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SERVING IMMIGRANTS & REFUGEES IN MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS Martha Swanson, Coordinator New Families Center Minneapolis Public Schools
WE ARE THE MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS’ FRONT DOOR FOR FAMILIES
All students are placed in school through one of our placement centers:|
New Families Center 3345 Chicago Avenue Minneapolis 55407 612-668-3700 34th St & Chicago Av
We are the warm & welcoming primary intake center for EL families
Student Placement 1250 W Broadway Minneapolis, 55411 612-668-1840 Broadway between Fremont & Girard
WHAT IS THE NEW FAMILIES CENTER ABOUT?
Our mission/role: Identify & serve English Learners
Little distinction between immigrants and refugees for our purposes
Sensitive to the potential additional needs of refugees
Recognize the potential difficulty of families’ journeys and newness in the U.S.
Treat ALL our families with kindness and patience
NFC – FUNCTIONS & SERVICES
Student Placement We speak French, Hindi, Hmong, Lao, Oromo,
Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Urdu Use interpreter service to help in ANY language School choice guidance Intake and placement for students age 4-21 Identify English Learners – place in appropriate
schools Place “Regular” education students Place Special Education students Federal settings 1 & 2 -- 3 & 4
NFC – FUNCTIONS & SERVICES (CONT.)
Health and Special Education Assessment Oral heath questionnaire – follow up on any
concerns/issues Help finding health, mental health, dental and
eye care Help finding and signing up for medical
insurance Connect parents to needed resources Alert school to any health concerns Home Visits with special education team
NFC – FUNCTIONS & SERVICES (CONT.)
Social Services Needs Assessment Connect parents to services Enroll parents and children in Medical
Assistance and other medical insurance programs
HEALTH SCREENING & OTHER SERVICES
2011
SCREENING CONTINUED…
2010
NEW FAMILIES CENTER INTAKE STEPS 1. HLQ – Home Language Questionnaire
a. “HLOTE” – Home Language Other Than English? b. HL = English, no assessment c. If any language other than English, (not
necessarily ONLY language spoken at home!) we are required by law to assess student’s English proficiency
2. WIDA / W-APT (WIDA-Access Placement Test) a. Determines ESL eligibility b. EL level determined
MDE HOME LANGUAGE QUESTIONNAIRE
[http://www.education.state.mn.us/MDE/JustParent/EngLearn/index.html]
The HLQ is embedded in all MPS intake and school request forms on paper and online.
HLQ
WIDA English assessment
given
No English assessment
HLOTE HL= English
EL=YES Placed in school based on address and capacity (as with any non-EL student)
EL= NO
Change of status can always be initiated by school
• EL Status & level entered in SIS • Test & results sent to receiving school • Placed in school with ESL (& bilingual
staff when possible) • Student’s English proficiency
reassessed annually until “exited” • Exited and waived students monitored
1 year
IF THEY COME FROM A WIDA CONSORTIUM MEMBER STATE:
www.wida.us
EL STATUS – POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Eligible (for ESL services) Determined by W-APT Student stays “eligible” until exited, or waived
or home language is changed by parent Ineligible (for ESL services) HLOTE student is assessed upon intake but
found proficient in English. The student’s school can always initiate a
“change of status” based on performance and/or progress concerns
EL STATUS – POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Waived – student with a HLOTE who is eligible for ESL
based on assessment Parent opts for the student not to receive ESL
services. Exited – Student who previously was eligible and
receiving services Has reached English proficiency based on
progress and annual assessment.
EL STATUS – POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
Declined Assessment – Student with a HLOTE - parent declines
English assessment Important for schools to see this status if
there is a HLOTE but no assessment Students with this status should not be given
the annual assessment
WHO SERVES OUR STUDENTS?
MPS has a diverse group of over 240 staff members who are bilingual and work to help our students and families communicate each day.
Almost 200 staff members are dedicated to directly serving our English Learners.
ELS & FAMILIES – MPS RESOURCES
New Families Center EL Family Outreach Liaisons (Multilingual Department) CPEO (Connecting Parents to Educational Opportunities) Family Resource Center Liaison staff Area Meetings Area & District Parent Advisory Councils Multi-lingual info lines for news & updates School Messenger Bilingual Liaisons in Special Education department
ELS & FAMILIES – SCHOOL RESOURCES
EL Programs Multilingual (ELL) Department ESL Teachers Bilingual Program Assistants
Student and Family Supports Check & Connect (High Schools) Bilingual Parent Liaisons Bilingual school office staff School Social Workers
WHY DO WE ASSESS STUDENTS WITH A HLOTE
Federal law State law
District policy
Right thing to do!
