- 1. Multilingual Education in the Buffalo Public Schools July
27, 2010 Multilingual Education Community Meeting International
School #45 Tamara O. Alsace, Ph.D., Director
2. Buffalo Public SchoolsMultilingual Community Meeting July 27,
20106:00 - 8:00 p.m. International School #45
- Welcome - James A. Williams, Ed.D., Superintendent
- Greetings - Mr. Ralph Hernndez, BOE President
- Opening Remarks - Folasade Oladele, Ed.D., Deputy
Superintendent
- Presentation - Tamara Alsace, Ph.D.
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- Multilingual Department Overview
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- Committee composition and selection
3. Multilingual Education Department
- Director:Tamara Alsace, Ph.D.
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- Patrick Ferris, Title III Coordinator
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- Wilda Ramos, Native Language Arts Support Teacher
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- Ahmed Mohamood, SIFE Support Teacher
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- Joel Mercado, Language Assessment Specialist
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- Ruth Casillas, Language Assessment Specialist
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- Rocio Corts, Bilingual Guidance Counselor
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- Linda Scinta, Social Worker
4. Who are the students?
- Limited English Proficient (LEP)/English Language Learner:
Student who comes from a home where a language other than English
is spoken and who scores below the designated level of proficiency
on the LAB-R or the NYSESLAT, as set forth in CR Part 154.
5. Total BPS LEP/ELL Population2004-2010 6. LANGUAGES OTHER THAN
ENGLISHSPOKEN BY ELL/LEP STUDENTS IN THE BUFFALO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Total:73 Languages Total:73 Languages 7. 8. How are they
identified?
- Identify students with limited English proficiency and place in
appropriate English as a Second Language and/or bilingual education
programs in accordance with New York State Regulations (CR Part 117
and CR Part 154) and Federal Requirements (NCLB Title I and Title
III).
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- Home Language Questionnaire
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- Language Assessment Battery-Revised (LAB-R)
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- Language Assessment Scales (LAS-O)
9. What instructional programsdo we provide?
- Provide access to appropriate instructional programs, across
academic settings, that are grounded in an evidentiary base of
scientific research in alignment with New York State Standards and
that consider and/or include:
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- English language proficiency/literacy skills
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- Effective English as a Second Language (ESL) methodologies
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- Native language proficiency/literacy skills as required
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- Effective bilingual instructional strategies, as
appropriate
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- Bilingual education, NL support
10. What instructional programsdo we provide?
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- Effective academic interventions and support services
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- Estrellita, Language! Trophies ELL
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- Instructional materials that are culturally responsive and that
support and facilitate language development
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- Moving into English, High Point, Visions
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- Trofeos, Estrellita, Santillana
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- Inclusion in District specialized programs (e.g. vocational,
gifted, etc.)
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- Olmsted, Vocational high schools
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- Acculturation support for newly arrived students and their
families
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- Saturday Academy, Parent Academy,
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- Jumpstart, Extended School Day
11. Bilingual Education Program Sites 2005 2010 School 3 K-5 K-6
School 30 PK-8 PK-8 School 33 PK-6 PK-8 School 64 PK-K PK-4 School
76 3-8 (PK-2 @36) PK-8 High School Grover
12. Freestanding ESLProgram 2005 2010 # Elementary Schools 16 13
# High Schools 10 16 # ESL Teachers 65 83 # Teacher Aides 5 20 13.
Commissioners RegulationsPart 154 EnglishProficiency Levels Based
onNYSESLAT Grades:Kindergarten to 8Grades: Grades 9 - 12 Units
ofESL Units of ELA Units of NLA Units of ESL Units of ELA Units of
NLA Beginning 2 0 1 3 0 1 Intermediate 2 0 1 2 0 1 Advance 1 1 1 1
1 1 14. Dual Language Immersion Program Inclusion in District
specialized programs (e.g. vocational, gifted, etc.)
- Frederick Law Olmsted School
- Herman Badillo Bilingual Academy
- Native English speakers and native Spanish speakers learning
together with the goal of becoming bilingual and biliterate.
- Summer immersion program offered
15. SIFE/Newcomers
- Newcomer Center at Lafayette High School.
- Extended school day programs
Effective academic interventions and support
servicesAcculturation support for newly arrived students and their
families (Students with Interrupted Formal Education) 16.
