Press Release

February 5, 1999

For Immediate Release

JOINT PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED; U.S. DISTRICT COURT IS NEXT STEP

A new program was unveiled Thursday that spells out how the district will serve students who are learning the English language.

Superintendent Irv Moskowitz and district staff presented the program to the Board of Education during a special legislative meeting. The Board voted unanimously to send the plan to U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch for his approval.

"This is possibly one of the best programs across the country," said Board member Rita Montero. "It's time for us to start talking about the positives."

The new program establishes a clear goal, gives parents a choice to enroll their students in the program, offers a variety of services, assures appropriate student placement, steps up staff training, and ensures accountability to the community.

The program is the product of years of discussion among the Board and district staff. The program is also a collaborative work by the U.S. Department of Justice as well as attorneys for the plaintiffs who filed a complaint in U.S. District Court more than two decades ago.

If Matsch signs off, implementation of the full program could begin with the 1999-2000 school year.

"It was done in a friendly, collaborative way," said Superintendent Moskowitz. "We had a professional focus and it paid off."

The program and the quality of services have been a source of discussion and controversy in the district for years.

The number of students who are learning the English language has grown dramatically - from a few thousand in the early 1980's to over 14,000 today. There are more than 80 native languages spoken among DPS students, but Spanish, by far, is the most common.

The new program starts with a clear goal: "to use efficient and effective techniques to provide students with the English language skills they need to meaningfully participate in the mainstream English language instructional program."

Among the program's features:

• It's a voluntary program. Parents are asked to agree in writing whether or not they want their children in the program. "I have faith in parents to make the best choice for students," said Jose Perea, Executive Director of the Department of English Language Acquisition.
• Teachers must complete a 150-hour training program, provided by the district. Teachers who are providing native language instruction (in other words, teaching content areas in Spanish) must demonstrate proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing Spanish. "Twenty-two percent of the district's students are English language learners," said Wayne Eckerling, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Resource Services. "We don't believe we can limit training only to teachers who work in the program."
• Enrollment in the program begins with two questions: 1) Does this student speak a language other than English and 2) Is a language other than English regularly used by the student's parents or guardian? A "yes" answer to either question triggers a study of the student's English skills and further evaluation, using a wide array of measures and a teacher's professional judgment, for possible placement in the program.
• Services include transitional native language instruction (currently available for Spanish-speaking students only), supported English content instruction (sheltered English), and English language development (ESL).
• A comprehensive Student Profile will track each student who is placed in the program. The profile takes a complete look at a variety of factors that affect student educational success, including English language development, classroom behavior and educational history.
• An Instructional Services Advisory team at each school, including two fully qualified teachers and the principal or school administrator, to make recommendations regarding each student's entry and exit from the program. The ISA will oversee development of individual learning plans for students who require more than three years to transition to English-only instruction.

The idea of a three-year time frame has been one of the most controversial. The new program allows for exit before three years - or after. "Our goal is to exit students to mainstream classrooms when they are ready," said Eckerling.

The program also calls for follow-up checks of those students who have joined English-only classrooms, to ensure that their academic progress continues.

Finally, an independent monitor has been designated to check on the program's quality. The monitor will be Dr. Ernest House, Director of the Center for Policy Studies at the University of Colorado in Boulder.

"The core beliefs we entered with paid off," said Moskowitz. "We don't slight any student one way or the other. We are carefully monitoring and educating these students in a strong, rich program."

Board members agreed. "I just want to say I am very proud to have been part of this Board of Education's process that has led us to this day," said Board member Laura Lefkowits.

This is a "momentous juncture in our school district's history," said Board President Sue Edwards.