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Upper Adams SD presents K–12 ESL curriculum, describes service model and student caseload
Summary
District ESL staff told the curriculum committee they serve about 135 multilingual learners across K–12, outlined push‑in and pull‑out instructional models, and said the district uses a multistate consortium’s standards and state‑set criteria for entry and exit from the program.
Megan Toller, the district’s ESL department chair, told the Upper Adams School District curriculum committee that the district is presenting a K–12 English‑as‑a‑Second‑Language curriculum for the committee’s review and described the program as an ongoing, iterative document rather than a one‑time, fixed plan. “Our mission is to empower multilingual learners by providing access to high‑quality instruction that fosters academic achievement through language development,” Toller said.
Toller said the ESL team includes seven staff members with a combined roughly 90 years of experience and that the district has adopted standards and assessments from a multistate consortium the presentation named as “WEDA.” She said 42 states participate in the consortium and that Pennsylvania retains authority to set the criteria for entry into and exit from the local program.
The presenters said the district’s ESL program currently serves 135 students across K–12, with approximate enrollment counts of 57 in grades K–3, 40 in grades 4–6, 9 in grades 7–8 and 29 in grades 9–12; presenters emphasized those numbers fluctuate as students move into and out of the district. “These numbers are in flux depending on students moving into the district, students moving out of the district,” Toller said.
Teachers described how services are delivered. Lisa Small, who works with kindergarten and first grade, said instruction emphasizes letters, letter sounds and high‑frequency words and that language‑function lessons are taught through unit themes. Toller and other teachers described second‑ and third‑grade instruction focused on compound and complex sentence structure and beginning paragraphs; teachers said pull‑out groups typically last about 30 minutes and that staff provide additional in‑class “push‑in” support in content areas such as math and science.
Several staff members described working closely with classroom teachers to build background knowledge and confidence so English learners can participate fully in grade‑level content. The presenters noted most current students are Spanish‑speaking but said the program serves students who speak other languages at times (one speaker cited a student from Micronesia). Teachers also shared success anecdotes about students’ language growth and classroom participation.
Toller invited the board to a Title III family engagement night on April 24 at Oakside (5–7 p.m.) and said translators would be available. The presentation packet and curriculum documents were available for committee members to review in the district’s agenda manager.
No formal vote or motion on final adoption of the ESL curriculum was recorded in the transcript excerpt.
