KCPS Uses Data to Drive Academic Success for ELLs

I can’t say enough good things about Allyson Hile, Director of ELL Services at Kansas City Public Schools (KCPS), and her entire staff.  On April 11, Allyson and Stephanie Easley, ELL Assessment Coordinator at KCPS, gave an informative presentation to ELL Coordinators from surrounding districts.  During the presentation Allyson and Stephanie shared their strategies for comparing MAP achievement to language proficiency, enabling them to make better informed decisions about cohort improvements and successes.

Recently they also began making use of new data reports available from WIDA through ELLevation, a data management software specifically for ACCESS data. The data digs are paying off, enabling KCPS to see more than just student trends, but also cohort trends that point to teaching practices having the greatest impact on improving the academic performance of ELLs.

Near the end of the presentation, Allyson talked about a highly valuable yet unintended outcome of their hard work – which has been the ability to use this data in district and building-level conversations about student success.  Given that the KCPS is home to over 4,000 ELLs speaking about 40 different first languages, building and classroom teacher buy-in is necessary to sustain the supports the ELL staff can offer.

With Allyson’s permission, I’m happy to provide a downloadable version of the step-by-step PowerPoint that was shared,  Using data for ELL Success.

Additional questions or sharing ideas of how you’re using data in your district may be posted as a reply to this story, or you may contact Allyson Hile, Director of ELL Services, KCPS at ahile@kcpublicschools.org

 

March 2016 study on length of time to reclassification

I predict that reclassification of English learner students is going to be a major point of discussion as states move forward with ESSA implementation.  This March 2016 study from REL Northwest is a must-read for anyone who plans to be part of the discussions about accountability measures pertaining to English learner students.

State agencies may wish to consider taking English proficiency at entry to kindergarten into account when determining appropriate targets for federal accountability measures, for example, by setting longer expected times to reclassification and providing additional support to students entering school with basic or intermediate levels of English language proficiency.  Many states are also implementing new standards for college and career readiness and overhauling their assessment and accountability systems, both of which involve setting additional targets for English learner students.  A better understanding of the factors related to variation in time to proficiency may allow states to establish targets that take particular factors , such as English proficiency,  into account.

Conducted in school districts in Washington state, the study (linked above) attempted to use “survival analysis” (meaning it accounted for the impact of student demographics and differences in schools) in its findings.  Among several interesting outcomes, the research illuminates a deficiency in accountability measures that is likely seen in many (if not all) states:

“Previously…districts were able to determine only how many students had been reclassified in a given year and not how many years it took them to be reclassified, which is the main focus of this study.” – page 2

While the study focuses on language development based on a student’s English proficiency upon entering Kindergarten, I think the most compelling findings of the study surround the “significant difference” that:

“Speakers of Chinese, Vietnamese, or Russian or Ukraine are  reclassified sooner than speakers of Somali or Spanish.”  – Figure 3, page 8

And although adult ELLs are not addressed in this research it’s worth noting that the findings quoted above mirror a phenomenon I find in my adult ESL classroom.  My classroom consists of 30 adult ELL students representing 14 different first languages and 16 countries.  Following a recent language development assessment, I found that students whose first language was a language other than Spanish were progressing exponentially faster through ESL class levels than students whose first language was Spanish.  Even when the speakers of those other languages (in my case Persian, Chinese, Portuguese, Urdu, and Tamil) had only lived in the U.S. less than one year they were testing into the next highest level of development after one year or less of English class.  Conversely, far too many of my Spanish-speaking students have lived in the U.S. more than 9 years and in some cases were even born in the U.S., but did not learn enough English as children and adolescents to successfully graduate K-12.

Returning to the focus on K-12 English learner students, this research report is worth reading.  And if you’re at all concerned with the effects of English language development on high school graduation, I encourage you to check out the references cited at the end of the study.  Many of which I’ve earmarked for further reading myself.

If you’ve read “English learner student characteristics and time to reclassification: An example From Washington state”, Motamedi, Singh, and Thompson, March 2016, I hope you’ll leave a reply with your take-aways.  And if you’ve read other insightful literature on the topic of EL characteristics and time to reclassify I hope you’ll share as well.

Thanks for reading!

Gifted ELs in Missouri

Dr. Robin E. Lady, NBCT and President of Gifted Association of Missouri (GAM) announced Gifted Education Week, February 22-26, 2016.

What is “Gifted Education Week” and how does it apply to English language learners? The week will culminate with Gifted Education Day February 24 when 500+ gifted students visit the Missouri state capitol. Teachers, parents, and leaders gather with gifted students to share what they and others are doing for gifted education all year long.

ELLs should not go unnoticed as part of this conversation and exhibition.

