Mendon-Upton presents English learner program update; state monitoring finds one staffing-related corrective item

District administrators and the English learner team presented an end-of-year update on services for multilingual learners, statewide ACCESS results, curriculum alignment to the 2020 WIDA standards, and the results of the state’s targeted and focused monitoring (TFM) review.

Dr. Kirkpatrick, the district’s English learner (EL) director, joined EL teachers Debbie Goyle (Memorial), Kim Lopes (Yiplock) and Steph Meyer to present student demographics, ACCESS outcomes and next steps. The presenters said the district’s EL population has grown significantly since 2019, and that the district now serves students from 15 languages and has enrolled students with more complex needs, including two students identified as SLIFE (students with limited or interrupted formal education).

On ACCESS testing, presenters reported that, compared with the state’s benchmarks, Mendon-Upton students exceeded state progress targets in 2024 and 2025 in several schools: Memorial and Clough each met progress targets at about 84–85 percent; MSCO improved from about 37 percent to 60 percent meeting progress targets; and Nipmuc recorded about 50 percent meeting progress targets. Presenters also said roughly 80 percent of EL students increased their English proficiency year over year. Presenters noted that elementary buildings each have a full-time EL teacher while a single EL teacher splits time between the two secondary buildings, which limits service frequency in the middle and high schools. The team also noted a higher share of older EL students are on IEPs (for example, at the middle school six of about 17–18 EL students are on IEPs), which affects exit rates and rate of progress on ACCESS targets.

The presenters summarized DESE’s targeted and focused monitoring (TFM) process, which the district began in early 2024. The TFM review examined curriculum alignment, student outcomes, staffing and services, family engagement, and other program components. The district reported it met state criteria in all TFM areas except ELE-5, which the report described as related to program and services staffing capacity; district staff said they submitted additional information and a continuous improvement plan to DESE and will provide ongoing updates. As corrective action steps, presenters described plans to: coordinate a shared vision of service provision across buildings; review and realign EL schedules to increase service capacity; foster structured collaboration time between EL and general-education teachers; and pursue capacity-building, including supporting staff who want ESL licensure and exploring hiring if needs persist.

Presenters described a curriculum review to align materials to 2020 WIDA standards. The district plans updated K–12 materials in 2025–26, retaining Reach for elementary and adopting National Geographic/Cengage and LIFT (middle and high) materials for secondary levels, according to the presentation. District staff also summarized DESE guidance on interpreter training tiers and said the district is delivering tier 1 and tier 2 trainings to local interpreters and exploring tier 3 (advanced/legal interpretation) options. In the short term, the district will continue to supplement local interpreters with contracted interpreters where necessary.

Ending

The committee discussed the presentation, asked clarification questions about cohort effects and staffing, and the district indicated next steps include schedule alignment, targeted professional development and the continuous improvement plan submitted to DESE.