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District reports 750 emergent bilinguals, reclassification gains and staffing waivers in annual bilingual/ESL review
Summary
The district presented its chapter 89 bilingual/ESL evaluation: about 750 emergent bilingual students (454 in ESL, remainder in dual‑language), 88 reclassifications this year, more than 27 home languages, and staffing/waiver details including an ESL waiver for 13 teachers and one bilingual exception to be filed.
Schertz‑Cibolo‑U City ISD presented its annual bilingual and English‑learner program evaluation, reporting student proficiency trends, reclassifications and certification‑related staffing issues required by Texas Education Code Chapter 89.
"This is a report that we do every single year in the month of October," the presenter said. Staff described two district programs: an ESL program serving pre‑K through 12 and a one‑way bilingual (dual‑language) program serving pre‑K through sixth grade at named campuses.
Key findings and data staff provided:
- Student counts: staff reported about 454 students currently in the ESL program and roughly 276 in the one‑way dual‑language program (plus a small two‑way program being phased out); combined, staff said the district serves approximately 750 emergent bilingual students. Staff also said the district recently reclassified 88 students and hosts more than 27 home languages; staff noted about 260 new arrivals classified as "newcomers" (0–3 years in U.S. schools).
- TELPAS proficiency and growth: staff summarized TELPAS categories (beginner, intermediate, advanced, advanced high) and reported 33 percent of emergent bilinguals grew at least one TELPAS proficiency level in the most recent TELPAS cycle; the district reported 36 percent reached at least one proficiency level increase in the year reported.
- Reclassification: the district reclassified 88 students this year; reclassification requires advanced high on TELPAS and passing the relevant reading or EOC English measure.
- Teacher certification and waivers: staff reported 431 ESL‑certified teachers and 43 bilingual‑certified teachers; for the coming year the district will file one bilingual exception and 13 ESL waivers because some emergent bilinguals are appropriately placed in specialized courses or advanced classes where a certified ESL/bilingual teacher is not available. Staff outlined the district's plan for professional development, instructional supports (including Summit K‑12 monitoring), stipend increases (bilingual stipend raised from $1,500 to $3,500) and recruitment strategies such as attending job fairs and partnering with Region 20.
Staff said the district is offering ongoing professional development on new English Language Proficiency Standards and literacy routines, expanding second‑grade professional learning this year as part of a multi‑year rollout and using Summit K‑12 to monitor ELP growth during the school year.
Trustees asked clarifying questions about difficulty of certification exams, the availability of alternatives to the endorsement test, and whether shortages were expected to ease. Staff confirmed Region 20 supports teacher preparation for the endorsement exam and that the district plans targeted recruitment and stipend incentives to attract bilingually certified teachers.
