FCPS outlines supports for multilingual learners as enrollment rises 35% since 2021

Caitlin Moore, supervisor of the Multilingual Education Program for Frederick County Public Schools, told the Curriculum & Instruction Committee that the district currently serves just over 3,800 active multilingual learners and has seen about a 35 percent enrollment increase since 2021.

Moore said the department’s work falls into two broad areas: instruction for students in classrooms and community wraparound supports. “We provide multilingual learners with equitable access to comprehensive educational services as required under Title III of the Every Student Succeeds Act,” Moore said, summarizing the program’s federal mandate and central role in supporting schools.

The instructional approach centers on a co‑teaching model: ML students remain in grade‑level classrooms and receive additional support from certificated multilingual education teachers. At the elementary level the program offers supplemental language comprehension aligned to English language arts and newcomer onboarding supports. At the secondary level Moore said students may take targeted coursework such as English as a World Language, and the district offers an ESOL 100 dual‑enrollment course.

Moore described several supplemental programs: a summer session that serves about 100 high‑school students earning credits toward graduation; literacy and academic coaching (a tutoring model); and a data platform called Elevation, which staff use to monitor English language development and document accommodations.

On assessment and reclassification, Moore said students enter the program after an English‑language screener and exit after meeting state‑mandated assessment criteria. “Once a student exits from those services, we’re required by the state to monitor them for two years,” Moore said, noting the district monitors exited students’ progress and that reclassified students often do well academically. She added the graduation rate for students who exited the ML program last year was 96 percent.

The district’s Waverly international office is the central intake point for families, Moore said. Staff there conduct the state language screeners used to determine program eligibility, help gather enrollment documentation and coordinate translation and interpreting services for schools and families. Moore said the office also manages family engagement and counseling supports and a community engagement coordinator who works with partners.

On communications, Moore said the district uses a two‑way texting platform, TalkingPoints, and a phone‑interpretation service, Boostlingo, alongside contract interpreters and written translation for systemic documents. “So far this year we were at over 261,000 messages between schools and teachers,” Moore said, citing the scale of direct contacts between families and school staff. TalkingPoints provides two‑way translation, and Boostlingo offers on‑demand phone interpretation for quick calls when an in‑person interpreter is not available.

Committee members asked about test accommodations and language availability. Moore said it depends on the assessment and language; for example, some MCAP assessments are available in Spanish under Maryland State Department of Education rules. Local benchmark assessments are administered in English, she said, and the district helps teachers and students opt for appropriate assessment formats when options exist.

On staffing and capacity, Moore said the program has added staff in some years and uses itinerant positions where full‑time assignments are not possible. She identified ongoing budget constraints and unpredictable midyear enrollments as recurring challenges: “Every day is kind of like the first day of school,” Moore said, describing frequent new family registrations and the need to provide real‑time technical assistance to schools when they receive newcomers.

Moore said central office teams provide professional learning and instructional coaching to mainstream teachers working in co‑taught classrooms, and that the district has expanded opportunities for Seal of Biliteracy testing to increase representation of multilingual students earning the diploma recognition.

The presentation closed with committee appreciation for the international office and the multilingual team’s school support. Moore said the department will continue monitoring achievement, attendance and other metrics disaggregated for ML students and providing on‑demand support to schools as enrollment and needs change.

Ending: Committee members indicated support for continued work and monitoring; no formal committee action on the program was recorded.