Members of the Lawndale District Advisory Committee for Multilingual Families (ILAC) reviewed district English‑learner assessment results, described programs funded with Title I and Title III dollars, and promoted upcoming community events and volunteer opportunities.

The meeting opened with Lidia Murillo Castro, who identified herself as president of the district advisory group, welcoming parents and school representatives. Julie (last name not provided), the district director of special projects overseeing Title I and multilingual programs, presented assessment and reclassification data for multilingual students and described how the district uses state and federal funds to support English development.

Julie said the district received additional state funds and Title I and Title III grants to support teachers, coaching, interims and summer programs for English learners. She described how teachers and coaches use interim ELPAC‑aligned assessments for progress monitoring and said the district trains teachers to ensure math and science instruction is accessible while students also develop English. The presentation noted typical growth expectations on ELPAC practice scales: roughly 27 points per year for many students, and larger annual gains needed for recently arrived older students (up to about 88 points annually in the example given) to reach reclassification within a shorter span.

Julie reported a district reclassification rate of about 19% last year and said the district is tracking long‑term English learners closely. She cited counts of long‑term English learners at 1,255 in 2023–24 and 1,193 the following year, and said the district hopes to reduce that number further. The district highlighted Mitchell Elementary and Adams (middle/high) as schools with higher reclassification growth and discussed using their practices as models for other campuses.

Speakers described multiple programmatic supports: coaching for teachers, ELPAC practice and interim assessments, summer school and bilingual‑immersion strategies that introduce reading and writing in Spanish early and shift toward 50/50 Spanish–English by third grade in immersion classrooms. Staff said coaches and teachers use data to prioritize students who need accelerated instruction. The district also reported expansion of an alternative ELPAC pathway for some students in specialized programs; for those students, a level‑3 ELPAC plus teacher evaluation may meet reclassification criteria.

Parents and staff emphasized in‑class familiarity and test‑administration practice as important supports for students who are nonverbal or have special needs. Julie encouraged parents to review their child’s annual notification (sent by email) showing the child’s current levels and to speak with teachers about targeted supports.

Community items included a presentation by Bárbara and Rosalía from ESMOA (the local museum). They described a Día de los Muertos festival scheduled for Nov. 1 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Lawndale town plaza/library area in collaboration with the Lawndale Public Library and, pending county confirmation, other partners. The museum representative said schools will be invited to bring student work and that the museum will provide educational visits and workshops.

Practical notices: the district will publish an assessment calendar on its website that lists I‑Ready, interim ELPAC practice checks, SBAC windows and other local measures; interpretation services are available with a 72‑hour request; volunteers can sign up via the QR code shared during the meeting; and the committee’s next in‑person meeting was announced for Nov. 18 (location: district office) and will not be offered via Zoom.

The meeting closed with reminders about other upcoming advisory committee meetings, including APAC (African American Parent Advisory Council) and DPAC (district committees), and encouragement for ELAC groups at each school to review local data and discuss tutoring and other targeted supports at their next campus meetings.