tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post7800043606883862548..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Seattle Schools Found Out of Compliance on ELL ProgramsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65659627301459990032020-05-15T04:26:02.009-07:002020-05-15T04:26:02.009-07:00The information which you have provided is very go...The information which you have provided is very good. It is very useful who is looking for <a href="https://www.qanxt.com/game-testing" rel="nofollow">Game QA services</a>Allen Marryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16031990221153616777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83830059261223346652020-05-15T04:25:34.897-07:002020-05-15T04:25:34.897-07:00The information which you have provided is very go...The information which you have provided is very good. It is very useful who is looking for <a href="https://www.qanxt.com/game-testing" rel="nofollow">Game QA services</a>Allen Marryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16031990221153616777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-82406913649428672722015-04-27T21:13:15.018-07:002015-04-27T21:13:15.018-07:00@ Lassie
Some parts of town are more challenging ...@ Lassie<br /><br />Some parts of town are more challenging than others when it comes to serving ELL kids. The Lake City area is particularly-diverse. It could be that other schools/areas of town have a more obvious predominant language, which would make it easier to provide instruction in that population's predominate native language. <br /><br />All I can say is that the ELL-qualified kids at our school have more support now than they did when we had no ELL staffing.<br /><br />That said, it takes 70 students to qualify for a 1.0 FTE ELL teacher... the level of funding for ELL could definitely be higher.<br /><br />- North-end Mom Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-40941008728056331092015-04-27T20:39:55.619-07:002015-04-27T20:39:55.619-07:00n,
there's no pat answer as to what works for...n,<br /><br />there's no pat answer as to what works for SpEd. It is exceedingly complex. Would love it if you would spend the immense time and energy some of us invest in pushing our district to put these in place and comply with the letter and spirit of the law.mirmac1https://www.blogger.com/profile/10183460709639638172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-48380560982621165862015-04-27T19:59:39.207-07:002015-04-27T19:59:39.207-07:00@ North-end mom,
I understand that it's done,...@ North-end mom,<br /><br />I understand that it's done, I just don't see why it would be preferable to keep ELLs at schools where nobody speaks their language...or understands their culture, or can easily communicate with their parents, etc.<br /><br />According to an OSPI report (http://www.k12.wa.us/legisgov/2011documents/educatingenglishlanguagelearners.pdf), <br /><br />"Research on the effectiveness of different instructional approaches has demonstrated that the more instruction is provided in the student’s primary language, the better the student’s overall academic performance over time. Experts believe that developing proficiency in one language promotes the development of proficiency in a second language. Results from the analysis of student-level data that OSPI reported in 2000 were consistent with this conclusion. These findings indicate that <b>more academic instruction needs to be given in the student’s primary language rather than simply relying on English language instruction.</b> There are indications that the shift to provide more academic instruction in the student’s native language is occurring in our state."<br /><br />It might be challenging to find teachers fluent in every language represented in Seattle, but when we can, it seems like students and families would benefit most from working with them.<br /><br />LassieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86170087813700590622015-04-27T18:42:08.325-07:002015-04-27T18:42:08.325-07:00@Lynn
John Rogers became the default assignment t...@Lynn<br /><br />John Rogers became the default assignment this year (2014-15). Previously, Hazel Wolf K-8 was the default ELL assignment school for the region. John Rogers is now the default assignment school for both the John Rogers and Sacajawea attendance areas. Olympic Hills and Olympic View both have ELL programs at their schools, as well.<br /><br />Last year (2013-14), John Rogers started an ELL program mid-year, based upon in-house identification of students who qualified for services. We were not the default ELL assignment school at that time (Hazel Wolf K-8 was the default assignment, but how that worked with the assignment rules for an option school is something that is not clear to me). 18 students were identified at John Rogers last year. We received ELL staffing mid-year. ELL staffing was increased this year, due to the increased number of ELL students relative to last year.<br /><br />- North-end MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12822686981261674132015-04-27T18:34:37.099-07:002015-04-27T18:34:37.099-07:00Lassie,
I have not personally had a kid in the EL...Lassie,<br /><br />I have not personally had a kid in the ELL program, but I volunteer regularly at the school. <br /><br />From what I've seen, our most of our ELL kids speak some English, but they may not be fluent, and it varies greatly from child to child. Our ELL staff speak a variety of languages, just perhaps not all languages the kids may speak at home. ELL support is a layer of advocacy and support for these kids. It may take form in translated materials, better communication with families, time with ELL staff to help the child in specific areas, etc... <br /><br />It is my understanding that kids who speak very little or no English usually go to an EBOC first. That is where it would be more important that there be someone on staff who speaks a particular language.<br /><br />- North-end MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-6392291287268527032015-04-27T18:29:49.447-07:002015-04-27T18:29:49.447-07:00North-end Mom,
Weren't those 18 students assi...North-end Mom,<br /><br />Weren't those 18 students assigned to John Rogers for ELL services? (It's currently the default assignment for students needing ELL services from both John Rogers and Sacajawea.)Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-28310189844647222172015-04-27T17:58:29.108-07:002015-04-27T17:58:29.108-07:00North-end mom said:
