Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the English Learners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Madrona High principal outlines English-learner focus, Bridge newcomer program and project-based work
Summary
Madrona High School principal reported June 9 that Madrona’s small-site model and Bridge newcomer program serve older students, many long-term English learners, and use cohorting, ELD collaboration and project-based learning to increase engagement and accelerate language and credit recovery.
Madrona High School Principal Maya Perez briefed the board on June 9 about Madrona’s demographic profile, Bridge newcomer program and practices to support English learners and credit recovery.
Perez said the site enrolled about 85 students during the year, with 53 students currently enrolled at the time of the report, 24 early graduates and eight on leave. She said 92% of Madrona students are Latino and that a notable 29% are classified as long-term English learners (LTEL) – students who have been in the system multiple years and continue to need targeted English support.
Perez described the Bridge program for older newcomer students (around ages 16–17) and said staff use cohorting, small ELD class sizes, a shared-scoring practice for writing placements, and interdisciplinary project-based learning (PBL) to increase engagement and language development. She said staff use I-Ready data and multiple measures because some students do not take benchmarks seriously when they do not see an immediate consequence tied to credits.
Campus supports include a three-day-per-week therapist, a shared community liaison and a business/education liaison provided by the county. Perez highlighted career panels, ropes-course team-building and ELD celebrations as practices that build student agency, and she described an effort to reframe bilingualism as a “superpower” to boost student pride and motivation.
Trustees praised the small-school model and asked questions about leadership stability and assessment accuracy; Perez said teachers and counselors will continue to focus on cohorting, formative assessment and making academic benchmarks relevant to students’ goals.
