English Mastery: Nevada English
Language Learner (ELL) Program
September 6, 2013
For NNELI
• Program Overview
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–
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Background and Demographics
WIDA – World Class Instructional Design and Assessment
Senate Bill 504 – State Legislated Programs
Title III – Federal Required Programs
• My Perspective
• Question and Answer
Jonathan Gibson – Nevada
Department of Education
Nevada Title III funding – 2011-12
 $9,019,735 = federal Title III award
 $119.47 per ELL pupil allocation to Districts
 $50,000,000 = SB 504 (2013-2015)
 $0 Title III money can be used to meet
federal requirements to serve ELL students –
Title III funds can only be used by Districts to
supplement their ELL programs; testing and
nearly all staffing must be paid for out of the
Districts’ General Funds
Nevada ELL Program Snapshot
2010-11 Data
 76,517 ELL Identified Students
 More than 1 out of every 6 (17.5%) of
Nevada’s Students
 Approximately 134,000 identified and former
ELL Students
 Almost 1 in 3 (31%) of Nevada’s Students
• 67,754 Hispanic ELL; 101,756 Hispanic not active ELL
• 0.1% more Hispanic than White students in Nevada
ELL Students Tested and Immigrant
Student Counts
90000
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0
ELL Tested
Immigrant
Languages
 More than 120 different languages spoken
 5 most common native languages:





Spanish – 88.5%
Tagalog – 5.1%
Filipino – 2.1%
Chinese – 1.6%
Vietnamese – 1.2%
Who is Identified ELL?
 Children age 3 to 21 enrolled in school and:
 Native language is not English; or
 Home environment includes a language other
than English; and/or
 Speak a language other than English with peers.
AND
 Whose difficulties in Speaking, Reading, Writing or
Understanding English may be sufficient to deny:
 Proficient achievement on State Assessments;
 Achievement in classrooms instructed in English;
 Opportunity to participate fully in society.
Academic English is the language
needed for students to engage with
content material and succeed in
content classrooms and assessments.
If we gave the English Language
Proficiency Assessment (ELPA) to ALL
students, what percentage would
qualify for ELL services?
Long-Term ELLs
Language
Support
4 to 6 years
Accomplishment: Percent of Nevada
ELL Students Passing the State CRTs
2010-2011
Math CRT
Language Arts CRT
Current ELL Students
24%
6%
Former ELL Students:
Less than 2 years since
exiting ESL
72.1%
58.7%
Total State
68.05%
56.95%
Hispanic
61.0%
42.1%
Black/African American
56.8%
39.5%
Nevada Report Card: NDE
Concern: we are just beginning to
feel the effects of a surge of
Long-Term ELLs in our Secondary schools.
LONG TERM ELLS:
•
Identified ELL for more than 5 years; and
•
Not made Academic Language Progress
for 2 or more years
In Clark County,
42% of secondary
ELL students are
Long-Term ELLs
(2011-12)
Combined data from
Washoe and Clark
County:
60.6% of secondary
ELL students are
credit deficient
(2011-12)
How does this happen?
What are the solutions?
WIDA in a Nutshell:
 34 state consortium – and growing
 Directed by the States – University of Wisconsin
 Standards: The Language of:





Language Arts
Math
Social Studies
Science
Academics – school
 Assessment System
 WIDA Standards match academic content with
language supports for given language proficiencies
 Common Core + WIDA + CCSSO (language framework)
=> content mastery + academic language
SB 504 in a Nutshell:
 Clark and Washoe: Zoom Schools - fully funded:
 Pre-K
 Full day K
 Reading Centers
 Summer Programs
 Remaining Districts Apply for Specific Programs
 English Mastery Council - Recommend:
 Criteria for …and Review District ELL Plans
 TESL Endorsement Criteria – including who…
 TESL Higher Ed Courses of Study (curriculum)
 State English Language Development Standards
Title III in a Nutshell:
 NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND – NCLB
 T3 – not relieved under the Waiver
• AMAO I (progress), II (achievement) and III
(content achievement)
 Nevada School Performance Framework: T1 has
new targets for ELL, SpEd, FRL
 Office for Civil Rights (and NCLB) - Program:
 Identify ELLs
 Develop a Program
 Ensure staff, materials and facilities
 Develop English assessment and exit criteria
 Evaluate and improve program
 Department of Justice – Performance
Elementary and Middle Schools
— Index Point Weighting —
Subpopulation
Growth Gap
Reduction
20%
Other
Indicator(s)
10%
Proficiency
30%
Student Growth
Percentiles
40%
18
High School Index Point
Weighting
Other Indicator
14%
College & Career
Readiness
16%
Growth and
Proficiency
30%
Subpopulation
Subpopulation
Proficiency Gaps
Graduation
10%
Gaps
Graduation
15%
15%
19
Title III Compliance does not secure
OCR and DOJ Compliance!
DOJ
OCR
Title III
NCLB
In addition to program compliance,
student performance outcomes factor.
So, what does all of this mean
if you are an ESL teacher?
ELL Program Objectives:
ELL students will:
• Develop Academic English Proficiency;
• Successfully master content requirements;
• Meaningfully engage with teachers, peers,
and content material in the
classroom setting;
• Graduate with the ability to continue
post-secondary education/workforce
training.
What does it all mean?
To me it means:
You have an opportunity of a life-time!
• Significant interest from legislators and
instructional leaders…
• Significant range of understanding to
(significant) misunderstanding…
• Significant NEED, and…
• ….
• Significant return on your investment!!