Norwalk reports literacy gains and rising multilingual‑learner graduation rates; family center to host prom dress and suit drive

Frances Saez, a presenter from the district family center and multilingual‑learner (MLL) team, told the Board of Education’s ML Curriculum Subcommittee on March 20 that Norwalk now serves 2,723 multilingual learners — about 24% of the district’s student population — and highlighted recent instruction, assessment and family‑engagement work intended to improve outcomes.

Why it matters: MLL students constitute a large share of Norwalk’s enrollment, and the district presented data showing gains in literacy growth tied to targeted professional learning and coach‑led support at schools with high MLL populations. Staff also described steps to monitor recently exited MLL students and to raise graduation rates for MLL seniors.

Saez reported that the district is progress‑monitoring 228 former MLL students who receive check‑ins for two years after exiting direct services. She said 21% of multilingual learners are dually identified (receiving both MLL and special‑education services) and that the district counts 573 dually identified students. The district also reported 2,255 students receiving special‑education services overall.

On kindergarten registration, staff said the district has received 355 registrations so far for the 2025–26 school year. For…