English Learner Best Practices From Around California 2015 CSBA Golden Bell Winners

Digital Early Leaning, It’s a game changer  Napa County Office of Education  The Digital Early Learning program reflects the fact that children who live in poverty and are English Language Learners enter school with an achievement gap of up to 2 years. It takes a community partnership to work towards the goal of having children enter kindergarten on a level playing field. Introducing digital early learning into preschool classrooms, the data shows that many four-year olds enter preschool with stronger literacy and English skills. This has the potential to be game changing in the ability to close the achievement gap.

Engage, Perform, Inspire, Connect  Valle Lindo ESD, Los Angeles County  The Engage, Perform, Inspire, Connect program provides at-risk students with opportunities to participate in meaningful activities while contributing to their community. The program is a co-curricular visual and performing arts program that places a strong emphasis on meeting the emotional needs of all students. Engage, Perform, Inspire, Connect cultivates strong relationships between teachers and students enabling all students to achieve their potential. Throughout the year students perform for community organizations where their voices are heard and connections are made. Students are empowered to celebrate their own culture and embrace cultures surrounding them. This program helps students understand the importance of connectedness, collaboration, and creativity through developing community entertainment for all individuals to enjoy.

College Bound Today Program Montebello USD, Los Angeles County The College Bound Today program uses a unique team-mentoring system to help predominantly low-income, first-generation college-going students of color achieve unprecedented college admission and attendance successes. Since 2011, 581 of 584 College Bound Today graduates (99.5%) either have attended or will soon attend college. 503 of College Bound Today alumni students (86.1%) have or will soon attend 4-year colleges, including UC’s, CSU’s, and many private colleges and universities. More than 250 community-based volunteers from many different walks of life have served as mentors to college bound students since 2009.

English Language Acquisition  Placentia-Yorba Linda USD, Orange County  Rio Vista Elementary School, in the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District is leading the way with their exemplary English Language Acquisition program that has put students on the road to college and career readiness. The excitement level is pervasive throughout the school with students excitedly sharing their personal success stories at every opportunity. Teachers are excitedly sharing their data highlighting the progress students are making in English Acquisition and in academics, and parents are attending school functions and meetings in ever- increasing numbers and have become active participants in school governance. The English Language Acquisition program is transforming the entire school community!

Newcomer Academy  Grossmont Union HSD, San Diego County  The Newcomer Academy program is an interdisciplinary academy for students who score low on tests and have been enrolled in U.S. schools for less than a year. Before the academy, students at this level did not receive access to core content classes. Because of this program, all students, regardless of their English proficiency, take classes in the core departments. The majority of the students come from Iraq, followed by Mexico, other Latin American countries and Afghanistan. Many of the students come with gaps in their education due to experiencing war, trauma, violence, poverty, and other unimaginable hardships. The goal is to accelerate the English language acquisition process and provide support for developing literacy, so students can catch up to their English proficient peers and experience academic success.

The Language Institute  Modesto City School, Stanislaus County  The Language Institute program is designed to provide rapid English Language Acquisition to immigrant and refugee students entering the U.S. school system at the secondary level. As a program within a comprehensive high school, students are given customized schedules to best match their English and content abilities, while remaining on track to graduate high school. Students from all around the world are exposed to specialized classes to develop the academic English skills that will allow them to mainstream as quickly as possible, pass the California High School Exit Exam, and be successful in any career or higher education option that fits their dream.

Gilroy Unified Dual Immersion K-12 Program  Gilroy USD, Santa Clara County  The Dual Immersion Program in the Gilroy Unified School District follows a 50/50 model where both English-only students and English Learners are immersed in English for half the day and in Spanish for the other half of the day. This fosters 21st Century classroom context where cooperation, collaboration, and communication structures are essential components of instruction in two languages. Students apply skills known in their primary language to effectively learn and apply a second language. As a result of this program, the Academic Performance Index has continuously increased achievement scores in English for over 10 years.

Snowline English Language Professional Learning Community  Snowline Joint USD, San Bernardino County  The Snowline English Learner Professional Learning Community program has existed for many years; however, the recent efforts of a dedicated group of ten teacher-coaches has dramatically shifted the program, creating passion and pride where there has often been stigma. The Professional Learning Community has made its focus, for the past two years, the celebration of English Learner success by implementing the California State Seal of Biliteracy award at graduation and by hosting an Annual District Reclassification Ceremony. This Hollywood-themed event focuses on the academic achievement of proficiency in language acquisition and promotes the award as a step on the path to biliteracy. Together, the Biliteracy and Reclassification awards make tangible the English Learners’ commendable achievements.

Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative  Moreno Valley USD, Riverside County  The Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative program at Moreno Valley Unified School District is a sustainable, replicable program that’s transforming parent engagement and influencing student learning and achievement district-wide. Moreno Valley Unified School District parent leaders and staff have trained in two Parent Engagement Leadership Initiative courses; have taught them in Spanish to nearly 200 stakeholders in the district; and are now reaping the benefit of: parent engagement activities implemented school- and district- wide, evidence of improved student achievement, and more effective parent engagement strategies. Most importantly, students, including English learners, are gaining the family support needed to achieve and graduate as a result.

Plaza Comunitaria  Redlands USD, San Bernardino County  The Redlands Unified School District Plaza Comunitaria Program is for participants to continue and complete their education in their native language by studying subjects at the elementary and secondary levels and develop proficiency in reading and writing. Families that participate in the Redlands Plaza Comunitaria program build their English fluency and become part of a supportive network, helping one another learn to nurture their child’s successful educational experience.

Riverside County Office of Education Fiesta Educativa  Riverside County Office of Education  The Riverside County Fiesta Educativa originated in response to the requests and needs of bilingual parents for special education information, support, and training so they could more fully understand and participate in the educational processes for their disabled children. It has empowered a generation of parents in becoming knowledgeable about their rights and their children’s needs, thus making them more effective participants and advocates. Fiesta Educativa’s family-based activities include family support groups, community outreach, educational workshops and training, special needs advocacy, and parent leadership development.