At John Rogers, I think we hav...North-end mom said:<br /><i>At John Rogers, I think we have over a dozen native languages represented in our ELL community (currently about 50 kids). It is not possible to have staff who speak all the different languages, but all ELL students and families still receive support. </i><br /><br />What sort of support do they get if nobody speaks their language? And how is that a better situation for that child? <br /><br />LassieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-38603938391597832832015-04-27T17:28:17.200-07:002015-04-27T17:28:17.200-07:00@Melissa,
With respect to ELL, I think having it ...@Melissa,<br /><br />With respect to ELL, I think having it at every school is a good idea.<br /><br />In the current system, at many schools, there are student who have waived their ELL services to attend either their neighborhood school or an option school. Last year, at John Rogers, we identified 18 such students. Although 18 students didn't buy us a whole lot of ELL support, the staffing we did get was a benefit to those students. <br /><br />The language issue is a tricky one. At John Rogers, I think we have over a dozen native languages represented in our ELL community (currently about 50 kids). It is not possible to have staff who speak all the different languages, but all ELL students and families still receive support. <br /><br />Kids who do not speak English well at all are usually assigned to the Elementary Bilingual Orientation Center prior to being assigned to a school with ELL. By the time they are assigned to the school with ELL services, they usually speak some English. I have no experience with EBOCs, but presumably there are staff who are fluent in a range of languages?<br /><br />Placing all ELL kids in a region at one school can cause capacity issues at that school, especially if the school is already experiencing growth. Of course others will argue that there is "no room" for ELL at schools that do not already have ELL services.<br /><br />Capacity issues, aside, SPS needs to think in terms of how students are best served. <br /><br />-North-end MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-629623548804965982015-04-27T15:57:08.673-07:002015-04-27T15:57:08.673-07:00I think Lassie nails it - can you provide every se...I think Lassie nails it - can you provide every service at every school in any kind of meaningful way that meets those needs or should you provide better services at fewer locations?Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-1102814848568396282015-04-27T14:05:38.526-07:002015-04-27T14:05:38.526-07:00Toni-
I just don't see any of what you sugges...Toni-<br /><br />I just don't see any of what you suggest really happening in this district. I agree with the poster above who said MGJ brought in major conformity and the principal at my kids' school loved it. He talked excitedly about how all the 2nd grade (or whatever grade) classes would be doing exactly the same thing at exactly the same time day after day. That sounded horrendous to me. All I could think about was the poor, bored to tears teachers who would have to teach in a system like that. I want teachers to have time to teach things they are excited about - they will be happier in the classroom, and that will make for happier kids.<br /><br />Antagonism against HC is so high, I don't see differentiation happening. Parents will claim that kids doing different things than their kids in class isn't "fair" and then no kid will get anything.<br /><br />Until the district says, and actually believes, that each kid needs a different thing, differentiation will not happen. Teachers and principals need to believe it as well. The district will need to stop listening to parents who complain about "unfairness" and do it. Instead words like "tracking" from parents currently stops any sort of differentiation from happening now.<br /><br />-blueinthefaceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68422115705831296502015-04-26T22:29:27.329-07:002015-04-26T22:29:27.329-07:00HC services are going to be offered at every schoo...HC services are going to be offered at every school as well and lots of parents want that. They don't want to bus their kids anymore than Sped or ELL parents. They will make a stink until they get the math and LA their kids are entitled to receive.<br />From what I've read, many parents will have their kids attend their neighborhood school, but only if it provides the challenge and avoids the bullying. <br />I hope principals step up and demand some action from staff and quit counseling families into the HCC.<br /><br />ToniAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-59694719750441912132015-04-26T16:42:35.483-07:002015-04-26T16:42:35.483-07:00So is the idea that all schools will need to be al...So is the idea that all schools will need to be all things to all people? If every school has to offer all types of SpEd services, provide ELL services in any language needed, provide services for HC services, etc., how realistic is it to think that any of it will be done well? Granted "specialization" as it's been implemented hasn't been so great either, but I have a hard time thinking a dispersed model will be an improvement. Is that what equity looks like--mediocrity for all? Or should equity mean equitable access to appropriate services--which might mean you have to go elsewhere?<br /><br />LassieAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-90939596680497462692015-04-26T14:40:49.320-07:002015-04-26T14:40:49.320-07:00It was not the new assignment plan that enforced u...It was not the new assignment plan that enforced uniformity in SPS. It was the reign of every-child-on-the-same-page-in-every-classroom MGJ. The surrender of site-based management to the top down teacher-proofing, fidelity of implementation reform.<br /><br />What we were promised was management that supported the successful things that schools were doing & intervention in the areas that were failing students. What we got is the same failing programs, like sped, and the dismantling of successful programs like alternative schools in order to standardize classrooms.<br /><br />Choice could have still happened under the new assignment plan, was in fact part of the NSAP, but went down the drain when the pot-sure district leadership refused to see the capacity issues racing toward them. Teams of parents working with Tracy begged the district to take it into account & were shut down.<br /><br />Bad deal.