BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
ACCESS, STEM and ELL
Making sense of the acronyms to effectively serve
English Language Learners
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Organization Visions
Office of English Language Learners-Vision
All English Language Learner students in the Boston Public
Schools will acquire 21st century bi-literacy skills and crossdisciplinary knowledge required to succeed in college and/or
careers.
Latino STEM Alliance-Vision
The Latino STEM Alliance partners with schools, private
industry, community groups and academia to bring STEM
experiences to underserved youth that otherwise would not
have such an opportunity
Sociedad Latina-Vision
Since 1968, Sociedad Latina has worked in partnership with
Latino youth and families to end destructive cycles of poverty,
health inequities, and lack of educational and professional
opportunities in our community.
Photo via cityofboston.gov
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Objectives of the Training
● Provide an Overview of English Language Learners in
the Boston Public Schools.
● Provide a detailed explanation of the ACCESS exam
and its relevance to English Language Learners and
the Community as a whole.
● Provide a Model of STEM Instruction for English
Language Learners within Supplemental Programming.
● Provide Strategies on how to engage English
Language Learners in Supplemental Programming.
● Provide Strategies around providing Meaningful
Summer Programming for English Language Learners.
Supplemental Programming: Engaging programming outside of the Normal School Day
(i.e. Before/After School and Summer School/Programming).
Photo via cityofboston.gov
BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Presenters
John Braga
Director of ELL Services and Supplemental Programming
Boston Public Schools-Office of English Language
Learners
Sarah Abramson
Program Manager
Latino STEM Alliance
Jonathan Rodrigues
Civic Engagement Coordinator
Sociedad Latina
4
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Introduction to ELL Students in the Boston
Public Schools
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Linguistic Diversity in BPS
▪
BPS students’ families are from over 100 countries
▪
BPS students speak over 80 different first languages
▪
46% of BPS students speak a language other than English
as their first language
▪
42% of BPS students are either currently learning
English (ELL) or mastered academic English while
attending BPS (Former ELL*)
Data for K2-12 students as of January 5, 2015 “allwithtests” file from BPS OIIT. *Former ELL here refers to
students in the 2 year monitoring period and beyond.
6
BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
First Language of ELLs in K2-12 (BPS)
Language
#
%
Spanish*
9,372
61%
Haitian*
1,308
8%
Cape Verdean*
1,152
7%
Chinese*
837
5%
Vietnamese*
807
5%
Portuguese
295
2%
Arabic
260
2%
Somali
256
2%
French
128
1%
Other
985
6%
Total
15,400
100%
Asterisk indicates that BPS offers a language specific ELL program for those linguistic communities. Data for K2-12 students as of January 5,
2015 “allwithtests” file from BPS OIIT.
7
BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Distribution of ELLs by Grade (K2-12)
Level
Total ELL
Percent of ELL
Elementary
8,814
57%
Middle
2,786
18%
High
3,801
25%
Total
15,401
100%
Data for K2-12 students as of January 5, 2015 “allwithtests” file from BPS OIIT.
8
BOSTON PUBLIC
SCHOOLS
Appendix 1: How many BPS students need ELL
services? (K2-12)
ELD Level*
#
%
% by ESL Need
1
2,138
14%
54%
2
2,274
15%
3
3,940
56%
4
4,690
30%
5
2,355
15%
Total
15,397
100%
46%
100%
Data for K2-12 students as of January 5, 2015 “allwithtests” file from BPS OIIT. *As of this data file, there are 77 LEP students with a “blank”
ELD level; these students are included as ELD Level 1 in this table. In addition, there are 4 students coded as LEP with ELD 6 or P. These
students are excluded from this table.
9
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Access to ACCESS
Training
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Performance Definition Criteria
Performance Criteria
Linguistic Complexity (Discourse)
Language Forms & Conventions (Sentence)
Vocabulary Usage (Word)
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
ACCESS for ELLs Overview
•
ACCESS: Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English (State-toState)
•
Lengthy test
•
Focused on WIDA ELD Standards to monitor students' progress in acquiring
academic English
•
Assesses academic language
•
Three tiers for each grade level cluster
Tier A: (ELD) Proficiency levels 1-3
Tier B: (ELD) Proficiency levels 2-4
Tier C: (ELD) Proficiency levels 3-5
•
One third of test items replaced annually
•
Administered once per year as required by No Child Left Behind
•
Indicator of student’s ability to perform on state content
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
ELD Standards
Social &
Instructional
Language
Language of
Language
Arts
Language of
Mathematics
Academic Language
Language of
Science
Language of
Social
Studies
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Structure of the ACCESS Test
Each form of the test assesses the four language
domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing
Grades 1-12:
1. Listening: 20-25 Minutes-machine scored
2. Reading: 35-40 Minutes-machine scored
3. Writing: Up to 1 Hour-instructor scored
4. Speaking: Up to 15 Minutes-instructor scored
• Kindergarten test is individually
administered and takes an
average of 40 minutes per
student.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Sample of the Listening Assessment
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
ACCESS Test
College/Career Access
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
It’s Your Future, Make It Count!
