Norwalk multilingual learners show sharp LAS Links proficiency gains, district says

Norwalk Public Schools staff reported Thursday that multilingual learners in the district posted measurable gains on the LAS Links English‑language proficiency assessment and outperformed the state average in both oral and literacy growth. The Multilingual Learners (ML) department presented year‑to‑year LAS Links participation and proficiency figures and described targeted school supports and external partnerships that staff say contributed to the results.

The data matter because LAS Links results determine placement and whether a student exits English‑language support services under Connecticut guidance for exit criteria. The district told the committee that a larger number of students met proficiency this year and that Norwalk’s growth percentiles exceed state averages in several measures.

ML staff said the department and school teams tailor professional learning and coaching to each school’s data and school improvement plan. Examples presented included a WestEd research partnership and a grade‑8 curriculum pilot, teacher coaching at Nathan Hale Middle School on accessing grade‑level text for multilingual learners, and cycles of school‑based support in seven pilot schools where teachers deconstructed LAS Links writing tasks and embedded similar practice tasks into instruction. Those targeted activities, staff said, were intended to raise student familiarity with LAS Links expectations and strengthen reading, writing, speaking and listening across grade levels.

Francis Saez, identified in the meeting as Multilingual Learners department staff, presented aggregate assessment counts and proficiency changes. Saez reported that the district had higher LAS Links participation in 2025 than in 2023 and said “we had a total of 128 scholars who passed and met proficiency of the LAS Links” compared with the prior year, which staff characterized as a 75 percent increase. Taylor Da Silva, also ML department staff, added that attaining the state’s exit criteria is difficult because the state requires “an overall of 4, but also a reading and writing score of 4 or higher.”

The presentation included school‑level growth examples: Silvermine showed an increase in overall percentile target achieved from 60.9 to 70.1 and a literacy increase from 54.3 to 73; other schools reported double‑digit gains in particular measures. Districtwide, staff said 15 schools achieved oral growth percentiles above the state average and 13 schools achieved literacy growth percentiles above the state average. The committee was shown trend charts comparing Norwalk with similar districts and the state.

Committee members asked how schools are chosen for specific supports. Saez said the ML team meets with each of the district’s 21 schools at the start of the year to share options and data; school administrators then select supports aligned to their improvement plans. For pilot schools, staff said supports involved analyzing individual students’ LAS Links component scores and targeting instruction (for example, focused writing support for students missing the writing component).

The presentation repeatedly linked the LAS Links gains to concurrent improvements in grade‑level English language arts and mathematics performance for multilingual learners, and staff cited the multi‑year nature of language acquisition when characterizing the gains.

The committee received the briefing; no formal vote took place on the assessment report during the meeting.