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Springfield highlights growth in multilingual learners program, reports EL enrollment and new funding
Summary
District leaders presented data showing 4,424 multilingual/English-learner students (about 19% of enrollment), over 60 languages, newcomer counts and recent staffing and grant gains; presenters credited outreach efforts (Super Saturdays/Sundays) and announced expanded family engagement and assessments planned for January.
Springfield Public Schools officials gave a detailed presentation on services for multilingual learners Tuesday, describing growth in staff, family engagement and recent grant funding aimed at newcomer and English-learner supports.
Assistant Superintendent Terry Poe and Director Rosa Valentin led the “We Believe in our multilingual learners” presentation. Valentin called Springfield’s multilingual learners department among the strongest in the state and outlined program models, family engagement and multilingual staffing.
The presentation included district data: administrators said there are 4,424 students identified as English learners (about 19% of the district), with more than 60 languages spoken. Presenters listed top languages by share: Spanish (68.9%), Haitian Creole (7.9%), Arabic (6.1%), Swahili (5.7%), Somali (2.4%), Pashto (2.7%) and Vietnamese (1.0%). The district also reported 870 newcomer students who have been in the United States less than three years.
Valentin described outreach efforts such as Super Saturdays and Super Sundays that increased family participation and helped expand the English Learner Parent Advisory Council (LPAC). She said LPAC turnout rose to 35-plus families for an initial meeting and that the district plans to expand LPAC meetings from two to four per year in response to demand.
Staffing and funding: the ML department described growth from two staff members to a fully staffed unit, the addition of bilingual specialists and closer integration of world-language educators under the multilingual umbrella. Valentin said the district secured additional funding—including a previously awarded $75,000 grant and later work that led to $260,000 in new funds—to support newcomers and ML programs. (One mid-meeting grant figure in the transcript was unclear; the district later summarized total new funding at $260,000.)
Instructionally, the district uses WIDA standards and the ACCESS test for annual English proficiency assessment; testing is scheduled to begin in mid-January. Administrators said teachers receive professional development on SEI (Sheltered English Immersion) and noted dual-language and SLIFE program options to support different student needs.
Why it matters: multilingual students make up a substantial share of Springfield’s enrollment. Officials argued expanded staffing, improved family outreach and targeted programming are yielding measurable gains in language acquisition and family engagement, though they said work remains to improve growth at the high-school level.
Ending: leaders said they will continue to refine scheduling, programming and evaluation, and will return with additional progress updates to the committee.