Doing your best on
the ACCESS Test
means…
Better Grades
No Remedial
English
Courses in
College
Electives/AP
Courses
Greater
Access to
College
Scholarships
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
English Proficiency and MCAS Performance
• English Proficiency leads to Higher Scores on the ELA
and Math MCAS
• 45% of ELL Students with ACCESS Levels 5 and 6 score
Proficient or Advanced on the ELA MCAS. *
• 75% of High School ELL Students with ACCESS Levels 5
and 6 score Proficient or Advanced on the ELA MCAS.*
• 50% of ELL Students with ACCESS Levels 5 and 6 score
Proficient or Advanced on the Math MCAS.*
• 65% of High School ELL Students with ACCESS Levels 5
and 6 score Proficient or Advanced on the Math MCAS.*
• *Approximately
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Benefits to Full Bilingualism
• Being Bilingual allows you to….
• Communicate fully in both languages.
• Become a bridge for your community and Englishspeaking communities.
• Better advocate for your community by being able
to translate to English.
• Have greater access to careers that require
bilingual speakers! (Careers that require bilingual
speakers are usually high-paying jobs.)
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Reflection Activity (15 Mins)
In four sentences or less answer each question below.
Step 1: Answer each question individually in writing (5 minutes).
Step 2: Find a person you do not know in the room and discuss each
question (5 minutes).
Step 3: As a whole group, we will discuss the relevance of each
question (5 minutes).
Question 1: What is the ACCESS Exam?
Question 2: Why is the ACCESS Exam relevant to ELL
students?
Question 3: Why is the ACCESS Exam relevant to the
community at large, including direct service providers?
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
STEM and ESL Instruction
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Future of Programming (STEM and English Language
Acquisition Instruction)
The Office of English Language Learners seeks to transform
before, after, and summer school instruction to achieve the
following goals:
• Provide ELL students with before, after, and summer
programming that is focused on STEM Skills and infuses
English Language Acquisition instruction.
• Provide ELL students with a possible Career/College access
focus around the STEM based activity (i.e. robotics)
• Provide ELL students with best practices around Language
Acquisition to access the STEM content and acquire the
English Language.
22
BOSTONPUBLIC
PUBLICSCHOOLS
SCHOOLSOffice
Office
English
Language
BOSTON
ofof
English
Language
Learners
Learners
Robotics-ESL Program at TechBoston Academy (Example
of Future Programming)
Structure of Program:
Part 1: Three hours of programming per week focused on Robotics:
● Using the kits
● Building Robots
● Programming
Part 2: Three hours of programming per week focused on English
Language Acquisition using the Robotics curriculum as the focus:
● Building Robotics Vocabulary
● Reading and writing about topics related to the creation of robots
through on-line blogs
● Discussing the process of building robots
● Listening to videos and demonstrations focused on robotics building
BOSTONPUBLIC
PUBLICSCHOOLS
SCHOOLSOffice
Office
English
Language
BOSTON
ofof
English
Language
Learners
Learners
Robotics-ESL Program at TechBoston Academy (Example
of Future Programming)
The Office of English Language Learners seeks to establish similar goals for
Supplemental Services Programming to Promote 21st Century Learning Skills
and College/Career Access.
Goals
Goal 1: Provide ELL Students with access to STEM Activities.
Goal 2: Inspire ELL Students to Pursue STEM Related Careers.
Goal 3: Enhance the English Language Acquisition of ELL Students.
Goal 4: Pilot the LSA Robotics Program to observe and evaluate for future
programming.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Student Selection of the Program
•
•
•
•
•
One cohort of up to 12 SIFE students will be chosen
for the Robotics-English Language Acquisition
Program
o SIFE: Students with Formal Interrupted
Education.
All students within the cohort will attend the same
school.
Ideally, all students within the cohort will be in the
same grade and will have the instructor of the
program as a classroom teacher.
LSA works with students in Upper Elementary and
Middle School.
Students within the program will receive ESL along
with Robotics instruction.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
ESL Instruction within the Program
The teacher of the Robotics-English Language
Acquisition Program will use the LSA Curriculum to
provide ESL instruction.
