Springdale reports decline in English‑learner caseload after assessment, exit changes
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Summary
District staff told the board that the number of students in English‑learner services has fallen over the past decade as more students meet exit criteria on the ELPA21 assessment and supporting measures; the presenter said the district exited 920 students last year and cited instructional alignment and assessment changes as drivers.
Dr. Fredo told the Springdale School District Board on Feb. 9 that the district’s population of students receiving multilingual services has declined over the past decade, largely because more students are meeting the state’s exit criteria and being monitored rather than serviced.
“Our monitored students are approximately 40% and we currently have about 60% that are in services right now,” Dr. Fredo said, describing two groups: students currently served and students who have been exited but continue to be monitored. He said changes in the ELPA21 assessment and state timeline adjustments — including moving some deadlines to Oct. 1 — contributed to more students being reclassified and exited from services.
Dr. Fredo said the district’s instructional alignment, professional learning and a shared data system helped raise proficiency and allow more students to exit services. He identified a notable increase in exits after the 2017 ELPA transition and said, “our past year we’ve had our highest number that we’ve had exited, 920 students, that reached full proficiency, and we were able to exit all of those students.”
Board members asked about drivers of the trend; Dr. Fredo pointed to systematic elementary‑level interventions that accelerate language growth and a modest shift in district demographics, including more second‑generation multilingual students entering kindergarten with higher proficiency. She said exit criteria require a proficient ELPA21 score plus two supporting pieces of evidence of language demonstration in content learning.
The presentation included references to district instructional frameworks, crosswalk documents and coordinated professional development for teachers; Dr. Fredo said the district aims to continue lowering long‑term service counts and ultimately reduce the share of students who remain in services for five or more years.
The board did not take any formal action on the presentation; Dr. Fredo’s materials will remain part of the board packet for further review.