FEDERAL LAW 20 USC § 1703 (1974) Denial of equal educational opportunity [is] prohibited No State shall deny equal educational opportunity to an
individual on account of his or her race, color, sex, or national origin, by—
(a) the deliberate segregation by an educational agency of students on the basis of race, color, or national origin among or within schools;
…(f) the failure by an educational agency to take appropriate action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its instructional programs.
Source: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/20/1703
MPS POLICY 6280: BILINGUAL STUDENT EDUCATION: EQUITY AND QUALITY IN EDUCATION
“The purpose of this policy is to establish a process that ensures that students, whose first language is not English, have language learning opportunities, comprehensible instruction and materials, and academic choices within the Minneapolis Public School system. It will ensure equity in education for students who speak a language other than English by recognizing students’ native languages as an asset to be built upon and maintained for educational success. It also is a framework for compliance with state and federal law governing the education of English Language Learners. “
MPS POLICY 6280: BILINGUAL STUDENT EDUCATION: EQUITY AND QUALITY IN EDUCATION
“The Board of Education supports district programming and curriculum that promotes the accelerated academic achievement of English Language Learners, and recognizes the important role played by multilingualism in achieving academic success and future careers of Minneapolis Public School students. “
Who are our Els in MPS?
MINNEAPOLIS PUBLIC SCHOOLS EL STUDENTS
27% of Minneapolis Public School students call a language other than English their home language. The top four languages spoken, other than English, are Spanish, Somali, Hmong, and Oromo. All together, nearly 100 different languages are spoken in Minneapolis Public Schools.
Home Languages of ELs in MPS:
MPS EL FACTS & STATISTICS Almost 9,000 students are eligible for English Learner
(EL) services in Minneapolis Public Schools as of the 2014-15 school year. That's about 24% of registered K-12 students, compared to eight percent of students statewide who are eligible.
As of Spring 2015, almost 4000 Minneapolis Public Schools students were born outside the United States in one of 114 different countries around the world. Approximately 3% of all our English Learners as of 2014 are recent newcomers from another country.
93% of all English Learners qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch -- 57% of non-English Learners who qualify (as of 2013) Source MPS MLD & MDE
MPS EL FACTS & STATISTICS CONT. English Learners are students whose first language is not
English. They can also be students who have difficulty with English because they have grown up listening to another language, or students born in the Unites States who first spoke another language.
The service an English Learner receives depends on the student’s English proficiency level, previous U.S. schooling and time in the U.S., and current academic achievement level. At each proficiency and grade level, the English learning structure is tailored to students' needs.
Students' English language proficiency is assessed with the WIDA ACCESS test. This assessment is given annually to students in grades K-12 who have been identified as English Learners to monitor their progress in acquiring academic English. See the Assessment and Testing page for more information.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ELS IN MN
MN ranks 15th nationally in language diversity
65,000 English Learner students enrolled in MN schools representing 200 languages
Grown by 300% over last 2 decades
Source: MPR 12/13/2012
SCHOOL REQUEST/PLACEMENT TIMELINE
Jan 31, 2015 School Fair
Feb 28, 2015 Lottery Deadline, H5-12 Apr, 2015 Letters mailed Apr 15, 2015 High 5 Deadline May 5, 2015 Citywide Kg Registration
Aug24, 2015 1st day of School Sept 7, 2015 Labor Day - No School
Minneapolis
Zone (1,2,3)
Magnet schools
Attendance Areas
Community Schools
REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
For High 5 & Kindergarten: Birth document (birth certificate, immigration document or
passport) Early Childhood Screening Immunization record
Grades 1-8: Same as above (except screening) Grade 9: Proof of completion of 8th grade High School: Same as for grades 1-8, plus transcripts for
entering grades 10 - 12 K-12: In some cases, proof of address is required
SCHOOL SELECTION INFO ONLINE
MPS Website www.mpls.k12.mn.us MPS School Request Center (pre-K-8)
http://schoolrequest.mpls.k12.mn.us MPS High School Request Center
http://highschoolrequest.mpls.k12.mn.us School Websites http://schoolname.mpls.k12.mn.us
(example: http://lyndale.mpls.k12.mn.us) MPS Research Evaluation and Assessment Department
http://rea.mpls.k12.mn.us/ Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)
http://education.state.mn.us
MORE INFORMATION…
MPS Strategic Plan http://www.mpls.k12.mn.us/strategic_plan
MPS Multilingual Department Strategic Plan: http://multilingual.mpls.k12.mn.us/uploads/ell_strategic_plan_010412_3.pdf
MPS Bilingual Education Policy: http://policy.mpls.k12.mn.us/uploads/6280_policy.pdf
Minnesota Department of Education http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/JustParent/EngLearn/
Thank You
&
QUESTIONS?
