ETHS reports large rise in emergent multilingual students; plans dual-language pathway and expands supports

Evanston Township High School’s director of Multilingual Services presented a data-driven account of rapid growth in emergent multilingual (EM) students and plans to expand native-language instruction, sheltered courses and a future dual‑language pathway at the Feb. 10 Board meeting.

Director of Multilingual Services (presentation) told the board the department — established in the 2023–24 school year — has contributed to a sharper identification process and an increase in documented EM enrollments. The presentation said EM enrollment has doubled over three years and that, for the second year in a row, EM students account for more than 10% of the district’s student body. The presentation listed more than 80 languages spoken across the district’s multilingual student population and 45 languages among students identified as emergent multilingual; Spanish is the largest language group, followed by Haitian Creole, French, Arabic and Swahili.

The presentation said the district has enrolled more newcomers this school year than in the previous four years combined, and that about 15% of EM students are newly arrived to the U.S. The district reported more than 65 students enrolled in two or more sheltered content courses for newcomers, and described multilingual paraprofessionals as an essential in-school support during students’ first days.

On services for students who have been in U.S. schools for several years but remain designated EM (often called long-term English learners), the presentation noted that 80% of that group are Spanish-speaking and many received dual-language instruction in District 65. Presenters said current placement practices that rely on English-only map and reading scores can overlook bilingual students’ Spanish literacy and academic strengths, and staff argued for programs that leverage biliteracy.

To serve both newcomers and experienced EM students, the district described two newer models being rolled up grade by grade: team‑taught EM English classes in freshman and sophomore English where an EM‑certified teacher provides systematic English development alongside general-education peers, and EM‑teacher push‑in models in special education self‑contained courses. The district said junior-level rollout will follow as current sophomores advance.

The presentation also described initial steps toward an ETHS high-school dual-language pathway. A representative steering committee has visited model programs, attended national dual‑language conferences, obtained new Spanish language‑arts course approvals and begun discussions about a dual‑language capstone course with Lake Forest College for dual credit. Presenters said a dual-language pathway could culminate in AP-level Spanish work and expanded electives taught in Spanish, and that increased bilingual Spanish–English certified staff will be needed to scale the program.

The director highlighted progress on assessment: ETHS’s ACCESS exit rate (the annual academic-English assessment used for English‑learner identification and district exit rates) improved and, the presenter said, surpassed the state average this year. The presenter said ETHS achieved a historically high exit rate and suggested it may be among the highest exit rates for Illinois high schools, noting that the department’s work on identification, administration and family outreach contributed to that result. The presentation cautioned that ACCESS remains a single annual, high-stakes measure used in state summative ratings.

Other initiatives discussed included the launch of TalkingPoints, a multilingual family‑engagement texting platform the district said has increased multilingual family engagement, and a grant-funded redesign of Spanish instruction to serve Haitian and African French-speaking students with a heritage‑language pathway. The presentation closed with calls to increase the number of bilingual-certified teachers, continue partnerships with District 65 and community organizations, and to monitor enrollment and achievement data.

Board members praised the comprehensive report and asked about staffing and hiring. Presenters said the district intends to prioritize bilingual‑capable hires and to build program capacity over multiple years rather than solely through new headcount in one year.

The presentation identified a specific state rule as relevant to local programming: when 20 or more EM students share the same language, the State of Illinois requires native-language instruction in that language; the district said that requirement already applies for Spanish and now for Haitian Creole and French groups in the current year, prompting course redesign and targeted staffing.