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West Aurora 129 outlines new multilingual framework, adds three-language TBE at West High
Summary
District officials told the Board of Education that multilingual enrollment has grown to roughly 35% districtwide, prompting a restructure of high‑school multilingual instruction into three literacy levels and required transitional bilingual education (TBE) offerings in Spanish, Arabic and Swahili where thresholds are met.
The West Aurora School District 129 Board of Education heard an update Wednesday on changes to high‑school multilingual programming as administrators described a rapid rise in multilingual students and a move to restructure English literacy instruction at West High.
District staff said the share of students designated multilingual has risen sharply and that the district now provides services in 46 home languages. "We firmly believe that multilingualism is an asset," Lisa Rausch, executive director of student supports, told the board, adding that Spanish accounts for roughly 88% of multilingual homes and that the district must now provide transitional bilingual education when at least 20 students at a single site speak the same non‑English language.
The change matters because, staff said, all high‑school multilingual students attend a single building and program, concentrating demand and forcing the district to deliver more targeted high‑school literacy instruction. "When we have at least 20 students at a specific site that speak another language other than English, we are obligated to provide transitional bilingual education, also known as TBE," Rausch said.
District officials illustrated the range of newcomer student needs with three composite profiles: a 14‑year‑old girl from Afghanistan with interrupted schooling and approximately a fifth‑grade equivalent education; a 15‑year‑old boy from Mexico with about 10 years of uninterrupted Spanish‑language schooling and full Spanish literacy; and a 15‑year‑old boy educated through ninth grade in Turkey who had some introduction to English reading but limited spoken‑English practice. "Students can appear similar in English proficiency yet need very different instruction based on home language, literacy and prior schooling," Rausch said.
To respond, West High has moved from year‑based EL courses (9th–11th) to a leveled model called Multilingual Learners (ML) Literacy & Language Arts by Level 1–3. Maggie (staff member, role not specified in the transcript), who outlined instructional design at West High, said Level 1 focuses on foundational English skills (vocabulary, simple sentences), Level 2 builds intermediate skills, and Level 3 engages students in grade‑level content and academic writing. "We begin with literacy level 1, and we go all the way to literacy level 3," Maggie said. Staff reported four sections of Literacy Level 1 currently in place for incoming students and described assessment processes used for placement.
Teachers will use district in‑house assessments for initial placement rather than relying on ACCESS scores, which are returned late in the year. Maggie said some students may remain in an ML level for multiple semesters depending on literacy background, while others may accelerate. Lisa Rausch emphasized that the program aims to provide foundational literacy instruction at the high‑school level where needed, as well as preserve home‑language instruction in Spanish, Arabic and Swahili where required by enrollment thresholds.
Staff also noted operational supports: professional learning for teachers on foundational instruction at the secondary level, collaboration across content areas (including career and technical education), and ongoing monitoring of student progress to adjust practice.
Board members asked about placement and time in levels; administrators said placement combines multiple assessments of writing and literacy and that the district gives staff flexibility to retain students as needed or accelerate them if they demonstrate rapid progress. Rausch reminded the board the current counts are provisional for 2024–25 and some year‑end figures may change.
District administrators said this is a first semester of implementing the leveled model and that they will return with outcome data and refinements.
The presentation, staff said, is a response to a substantial demographic shift at West High that concentrates multilingual newcomers in a single building and requires a different program structure from elementary and middle models.
Next steps: staff will continue monitoring placement outcomes and adjust professional learning and course sections for the coming school year.
