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Arcadia tells TEA how school will serve emergent bilingual and special education students and provide CTE access
Summary
Arcadia told TEA that emergent bilingual students will receive embedded and targeted language supports — including two double English blocks, a dedicated composition block for all students, LPAC oversight and pullout only when needed — and that special education will default to inclusion with push‑in supports and a director of student support services overseeing compliance.
Arcadia’s applicants detailed how the proposed high school would serve emergent bilingual students, students with disabilities and those pursuing career and technical education (CTE) pathways.
For emergent bilingual students, applicants said the master schedule includes a second, dedicated English composition block for all students and two double blocks focused on ELAR and English‑language acquisition, plus a foreign‑language block that can be used for smaller ESL pull‑out instruction when necessary. Applicants told TEA that pullout would be used in targeted cases but that the school’s design emphasizes embedding language supports in core instruction to avoid exclusion from electives or credit‑bearing courses. Arcadia said the LPAC (Language Proficiency Assessment Committee) will monitor progress and that the TEA ESL program implementation rubric will guide evaluation. The applicants committed to providing translation tools, alternate media (audio/visual) and flexible testing settings to support access.
On special education, Arcadia said it aims to have a certified special‑education teacher on each teaching team (or staff who are working toward certification) and to employ a director of student support services who will serve as the child‑find coordinator and oversee compliance and progress monitoring. Applicants estimated a baseline special‑education population in line with local demographics (they cited approximately 14.4% as an estimate) and said inclusion is the default — with push‑in supports and pull‑out only as required by a student’s IEP. The plan includes daily and weekly data meetings to surface students in need of targeted interventions, an MTSS structure for tiered supports, and documentation of accommodations via an ELL/IEP plan shared with teachers.
On CTE access, applicants told TEA that transition planning for students with IEPs will involve families and the IEP team and will consider internships and workplace partners when appropriate. The board emphasized that team planning (general education, SPED and counselors) would be used to align CTE pathways and to identify necessary accommodations for success in internships or CTE classes.
TEA staff asked applicants about parent reluctance to accept ESL services; Arcadia replied that outreach and clear data sharing with families, paired with culturally responsive staffing and community recruitment, are central to its engagement strategy. Applicants noted they are recruiting teaching fellows from the local community and intend to place staff intentionally to increase language matches when feasible.