Of particular interest is the recently available “First Annual Report: Advisory Council on the Education of Gifted and Talented Children, 2015” prepared by the Gifted Advisory Council:

GAM report

Of particular interest to ELL educators will be the report’s references to a lack of ethnic, socio-economic or linguistic diversity of students in gifted program services. As well as the Missouri demographic subgroup comparison tables on page 59 of the report which provides two tables comparing demographics of students in Missouri gifted programs over-all to sub populations for 2013-2014.  The report reflects that of  all MO LEP students, only .14 percent also participate in gifted programming.  This is a staggeringly low percentage when compared to a 79.3 percent participation rate of White students in gifted programs, and even when compared to the subgroup category for FRL which shows a 20.2 percent participation rate in MO gifted programs.  ELL educators and administrators should be asking why such a discrepancy exists especially in light of research linking multilingualism and creativity.  How can identification of ELLs for gifted programming be increased?

You can participate locally and state-wide in the February activities.

Dr. Lady also supplied a PDF suggesting 54 ways students and educators can be involved with Gifted Education Week. 54 Ways to Participate in Gifted Ed Week

Idea number 17 could be a particularly compelling way for ELLs to shine the light on gifted individuals who are also bilingual:

“Study famous gifted people. Select a favorite. Depict that person in a vignette. Share interesting anecdotes with others. Dress up in period costume to be that person for a day.”

(GAM, Gifted Education Week, February 22-26, 2016, Suggested Activities)

If you want more information or to be included in future meetings, you can follow GAM on their website,
facebook page https://www.facebook.com/MissouriGifted/?fref=ts,
and
Twitter: Missouri @GAMgifted

Dr. Robin Lady can be reached at:robin.lady.gam@gmail.com
Phone:  314.203.1165

Gifted programming resources can also be found on the MO DESE website
and by contacting David Welch at:
David.welch@dese.mo.gov
Phone: (573) 751-7754

In doing my part to promote the inclusion of ELLs in Gifted programming, I’m suggesting some of the following research to support your efforts to see that ELLs are included in your district’s pool of gifted students:

Multilingualism and Creativity
by Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin  in  Bilingual Education and Bilingualism: 88
Includes bibliographical references and index. © 2012 Anatoliy V. Kharkhurin.

“…multilingualism appears as influential but not sufficient requirement for creative endeavors. This conclusion might explain a contradiction between laboratory research and real-life observations: despite a tendency of multilingual individuals to outperform their monolingual counterparts on creativity tests, the former do not necessarily reveal exceptional creative achievements. However, the mere presence of creativity-fostering factors in multilingual development suggests that a combination of foreign language learning with creativity training might provide fruitful outcomes..” (Kharkhurin, p 174)

Additional research on ELLs and gifted education:

Aguirre, N. (2003) ESL students in gifted education. In J.A. Castellano (ed.) Special Populations in Gifted Education: Working with Diverse Gifted Learners (pp. 17–28). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Bernal, E.M. (1998) Could gifted English-language learners save gifted and talented programs in the age of reform and inclusion. TAGT Tempo 18(1), 11–14.

Bernal, E.M. (2007) Educating culturally and linguistically diverse gifted and talented students through a dual-language, multicultural curriculum. In G.B.

Esquivel, E.C. Lopez and S.G. Nahari (eds) Handbook of Multicultural School Psychology: An Interdisciplinary Perspective (pp. 479–495). Mahwah, NJ:

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Granada, J. (2003) Casting a wider net: Linking bilingual and gifted education. In

J.A. Castellano (ed.) Special Populations in Gifted education: Working with Diverse Gifted Learners (pp. 1–16). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

What steps does your district take to ensure identification and inclusion of ELLs in its gifted programming?  I’d love to hear from you.

 

 

 

Facts, Figures, and Useful Graphics

Ever wish you could find useful data about AMAO’s for Missouri and other states?  Wish no longer: http://ncela.ed.gov/t3sis/Missouri.php

The link above offers data and graphics in categories such as:

  • Title III Served English Learners (ELs) in Missouri School Districts
  • Top Five Languages Spoken in Missouri
  • Percentage of English Learners Making Progress in AMAO’s I, II, and III (including Monitored Former English Learners)
  • Number of Certified/Licensed Teachers Working in Title III Instruction Educational Programs
  • High School Graduation Rates of ELs Compared to All Graduating Students in Missouri

Here’s a peek at what you can find:

SOURCE: EDFacts / Consolidated State Performance Report, 2012-13 and 2013-14
SOURCE: EDFacts / Consolidated State Performance Report, 2012-13 and 2013-14

What ideas do you have for using this data?  And what other data would you find helpful?