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District presents English‑learner report; middle school program shifted to daily ELA with EL teacher
Summary
District staff presented the annual Oregon Department of Education English learner report, cited statewide figures (11.5% current ELs in 23‑24), described language diversity in the district and announced a middle‑school program change: the EL teacher will teach a daily 60‑minute ELA class to provide systematic language development.
The Seaside School District presented its annual English learner (EL) report, reviewing statewide trends and local program adjustments to accelerate language and academic growth.
Kate, the district EL presenter, summarized state data — "in the year 23-24 11.5% of all students were current English learners, roughly a 100,000 students" — and described program models (sheltered instruction, pull‑out, integrated ELD). She told the board that Seaside's caseload includes students with home languages beyond Spanish, naming Thai, Vietnamese, Mandarin and Hindi among them, and that the district currently serves 13 recently arrived high school students who need intensive support.
To address slower progress at the middle school level, the district redesigned its model: instead of a push‑in support model, the middle school EL teacher will now teach an English language arts class daily for 60 minutes so EL students receive systematic, targeted language instruction every day. Kate said the district expects to measure effects in one to two years as the program change matures. She also noted Title III funding is "nominal," and that district staff are investing in teacher training so content teachers can integrate language development into instruction.
Why it matters: State and local metrics show EL students meet standards at lower rates than monolingual peers and are disproportionately affected by poverty and special education identification. Board members asked for side‑by‑side comparisons (ELA, math, graduation) to better understand district performance relative to state averages; staff said the next "at‑a‑glance" report cards and the full 20‑page report with graphs will enable those comparisons.
Next steps: District staff will prepare comparative metrics for future board discussion and monitor outcomes of the new middle‑school arrangement.