The ESL Instruction will consist of:
Vocabulary Acquisition focused on Robotics and
Mathematics within the curriculum.
Writing activities focused on Robot Building and
Computer Programming using Graphic Organizers
Dialogue activities using Sentence Starters and Prompts
to discuss the process of Robotics building.
The use of media and videos to listen to and observe the
process of Robotics building.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Challenges/Competitions
Beginning in the spring, all of the schools which are
part of the LSA network prepare for an inter-school
competition, usually held the first Saturday in June.
The teams must build and program their robot to
accomplish the challenge:
I.E. Students design a robot which could move
wooden cubes across a 4 foot by 6 foot field
with obstacles to a goal.
The event lasts several hours and is a culminating
event which the students enjoy.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Assessment Flow Chart
Assessing the
Robotics-Content
Based ESL
Program
Pre & Post
Survey
Culminating
Robotics
Challenge
Weekly
Participation
Score &
Monthly Blog
School,
District, State
Assessment
Data
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Engaging ELLs in Your Current Programming
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Engaging ELLs
• Hands-on learning
o Project based activities
o Allows for students to be mobile and interact with their peers.
• Explicit Instruction
o Identify the steps of each activity that is implemented in the class from the
start of the activity to the end
• Provide Rich Content
o Content that is meaningful to the students, currently or will be in the future
• Provide Systematic instruction in English
o Identify essential vocabulary students will need to know to understand the
activity
o Create a list or Word Bank of Essential Vocabulary
• Offer Support in the Native Language (if you are able to)
o Provide Word to Word Translation when needed
o Provide students with a Word to Word Dictionary
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Techniques for Teaching ELL Students
• Teach Vocabulary
o Pre-Teach
o Focus on Cognates
o Scaffold
• Teach Writing
o Provide sentence stems
o Provide student exemplars
o Provide graphic organizers
• Monitor Progress
o Use applicable rubrics
o Determine the progress goal for each student
• Additional Techniques: Teaching Reading, Speaking and Listening, etc.
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
• Pre-teach Vocabulary
o Role Playing
o Using gestures
o Show real objects
o Point to pictures and drawings
o Use the native language equivalent
• Focus on Cognates
o Words in different languages that are derived from the same original word
or root.
o 40% of all English words have similar cognates in Spanish.
• Scaffold
o Using graphic organizers
o Use a word wall
o Label drawings and pictures
• Other Strategies
o Use technology
o Encourage oral language
o Model usage of words
o Label objects in English and the Native Language
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
Point to Pictures
and Drawings
English to Spanish
Cognates:
Example
Word Wall
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Teaching Writing
• Provide Sentence Stems
o Create sentence stems that are appropriate to the activity.
o Review stems that are appropriate to the activity.
o Set a writing task
o Have students share stems
o i.e. I understand that….
o i.e. It could be easier if….
o i.e. I read that….
o Sentence Stems can also be used for discussion activities (Listening and Speaking).
• Provide Student Exemplars
o Examples of the completed writing task from previous years/sessions
o Review the Exemplar with students
o Identify how this writing piece is an Exemplar in relation to a rubric.
• Provide Graphic Organizers
o Using graphic organizers to help students plan and organize their writing.
o Select a graphic organizer that is appropriate for the writing task, i.e.
Compare/Contrast, Cause and Effect.
• Other Strategies
o Selecting important vocabulary words to be the focus of the writing activity.
o Engaging students in discussion activities first and then having them respond to the
activity in writing.
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Teaching Writing
Example Sentence Stems
Student Exemplar
Writing
Graphic
Organizer
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Monitoring Progress
• Determine a student’s starting point or baseline using
an applicable rubric/pre-test.
• Determine the gains the student is able to make in the
length of the program (i.e. 5 weeks, 10 weeks, etc)
• Create a S.M.A.R.T. Goal for the student after the Pretest:
o S.M.A.R.T.-Specific, Measurable, Achievable, ResultsFocused, and Time-Bound
o i.e. The student will achieve a score of _______ by the
end of the program as determined by the _______
assessment.
o Reassess to measure progress toward the S.M.A.R.T.
