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Walpole updates English-language education program as state rules change

October 10, 2025 | Walpole Public Schools, School Boards, Massachusetts


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Walpole updates English-language education program as state rules change
Jill Kimball, director of English Language Education for Walpole Public Schools, presented an update Thursday on the district’s ELE program, describing current student counts, staffing, curriculum shifts and new family-engagement tools.

The report matters because the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently changed exit rules for English learners, and the district is adjusting services, screening and family outreach to match the new guidance.

Kimball said, based on October student-information data, the district has 143 students in ELE or former ELE programs, up from 136 at the same time last year and down from 154 at the end of the last school year. These students speak 27 languages, with Brazilian Portuguese and Spanish the largest language groups; Russian, Arabic and Haitian Creole also rank among the top languages. The ELE and former-ELE population represents students from 27 countries and territories; Kimball said a slight majority of students were born in the United States, followed by Brazil, El Salvador and India at roughly 3.5% each.

Kimball described student proficiency distributions: about one-third of ELE students are at a foundational level (WIDA levels 1–2.9), nearly 45% are transitional, roughly 20% are in pre-K or kindergarten ELE supports, and about 3% are in an alternate ELE program. She said 27 students were on an English Language Success Plan (ELSP). Under district practice, foundational students are entitled to 90 minutes per day of instruction from a licensed ESL teacher and transitional students 45 minutes per day.

On staffing, Kimball said the district has eight multilingual/ESL staff in the ML (multilingual) team (seven teachers plus Kimball), and that 289 teachers and administrators hold the SEI endorsement; 205 of those are directly assigned to active ELE students. She said the district is implementing VISTA materials within the WIDA English language development standards and uses the ACCESS test annually to monitor proficiency.

Kimball discussed a recent statewide change in exit criteria: districts must exit students from ELE services when they reach an overall 4.2 proficiency with a 3.9 literacy score, rather than using locally determined “other relevant data.” The state’s change prompted additional monitoring and supports for newly exited students; Kimball said Walpole has increased teacher collaboration, weekly meetings and professional learning communities to support former ELE students in their first year out of the program.

She described operational changes tied to a DESE language survey that the district will implement by the end of the school year. The new survey — renamed from “home language survey” to “language survey” — focuses on the languages of individuals in the household, contains three sections (student language use, translation/interpretation preferences and prior education) and is available in 37 languages, Kimball said. The district will add the survey to its family registration system and use it to trigger screening where appropriate.

Kimball described family-engagement efforts including an online Multilingual Learner Family Engagement Center (MLFEC) and a multilingual family meet-and-greet scheduled for Oct. 16 at the middle school. She summarized summer programming that served 31 students and added STEM and secondary supports, and listed community partners who attended the summer program, including the Walpole Police Department, Walpole Public Library, Tufts Veterinary and Walpole Dental.

Kimball also noted professional development for educators: two new SEI courses released by DESE (one for math and science instruction and one for ELA and social studies) that provide re-licensure points; she said she is trained to teach both courses and led a district summer class for 21 educators.

Committee members asked about former-ELE students’ success after exit and about the “country of birth” data point; Kimball explained the data source and described increased district monitoring for recently exited students. She said the district continues to pursue parent leadership for the multilingual parent advisory and is using early screening and curriculum nights (with interpreters where requested) to recruit participants.

Kimball concluded by inviting families to the Oct. 16 meet-and-greet and said she would answer follow-up questions by email.

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