San Bernardino USD cites rising EL graduation and A–G rates as multilingual programs expand

San Bernardino City Unified School District officials on Wednesday told the board that targeted English learner (EL) supports and expanded dual-language programs have led to measurable gains in graduation and college-preparatory course completion.

Multilingual programs director Anna Applegate said the district has seen steady gains across several metrics and noted the district’s early exit from a Department of Justice settlement tied to EL services. “Because of the efforts of our multilingual programs department, we were able to exit early,” Applegate said, thanking site leaders and staff for the work that produced the results.

Directors described a multi-pronged strategy that includes program specialists who coach teachers at sites, English learner facilitators and educational assistants who follow newcomer students, three high-school EL counselors at sites with the heaviest newcomer populations, and a language assessment center that oversees identification and placement. Those centralized and site-deployed resources, officials said, are designed to combine academic rigor with legally required EL instruction.

The district reported progress on two hard-to-move indicators. Officials said the A–G completion rate for EL students roughly doubled in two years, rising from about 13.9% to roughly 28.5% in the most recent measures. Leaders also cited steady growth in graduation rates and reclassification — the process that removes a student’s EL classification after they meet state proficiency and academic benchmarks.

“We are not simply teaching English,” said Mr. Aosa (multilingual program director). “Our chief goal is academic success. That means A–G and graduation — and the data shows our students are making progress.”

Presenters described how the district uses both integrated and designated ELD (English Language Development) instruction: integrated strategies to help EL students access core subject instruction and separate, protected designated ELD time where students practice the four language domains (listening, speaking, reading and writing).

Officials highlighted the district’s scale of dual-language work: 28 schools offer a dual-immersion pathway K–12, and Belvedere Elementary hosts a tri‑lingual program in Spanish, Vietnamese and English. For high schools, the district runs newcomer academies at two sites — self-contained cohorts that give very recent arrivals sustained, intensive support across core classes.

Reclassification, the district said, follows the state’s ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessments for California) requirement plus academic performance benchmarks. Program leads described monthly monitoring of reclassification candidates and site-level efforts to increase timely parent consultation and teacher evaluations that factor into decisions.

The district also celebrated growth in the California State Seal of Biliteracy pathway: officials said last year 716 graduates earned the state seal and that 14 students earned the state’s tri­lingual seal. The district’s Pathway to Biliteracy recently received a Golden Bell award from the California School Boards Association, district leaders said.

Student testimony underscored the human side of the data. Royal Valley senior Crystal Yanes, herself a Seal of Biliteracy recipient, told the board that bilingualism gave her “a voice” and described family sacrifices and school supports that helped her succeed.

Board members praised staff, parents and program partners, and asked staff to return follow-up materials with numeric details (counts as well as percentages) on reclassification and the district’s plan and costs to expand EL counselors to additional high schools. Directors said a Friday update will provide more granular numbers and that any expansion will depend on budgeting and staffing feasibility.