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Westborough schools outline English‑learner supports as 33% of families speak a language other than English at home
Summary
English Language Learning Director Leticia Broomfield told the School Committee that 367 students are currently designated English learners, the district exited a record 114 students last year and uses DESE ACCESS criteria to determine exits and monitoring; family engagement and after‑school/summer programming were emphasized.
Leticia Broomfield, director of English language education, told the Westborough School Committee that 367 students in the district are designated English learners and that 33% of students speak a language other than English at home.
Broomfield said the department’s mission is “to empower English learners to succeed academically and socially while maintaining their identity and heritage language.” She described EL instruction as intentionally scaffolded and delivered through collaboration with classroom teachers, family liaisons and community partners.
The district reported that more than half of English learners were born in the United States and that exit and monitoring data show most students leave EL services within four to seven years. “To exit the program, students must meet the DESE prescribed ACCESS assessment exit criteria, which is an overall of 4.2 on the ACCESS test and literacy score of 3.9,” Broomfield said.
Broomfield highlighted out‑of‑classroom supports including after‑school EL academies (noting a Journey Stories project at Mill Pond), a three‑week summer academy designed to prevent summer language loss, drop‑in high‑school sessions, and an adult English program run on Zoom. She also described family engagement efforts: a rebuilt EL parent advisory council (LPAC), parent liaisons who help with registration and community needs, and a family potluck that drew more than 200 attendees.
On assessment and progress monitoring, Broomfield said the department adopted a new progress monitoring platform modeled on ACCESS this year and that teachers complete monitoring forms twice a year; these forms trigger review meetings if a formerly exited student appears to be regressing. “If they need to come back into the program, we have to have a meeting with the family, a meeting with content teachers,” she said. She added the district has not needed to re‑enroll exited students to date.
Committee members asked about measures of success and program distribution across K–3 schools; Broomfield said exit rates are an important measure but that she also looks at student adjustment and classroom participation. The committee and Broomfield discussed collaborations with nearby districts (Braintree, Hopkinton, Marlborough) that support shared professional development and exchanges of practice.
The presentation concluded with an invitation for questions and a reminder that the program monitors students for four years after exit following DESE rules. Broomfield said the district will continue to refine supports and to pursue partnerships that strengthen instruction and family engagement.
