middle school having been served for 4 or more years in Bilingual or
ESL programs in elementary school. These students are either at the advanced or transitional
instructional ESL level and only require a program of modified English language arts and
reading instruction. These students are provided the same content and ancillary courses as
non-LEP students but instruction is modified to include second language teaching strategies.
Goals of the Transitional ESL Program:
 acquire and develop English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills
 mainstream into regular program
Immigrant new arrival students entering at the secondary level constitute an increasing
population in HISD. For secondary students the difficulty of the transitions of adolescence
can be an educational challenge to schools. Combining this transition time with the challenge
of learning a second language, mastering the academic content in their second language, and
balancing the value systems of both the home and dominant culture can be overwhelming
(Spenser and Dornbusch, 1990). Some immigrant students are facing culture shock and/or
psychological issues resulting from traumatic experiences which make them at even higher
risk of academic failure (Crockett, Peterson, Schulenberg and Ebata, 1989).
The latest research on the academic achievement of new arrival immigrant LEP students
reflects the effectiveness of newcomer programs, either a separate site or school within-aschool models. Most of the newcomer programs (89%) fall into the second category (Short
and Boyson, 1999). Newcomer programs provide partial to full instructional support to
students, with bilingual and/or native language support in content courses, sheltered content
courses using ESL methodology, and ESL language arts and reading courses.
Goals of the Newcomer Programs:
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
• Provide a smaller, inclusive learning environment to support the affective needs of
immigrant students
• Acquire and develop English listening, speaking, reading and writing skills
• Develop academic language and core subject knowledge in native language or through ESL
methodology
• Mainstream into regular program
The state mandated curriculum or TEKS for all ESL courses may be accessed from the
Multilingual Department website. The ESL TEKS require that ESL courses provide
instruction to develop the four ESL skills but also meet the same English Language Arts
requirements as non-LEP students. The English Language Arts instruction must be modified
to be commensurate with the ESL instructional level of the student. HISD has correlated the
TEKS into a district curriculum. This is available on the Curriculum Department website
under the Language Arts Section. The Multilingual Department has developed several
supplemental documents to support ESL teachers. Best Practices Used in Language
Acquisition-Secondary provides teachers with several ESL strategies. This document is
available on the Multilingual Department website. Best Practices Curriculum Guide
Beginning Level (Middle
School and High School), Best Practices Curriculum Guide Intermediate Level (Middle
School and High School), and Best Practices Curriculum Advanced Level (Middle and
High School) provide model lessons in a thematic format.
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
Multicultural Aspects of Reagan HS
Our campus is a reflection of the racial/ethnic diversity of students that can be found in our
district. Below is a pie chart that represents the racial demographics of Reagan HS students.
Reagan HS Student Racial Demographics
0%
0%
4%
0% 1%
9%
African American
Hispanic
White
Americian Indian
Asian
Pacific Islander
Two or more races
86%
The graphic below represents the racial makeup of the instructional staff of Reagan HS.
Reagan HS Staff Racial Demographic
2%
1%
5%
30%
African American
Hispanic
White
Americian Indian
Asian
48%
Two or more races
14%
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
English as a Second Language (ESL) Program at Reagan HS
Reagan’s Limited English Proficient (LEP) population makes up 3.5% of the total school
enrollment. Students with limited English who enroll at Reagan High School enter at various
levels of proficiency. Roughly, 77% of LEP students who attend Reagan HS are identified as
“advanced” or “transitional” (see definitions in chart below) receive ESL services as defined
by Texas state law and Houston ISD local requirements, with Reagan HS providing
additional supports including: Rosetta Stone for supplemental language learning, ESL
Reading Smart for vocabulary development/reading comprehension, and individualized
tutoring. Students that are identified as “intermediate,” “beginning,” or “pre-literate” (see
definitions in chart below) receive ESL services as defined for their level by Texas state law
and Houston ISD local requirements. Reagan HS provides additional supports for this group
of students such as: Rosetta Stone for supplemental language learning, ESL Reading Smart
for vocabulary development/reading comprehension, individualized tutoring, cohort
clustering, and double instructional blocking in Language A, writing, and reading classes.
Furthermore, Reagan HS has allocated a portion of the budget for ESL program resource
acquisition. ESL students who have achieved the required English proficiency levels may
become eligible to exit the ESL program. Upon program exit, Reagan HS staff continue to
follow exited students for (2) years by monitoring grades and meeting with teachers to
discuss student progress without ESL services.
Reagan HS ESL Program Language
Demographics
2%
3% 4%
4%
Farsi
Gissi
Hindi
Spanish
Russian
87%
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
Reagan HS ESL Proficiency Demographics
Literacy
Stage
Definition
Number
of
students
Additional Information
Pre-literate
*speaks little or no English
*has limited reading/writing skills in native language
3
Came to Reagan HS as
unschooled asylums. Students are
illiterate in their native language.
Beginning
*speaks little or no English
*so limited in English that written achievement tests
cannot be taken or considered valid
*may demonstrate literacy skills in native language
*writing characteristics on writing rubric - able to
respond to yes/no questions in English
*able to respond to simple questions with one or two
words in English
7
Students are refugees from
Liberia and Honduras.
Intermediate
*has some oral English and minimal English literacy skills
6
Advanced
*has a good command of English oral skills
6
Transitional
*has good command of oral English skills
*has been in U.S. schools for the previous 3 years or
more
*may have had most or all schooling in the U.S.
48
Total
70
The Role of Language at Reagan HS
In HISD, literacy is defined as the ability to read, write, listen, speak, and think effectively.
Consequently, language plays a critical role on our campuses throughout our district. As an
MYP school, we take this responsibility – in particular, it is widely recognized that ALL of
the educators in our school are teachers of language. To that end, language initiatives are not
only implemented in our Language A and B offerings but across all subject areas.
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12
District-wide, students are recommended to spend between 20%-25% of their time engaged
in integrated literacy strategies to support content specific learning. Effective school year
2012-13, Reagan HS has implemented a literacy initiative in which all enrolled students
participate in a 30 minute per day class, in which, literacy strategies are learned and
practiced.
Sustaining Language Acquisition
In order to encourage and support the continued development of proficiency in a non-mother
tongue, we will provide a variety of languages in our instructional offerings, as well as also
ensuring that these courses are taught in a sustained progression. This progression will
prepare our students for either further study in the IB Diploma Programme as well as
Advanced Placement courses.
In Support of the IB Mission
As an IB MYP Candidate School, the Learner Profile is an integral part of who we are and
what we do on a daily basis. In particular, we emphasize being Communicators – IB Learners
at Reagan should be able to communicate in at least two different languages. Students who
possess more than one mother tongue are encouraged to explore proficiency in an additional
language. Language acquisition at our school promotes the understanding and appreciation of
one’s own culture and their place within the global community.
2012-13 Reagan HS | IB MYP Language Policy 10-11-12