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Ascension Parish shows district model for EL growth: trackers, checkpoints and teacher leaders
Summary
Ascension Parish Schools presented a district model that uses EL trackers, checkpoints and a teacher‑leader (trainer‑of‑trainers) approach to support English learners. District staff said the tools are anchored in student work and used to target site‑level professional learning where growth is lagging, especially in middle schools.
Dr. LaTosha Johnson, director of elementary education and supervisor of federal programs for Ascension Parish Schools, and Candice Yarbrough, the district’s EL master teacher, described a multi‑tiered approach the district uses to monitor and improve English‑learner outcomes.
Why it matters: Ascension Parish presented a concrete model districts can adapt: centralized trackers that compile longitudinal EL test and benchmark data, district checkpoints aligned to EL proficiency descriptors, monthly teacher‑leader cohorts, and targeted site support for schools with stagnant growth.
What Ascension presented: The district uses an EL tracker housed in district Google Drive for each school; trackers include student names, grade, years in program, historical ELPT scores, district benchmark results (DIBELS and classroom ELA benchmarks) and checkpoint data. Johnson said the trackers are referenced daily or weekly in PLCs and help drive site decisions.
Candice Yarbrough, who supervises monthly EL clusters and coach‑style supports for content teachers, described checkpoints the district administers three times per year to monitor reading and writing. “We use the writing rubrics…so I am preparing students for success,” Yarbrough said, discussing how checkpoint scoring aligns to EL assessment rubrics.
District data: Ascension staff shared 2023–24 results they said informed their approach: 49 percent of their English learners showed no growth on the ELPT; 10 percent exceeded their trajectory; 23 percent stayed on trajectory; and 18 percent increased by one proficiency level. Staff said middle schools showed the largest share of students with stagnant growth.
How the model is used: Ascension tiers schools (e.g., elevating, pottering, enhancing) based on historical progress, teacher turnover, leadership readiness and subgroup labels. The district assigns EL staff to schools based on tier and student numbers; some EL teachers serve only one campus while others support two schools. The EL master teacher provides monthly coaching and models instruction in priority schools.
Teacher‑leader and PLC cycle: Johnson said the district intentionally builds teacher‑leader capacity. Identified teacher leaders attend district sessions, then return to lead PLCs and instructional leadership teams at their sites. “What doesn’t get monitored does not get done,” Johnson said; she asked principals to send calendar invitations for PLC presentations so district staff can support and monitor local rollout.
Spotlight students and scoring fidelity: The district maintains “spotlight” lists of students who did not grow or who could exceed trajectories and supports them with focused interventions. Staff described an early problem where checkpoint scoring at some sites was inconsistent; after facilitator‑led analysis of student work and rubric training, some checkpoint scores adjusted and later rose in subsequent administrations.
What Ascension recommends: Start with two structures — an accessible tracker and a regular, student‑work‑anchored teacher‑leader meeting. Ascension staff said those two changes allow principals and coaches to prioritize instructional actions and monitor impact.
Sources: Presentation and slides from Ascension Parish Schools’ session at the Louisiana Department of Education English Learners Institute by Dr. LaTosha Johnson and Candice Yarbrough.
