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Urbana SD 116 reviews multilingual program growth, newcomer supports and biliteracy plan
Summary
District multilingual staff and bilingual parent leaders reported increased emergent‑bilingual enrollment, described newcomer intake and family supports, and outlined curriculum and assessment changes aimed at strengthening biliteracy across grades.
Lupe Rone, director of multilingual programs for Urbana School District 116, told the school board the district now serves more than 1,000 emergent bilingual students across 69 countries and 51 languages and described new intake and family‑support systems for newcomers.
Rone said staff and parent leaders are focusing on practical barriers—transportation placement delays, unclear pickup/drop‑off safety, access to culturally relevant food and clothing, and locating gender‑neutral restrooms at the high school—and on curriculum work to increase bilingual outcomes. “All multilingual learners will receive support to develop fluency and literacy skills in English,” Rone read from the department mission, adding the district is expanding native‑language instruction and vertical alignment from early childhood through high school.
Why it matters: the district’s English‑learner population has more than doubled in the past decade, staff said, creating pressure on bilingual…
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