District expands integrated ELD coaching, ties work to LCAP targets

Katherine Rivera, the district’s multilingual director for English learners, told the Redwood City School District Governing Board on Oct. 22 that the district is deepening its integrated English Language Development (ELD) work through multi‑cycle instructional coaching for school leaders and teachers.

Rivera said integrated ELD — instruction in which language development is taught through core content such as science and math — will be a sustained focus and is being implemented alongside designated ELD. “All students bring strengths,” Rivera said, adding that the approach emphasizes classroom talk, collaboration and meaning‑making. She described the English Learner Roadmap (adopted by the California State Board of Education in 2017) as the district’s guiding, actionable framework for measuring practice.

Why it matters: the district tied the coaching work to Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) metrics. Rivera reported the district’s LCAP target for growth on the state measure (ELPAC) is a move from a 40% baseline toward 50% meeting annual expected growth — a roughly 10‑percentage‑point stretch goal. Rivera said the program also aims to reduce the percentage of long‑term English learners and increase reclassification to fluent English proficient.

Rivera outlined the coaching model: instructional leaders (administrators and coaches) will take part in coaching cycles, while teachers participate in demonstration lessons, peer observations and debriefs. The district piloted the work last year at seven sites (including Garfield, Hoover, Taft, Roosevelt, MIT, Clifford and Henry Ford) and this year is focusing coaching capacity at Hoover, Roosevelt and McKinley (and a fourth site), citing coach availability and the need to sequence coaching with other pilot work. “We are using the EL roadmap to help create the feedback that we want to be intentional in our practices,” Rivera said.

Rivera also described assessment and monitoring changes tied to the effort: K–5 sites are piloting Language Power benchmark assessments three times per year; grades 6–8 will use Summit K12 to mirror the ELPAC and provide interim results in October and December ahead of the ELPAC in February. Rivera said the district has added second grade to this year’s coaching cycle to build earlier‑grade capacity and that an external coach, Dr. Kimberly Sagulan, is working with staff on demonstration lessons and walkthroughs.

Board members asked how sites were chosen and urged faster expansion into primary grades. Trustee Dave praised the direction and said he looks forward to midyear reporting; other trustees said they would like additional focus on TK/K and early elementary grades so students can be on track for proficiency by third grade. Rivera and staff said grant funding covers three years of professional development and that the district will continue to refine coaching moves and monitoring routines at administrative meetings.

The board received the presentation and moved on to the next agenda item.