Santa Ana Unified outlines 'Leveling Up' plan to speed English‑learner progress, aims to reclassify by fifth grade

Santa Ana Unified School District officials on Nov. 18 presented a multi‑year plan to accelerate English learner (EL) progress and reclassification, emphasizing daily designated English language development (ELD) and school‑level supports aimed at having cohorts reclassify by fifth grade.

Superintendent Dr. Perez opened the presentation as part of the district’s update on the California Dashboard. "We must make sure that this incredible linguistic strength translates into real access, real opportunity, and real achievement," he said. Director of English Learner Programs Dr. Alex Nadelco and curriculum lead Bianca Barquin outlined a tiered approach that combines "designated" ELD (protected instruction time focused on language) with "integrated" ELD (scaffolds embedded across content classes).

Why it matters: roughly two‑thirds of SAUSD students are current or former English learners, the presentation said, and the district plans to use targeted instruction plus test‑familiarity supports to lift reclassification rates. District staff cited recent state test data showing modest gains: district reclassification rose from about 9% to 10% year‑over‑year and a larger share of students are making progress across two ELPAC administrations. "If we get half of the students at Level 3 to bump up this year, that's 2,000 kids potentially we could reclassify," Dr. Nadelco said, noting an opportunity to build on gains.

Key components described: - Program flow and assessments: students take a home‑language survey, if eligible receive initial ELPAC screening and enter either structured English immersion or a dual‑language immersion (DLI) pathway; reclassification requires an ELPAC level 4 plus teacher and parent consultation and local reading measures. - Tiered supports: Tier 1 (all students) embeds integrated ELD across subjects; Tier 2 adds targeted online supports beginning about grade 3; Tier 3 provides intensive before/after‑school interventions. - Dual language model: SAUSD operates seven DLI sites (TK–5 and TK–8 examples) using a 90/10 Spanish‑to‑English model that shifts to 50/50 by grade 3; staff said DLI students outperform peers in reading and math by ninth grade and that Seal of Biliteracy awards increased year over year. - Secondary scheduling solutions: staff described options to avoid narrowing students’ access to electives and CTE by offering designated‑ELD delivery in social‑science or CTE courses or by flexible master scheduling.

Board members pressed staff on staffing and site supports. Trustee Lebsack raised the need for more bilingual instructional assistants and noted about 11 vacancies in Title‑III funded aide positions; Dr. Nadelco said aides are difficult to recruit and the district is exploring partnerships with colleges and credential programs to expand pipelines. "We can improve our efforts," he said, adding pay and career pathways factor into recruitment.

Next steps: staff said they will continue site‑level listening sessions with teachers and parents, formalize office hours and mentor supports for dual‑language teachers and return with scheduling and operational recommendations. The presentation was followed by a long Q&A from trustees and closed with no formal vote; board members asked for ongoing updates as implementation details and staffing plans are developed.

Provenance: presentation and discussion began during the superintendent’s items and ran through the public Q&A (topic intro SEG 521; topic finish SEG 4428).