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Washington Unified details English Learner program growth, newcomer supports and reclassification rules
Summary
District staff told the board that Washington Unified has 1,221 current English learners and 2,814 multilingual students overall, highlighted newcomer supports and reclassification criteria, and described coaching and monitoring strategies to sustain progress.
Washington Unified presented the districtwide English Learner (EL) program update to the Board of Education on March 13, with Director of English Learners and Support Programs Stacy TR outlining enrollment, program services and reclassification criteria.
Stacy TR said Washington Unified is "currently home to 1,221 as of today English learner students" and that multilingual students number 2,814, representing nearly 40% of the district when reclassified and initially fluent students are included. She added that 29% of current ELs are newcomers (students in U.S. schools fewer than three years), about 355 students, and that 47% of the districts non-U.S.-born multilingual students were born in Afghanistan.
The presentation described supports for newcomers, including dedicated newcomer classes at Riverbank and newcomer kits for K— teachers, daily designated ELD, progress monitoring assessments midway through the year and instructional coaching for teachers. Stacy TR said 42% of EL students increased by at least one LPAC proficiency level last year, while 39% showed no change and 19% declined by one or more levels, a pattern she attributed in many cases to students moving between grade spans that make tests harder.
The board heard the districts reclassification criteria, which Stacy TR said follow the states requirements (an overall LPAC score of 4, teacher input and a parent consult) and a district-controlled academic criterion (meeting or exceeding standards on a CAASPP or local benchmark). She emphasized the districts four-year monitoring requirement after reclassification and described accommodations such as domain exemptions and an alternate LPAC for a small group of students with significant cognitive delays.
Trustees pressed on whether professional development is provided consistently across sites and whether teachers receive non-evaluative coaching. Stacy TR said coaching and instructional support are intended to be non-evaluative and that the district offers voluntary paid after-school sessions and is working to integrate training into contract time and induction so more teachers can participate.
The presentation also highlighted student research partnerships. Stacy TR introduced two River City students, Bahara Yubi and Johnny Lou, who are part of a UC Davis youth participatory action research group studying barriers to college enrollment for English Learners; the students identified financial aid as a major barrier and asked to present their findings to the board at a future meeting.
The board asked for follow-up materials on professional development schedules, exact counts by site for newcomer placements and additional detail about monitoring and coaching plans. Stacy TR said the district will update the English Learner Support Plan (formerly the EL master plan) and continue to build supplemental supports and teacher coaching.
The presentation closed with a set of next steps the district cited: expand newcomer supports, continue pilot work on ELD-aligned ELA materials, update the EL support plan and deepen partnerships with county and higher-education research partners.
