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Board committee examines dual-language results, questions expansion beyond Edson
Summary
Teaching & Learning committee reviewed Edson’s K–4 dual-language program, data on ENL student progress and uncertainty about whether the 50/50 alternating-week model is the best fit; committee recommended deeper data extraction to compare outcomes and inform decisions on expansion.
The Teaching & Learning Committee reported on the district’s dual-language program at Edson (grades K–4) and on George Washington Elementary’s transition away from Montessori. Committee members described the district’s 50/50 dual-language model (Spanish/English alternating weeks) and noted that cohort composition varies: some cohorts include more Spanish-speaking students while others include more English-speaking homes.
Committee members raised data issues: the majority of ELL/ENL students across district schools test roughly one to three grade levels below grade-level expectations in reading and similar patterns in math. The committee reviewed I-Ready results and other local measures that showed growth from spring to fall but said it is difficult to draw causal inferences about the dual-language model’s effectiveness because the existing data format makes cohort-level longitudinal comparisons hard to extract.
"At this point the plan is for the dual language program to move with the fourth grade cohort into Bailey," the committee report said, but trustees and staff acknowledged uncertainty about scheduling and how the program will integrate into Bailey’s structure. The committee recommended continued data work (including use of EduCLIMBER and work with the Hudson Valley Bilingual Cooperative and CUNY for professional development) to determine whether the current model should be retained, adjusted, or expanded.
What happens next: the district will continue to collect and reformat data to compare ELL/ENL student progress inside and outside the dual-language program and will report back to the board and relevant committees with more granular analysis to inform any expansion decisions.
