Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Multilingual Learners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears multilingual‑learner update; district to use Title III funds to renew Elevate platform
Summary
The district’s multilingual director said the North Carolina State Board of Education updated EL rules and the district will use Title III to fund Elevate (approx. $135,000); board members asked for language breakdowns and targeting for high‑need schools.
Yamil Bullock, the district’s Title III multilingual director, briefed the board on June 10 about updated state policy for English learners and asked the board to approve continued use of the Elevate platform to manage multilingual learner (ML) data and services.
Bullock said that the North Carolina State Board of Education approved a standardized home language survey and revised access exit criteria in December 2024, and the U.S. Department of Education approved lowering the WIDA ACCESS composite exit threshold from 4.8 to 4.5. He said Winston‑Salem/Forsyth County Schools will use the standardized home language survey and implement the new ACCESS exit criteria (4.5 composite) in identification, screening and annual assessments.
Bullock described Elevate as a centralized, research‑aligned digital platform used to store EL student data, generate notifications to parents in more than 40 languages, populate individualized learner profiles, and produce state‑required reports. He said Elevate supports about 8,727 students receiving direct English language development services and 317 students monitored after exit; the platform is used by roughly 3,594 educators and staff districtwide. Bullock said the proposed contract renewal for Elevate would cost about $135,000 for the coming school year and that staff intends to fund it with Title III federal funds.
Board members asked for more detail before final approval. Vice Chair Bohannon asked for a language breakdown within the 8,727 student total and for a plan to direct additional ESL support to schools with very high concentrations of multilingual learners; Bullock said those reports can be generated from Elevate. Board member Barr asked whether Title III has been used historically for Elevate; Bullock replied Elevate had been funded locally and by the state in past years and that Title III would be the funding source this year.
Bullock also described family literacy expansion supported by a grant from the National Center for Families Learning and a local ‘‘Activate Local’’ graduation of parents who led school projects. He said the multilingual department will continue summer family literacy programs and community outreach.
Ending: The board did not vote on the Elevate renewal during the June 10 meeting; staff said they will return with the funding source documentation and requested reports (language breakdown by school and lists of students by language) to support the Title III appropriation request.
