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Stoughton Public Schools reports growth in multilingual learners, pilots Portuguese literacy
Summary
District multilingual director Amy Qualey told the School Committee that Stoughton has about 600 English learners (roughly 700 recorded in state SIMS as of Oct. 1) and is piloting Portuguese literacy instruction at the middle-school level; the district noted a 54% growth in ELs since 2020 and used Title III funds for extended-day supports and teacher training.
Amy Qualey, the district’s multilingual director, told the School Committee on Dec. 2 that Stoughton Public Schools is serving roughly 600 students identified as English learners and former English learners, with state SIMS data showing about 700 as of Oct. 1. She said enrollment remains high despite the district’s recent shelter closures and that Portuguese, Haitian Creole and Spanish are the top languages spoken by multilingual students.
Qualey said the district uses the WIDA screener to identify students and follows the state mandate that students entering midyear be screened promptly (qualifying timelines were noted as 10 days for midyear entry and 30 days at the start of the year). She reported that of 312 home-language surveys reviewed this summer, staff screened 170 students and identified 128 as English learners.
The multilingual director described program capacity and staffing needs: newcomers with no English receive 90 minutes per day of direct ESL from a licensed ESL teacher; intermediate-level learners typically receive 45 minutes. Qualey said the district has 25 EL personnel (including 19 teachers, five paraprofessionals and one part-time multilingual counselor) and asked the committee to consider funding for a full-time multilingual counselor.
Qualey also highlighted academic outcomes: Stoughton was the highest-performing English-learner district in its Southeastern hub for 2024–25, with 56% of ELs on a trajectory to reclassify as proficient within six years. The district’s Seal of Biliteracy program — offered since 2019 — saw 74 students participate last year with a 65% pass rate, substantially above the presenter’s characterization of statewide pass rates.
On programming and grants, Qualey said the district uses Title III funds and other grants for extended-day learning, summer newcomer programs, MTEL prep for teacher certification, MATSL professional development and college trips. She described a small Portuguese-literacy pilot for a cluster of sixth-graders at the middle school intended to test whether home-language literacy instruction improves English academic outcomes; the district plans to track results through grades 6–8.
Committee members asked whether Portuguese was chosen because of local demographics; Qualey said Portuguese best fits Stoughton’s needs in Southeastern Massachusetts and that the triennial plan proposes aligning world-language and ESL instruction under one umbrella to support multilingual graduation goals. The presentation concluded with Qualey urging continued investment in staffing and supports to sustain the district’s progress.
The committee did not take formal action during the update; Qualey passed remaining questions to the special-education director to address coordination with IEP services.
