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District updates bilingual program, plans handbook and staffing changes after program review
Summary
Staff described changes to newcomer classrooms, curriculum adoptions, language of math instruction in dual‑language classes, preliminary ACCESS results, and a draft bilingual handbook that will return for board approval this summer.
Belvidere CUSD 100 administrators reported May 19 on changes they are making after a bilingual program review, including staffing adjustments, curriculum adoptions, and a draft bilingual handbook that will be shared for staff feedback and returned to the board for approval in July.
Bilingual program staff told the board they discontinued a standalone newcomer classroom at the elementary level after low enrollment left one teacher serving two students. The district repurposed that teacher as a push‑in/out specialist to support English learners across K‑5, administrators said.
District staff described curriculum moves: the elementary Spanish language arts curriculum will use the Benchmark Adelante Spanish component; the district changed math language policies to provide math instruction in English for grades 3–5 in dual language classrooms and will evaluate outcomes. Staff said some dual‑language classes already outperformed monolingual peers on internal measures.
Administrators said they continued newcomer programs at the middle and high school levels and are expanding English learner support staff to meet required class size ratios (staff said bilingual classrooms must be at 90% of monolingual classroom sizes to meet state protocol). High school principals have accelerated SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) training and the district expects certified staff training completion ahead of the original schedule.
Assistant administrators reported preliminary ACCESS test results and exits from bilingual services: "out of just a little over 2,000 students... we had 12 students exit bilingual services," staff said, and they compared that figure with the prior year, when they reported 76 exits. The district said it will use ACCESS results as a baseline for future trend analysis.
Staff said a draft bilingual handbook will be circulated to staff for feedback and then presented again to the board this summer for approval. The board also voted earlier in the meeting to approve a 12‑month administrative contract for a bilingual integration supervisor (Ruth Sanchez); that contract was approved by roll call.
