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Parkrose reports 16% English-learner population; Title III funds support services, report shows
Summary
District staff told the Parkrose School Board that English learners now make up about 16% of students — above the state rate — and highlighted gains in discipline and ninth-grade on-track measures while noting persistent gaps in attendance and academic outcomes.
Parkrose School District officials presented the district’s 2023–24 English learners (EL) legislative report on Sept. 8, telling the board the district’s EL population is about 16% — higher than the statewide rate of about 11% — and that the district is seeing increases in newcomer students and in ninth-grade students considered on track.
The report, delivered by Brooke Mattern, director of federal programs, described statewide and local trends and how Parkrose uses federal Title III funds to support English learners. “One of the programs that I oversee is Title 3, which is our English language learners,” Mattern said during the working session.
The presentation said Parkrose’s EL population includes Spanish speakers as the largest group, with smaller Russian and Vietnamese populations, and that Parkrose’s EL students are disproportionately represented among students in poverty and in special education while being underrepresented in TAG (talented and gifted) services. Mattern told the board the district saw a notable decrease in exclusionary discipline for EL students and a slight increase in attendance and in the proportion who reach limited English proficiency (LEP) on the ELPA exam.
Superintendent Michael Lopez and board members asked how the district measures progress and what supports exist beyond ninth grade. Lopez told the board the district will present state assessment data in October or November to show year-to-year trends and subgroup disaggregation. He emphasized that state test results lag one year behind the report’s school-year focus.
Mattern and Lopez also explained program funding and structure: Title III federal grant dollars fund a quarter of Mattern’s position and stipends for ELD coordinators, while most ELD teachers are paid from the district general fund. Parkrose does not directly allocate district funds for migrant education; that service is handled through the Multnomah Education Service District (MESD) in partnership with Parkrose.
Board discussion included requests for clearer numeric definitions in the state report (Mattern said some categories are labeled “notable” rather than giving exact percentages) and for more disaggregated state assessment reporting. Mattern and staff committed to returning with the state data, which will include EL students as a subgroup, and to continue monitoring discipline, attendance, and proficiency measures.
The presentation and ensuing questions took place during the scheduled EL legislative report item; no board action or policy change was taken at the meeting.
Parkrose leaders said supports for newcomers — especially middle and high school students who arrive without English proficiency — require more intensive services and noted staffing limitations at secondary sites where EL staffing is limited to roughly one-and-a-half full-time equivalents at each middle and high school.
The report and data are available on the district and Oregon Department of Education websites; Mattern told the board the full legislative report is linked in the meeting agenda packet.
