East Central ISD outlines ESL and dual-language outcomes, flags certification gaps
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Summary
District staff reported about 1,900 students receive language services, highlighted higher reclassification rates for dual-language monitors, and said three teachers have not completed full bilingual certification while the district offers supports and partner programs for adult learners.
East Central ISD staff told the school board that roughly 1,900 students are receiving English learner services districtwide and presented data showing mixed academic outcomes across grade levels.
A bilingual/ESL department staff member said the district is serving approximately 1,900 students in its language programs, including about 649 students in secondary ESL. She said districtwide ESL students were performing “in the 22% meets category” and “18% meets,” and that middle schools were showing lower percentages of students meeting English proficiency growth targets than elementary or high school campuses.
The presenter emphasized that students who have reclassified from bilingual services and are on monitoring status performed far better in some measures: she said monitors showed about 92% meeting the reading target and about 9% meeting the math target. The staff member said the district is investigating which students have been in the U.S. more than five years and are continuing to struggle, and that the department will focus resources on those groups.
On staffing and certification, the presenter said several teachers in the dual-language program are serving under bilingual exceptions while they complete certification requirements. She said three teachers had not yet met full certification requirements but were enrolled in department and regional supports, including free ESL teacher certification resources and online test-prep offered by the state.
The district noted program-level results: two-way dual-language immersion and elementary ESL programs together serve a sizable portion of emergent bilingual students, and 32 students earned high-school credit in Spanish while still in elementary school after meeting program criteria. The presenter described the home language survey and LPAC (language proficiency assessment committee) process used to place students and review services.
The presenter also described community partnerships and adult education supports. She said Restore Education provides adult ESL and GED classes in district space; over the last three years the program has continued and, as of the report, four participants had passed the math GED assessment and two were preparing for the science GED.
Board members were given a preview copy of the district’s annual community-based accountability report, which the presenter said will be released to the public next week. The report, she said, includes state accountability outcomes as well as additional district pillars such as school safety, postsecondary readiness, staff quality and fiscal stewardship.