Assessment
- Monitor progress of English Language Learners utilizing
appropriate assessment instruments, as required by New York State
regulations and as outlined in the Districts Three-Year Academic
Plan, including:
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- Yearly progress in English (NYSESLAT)
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- Literacy development in English DIBELS, theme tests, ELA
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- Literacy development in the native language (Bilingual
Programs)-IDELS, theme tests
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- Academic progress in the content areas
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- Data collection that is timely and appropriate for program
decision making
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- Title III funding .25 data specialist in 2010-2011
17. NYS ELA at or above standard 4 Year Summary Formerly Limited
EnglishProficient Students 18. BPS English Language Arts
(ELA)Limited English Proficiency Students4 Year Summary Percent At
or Above Proficiency (Levels 3 & 4)
2005-062006-072008-092009-10 19. BPS MathematicsLimited English
Proficiency (LEP) Students4 Year Summary Percent At or Above
Proficiency (Levels 3 & 4) 20. NYS Math at or above standard4
Year SummaryFormerly Limited EnglishProficient Students 21.
Outreach
- Communicate with parents/guardians and community members to
promote understanding, support, and involvement by:
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- Disseminating information in multiple languages
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- Providing translators, whenever feasible, to facilitate
face-to-face communication between families and the school
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- Contracts with Language Line, International Institute, Journeys
End
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- Providing informational sessions regarding programs,
initiatives, and academic requirements
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- Parent academies (BPS), summer orientation sessions (JERS)
22. Outreach (cont.)
- Communicate with parents/guardians and community members to
promote understanding, support, and involvement by:
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- Communicating with local agencies regarding refugee/immigrant
issues
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- Creating meaningful partnerships
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- Colleges and universities
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- Houghton, Buffalo Youth in Motion, Buffalo State Service
Learning
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- New York State Association for Bilingual Education
23. ProfessionalLearning Opportunities 2008-09 2009-10
Understanding ELLs 70 334 SIOP I 46 133 NYSESLAT 66 (ESL) 147 (all)
Native Language Arts 9 20 Part 154 Regulations 35 51 Teacher Aides
120 53 24. Council of Great City Schools Report
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- Director of Multilingual Education appointed
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- District Policy on ELLs approved by BOE
- 2008-2009 Superintendent and Board President requested review
of ELL programs.
- Review conducted April, 2009
- Report received May, 2010
- 85 recommendations in 10 areas
25. Council of Great City Schools Report
- Leadership & Strategic Direction (7)
- Goals & Accountability (5)
- Curriculum & Instruction (11)
- Program Design & Delivery System (10)
- Program & Student Placement (14)
- Human Capital & Professional Development (21)
26. CGCS Positive Findings
- ELLs benefitting from programs over time
- Strong Academic Achievement Plan
- Regular walkthroughs conducted
- Documents outlining requirements developed
- Improved registration and evaluation process
- Extensive use of data to monitor progress
- Investment in multilingual teacher aides
- Extensive professional development in literacy
- Parent Center program considered best practice
- Contract for Excellence funding targeted for ELLs
- Enrichment programs and extended learning opportunities
27. CGCS Areas of Concern
- Parents dont get information about schools in way thats
understandable
- Newcomer services inadequate
- Performance of ELLs in Buffalo lags behind state
- There is not a clear pathway towards graduation
- Programs not consistent from school to school
- Teachers and administrators have not had enough training
- Community concerned about district responsiveness to cultural
and language differences
- ELL community perceives that the district lacks mechanism to
hear its concerns on a regular basis.
- District-wide ELL advisory committee inactive
28. CGCS Recommendations (85)
- Expand community outreach efforts to improve relations with
various refugee, immigrant, and language groups
- Renew and reactivate parent advisory groups
- Articulate clear developmental sequence and pathway towards
graduation for ELLs
- Consolidate ELL enrollments into select number of elementary
schools
- Expand ELL programs in secondary schools
- Name high level team to revamp newcomer program include refugee
and community groups
- Develop strategy for increasing graduation rates
- Develop plan for translating and interpreting
29. Committee Composition
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- Live in the City of Buffalo, or
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- Have children in the Buffalo schools. or
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- Have expertise in the field (5), or
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- Refugee Resettlement Agency representatives (WNYRAC, Hope,
etc.)
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- Current BPS staff (principal, teacher, assistant)
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- Represent our top 5 language groups (BIREC, HUB, other)
(10)
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- 11% Somali (2, inc.Bantu, Somali)
30. Scope of Work and Commitment
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- Review work already done or in process
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- Examine current conditions
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- Prioritize recommendations
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- Assist in identifying and/or securing needed resources
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- Attend meetings regularly
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- Complete subcommittee work between meetings
31. Interested?
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- Tamara Alsace, Director of Multilingual Education
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- Briefletter of interest, along with resume and/or
qualifications by August 6, 2010
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- First meeting:Tuesday, August 10 th
32.