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District highlights EL and side‑by‑side special‑education lessons in Titan Spotlight
Summary
CSI coach Olivia Esinger described district professional development for EL teachers and an ongoing book study; Brooke Plesi and Coach Val described a side‑by‑side approach pairing general‑education English with special‑education study‑skills classes, reporting positive feedback and district interest from other schools.
At the board meeting’s Titan Spotlight, district coaches described instructional work aimed at English Learners and students receiving special education.
Olivia Esinger, a CSI coach, summarized supports for the EL program and said the district has offered focused professional development for EL teachers Wendy Divine (K–5) and Tiffany Spennis (6–12). "Our hope is that next year we can have a lot more strategies to share with the staff," Esinger said, describing a current book study on language and literacy strategies. She said teachers have given positive feedback on classroom strategies and ongoing coaching support.
Brooke Plesi described a "side‑by‑side" curriculum at the middle and high school levels that pairs the regular English curriculum with study‑skills support provided by special‑education teachers; she said students report feeling more prepared and comfortable participating in general‑education classroom discussions after pre‑teaching and scaffolded support. Plesi and high‑school special‑education teacher Val Lindseay Hous presented the concept at a special‑education conference and have had other districts reach out to learn from their model.
Board members asked several clarifying questions about interim testing and implementation; coaches described using state interim items to target reteaching and to build student confidence. The spotlight segments concluded with appreciation from the board.
