Not For Public Distribution English Language Learners Briefing Connecticut PRIMARY TALKING POINTS o o “ELL enrollment is increasing across our Connecticut schools. In fact, we now serve a higher ELL percentage than our host districts at AF Bridgeport Academy Elementary.” FACT: ELL enrollment at Achievement First’s Connecticut schools is now 9 percent in 201314, compared to 7 percent in 2011-12. In contrast, only 5.5 percent of students across the state identify as ELL according the most recent publicly available data. FACT: In the 2013-14 school year, 16 percent of AF Bridgeport Academy Elementary students qualify as ELL, compared to 13 percent of students in Bridgeport Public Schools. FACT: All Achievement First schools enroll students through a blind lottery. We are not legally allowed to grant lottery preference to ELL students at any Connecticut Achievement First school, but we would support legislation that would allow us to grant this preference because English Language Learners dramatically underperform native English speakers at traditional public schools, and Achievement First is committed to serving students in our most historically underserved communities. FACT: Per our agreement with some of our Connecticut host cities, we serve neighborhoods that do not have large ELL populations. In Hartford for instance, per our agreement with Hartford Public Schools, we enroll students from Hartford’s North End, who are predominantly African-American. FACT: To inform more families whose dominant home language is not English about our approach, we have increased outreach and recruitment initiatives. Street teams— bilingual high school students and parents of current ELL students—canvass our communities to inform families about our ELL approach. We are also hiring more bilingual school staff and are distributing student recruitment materials and lottery enrollment forms in both English and Spanish. “Achievement First serves English Language Learners, but we serve a greater percentage of students who speak a dominant home language other than English. This measure is a more accurate representation of our student population since our students test out of ELL support at a faster rate than their host district peers.” FACT: ELL is intended to be a temporary label for students while they are learning English. Students who are classified as English Language Learners meet two requirements: they speak a home language other than English and they fail an English proficiency test. Achievement First Talking Points | ELL CT Do Not Use After 9/1/2014 Page 1 of 3 For support, email marketing@achievementfirst.org Not For Public Distribution o FACT: Since our students attain English proficiency at a faster rate than their district peers, fewer students remain identified as ELL. From 2011 to 2012, 48 percent of Achievement First Bushwick Elementary students classified as ELL were able to achieve English proficiency on the annual New York English as a Second Language Achievement Test and graduate from ELL services. In comparison, only 30 percent of citywide ELL students were able to pass this test after three years. In fact, the average New York City ELL student required more than five years to test out of ELL support. FACT: In addition to serving English Language Learners, many of our students speak a dominant home language other than English, which is a more accurate representation of the population we serve. In 2012-13, 19 dominant home languages (other than English) were represented in Achievement First schools, including Spanish, Haitian-Creole, Turkish, Arabic and Vietnamese. “Achievement First’s approach is effective at driving academic gains for English Language Learner (ELL) students.” FACT: Across our network in New York and Connecticut, we are driving results for ELL students. For instance, on its New York City Department of Education 2010-11 Progress Report, Achievement First Bushwick received an “A” with full credit for exceptional gains with ELL students in both English and math, defined as scoring in the top 20 percent of New York City schools. FACT: Our core approach to education is ideal for English Language Learners because it combines best practices proven to drive achievement for all students, including those with special needs. Our program includes more time in class, smaller class sizes and data-driven instructional plans for each student. FACT: In addition, we also provide targeted, individualized support for ELL students, with a focus on explicit phonics and vocabulary instruction, as well as conversation and comprehension skills. DATA Achievement First Geography* AF Connecticut Schools AF % ELL 9% Host District Host District % ELL Connecticut Traditional 5.6% Public Schools * All Achievement First statistics are for 2013-14 unless otherwise stated. Connecticut figures are from 2011-12, the most recent data publicly available. Achievement First Talking Points | ELL CT Do Not Use After 9/1/2014 Page 2 of 3 For support, email marketing@achievementfirst.org Not For Public Distribution Connecticut AF School AF % ELL Host District Host District % ELL* AF Bridgeport Academy 11.5% Bridgeport Public Schools 13% Elementary AF Bridgeport Academy 16.2% Bridgeport Public Schools 13% Middle AF Hartford Academy 3.2% Hartford Public Schools 18% Elementary AF Hartford Academy 3.5% Hartford Public Schools 18% Middle AF Hartford High 3.4% Hartford Public Schools 18% Amistad Academy 13.1% New Haven Public Schools 14% Elementary Amistad Academy Middle 10.4% New Haven Public Schools 14% AF Amistad High School 6.2% New Haven Public Schools 14% Elm City College Prep 8.5% New Haven Public Schools 14% Elementary Elm City College Prep 3.6% New Haven Public Schools 14% Middle *AF figures are for the 2013-14 school year. Traditional district school data is from the last available school year, 2011-12. Achievement First Talking Points | ELL CT Do Not Use After 9/1/2014 Page 3 of 3 For support, email marketing@achievementfirst.org