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Sun Prairie district presents data on multilingual learners, proposes expansion of dual-language programs
Summary
District staff told the school board they use ACCESS and state on-track measures to track multilingual student progress, reported rising reclassification and promising dual-language outcomes in literacy, numeracy and social-emotional learning, and proposed expanding dual-language immersion and newcomer courses.
At a presentation to the Sun Prairie Area School District school board, district leaders summarized measures of multilingual student progress, recent results and next steps for program development.
Stephanie Leonard, the district’s Assistant Superintendent for Teaching, Learning and Equity, opened the presentation and said the board had asked staff to address four items: how the district measures success for multilingual learners, what the data show, why goals might not be met, and what the district will change. Dr. Sarah Chaya Clarity, Director of Secondary and process lead for multilingual programming, told the board, “We assess students using the ACCESS assessment, and that is a part of the requirement under Title III.”
Staff said they evaluate multilingual learners using multiple indicators: English language proficiency growth (measured by ACCESS), annual reclassification (students exiting language services), disaggregated academic outcomes in literacy and numeracy aligned with the district’s strategic results, and social-emotional learning benchmarks. They noted Wisconsin’s on-track measure required under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) that compares student growth percentiles to statewide peers.
District presenters reported an increase in the number of students reclassified out of language services over the past two years as the multilingual population grew. They said Spanish is the largest home language group, comprising more than half of multilingual students, and that reclassification for that group rose by nearly 5 percentage points. Staff highlighted Sun Prairie West for particularly strong performance relative to comparably sized schools in the state.
Tony Gennaro, the districtwide Multilingual Program Coordinator, and other presenters reviewed outcomes for the district’s two-way dual-language immersion (DLI) program, reporting that early-grade (kindergarten–first grade) benchmark results show comparable or stronger English and Spanish literacy outcomes and promising numeracy growth between fall and winter. Staff also presented social-emotional learning benchmarks and said multilingual learners in dual-language programs meet benchmarks at higher rates than peers; staff described this as reflecting a stronger sense of belonging in DLI settings.
Rick Miller, Elementary Director of Teaching, Learning and Equity, described family engagement work and communication supports, including interpreting and translation services, and said the district has been “remov[ing] language barriers and . . . strengthening communication and engagement with our multilingual families.”
As next steps, staff listed program development actions the district will continue or expand: maintain and expand high-quality bilingual education and dual-language immersion, grow newcomer course offerings for grades 6–12, continue curriculum development, monitor staffing and services against the changing language landscape, and develop a district training plan on language acquisition strategies for all educators.
No formal board action was recorded in the transcript; presenters said they look forward to discussing the information at an upcoming school board meeting.
