Alamo Heights reviews bilingual, ESL programs; district meets state language-growth targets

Dr. Bilu Bylosic, Alamo Heights ISD director of teaching and learning, presented the district's annual review of bilingual and English-as-a-second-language (ESL) programs at the Oct. 22 board meeting.

Bylosic said the district serves emergent bilingual students through two models: a dual-language (Spanish-English) program, K-8, and an ESL model K-12 for students who will use English as the primary instructional language. "For those students that are identified as emergent bilingual students, in Alamo Heights, we serve them through two different types of programs," she told the board, and noted that the programs must follow state and federal rules including Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Chapter 89 and TEA guidance.

The presentation framed why the review matters: the district must report both English-language proficiency growth and academic achievement for students who are emergent bilingual. Bylosic summarized staffing, enrollment, assessment outcomes and targeted next steps intended to close achievement gaps between emergent bilingual students and their English-proficient peers.

Key facts and figures - Languages and enrollment: Bylosic reported the district registers 24 home languages; the most common after English are Spanish, Vietnamese, Gujarati and Mandarin. She said 2024-25 data showed roughly 9% of students identified as emergent bilingual; preliminary figures for 2025-26 were about 8%. - Program counts: Bylosic said 173 students were served in ESL programs in the reviewed year and six students had parental denials of services. - Staffing and certification: she reported all 34 elementary teachers in language programs held bilingual certification through the Texas Education Agency (TEA). She also listed 5 interventionists, 3 coordinators and 2 dyslexia therapists who were bilingual certified. - Assessment and growth: the district uses the Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System (TELPAS) for language growth and STAAR/other end-of-course assessments for academic progress. Bylosic said campuses met state long-term TELPAS targets used in the review, while calling out Woodridge as a campus needing focused work. - Achievement gap and cohort concerns: Bylosic said reclassified students (those who exited emergent bilingual status) generally perform solidly, but she flagged an achievement gap up to about 20 points between emergent bilingual students and Alamo Heights English-proficient students in some content areas. She also named a specific cohort that struggled in fourth and fifth grade and is now in sixth grade, and flagged U.S. history/social studies results at the junior school as areas for further analysis.

Program details and instructional supports Bylosic described professional development and certification supports: the district pays the assessment fee and provides professional development for teachers working to add bilingual or ESL credentials and runs summer language academies and bilingual learning days funded from grants. She said a small number of teachers may temporarily work in roles pending certification but are supported to earn credentials within the year.

On dual-language outcomes, Bylosic said students in dual-language Spanish-immersion sections generally met or exceeded district reading targets and performed comparably in math to peers instructed in English-only sections. She cautioned about small denominators in some secondary measures'for example, the algebra 1 ESL subgroup had a denominator of about 16 students, making percentages volatile.

Board questions and next steps During Q&A, trustees asked about class sizes in dual-language sections, how students are identified and assigned (lottery or parental choice), the district's declining overall enrollment, and how TELPAS and other assessments relate to Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) growth measures. Bylosic said TELPAS was not included in the district's TIA growth determinations for teachers; the district chose universal-screening measures (such as STAR/MAP) for growth calculations.

She outlined next steps: targeted professional development for teachers at elementary and secondary campuses, a tutoring and U.S. history intervention plan at the junior school, and continued monitoring of reclassified students to ensure they maintain progress after exiting language services.

Ending Bylosic closed by offering to follow up with trustees on specific cohorts and campus plans; the board moved to questions after the presentation.