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Desert Sands Unified outlines expansions to multilingual learner programs, family-engagement work
Summary
District staff presented an update on the multilingual learner master plan including expansion of dual-language immersion, ELPAC supports, paraeducator training and family-engagement initiatives; trustees asked for session dates and raised newcomer-support questions.
Desert Sands Unified School District staff on Jan. 21 presented a progress update on the district's multilingual learner master plan, describing steps to expand dual-language immersion, boost ELPAC preparation, train paraeducators who support English learners with disabilities, and scale family-engagement programs.
The presentation, delivered by Dr. Angela Randolph, director of state and federal programs, and Nancy Valador, coordinator of multilingual learner programs, said the master plan aligns with the California English Learner Roadmap and focuses on three core aims: coherent, equitable systems; responding to diverse learners; and accountability for English learner outcomes. The district said it will continue designated and integrated English language development (ELD) professional development, maintain student progress monitoring systems and expand supports for newcomer students.
The multipronged effort matters because it affects how hundreds of English learner students are assessed, supported and reclassified across Desert Sands schools. Dr. Randolph told the board the work is intended to raise academic outcomes while helping families better support learning at home.
In the update, staff said the district is: - Expanding dual-language immersion (DLI): the program has been extended at transitional kindergarten and fifth-grade levels this year, and the district plans to add DLI at Desert Ridge Academy next year; site programs currently include DLI at Reagan and Jackson elementary schools. - Strengthening ELPAC preparation: the state ELPAC assessment is the district's primary identification and progress measure; the district has trained multilingual learner leads, principals, teachers and parents and uses an "elevation" data platform to surface EL data for teachers and counselors. - Building teacher and paraeducator capacity: project facilitators, elementary ELD coaches and secondary supports deliver tiered professional development; staff said paraeducator training is being expanded for those who work with English learners with disabilities and that 135 paraeducators are scheduled for training by the end of February as part of that effort. - Growing newcomer supports: staff described ongoing after-school newcomer programming at at least one site and noted the district will run its third Newcomer Summer Language Academy this summer; board discussion referenced roughly 400 newcomer students districtwide (figure discussed during Q&A). - Increasing family engagement: Nancy Valador described parent workshops (including offerings in Spanish, Vietnamese and Arabic), trainings for ELAC/DLAC parent leaders, and partnerships with Riverside County Office of Education to provide parent sessions on ELPAC awareness, trauma-informed supports and college-planning topics. - Outsourcing specialist support: the board was thanked for approving a contract with the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University; staff said that partnership is helping the district write a DLI master plan and provide coaching and program design support.
Trustees complimented staff and asked for dates and times for parent sessions so board members could attend. Several trustees praised the scale of attendance at recent parent events; the superintendent and assistant superintendent highlighted that a recent Federal Program Monitoring review produced zero findings, which staff said reflects the district's compliance and program work.
The presentation was informational; no board action was required or taken on Jan. 21. Staff said they will share the schedule of parent engagement sessions in the district's Friday letters and continue implementation of the master plan through site teams, coaching cycles and ongoing assessment.
Looking ahead, the district said it will continue DLI expansion planning through a secondary transition team, continue coordination with the Riverside County Office of Education on professional development, and monitor ELPAC and CAASPP outcomes next spring to measure the program's effect on student performance.
