Bilingual Ed Initiative

1. Bilingual Education Initiative
Megan Donnelly, Lauren Martinez,
Samuel Ortiz, Nancy Rodrigue

2. How it feels to be a newcomer...

3. Federal Initiatives
1968 - HEW
Equal educational
opportunities
Title VII - Bilingual
Education Act
Funding
1970 - HEW Clarifications
Teach English ASAP
BICS and CALPS
Communication with
parents in home
language
Not SpEd

4. Federal Initiatives, Cont.
1974 - Lau v. Nichols
Denial of rights under Title
VI of the Civil Rights Act
of 1964 is illegal
1975 - Lau Remedies
Basic guidelines
Discontinued by the
Reagan Administration
2001 - No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB)
Title III funding

5. New York State Initiatives
CR Part 154 Areas of Regulation
ELL ID
Parent Notification and Information
Retention of Records
ELL Program Placement
Program Requirements & Provision
of Programs
Grade Span
Program Continuity
SWD
ELL Exit Criteria
Intervention Support for ELLs
Former ELL Services Graduation
Requirements
Professional Development &
Certification
District Planning and Reporting
Requirements

6. Program Requirements: Bilingual Education
Each school with 20 or more ELL students of the same
grade who speak the same home language continues to
be required to provide a Bilingual Education program.

7. District Background
Working-class community isolated and surrounded by affluent communities
Multiple challenges for students to succeed
Designated as a high-need school district

8. District Demographics
Highest percentage of Hispanic residents of any community in Westchester
County
Lowest per capita income of the 44 communities in Westchester County
Large numbers of resident households with poor children where one or both
parents are employed in low paying service jobs

9. Ethnic change over time

10. Program Implementation
Professional development plan targeting the teaching of ENL
students
All teachers will be trained in SDAIE (Specially Designed
Academic Instruction in English)

11. Program Implementation, Cont.
Data Analysis
Teaching staff
Student data
Survey Staff (pre program and post program implementation )
Incentives for teachers
Academic credit

12. Program Implementation, Cont.
Differentiated Professional Development
Beginning ENL Strategies, 20 hours (Teachers with little to no ENL experience)
Best Practices in the ENL Classroom, 20 hours - (Teachers with moderate ENL
experience)
Intensive Coaching Support

13. School Support Strategies: Students
Title III After School / Saturday Programming / Newcomer Program
Academic, social, emotional support
Transition to American schools, culture
Safe spaces to speak, practice English - without judgment
Supplies/Materials

14. School Support Strategies: Staff
Professional Development Opportunities:
Beginning ENL Strategies
Best Practices in the ENL Classroom - ENL/BE teachers
Intensive Coaching Support - ENL/BE teachers
Understanding Knowledge and Skills of ELLs - ALL
Standards/Guidelines/Curriculum - ALL
Diversity Training + Cultural Sensitivity - ALL
Each PD workshop/presentation should be followed with a measure for evaluation (i.e.

16. School Support Strategies: Parents
Parent Involvement Program
Adult ENL programs
PTA membership
Multi-cultural events (art, music, food, festivities)
Objective: Educate, empower parents to become involved in their child’s education, as
much as possible; feel welcome in the school community; work alongside schools and
school administrators

17. Facilitating Engagement
Engagement + Buy-In
First, present data and need for support to building leaders
Then, move to full implementation
Principals develop teams to create community awareness, engagement
Strategies may include:
BOE and PTA meetings with translators available
Videos/links on district website, and update regularly
Collaborate with CBO
Utilize social media
Update staff through PD days, faculty meetings, emails
Back to School Night
Multi-cultural events

18. Evaluation Methods
Training Effectiveness: Teachers/Staff
Professional Development and
Coaching Session Evaluations
Pre and Post training surveys
Observations
Program Effectiveness: Students
NYSESLAT performance results,
NYS Math, ELA, Science,
Regents

19. Evaluation Methods, Cont.
Families/Community
Parent Survey
Feedback from CBOs and other
community groups that work
within the school

21. References
A Chronology of Federal Law and Policy Impacting Language Minority Students. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/chronology-federal-law-and-policy-impacting-language-minority-students
Ensuring Equal Educational Opportunities for English Language Learners. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
https://www.engageny.org/resource/ensuring-equal-educational-opportunities-english-language-learners
Equal Educational Opportunities Act (EEOA). (n.d.). Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://lawhigheredu.com/52-equal-educational-opportunities-
act-eeoa.html
FAQS on Limited-English Proficient Students -- Office for Civil Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved November 1, 2015, from
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-ell.html