1 Office of Bilingual Education & Foreign Language Studies Dr. Pedro J. Ruiz, Coordinator S/CDN Meeting

2 Overview Office of Bilingual Education and Foreign Language Studies BETACs Bilingual Education Funds Ongoing Initiatives Priority Areas New Initiatives Data Actions to Close the Gap Quality Review Services Q & A

3 NYC Bilingual Associate Bilingual Associate Bilingual Associate Bilingual Associate Pedro J. Ruiz, Ph.D. Coordinator Secretary Bilingual Supervisor Secretary Clerk Secretary Foreign Language Associate Organization Chart NYS OBE-FLS

4 Configuration of BETACs AS of July 2006, the Statewide BETAC configuration will consist of 14 BETACS: New York City BETACs  Bronx  Manhattan and Staten Island  Queens and Brooklyn Language Specific BETACs  Haitian Creole Language (HABETAC )  Asian Language (ALBETAC)  Spanish Language (SBETAC) “Rest of State” (ROS) BETACs  Eastern/Western Suffolk BOCES  Erie I BOCES  Mid-Hudson BOCES  Monroe 2-Orleans BOCES “Rest of State” (ROS) BETACs  Onondaga-Cortland-Madison BOCES  Questar BOCES  Southern Westchester BOCES  Nassau BOCES

5 Bilingual Categorical Education Funds – Bilingual Education/ESL Technical Assistance Centers (BETACs) – Two-Way Bilingual Education Grants – Intensive Teacher Institute – Bilingual/ESL Teacher Leadership Academy – Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute – Bilingual Performing Arts Program – Administrators Leadership Academy

6 Ongoing Initiatives Statewide Teacher Institutes Coordinate the Hispanic Youth Leadership Institute Fund and increase Two-Way Bilingual Education Programs statewide Developing & refining the NYSESLAT Expand Professional Development Redesign and update NYSBEN (OBE-FLS webpage) Implement Quality Review initiative Monitoring of Districts/Schools

7 Priority Areas  Data Collection Inconsistencies  Graduation of LEP/ELLs  High School Dropout Rate  Parent Involvement  Number of Uncertified Teachers  Streamlining CR Part 154 & Title III process

8 New Initiatives of OBE-FLS Committee of Researchers / Panel of Experienced Practitioners Re-establish the Teacher Exchange Program Increase parent involvement of LEP/ELLs Plan and hold a Research Conference on LEP/ELLs in 2007 Develop and publish guidelines for LEP/ELLs

9 Looking at the Data High School Cohorts NYSESLAT Results

10 LEP/ELLs who entered Grade 9 in 2000 Cohort - After Five Years Cohort Enrollment Regents Local Diploma IEP Diploma % Still Enrolled Transferred to GED Dropped Out NYC 9, %4.1%15.9%5.1% 34.8% ROS 2, %1.3%11.1%8.7% 22.2% TOTAL12, %3.5%14.9%5.8% 32.3% High School Cohort Outcome Statistics for LEP/ELLs

11 Cohort Enrollment Regents Local Diploma IEP Diploma % Still Enrolled Transferred to GED Dropped Out NYC 9, %3.6%44.7%3.2%22.6% ROS 2, %1.1%30.4%6.9%19.2% TOTAL12, %3.1%41.4%4.0%21.8% LEP/ELLs who entered Grade 9 in 2001 Cohort - After Four Years High School Cohort Outcome Statistics for LEP/ELLs

12 What do these charts tell us? LEP/ELL students are most likely to need an additional year of schooling  41.4% were still enrolled after four years  14.9% were still enrolled after five years  21.8% dropout rate of ELLs after four years  32.3% dropout rate of ELLs after five years Fewer than half of LEP/ELL students graduated

NYSESLAT Data Grade Span Total Number of ELLs Tested Percent Reaching Proficiency K-134,9969.9% 2-452, % 5-624, % 7-824, % , % Total178, %

NYSESLAT Data LEP/ELLs identified and not taking the NYSESLAT, i.e., 25,000 to 30,000 students:  Possible reasons: – Transience between districts – Students who enter and leave the country or State during the same year – Students who were exited on a “local option” basis, but who were identified as LEP/ELL on BEDS forms in prior October In addition, around 5.5% (10,000) did not have valid scores because they were missing one or more modalities of the test.

15 Actions to Close the Gap for Limited English Proficient/ English Language Learners  Improve the quality of bilingual and English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers  Support the preparation of special education and bilingual special education teachers Committee of ResearchersAdvisory Council of Practitioners  Convene a Committee of Researchers / Advisory Council of Practitioners in Bilingual Education and ESL  Increase outreach with the New York City Department of Education

16 Actions to Close the Gap for Limited English Proficient/ English Language Learners Hold schools and districts accountable Increase monitoring Districts will need to implement Part 154 Comprehensive Plan and Title III requirements to claim State and/or Federal funds

17 Quality Review of Services for LEP/ELLs The Quality Review process is a comprehensive self-assessment tool designed to help school leadership and instructional staff to review and evaluate the quality of all LEP/ELL-related processes, practices and strategies in place in the school system.

18 Does Bilingual Education Really Work? Literally hundreds of scientific studies over the past half century have shown that bilingual education – when well designed and well implemented – is an effective approach for teaching second language learners. These findings have been consistent across numerous national borders and languages of instruction, all pointing to the conclusion that bilingual education "works." What Can Schools Do to Address the Educational Needs of ELLs?

19 Essential Questions Are Teachers well trained to meet the needs of English language learners (ELLs)? Does the school provide adequate resources, materials, and support services? Are parents involved in their children’s education? Is the program supported by the local school board and district administrators?

20 Summary Strengthen Programs and Parental Involvement Provide Resources to Districts and Schools Support Professional Development Improve Teacher Recruitment/Certification Increase Monitoring for Accountability Use Data to Inform Decision Making Ensure Compliance at Federal, State and Local Levels

21 Q & A Contact Information Dr. Pedro J. Ruiz New York State Education Department Education Building Annex, Room 367 Albany, New York Phone (518) Fax:(518) Website: