Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the English Learners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board approves district English Learner plan, cites improving EL graduation rates
Summary
The board approved the district’s three‑year English Learner (EL) plan, which the district submitted to the Florida Department of Education and which district staff said contributed to a 91% EL graduation rate in the most recent school year cited.
The Pinellas County School Board approved the district’s English Learner (EL) plan on March 20, 2025. The three‑year plan, developed for submission to the Florida Department of Education, outlines identification, placement, monitoring, parent and student rights, and professional development for staff working with English learners.
Nut graf: District EL director Natasha Korach told the board the plan aligns district procedures with state and federal requirements and with relevant court orders, and that parents and EL families had multiple opportunities to review and provide input during the year.
Korach said the district provides translation and interpretation services, a Spanish parent helpline, 24/7 phone interpreters across many languages and targeted supports such as ESOL bilingual assistants. She told the board that EL students in Pinellas County graduated at a 91% rate in the 2023–24 school year, exceeding state EL peers by about 10 percentage points; staff attributed the results to built-in EL supports, targeted curriculum work and expanded access to accelerated and gifted courses.
With no substantive board amendments, the plan passed on a 7–0 vote. Director Korach said the district will continue family outreach, translation and monitoring as the plan is implemented.
Ending: The approved plan will be submitted to the Florida Department of Education as required and the district will continue regular review with EL families and the English Learner Parent Leadership Council.
