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District 21 reports rising English‑learner exit rates; language services to expand screenings and refine K–5 dual bilingual allocations
Summary
District director of language services presented preliminary ACCESS assessment data showing increases toward the 4.8 state criterion, described program changes for K–5 Spanish and Russian bilingual classrooms, and outlined summer screenings and placement plans for new students.
Wheeling CCSD 21’s director of language services, Anya Figueroa, presented an update June 12 on services for English learners (ELs), preliminary ACCESS assessment results and program adjustments for the 2025–26 school year.
Figueroa told the board that roughly 53–54% of the district’s students qualify as English learners and that the district’s top home languages remain Spanish, Russian and Ukrainian. She said the district is aligning instruction to the WIDA 2020 English language development standards and that the state-administered ACCESS assessment will incorporate the WIDA 2020 standards next year.
Why it matters: ACCESS exit criteria (state benchmark 4.8 overall) indicate when students have the academic English proficiency to access grade-level instruction without EL-specific scaffolds. Figueroa said districtwide exit rates have generally trended upward after a dip in 2023 when the district experienced a rapid influx of new-to-country students.
Key data and program changes: The presentation included a four‑year historical view of ACCESS exit rates and literacy proficiency growth. Figueroa said Tarkington had more than 20% exit rate this year and that some schools have brought targeted focus to students near the 4.8 threshold. She described K–5 dual-language programming in Spanish and Russian and said language allocations were adjusted to increase consistency and fidelity of targeted instruction, particularly in kindergarten–third grade where home-language instruction gradually shifts toward English instruction by later elementary grades.
Screenings and placements: The language-services office reported it has been contacting families and scheduling summer screening appointments for newly registered students; as of the presentation, about 179 new students were registered districtwide who require screening. Figueroa said the team will offer multiple screening days in June and August, including evening hours and some Saturdays, and will finalize placement recommendations for fall.
Questions and clarifications: Board members asked whether exit-rate percentages include students who arrive mid‑grade; Figueroa answered that the figures combine cohorts—students who began in kindergarten and those who entered later are all included in the exit-rate numbers. Board members requested further disaggregation (e.g., students who have been enrolled since kindergarten vs. later entrants); Figueroa said the department will break down the data in upcoming analyses.
Capacity and program thresholds: Figueroa said the practical enrollment threshold for maintaining a bilingual classroom is typically around 15 students; she reported Tarkington had only seven kindergarten Spanish‑bilingual qualifiers at the start of 2024–25, a number that fell to six after family choices, prompting discussions about where to seat those students.
Next steps: The department will finalize screening schedules, disaggregate ACCESS outcomes by student enrollment history, and continue staff professional development on integrating WIDA 2020 standards into core instruction. The state’s decision to fold WIDA 2020 into ACCESS next year means local staff retraining is expected in fall director meetings, Figueroa said.