<br /><br />-HS ParentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-61113394111894920352015-04-26T09:55:32.096-07:002015-04-26T09:55:32.096-07:00I hated the old assignment plan. It might have all...I hated the old assignment plan. It might have allowed some families to get a school that was the best fit for their children. It left other children assigned to schools with educational programs that were an awful fit for them.<br /><br />I think more families agree with me. Enrollment is soaring because families want to know where their children will attend school.<br /><br />We still don't have enough uniformity. PE waivers, opportunities for advanced math students, rigor in middle and high school courses, electives vs exploratory courses in middle school - these are all dependent on the neighborhood you live in. That's not right.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-88965432460776937912015-04-26T07:53:50.537-07:002015-04-26T07:53:50.537-07:00I know that I lost this battle (at least for gener...I know that I lost this battle (at least for general education students) when we adopted the New School Assignment Plan, but one of the advantages of being in a big district with lots of school buildings often quite close to each other is that we can offer a diversity of educational programs, thereby maximizing the number of students who can get a program that fits their needs. The alternative, which we have seen, is standardization at a very low, very generic level that serves no one's interests. Fetishizing the "neighborhood school" and assuming that it can be all things for all students forfeits the advantages of being a large district and ends up enforcing a standardized mediocrity.<br /><br />Against Uniformity<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63490449290056279712015-04-25T20:30:37.077-07:002015-04-25T20:30:37.077-07:00For better or worse, SPED, ELL and HCC all seem to...For better or worse, SPED, ELL and HCC all seem to be used as tools to address capacity issues. The results may be ugly, but I can't blame the district for trying to make the numbers work in impacted areas.<br /><br />So would the state like to pay for some new buildings? That's another way to address capacity.<br /><br />I'm a bit bitter that the legislature continues to kick the can on school funding.<br /><br />Grumpy in NEAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-63597684996721655172015-04-25T19:03:57.259-07:002015-04-25T19:03:57.259-07:00Are there students at Bryant who waived their ELL ...Are there students at Bryant who waived their ELL services so that they could attend Bryant?<br /><br />- North-end MomAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-81378512593671646032015-04-25T18:04:39.628-07:002015-04-25T18:04:39.628-07:001% of the students in Bryant's boundaries rece...1% of the students in Bryant's boundaries received ELL services this year. Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-89533589805246838492015-04-25T17:52:26.391-07:002015-04-25T17:52:26.391-07:00I agree Lynn,
Many of the ELL students at Bryant...I agree Lynn, <br /><br />Many of the ELL students at Bryant were living in the Bryant boundaries. They were forced to change schools with the NSAP. They should be offered ELL services in their neighborhood schools. So should sped. I wish that boundary changes would not exacerbate homogeneity in schools.<br /><br />-sad parent Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12150308232013314752015-04-25T17:28:14.146-07:002015-04-25T17:28:14.146-07:00I don't think the point is how wonderful it is...I don't think the point is how wonderful it is for a not-so-diverse school to have ELL students bused in from other areas. The post is that busing them away from their neighborhood schools is inequitable. They should have the same rights to choose a school every other student has - and they should also receive the services they need.<br /><br />If Highline is able to provide these services without segregating the students, why can't we? I believe the districts receive the same funding for ELL services. Where is this money going?<br /><br />I wonder now if the World School is going to be viable. If students are able to receive services at their neighborhood high school and avoid the long bus ride across town, World School may not have the population to fill T.T. Minor.Lynnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-12402976604184693502015-04-25T17:11:44.513-07:002015-04-25T17:11:44.513-07:00Sorry, not signing today. It was me that told my ...Sorry, not signing today. It was me that told my family's story about interaction with the ELL students served in the ELL program at Bryant. I did not realize that HCC is now open to students who are beginning to learn English. <br /><br />At the time when my child was offered a choice, APP was not available to any student who could not score highly on an achievement test in reading in English. The ELL population that my child loved having in her classes was a population that was just beginning to learn English and were placed at Bryant because they required ELL services at Bryant. Often they were children who came from other countries that school year. The Bryant community benefited from having those ELL students & their families there. Those students were not included in the APP program at Lowell at that time. That is not a myth. <br /><br /> <br />-sad parentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33990789684087158622015-04-25T15:27:56.052-07:002015-04-25T15:27:56.052-07:00N of 85th you say you didn't choose to move to...N of 85th you say you didn't choose to move to APP yet you feel free to perpetuate a myth and expound about how you imagine it is. There are PLENTY of kids in APP who speak another language at home. In my class that includes Korean, Chinese, Russian, Farsi and Hindi among others. They are not receiving ELL services, but yes, many APP kids have immigrant parents.<br /><br />not signing todayAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-24215315127896868522015-04-25T14:26:59.067-07:002015-04-25T14:26:59.067-07:00Being a designated ELL school brought diversity to...Being a designated ELL school brought diversity to the enrollment base at Stevens Elenentary on Capitol Hill. Multiculturalism is celebrated there and it would be a loss to the broader community if that bridge was lost, especially given the housing market pressures on the Hill. Stevens community fought when the district was proposing moving ELL to Madrona two years ago, a change that I am not sure if it happened or not.Ann Dnoreply@blogger.com