Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the English Language Learners topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Washington Unified reports growth, new reclassification rules and expanded newcomer supports for English learners
Summary
District director Stacy Tran told the board Washington Unified serves 1,221 current English learners (17% of students), is piloting new ELD materials, expanding newcomer supports and must adapt to recent California reclassification guidance for dually identified students.
Stacy Tran, director of English Learners and Support Programs for Washington Unified School District, presented the district's annual English Language Development (ELD) program update at the March 13 board meeting, reporting demographic changes, program expansions and new state reclassification rules.
Tran told the board, "Tonight, I'm pleased to share the annual English language development program and services update with you." She said Washington Unified currently enrolls 1,221 students designated as English learners, representing 17% of the district's enrollment, and 2,814 multilingual students overall when reclassified and initially fluent students are included.
The update outlined how those students are distributed across schools and how services are targeted. Tran said 29% of current English learners are "newcomers" (in U.S. schools fewer than three years), a group that drew focused supports at River City High School, Riverbank and Westmore Oaks. She noted school-by-school variation: Westfield reported roughly 42% of its students currently designated as English learners and Riverbank about 38%.
Why it matters: district staff said nearly 40% of students across classrooms are multilingual when reclassified and initially fluent students are counted; that affects classroom instruction, family communications and staffing needs.
Key program and data points
- Counts and origins: Tran said district data show multilingual students come from 48 countries; among students not born in the U.S., she said 47% were born in Afghanistan and the remainder are from Mexico/Central and South America, Russia/Ukraine and other countries. She described growing representation from Asia and Africa.
- Progress monitoring and outcomes: The district gives progress checks in addition to the annual ELPAC test so teachers have midyear data. Tran summarized ELPAC outcomes: "81 percent of our English learner students remained at the same proficiency level, or demonstrated growth last year on their annual ELPAC exam. Forty-two percent of our English learners increased by 1 or more levels." She added that 39% did not change level but often increased points, while 19% moved down one or more levels, frequently when students moved into a higher grade span with a harder test.
- Instructional work: Washington Unified is piloting ELD materials aligned with new ELA adoptions, providing designated ELD time (elementary daily, middle/high school period), and expanding instructional coaching and professional learning. The district said it provides newcomer kits and an expanding newcomer program centered at Riverbank, with Farsi-speaking paraeducators in newcomer classrooms to support students from Afghanistan.
- Reclassification and special education: Tran reviewed state reclassification rules. She said three of the four district reclassification components are set by the state, including an overall score of 4 on the ELPAC (English Learner Proficiency Assessment for California). She explained a district-controlled academic indicator may be met with CAASPP ELA performance, district benchmark results or comparable measures.
Tran also described recent changes affecting dually identified students (English learners who also have individualized education programs). "February of 2025, the state of California decided to make that a little bit more rigorous, and we're no longer allowed to reclassify students based on the IEP process," she said, describing new limits on using IEP team decisions alone for reclassification.
Student research collaboration
Tran highlighted a student-led research project through UC Davis in which River City students investigated barriers to college enrollment for English learners; she said the students identified financial aid knowledge as the largest barrier and requested support in sharing findings.
Board questions and staff responses
Board members asked about consistency of professional learning, how teachers access coaching, and how the district monitors reclassified students. Tran said coaching is non-evaluative and that the district monitors reclassified students for four years, using teacher input and local assessments to flag needs and provide supports.
Ending: Tran asked the board to support continuing program expansions, updates to the district's English Learner support plan and partnerships with community and higher-education programs to share student research and outreach on financial aid.
