Seguin ISD's bilingual and English‑as‑a‑second‑language staff presented the district’s annual program review and TELPAS (Texas English Language Proficiency Assessment System) results, telling trustees the district serves roughly 1,093 emergent bilingual students this school year and needs to close persistent achievement gaps.

"In total, we serve 1,093 emergent bilingual students in our district compared to 1,014 last year," the district’s bilingual program lead said during the presentation. She added that 79 more students arrived this year than last, and 226 are recent arrivals within the past three years.

Program staff reviewed program models (one‑way and two‑way dual language, ESL pull‑out and sheltered instruction) and TELPAS proficiency clusters for K–2 and grades 3–12. The presentation showed many students in the district’s k–2 cluster remain in the 'beginner' and 'intermediate' TELPAS bands; secondary ESL cohorts showed larger performance gaps on STAAR end‑of‑course exams, particularly in English I and II and in some science measures. Staff said the district is focusing on sheltered instructional strategies (content‑based linguistic instruction, or CBLI), newcomer curriculum and writing portfolios to accelerate language growth.

Staff also reported workforce vulnerabilities: the district will submit waivers to the Texas Education Agency to cover classroom assignments where teachers are not yet ESL‑certified. The presentation noted 27 current ESL waivers and a smaller number of bilingual certification exceptions; administration described a package of supports to increase teacher certification, including paid study materials, self‑paced courses, partnerships with a neighboring district’s ESL academy and reimbursement of test fees for teachers who earn certification by January.

"We purchased study guides and paid for self‑paced online courses. We partnered with Judson ISD’s ESL Academy and will reimburse test fees if teachers pass by the deadline," the presenter said, describing efforts to reduce waivers and bring teacher certification into compliance.

What happened next: Trustees asked several clarifying questions about the distribution of recent arrivals across campuses, TELPAS scoring changes and growth targets. Administration said dual language programming remains the district preference for students with a Spanish home language because the district follows research showing first‑language development supports second‑language achievement; parents may elect ESL or opt out of bilingual services under state rules.

Why it matters: The presentation touches accountability calculations that affect campus ratings and identifies immediate workforce needs (ESL certification) that administration must address to reduce waivers and meet state expectations. The district also reported plans for professional learning and parent engagement to support newcomer families.

Attribution: Quotations and program details come from the district bilingual/ESL presentation given at the public board meeting; the chief presenters were the bilingual program lead and ESL specialists.