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Walpole updates English-language education program as state rules change
Summary
Walpole Public Schools’ English Language Education director reported modest enrollment growth, updated programming, curriculum alignment with WIDA, and expanded family engagement as state rules tightened automatic exits from ELE services.
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…
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