Charlottesville City Schools reported on Nov. 6 that English-learner (EL) enrollment and proficiency trends have shifted and that federal grant funding has allowed targeted support for Afghan students, including bilingual instructional assistants.

Division EL coordinator Dr. Vautz said the division's Welcome Center registered 214 EL enrollments last year and that the overall EL roster now stands lower than in recent years — a change the presenter attributed in part to a pause in refugee resettlement and federal immigration shifts. Dr. Vautz said approximately 721 students were in the EL program this year.

The division uses the annual ACCESS language-proficiency assessment to determine EL exits. Dr. Vautz said elementary ACCESS growth met state targets in the most recent reporting period, while middle and high school growth lagged: roughly 38% at the middle-school band and 43% at the high-school band met the state growth expectation, according to the presentation. The presenter emphasized that the ACCESS test measures academic English across four domains and that grade-band differences and newcomers' timelines affect growth calculations.

The presentation also summarized work funded by a federal SAS grant aimed at Afghan newcomer students. The grant supported four bilingual instructional assistants, an Afghan family liaison and site-specific IRC (International Rescue Committee) partnership staff. Those hires provided targeted academic and family-engagement services this school year; the presenter noted the SAS grant funding ends after the current year. Dr. Vautz also told the board the division received its Title III award late and that federal funding and policy changes create uncertainty for future programming.

Board members asked about chronic absenteeism among EL students (noting higher absenteeism rates for ELs) and about continuing city and community partnerships to support extracurricular opportunities that increase engagement. Dr. Vautz said bilingual staff and the IRC's youth programs have helped build relationships and language-line access for family outreach and that alternative programming could be considered for older students who need work or flexible schedules.