Ana Sainz de la Pea

1
Teaching English Language Learners A Pathway to
Academic Proficiency

• Ana Sainz de la Peña
• Educational Consultant
• Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance
  Network
• Pennsylvania Department of Education

2
The Challenges to Program Improvement

• The NUMBER of Students
• Pre-K to 12
• The DIVERSITY of the group
• Linguistically and academically diverse
• The SCHOOLS
• ELLs attend schools that are failing with all
  students
• Highly Qualified Teachers
• Teachers with ESL Program Specialists Certificate
• Administrators
• Hands Off principals, superintendents and other
  
• Central Office personnel

3
  The Challenges to Program Improvement

• Parents
• Multiple languages, cultures and needs
• Community
• Multiple Community-Based Organizations with
  multiple agendas
• Resources
• Operating, Supplemental Title I, Title III,
  grants
• Policy
• Local, State and Federal

4
Change is a Process, Not an Event (Hall Hord,
2006)

• CONSISTENCY identification, testing and
  placement procedures
• CONSISTENCY Program implementation, program
  monitoring tools, Exit criteria and monitoring of
  ELLs for two years
• CONSISTENCY Professional Development Plan for
  teachers and administrators
• CONSISTENCY Working with parents and communities

5
Establishing a Sense of Urgency(Kotter, 1996)

• REPORTS EVALUATIONS and DATA
• Evaluation of Language Services to English
  Language Learners- Report of the YS Stipulations
  External Report
• Pennsylvania Department of Education Monitoring
  Report
• Test Data PSSA and SELP
• Parents and Community Information Sessions

6
Creating the Guiding Coalition (Kotter, 1996)

• Parents and Community Advisory Group
• Teachers Working Groups
• Principals Network
• ELL Educators Network
• Partners Institutions of Higher Education and
  other educational agencies

7
Developing a Vision and Strategy (Kotter, 1996)

• High quality rigorous instruction and supports
  aligned to the English language learners
  linguistic, academic, and socio-cultural needs.
• All language programs will be in compliance with
  Federal (NCLB-Title III, State (Chapter 4, 4.29)
  and Local (Y.S. Stipulations) requirements
• 4-year Strategic Plan to reach these goals.
• Data on ELL English language proficiency
  development will be shared district-wide
  Regional meetings, Principal meetings , Teachers
  Meetings and parents meetings

8
Communicating the Change Vision (Kotter, 1996)

• Internally
• Cabinet Meetings, Regional Superintendents
  meetings, Principal meetings, Central Office
• meetings, Teachers Meetings
• Externally
• Meetings with community based organizations ,
  Parents Meetings, Local Government Meetings,
  Meetings with Institutions of Higher Education

9
An organization does not change until the
individuals within it change(Hall Hord, 2006)

• ONE VOICE Intensive training for all ELL
  Specialists, Coaches, Bilingual Counselor
  Assistants and other staff who support the OFFICE
• CREATE A CULTURE of data-driven decision makers
• In God We Trust, All Others Bring Data
• Establish policies, guidelines and procedures
  that are consistent and aligned to the mission
  and vision of the OFFICE
• MONITOR, MONITOR, MONITOR

10
There will be no change in outcomes until new
practices are implemented (Hall Hord, 2006)

• Core Curriculum
• Textbooks and supporting materials aligned to the
  Core Curriculum
• Design a professional development plan that is
  targeted, intense, on-going for ESOL and all
  other teachers in schools with ELLs
• Principals need to know what works
  instructionally with ELLs

11
Empowering Broad-Based Action (Kotter, 1996)
Administration leadership is essential to
long-term change success (Hall Hord)

• Based on students needs, the Office of Language,
  Culture and the Arts restructured administrators
  and support personnel duties and responsibilities
• From ELL Academic Coach to ELL School Growth
  Specialists
• ACCESS for ELLS Data-driven decision making
• PSSA Scores analysis The LEP Student Group

12
Generating Short-Term Wins (Kotter, 1996)

• COMPLIANCE
• By 2006 98 of ESOL and Bilingual Program
  teachers attained their ESL Program Specialist
  Certificate (only 35 had it in 2004)
• The External Evaluation of 2007 found SDP ESOL
  Programs in compliance with the standards stated
  in the Y.S. Stipulations
• ESOL Programs in 149 schools have textbooks and
  other resources
• The US Department of Education and the
  Pennsylvania Department of Education Federal
  Programs Audit found our Title III programs in
  compliance

13
Generating Short-Term Wins

• INSTRUCTION
• 450 ESOL and Bilingual program teachers and 3,000
  content and classroom teachers trained in the use
  of the ESOL Core Curriculum and effective
  teaching strategies
• PSSA Scores showed gains in both Reading and
  Mathematics scores
• Reading 2002 6.5 at Proficient/Advanced
• 2008 34.8 at
  Proficient/Advanced
• Mathematics 2002 18.9 at Proficient/Advanced
• 2008 49.9 at Proficient/Advanced
• Language Immersion Programs (Spanish, Chinese,
  Italian, Arabic)
• High School Summer Programs Refugee Programs,
  ESOL Enrichment, Pre-College Intensive Reading
  and Writing Programs at LaSalle and Holy Family
  Universities

14
We need to keep in mind

• The school is the primary unit of change (Hall
  Hord, 2006)
• Consolidate your Gains and Produce More Change
  (Kotter, 1996)
• Facilitating Change is a Team Effort (Hall
  Hord, 2006)
• Anchoring New Approaches in the Culture (Kotter,
  1996)
• Appropriate interventions reduce resistance to
  change (Hall Hord)

15
Pennsylvania Department of Education Standards
Aligned System
16
References

• Carrigg, F., McCloskey, M., Pica, T., Rivera, C.
  (2004) Report of the YS Evaluation Team.
  Philadelphia School District of Philadelphia.
• Edwards, B. Fitzpatrick, K. (2002). Program
  Evaluation English as a Second Language.
  California The National Study of School
  Evaluation.
• Hall, G., E. Hord, S. M. (2006). Implementing
  Change Patterns, Principles and Potholes (2nd
  ed.). Boston Pearson Education Inc.
• Kotter, J., P. (1996). Leading Change. Boston
  Harvard Business School.
• Schmoker, M. (1999). Results The Key to
  Continuous School Improvement
• (2nd ed.). Alexandria ASCD Publications.
• School District of Philadelphia ESOL and
  Bilingual Programs Handbook (2004)
• Standards Alignment System www.pde.state.pa.us
• YS Internal Review Report ESOL and Bilingual
  Programs (2006)

17
GRACIAS

• Ana Sainz de la Peña
• Educational Consultant
• Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance
  Network (PaTTAN)
• 6340 Flank Drive
• Harrisburg, PA 17112
• [phone], ext. 3118
• 1-800-360-7282 (Toll-free in PA only)
• [phone] (Fax)
• asainzdelapena_at_pattan.net
• www.pattan.net
•  
• PaTTAN is an initiative of the Pennsylvania
  Department of Education, working in partnership
  with families and local education agencies, to
  support programs and services to improve student
  learning and achievement.
•