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Palm Springs Unified presents data, new tests and targeted supports for English learners
Summary
District coordinator Robin Hinchliffe told the board the district serves roughly 5,757 English learners and outlined new interim ELPAC assessments, targeted LTEL interventions, family engagement and state reclassification rules that will affect dually identified students.
Robin Hinchliffe, coordinator of English learner programs for Palm Springs Unified School District, told the board on April 8 that the district serves 5,757 English learners — about 28.2% of the student population — and outlined new assessment and intervention steps aimed at increasing reclassification and proficiency.
Hinchliffe said the district reclassified 439 students this school year and that its English learner population spans roughly 24 languages, led by Spanish. She told the board that 562 students are classified as newcomers (in U.S. schools fewer than three years), about 750 students are at risk of becoming long-term English learners (LTELs), and “a little over 1,500 students” are long-term English learners. Hinchliffe also said 946 students are dually identified as English learners and students receiving special-education services.
The district has begun using interim ELPAC assessments this year to give teachers leading data and to expose students to summative assessment types, Hinchliffe said. “We have reclassified 439 students this year,” she added. Hinchliffe said the interim assessments allow schools to identify whether specific skill areas — for example, reading or writing — are holding students at a Level 2 or 3 so instruction can be adjusted before the summative test.
Why it matters: English learner performance factors into student graduation and academic outcomes across core subjects, and state reclassification rules will determine which students are eligible to exit EL services.
What the district is doing: Hinchliffe described a multi-pronged approach that the district has put in place this year:
- Implementing interim ELPAC (new statewide interim assessments) to get formative data during the year rather than wait for summative scores.
- Refocusing designated English Language Development (ELD) in upper primary grades and piloting the Summit K12 curriculum to give students more exposure to task types used on assessments.
- Offering targeted professional development for teachers, including newcomer-focused training and a virtual-reality ELD course piloted at two sites.
- Running Saturday "level-up" camps, winter and spring camps, and family information nights designed to practice test tasks, conduct data chats, and explain rights and services to new families.
- Using bilingual community liaisons (eight) and four counselors on special assignment to push-in supports and work with high school students on a-g requirements and on-time graduation.
District goals and limits: Hinchliffe said the district-wide goal is a 2 percentage-point improvement on the district dashboard metric that moves students nearer to reclassification. She also told the board that a February memo from the state requires that students taking the summative ELPAC earn a Level 4 to reclassify (students taking the alternate ELPAC must earn a Level 3). "As of February, a memo did come out to the state of California that all students, taking the summative ELPAC must earn a level 4, to in order to reclassify. If they're taking the alternate ELPAC, they must earn a level 3," Hinchliffe said; she noted the district has no authority to change that requirement and must ensure appropriate accommodations and services for dually identified students.
Board questions and site distribution: Board members asked about where newcomer services are housed; Hinchliffe said newcomers are dispersed across all district schools, with higher concentrations at the larger high schools (she estimated about 40–50 newcomers at sites such as Cathedral City High School and Desert Hot Springs High School and smaller counts — roughly 6–10 — at some elementary sites). She described plans to expand targeted interventions and to set school-level SMART goals for English learners.
Next steps and events: Hinchliffe invited the board to a reclassification ceremony on April 26 at Palm Springs High School's Richards Center for the Arts to celebrate students who have reclassified this year. She said district staff will continue to monitor interim ELPAC participation and outcomes and will report back to the board on progress and any additional summer costs tied to extended learning opportunities.
