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Multilingual learners report: district serves 111 students; ACCESS growth steady but proficiency lags district averages
Summary
Multilingual learners teachers told the Greendale School Board the district serves 111 multilingual learners across 23 languages with 6.2 FTE staff; ACCESS growth is steady but proficiency for ML students lags overall district rates, and the board pressed staff on family disclosure and staffing capacity.
Jen Schultz, a multilingual learners teacher at College Park, and Amy Melik, the district’s high-school ML teacher, presented the district’s approach to screening, programming and assessment for students who speak multiple languages.
"We have 111 students that are multilingual learners," Amy Melik said, noting families in the district report more than 23 home languages. Staff described screening that begins with a home-language survey, use of the WIDA screener when prior ACCESS scores are not available, and the annual ACCESS assessment conducted in December–January to create proficiency placements and monitor growth.
The presenters described service delivery as a mix of push-in and pull-out models: newcomers receive at least 30–50 minutes a day of direct English instruction, and most ML students (about 60%) are served through an integrated model where ML teachers co-teach or coach content teachers. Melik said the district currently has 6.2 full-time-equivalent ML staff spread across buildings.
On outcomes, staff reported that about 73% of ML students were in the high or typical growth ranges on ACCESS growth measures across two recent years, but proficiency measures remain below district averages. "For ELA, multilingual learners were proficient or advanced at about 46.4%, compared with roughly 68.1% districtwide," Melik said. Comparable gaps were reported in math (about 48.1% for ML students vs. 68.7% overall).
Board members pressed staff on data quality and family participation. A board member noted a table showing "003%" and asked for clarification; presenters acknowledged a transcription or report error and corrected the intended percentage. On family disclosure, Melik said some families choose not to identify other languages on enrollment forms and that staff will reach out when teachers observe signs of another home language.
On consent and data sharing, presenters said families must consent to district-provided services, and that information reported in the student information system is shared with the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction for state testing and data collection. "We reach out to families and give them the option, but ultimately it is the family's choice to disclose," Melik said.
Board members asked how limited staffing affects co-planning and pull-out frequency; presenters described participating in PLCs and meeting with teachers in planning time to coordinate instruction and pull small groups as needed.
The board did not take action on the report; members thanked the ML teachers for their work and asked staff to continue monitoring outcomes and family engagement practices.
