Lessons Scooped from the Melting Pot: California District Increases Achievement through English Language Development

Autor/inn/en	Frey, Nancy; Fisher, Douglas; Nelson, John
Titel	Lessons Scooped from the Melting Pot: California District Increases Achievement through English Language Development
Quelle	In: Journal of Staff Development, 31 (2010) 5, S.24-28 (5 Seiten) PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0276-928X
Schlagwörter	Academic Discourse; Academic Achievement; Second Language Learning; Accountability; English (Second Language); Language Acquisition; Elementary Schools; School Districts; Instructional Leadership; Scoring Rubrics; Formative Evaluation; Teachers; Professional Development; Educational Improvement; Administrators; California + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Discourse; Diskurs; Schulleistung; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Verantwortung; English as second language; English; Second Language; Englisch als Zweitsprache; Sprachaneignung; Spracherwerb; Elementary school; Grundschule; Volksschule; School district; Schulbezirk; Instruction; Leadership; Bildung; Erziehung; Führung; Scoring formulas; Auswertungsbogen; Lehrer; Lehrerin; Lehrende; Teaching improvement; Unterrichtsentwicklung; Kalifornien
Abstract	Consider the challenges facing one district: 27,000 students in 44 elementary schools in a southern California border district. Most students--72%--are classified as English language learners (ELL) as measured by the California English Language Development Test (CELDT). Although 65% of the students are Hispanic/Latino and speak Spanish as a first language, 16% are Asian/Pacific Islander and speak Tagalog, Japanese, or Korean as a home language. In 2003, the state's accountability system, the Academic Proficiency Index (API), scored the district at 689, far short of the goal of 800. Yet by the 2009-2010 school year, this school system had reached 833, and 77% of the schools had met all of their accountability targets. All of this had occurred without appreciable change in demographics or staffing. This article discusses how the Chula Vista Elementary School District got these breakthrough results through focused content-specific staff development that has been sustained for five years. However, what made this initiative unique was the choice of content. Rather than pursue a more conventional approach, such as a focus on mathematics, science, or history, the district chose English language development for all students, not just those designated through state measures. Using a gradual release of responsibility model of instruction, the district elected to concentrate its professional development efforts on improving the academic language necessary for ELL students to achieve proficiency. To do this, the district has been building the capacity of its teachers and administrators through school-based teams that customize learning for their context. (ERIC).
Anmerkungen	Learning Forward. 504 South Locust Street, Oxford, OH 45056. Tel: 513-523-6029; Fax: 513-523-0638; e-mail: NSDCoffice@nsdc.org; Web site: http://www.learningforward.org/news/jsd/index.cfm
Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10