Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Division of Bilingual Education and World Languages

Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia

Council of the Great City SchoolsBIRE Conference

May 2008

Annual New Foreign Student Registration

19, 49618,578

15,30914,921

13,28513,090 12,435

Top Ten Foreign Languages Used as Primary Language by Students

Language# Students Using as Primary/Home

LanguageLanguage

# Students Using as Primary/Home

Language

Spanish 192,008 Arabic 510

Haitian-Creole 18,291 Russian 448

French 2,234 Urdu 423

Portuguese 1,643 Hebrew 244

Other Chinese Languages*

729 Vietnamese 232

•Other Chinese Languages denotes languages other than Cantonese and Mandarin•Source: Student Database System, compiled by the Office of Accountability and Systemwide Performance

Enrollment in Bilingual Programs

English for Speakers of Other Languages

51,762

Spanish for Spanish Speakers 92,238

World Languages – Spanish (Elementary)

36,456

Secondary Spanish as a Foreign Language

19,041

Basic Skills in the Home Language 41,533

Policy Driven ReformPolicy Driven Reform

Policies Driving Reform

All educational reform is executed within the context of existing and/or emerging policies at the:

– National level– State level– District level– School level

National Level: No Child Left Behind Act

• State academic standards • Assessment and accountability system• Instructional programs supported by

scientifically-based research• High academic expectations for all students• Specific measurable performance objectives

for various subgroups (FRL; ESE; ELL; etc)

NCLB and English Language Learners (ELL)

• Monitor progress– Academic achievement (Title I)– English proficiency (Title III)

• Challenges:– How to measure academic progress of ELL

• Use valid measures to monitor academic achievement (simplified language or native language)

– Development of ELL standards and assessments – Identify programs that are supported by scientifically-

based research proven effected with ELL

State Level

• Florida was already implementing many of the policies that were later incorporated in the NCLB.– 1990 LULAC Consent Decree

– Teacher certification requirements on second language strategies– Curriculum requirements

– 1999 Florida’s A+ Accountability Plan– Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test– School grades – based on FCAT

Legal Rulings & Guidelines

• Florida Administrative Code Rule – Limited English Proficient (LEP)* students are entitled to

“equal access to instruction in English which is equal in amount, sequence and scope, as that provided to non-LEP students.” (6A-6.0900-6A-6.0908, F.A.C.)

* Also referred to as English Language Learners (ELL)

District’s Implementation

• Ensure availability of instructional resources: personnel and materials (district and federal funds)

• Implement coherent, standards-based curriculum and instruction– ELL must have access to grade level instruction while they

are learning English– Instructional time must be equal to standard curriculum

students• Superintendent’s initiative:

– score cards linking student achievement (by subgroups) with evaluation of administrative staff

School Level

• Instructional leadership:• Principal is knowledgeable of needs of ELLs and best

instructional practices• Highly qualified teachers work with ELLs • Build capacity for all teachers to provide comprehensible

instruction to ELL:• Provide explicit English language development instruction• Provide access to grade level academic content using ESL

techniques or native language where possible

• Ensure availability of quality instructional materials

Special Programs for English Language Learners

Instructional Programs

• English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)

• Basic Skill in the Home Language– Heritage Language Arts

• Spanish and Haitian-Creole– Curriculum Content in the Home Language

• Mathematics, Science, and Social Sciences

• Individualize tutoring in the native language during and after school

Elementary Programs

• Two hours of daily instruction in language arts/reading/writing/ESOL

• 150 minutes weekly of language arts in the home language

• 45 minutes daily of curriculum content in the home language (mathematics and science)

Secondary Courses

• English Through ESOL – students grouped by grade levels

• Developmental Language Arts Through ESOL– students grouped by English proficiency levels

• Bilingual Curriculum Courses (BCC) – mathematics, science, or social sciences– offered when there are sufficient numbers of ELL students

• Home Language Assistance Program (HLAP) – a dedicated bilingual teacher or paraprofessional to provide

assistance/tutoring in the home language

Curriculum

• Programs are guided by a Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC)

• Equivalent to grade-level CBC• Correlated to Florida Sunshine State

Standards (SSS)• Guided by performance indicator

English Through ESOL CBC Literature Component

The Challenge

• Meet mandates that require ELL students receive instruction that is equal in scope, sequence, and content to that of non-ELL students.

• Provide necessary tools for the success of ELL students as the state raises the academic requirements.

• Narrow the achievement gap created by second language acquisition.

Collaboration

• Close working relationship between the District’s language arts and bilingual departments

• Inclusion of ESOL strategies in all core content area– Florida require specific training for all teachers of

ELL students

• Full integration of instructional technology into the ESOL program

Data Driven Instruction

• Monitor inclusion of ELL students in all district and state assessments with appropriate accommodations

• Analyze ELL student performance data in state academic (FCAT) and English proficiency (CELLA) assessments

Assessment and Accountability Policies

Use of assessment data to improve student achievement– Annual

• State assessment: Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test (FCAT) (reading, writing, math, & science) (English only)

– All ELL students participate, included in Florida’s A+ Accountability Plan only after two years in the program.

– Results used for third grade retention and graduation from high school.

• English proficiency assessment: OLPS-R (to be replaced by state’s CELLA)

– Formative assessments• DIBELS, FORF, M-DCPS Interim Assessments, etc. http://

oada.dadeschools.net/SAET/20072008TestingCalendar.asp

State Data Reports for AYP

FCAT Reading

Percentages of Students Scoring at or above Achievement Level 3 on the Reading Component of the FCAT-SSS and Florida’s AYP Benchmark (in Red):2003-2007 

FCAT Mathematics

Percentages of Students Scoring at or above Achievement Level 3 on the Mathematics Component of the FCAT-SSS and Florida’s AYP Benchmark (in Red):2003-2007

District ELL Longitudinal Study

LONGITUDINAL VIEW OF ELL STUDENTS ACADEMIC PROGRESS

6%

15%

29%

64%65%

6%

16%

33%

60%

7%

17%

29%

7%

17%

9%

31% 31%

37%44% 51%

40%

49% 52%58%

57%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

2002-03 LEP Cohort 2003-04 LEP Cohort 2004-05 LEP Cohort

2005-06 LEP Cohort 2006-07 LEP Cohort State AYP Standard

M-DCPS Average

Percentages of Different ELL Cohort Students Scoring at or above Achievement Level 3 on the Reading Component of the FCAT-SSS and Florida’s AYP Benchmark (in Red)

LONGITUDINAL VIEW OF ELL STUDENTS ACADEMIC PROGRESS

18% 16%

30%

45%

20%

33%

43%

19%

33%

23%

56%

44%

63%

29%

43%

71%67%

68%

50%

44%

38%38%

62%59%54%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

2002-03 LEP Cohort 2003-04 LEP Cohort2004-05 LEP Cohort 2005-06 LEP Cohort2006-07 LEP Cohort State AYP StandardM-DCPS Average

Percentages of Different ELL Cohort Students Scoring at or above Achievement Level 3 on the Mathematics Component of the FCAT-SSS and Florida’s AYP Benchmark (in Red)

Future Plans

• Use of new State Instructional Model codes for identification of best practices and instructional models.

• Conduct evaluation of instructional technology being implemented in the ESOL program.

Continuous Improvement Model

A never ending story . . .

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

Division of Bilingual Education and World Languages

Dr. Joanne H. Urrutia

jurrutia@dadeschools.nethttp://www.dadeschools.net