York City SD reports rise in English learners, ELD team cites improved screening and instruction

Smita Weekland, supervisor of English Language Development for York City School District, told the board’s committee on Dec. 9 that active English learners now account for 29.35 percent of district enrollment — 1,874 students as of the meeting.

“That makes 29.35 percent of our district enrollment is composed of active English learners whose language whose first language is not English,” Weekland said, adding the count had recently risen from 1,871 to 1,874 during the reporting period.

Weekland said the district has refined its intake and identification process at a centralized welcome center, and paired that with a targeted ELD curriculum and increased coaching for ELD and general-education teachers. She credited the changes with faster starts to instruction, more timely screening and an uptick in students who reclassify off ELD monitoring after achieving proficiency.

“The students have now access—we did before too, but we have streamlined those processes…so they're not missing anything to get ELD services,” Weekland said. She said the district now tracks families’ home languages at enrollment so automated communications can be sent in the parent’s preferred language.

Weekland presented several quantitative details the district is using to track progress. She reported 56 countries represented among students, with Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and French prominent, and newer arrivals speaking Pashto, Persian, Swahili and Kinyarwanda. She said 44 percent of incoming English learners are at proficiency “level 1” (beginner), with 21 percent level 2, 25 percent level 3 and 6 percent level 4, per the district’s VITA screening process.

On testing and progress monitoring, Weekland shared results from district benchmarks and state-administered assessments. She said benchmark literacy figures showed movement between the opening-of-year and a December benchmark (for example, the percentage “above grade level” rose in the district’s internal benchmark from 6 percent to 13 percent). She noted state WIDA/ACCESS testing from January 2024: of 1,612 test-takers in the district, 130 reclassified that cycle — an 8.06 percent reclassification rate Weekland noted as “a moment of pride.”

Weekland described a multi-pronged approach: a targeted ELD curriculum focused on language skills, progress monitoring tools, instructional coaching, and family outreach including adult English classes and financial-literacy sessions funded in part by Title III and partnerships. She said the ELD office employs 44 staff members and that, last year, the welcome center screened 736 families during the school year and an additional 465 families during the summer screening effort.

Holly Crowder and Jen Shelton — both ELD teachers who spoke during the presentation — described operational changes teachers have experienced. Crowder said digitizing records shortened the time between a student’s enrollment and the start of instruction, allowing teachers to begin targeted lessons “on day 2” instead of weeks into the term. Shelton described the new curriculum as emphasizing language frameworks that produce more substantial student writing and discussion during short class periods.

Board members asked about long-term supports for students who arrive with many years out of formal schooling. Weekland said the district has dedicated math classes and strengthened foundation-level instruction for students labeled SLIFE (students with limited or interrupted formal education) and monitors reclassified students for two years after reclassification to ensure they do not fall behind.

Weekland also discussed logistics for upcoming state WIDA testing, which she said the district will administer in January, and flagged continued staffing needs and the department’s multi-year plan for improving outcomes.

“We have created systems that are allowed us to kind of find the balance of both worlds to support language, but also ensure that they’re not being taken out from something fun or something that every other student is getting,” Weekland said.

The presentation drew several public commendations from board members and administrators, who praised the welcome-center processes, screening volume and the district’s work to send translated robocalls and text messages to families in their preferred languages.

No formal board action was taken during the presentation; Weekland’s material was presented for committee review and discussion.