District reports 958 current English learners and ongoing efforts to boost ACCESS and SBAC growth

Carson City School District officials gave the board an informational update on the district’s English learner (EL) program and related outcomes, focusing on identification, classroom supports and state assessment measures.

Brandon Bringhurst, presenting for the district in Dr. Scott’s absence, said the district currently counts 958 students enrolled in the EL program and about 1,500 monitored or exited students who remain tracked for progress. “958 students who are currently in the EL program, approximately 1,500 who are monitored or exited,” Bringhurst said.

Why it matters: The district’s multilingual population spans more than 20 languages, and EL students are a key subgroup for state accountability measures and targeted supports.

Assessments and growth: Bringhurst reviewed ACCESS results and state accountability context. He said last year’s ACCESS administration covered speaking, listening, reading and writing for 956 students and that “8 percent of all of our students who took the ACCESS test met the criteria to exit the program,” with a higher elementary exit rate of 12 percent. He emphasized that exiting typically takes multiple years and that the state also tracks whether students are growing at a rate that would permit exiting within five years.

State accountability and academic results: Bringhurst noted three schools—Carson Middle School, Eagle Valley Middle School and Carson High School—were designated as TSI (targeted support and improvement) schools for the 2023–24 school year because performance among certain subgroups (including EL and students with IEPs) fell below state thresholds. The district does not yet have 2024–25 accountability ratings; Bringhurst said those are pending state release.

Programs and supports: District staff described classroom approaches including High-Quality Sheltered Instruction (HQSI) and Academic Language Acquisition through Content (ALAC) that aim to teach grade-level content while developing English skills. Bringhurst said roughly 206 staff hold an English Language Acquisition and Development (ELAD) endorsement and that the district provides both in-class supports and pull-out EL instruction depending on student needs.

Family engagement and events: Staff said the EL program coordinates family-engagement events and enrichment activities. Bringhurst highlighted a community event on Sept. 30 featuring Sonia Manzano (Maria from Sesame Street) that aims to promote multilingual learning and family engagement.

Ending: Trustees asked clarifying questions about the long-term EL cohort (326 students identified as long-term ELs) and student attendance and multi‑service needs. Bringhurst and trustees agreed continued attention to family engagement, teacher training and early elementary interventions are key to improving outcomes.