Goal (i.e. every week, month, end of the program, etc)
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Monitoring Progress-Academic
Progress ELL Students
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Monitoring Progress-Oral
Language Scoring
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Strategies for Monitoring Progress-Analytic
Scoring
Resource: http://www.colorincolorado.org/
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language Learners
Summer Programming and ELL Students
Office of English Language Learners, February 2015
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Recruitment
• Identify the location of the program
• Have fliers and applications created in English and multiple languages (if
possible)
• Identify the outreach of the program
o One neighborhood in Boston
o Two neighborhoods in Boston
o Multiple or all neighborhoods in Boston
• Reach Out to families early between late February-March
• Work with local Language Focused Community Based Organizations to
help promote the program.
• Work with Representatives of the Boston Public Schools to help promote
the program.
• Work with local schools to help promote the program.
• Create a system to receive applications
• Contact families of interested students to identify that a spot is open for
their son/daughter in the program.
• Provide families with communication in the native/home language if
possible.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Family Engagement
• Provide Handouts in English and the Native Language (if
possible)
• Recruit and hire staff members that speak the
native/home language of a majority of the students in the
program.
• Connect to the local Language Focused Community
Based Organizations to assist with parent outreach and
translation.
• Conduct multiple family events throughout the program to
engage families in the programming
o Showcasing projects
o Family learning walks
o End of the program celebration
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Student Engagement
• Create a schedule that students can understand and can identify when
each activity will take place during the day.
• Create a mix of activities throughout the day to ensure student
engagement.
o Reading and Writing Activities
o Hands on Activities
o Project Based Activities
o Speaking and Listening Activities
o Movement based activities (i.e. sports)
• Create outcomes and goals at the start of the program
o Students will be able to_______ by the end of the program
o Students will improve ________ (points or percentage) by the end
of the program
o Pre-test
• Identify multiple ways to monitor student progress
o Multiple check-ins
o Post-test
• Use student data to evaluate the effectiveness of the program at the end
of the session.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Project Based Learning
• Identify the goals and outcomes of each activity.
• Identify the learning experience of each activity.
• Create activities that allow for movement and hands on
engagement.
• Have students work in groups to complete the activity.
• Create a step by step process for completing the project:
o Example Process Outline(Creating a bridge with popsicle
sticks):
 Identify the Math Skills students will engage in.
 Identify the process for students to utilize the math skills
to create the bridge.
 Provide students with a process to create the bridge.
 Provide a system and expectations for students to work
collaboratively.
 Provide students with a rubric the project will be assessed
with.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Project Based Learning
Completed Product
Grading Rubric
Hands-on Activities
Student Engagement
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Project Based Learning-Group Activity
• Using Chart Paper in groups of Two or Three:
• Create a Project Based Activity:
o 1. Identify the Goals and Outcomes of the Activity
o 2. Identify the Learning Experience of the Activity
o 3. Summarize the Step-by-Step process to complete
the Activity.
o Create an activity that allows for movement and hands on
engagement.
o Feel free to use any format to complete this task (agree
on the format as a group)
 15-20 minutes to complete the Presentation
 5 minutes to review each Presentation as a cohort
o *You may use a current activity at one of your
programs as a starting point.
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
21st Century Learning Skills in Action
SIFE-STEM Invention Program:
● Students engage in hands on creation-based activities to improve students’
understanding of the core curriculum focused on National Frameworks (Common
Core and Next Generation Science Standards) in STEM Content Areas)
● Example Project:
○ Extreme Shoe-Teams are inspired by the work of Nike Co Founder William
Bowerman to develop innovative shoes, and then enter a mock, free-market
economy.
21st Century Learning Outcomes-Learning and Innovation Skills within the
Program:
● Think Creatively
In partnership with Invent, Now Inc.
● Work Creatively with Others
● Implement Innovations
● Reason Effectively
● Use System Thinking
● Make Judgments and Decisions
● Solve Problems
● Communicate Clearly
● Collaborate with Others
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Evaluation of Programming
• Evaluation of Programming should consist of multiple facets:
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
Student Interest (i.e. Surveys)
Parent/Family Input (i.e. Surveys)
Teacher Input (i.e. Surveys)
Student Performance (i.e. Pre/Post Tests, Progress Monitoring)
Student Attendance
Student Retention within the program
Class and Whole Program Observations.
Program Evaluation Chart:
Surveys/
Interest
Student
Attendance
Assessment
Data
Observations
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Questions???????
BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Office of English Language
Learners
Conclusion
Please feel free to contact any of the presenters with further
questions or ideas:
o John Braga
 jbraga@bostonpublicschools.org
 Please email me if you would like a copy of the presentation.
o Sarah Abramson
 sabramson@latinostem.org
o Jonathan Rodrigues
 jonathan@sociedadlatina.org
• Thank You and Have a Great Summer!!!
• We are all working together to serve ELL Students in the
Boston Public Schools!