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Chesterfield schools report more than 10,000 English learners, project need for 320 ESL teachers by 2026
Summary
CCPS leaders told the school board that the division now counts over 10,000 English learners speaking more than 100 languages, outlined identification and exit rules tied to the WIDA ACCESS assessment, and said Title III grants total about $775,000 this year while projecting a need for roughly 320 ESL teachers by SY2026.
Dr. Spurlock and Tara Jenkins presented an update on Chesterfield County Public Schools’ English Learner (EL) programs at the board’s March 11 work session, citing more than 10,000 students in the EL cohort and representation from over 100 languages.
“Our vision is clear and powerful: every English learner, always and in all ways,” Dr. Spurlock said as she framed the division’s approach to language instruction and holistic student support. Jenkins, CCPS’s ESL coordinator, reviewed screening and placement procedures and federal identification requirements.
Jenkins told the board that federal criteria define an English learner as a student (ages 3–21) whose native language is other than English and whose difficulties with English may deny them the ability to meet the state’s proficiency standards. CCPS aims to assess new students through the Welcome Center within 30 calendar days at the school year’s start and within 14 days thereafter. Screening begins from the home language survey and uses state-approved instruments administered by intake staff.
The division uses the WIDA ACCESS assessment for annual proficiency measures and as the exit assessment; Jenkins said an ACCESS score of approximately 4.4 or higher has been used as an exit benchmark. Officials noted pandemic-era declines in EL proficiency but said scores are trending upward toward VDOE benchmarks.
CCPS described three instructional models in use: newcomer programs for recently arrived students with low proficiency, targeted small-group or one-to-one language instruction, and content-integrated supports (co-teaching or dual-endorsed teachers) to focus on academic language across subjects. The division said it adopted a differentiated staffing model in FY2020 and now projects a need for roughly 320 ESL teachers by SY2026 to meet rising enrollment.
Board members pressed staff on accessibility and funding details. Jenkins said federal Title III funds total about $775,000 this year, split into roughly $734,000 for limited-English-proficiency funding and about $41,000 for immigrant-youth funding; she emphasized Title III is supplemental and targeted toward services such as family engagement, tutoring and instructional coaching. The presenters said translation and interpretation services use a mix of internal staff and third-party vendors, with certified in-person interpreters used selectively where available.
The board’s questions focused on how the division adapts to midyear increases in EL enrollment, the adequacy of interpreter staffing, and whether meeting materials and meetings can include closed captioning. Jenkins said service-minute data and intake procedures help the division anticipate staffing needs; on interpreters, she said in-person credentialed interpreters are preferable for certain conversations but remote vendor services provide sustained access when in-person staff are not available.
The division plans continued professional learning (including SIOP/SCOP practices), recruitment partnerships with universities, expanded international transcript evaluation and family engagement events targeted at top languages. Board members thanked staff for the update and raised accessibility, staffing and funding as follow-up priorities.
The presentation materials referenced federal requirements and CCPS performance-framework scoring but did not include an exact operating-budget percentage for Title III; staff provided dollar figures above rather than a share of the operating budget.
