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Championing the Success of English Learners

Reports

WestEd Launches Report Summarizing Recommendations Corresponding to Multilingual Learners with Suspected Disabilities in California

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It can be challenging to distinguish between young multilingual learners language learning needs and the presence of a potential disability. As a result, multilingual learners are often inaccurately referred for special education services orthey miss out on the services they do require. Either scenario has lasting consequences for these children and their academic trajectories.

WestEd has recently released a report entitled “Resourcing Supports for Young Multilingual Learners with Suspected Disabilities in California: Learning Collaborative Recommendations” written by Elizabeth Burr and Jamey Burho and launched a cross-sector Learning Collaborative to promote robust instruction and accurate disability identification for young (prek through grade 2) multilingual learners. The Learning Collaborative reviewed current research and practice and developed high-leverage, actionable resourcing recommendations. This report summarizes those recommendations and outlines corresponding funding streams in three areas:

  • Learning opportunities in preK
  • High-quality Tier 1 Core Instruction in elementary settings
  • Pre-referral supports, assessment, and special education referral

Click the link here to download the report and learn more

Read Our New LCAP 2022 Report – In Search of Equity for English Learners: A Review of the 2021-2024 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs)

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A new LCAP report was released on September 22nd in collaboration with authors Magaly, Ph.D., Elvira G. Armas, Ed.D. and Sylvia Jáuregui Hodge, Ed.D., entitled In Search of Equity For English Learners: A Review of the 2021-2024 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs).  This is the fourth in a series of analysis of LCAPs focused explicitly on English Learners since the inception of the LCFF in 2013. As expressed by Martha Hernandez, Executive Director of Californians Together, “With each new review, rating and analysis, we hoped to see an improved, comprehensive focus on meeting the state policy mandates for English learners.  As implied by the title of this report, the quest for equity for English learners is still elusive.”

The review and analysis sought to answer the following question:  To what degree did districts with high percentages and high numbers of EL address the needs of the diverse English learners in their LCAPs?   

The briefing presents findings and recommendations from the report for the state, county offices of education and local school districts with a call to action to modify the current accountability system to be responsive and transparent to meet the academic and language needs of English learners. 

“These findings reveal that nine years into Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF), seven years of LCAP implementation, and two years after the exacerbation of systemic inequities by the devastating effects of the pandemic, the search for equity continues to mirror the search for “a needle in a haystack” stated Dr. Magaly Lavadenz, one of the authors of the report.

To read the full press release visit the link here.

To purchase our new LCAP 2022 report visit the link here. or to view and download the report visit the link here.

If you would like to spread the word about our new LCAP 2022 report visit our link here.

The California State Seal of Biliteracy: Summary for the 2019-20 School Year

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Even during the closures of the pandemic, families and educators were able to recognize students for their years of academic achievements. In California, 414,193 students who entered high school in 2016 earned their high school diplomas in 2020; and 51,229 of those students graduated with a State Seal of Biliteracy, a distinction that recognizes proficiency in English and one or more other languages.  

Overall, 65,622 students received the State Seal of Biliteracy in 2020, higher than any previous school year (this total includes the 51,229 recipients who entered high school in 2016 and all other recipients who graduated in 2020 but entered high school in another year).   Of these Seal of Biliteracy recipients, nearly half (47 percent) were current or former English learners. 

Mastering fluency in one of the 41 different languages represented, including American Sign Language, is a tremendous accomplishment for any student. Speaking two or more languages has proven cognitive, social and economic benefits. Bilingual students have the ability to retain and manipulate varying pieces of information, do better academically in English and their home language, have better college going and completion rates, are preferred by employers and for language heritage students maintain strong connections to their family members, language and culture. These students are our future bilingual teachers, doctors, government employees, and artists. We celebrate all students who achieve proficiency in two or more languages, especially students who walked into their classrooms not knowing one word of English.

The State Seal of Biliteracy

In 2008, Californians Together spearheaded a campaign aimed at statewide adoption of a Seal of Biliteracy. Four years later in 2012, the State of California officially adopted its State Seal of Biliteracy. Thus far, 340 school districts have adopted the State Seal of Biliteracy and encourage students to become proficient in two or more languages.

 

California’s adoption of the State Seal of Biliteracy was a remarkable triumph considering the previous 18 years of English-only instruction. That triumph was made possible by changing public and political attitudes toward multilingual education. The passage of Proposition 58 in 2016, which repealed restrictions on bilingual education, demonstrated the evolution and demand for access to multilingual programs in California. Proposition 58 paved the way for the development and adoption of a new statewide English Learner policy, The English Learner Roadmap. The EL Roadmap adopted in 2017 is a policy that supports and guides districts and schools to offer comprehensive assets-based programs including those leading to biliteracy. 

 

Additionally, in May 2018, the California Department of Education launched Global California 2030. The initiative’s purpose is to equip students with world language skills that will enable them to more fully engage with and better appreciate the rich and diverse mixture of cultures, heritages, and languages in California. This initiative calls for more than tripling the number of students earning the Seal of Biliteracy, to 150,000 graduates by 2030.

Opportunity to Expand Access

There is a need to support and encourage more students to qualify for the Seal of Biliteracy. Moreover, there is still room for improvement in ensuring that all students have equitable access to opportunities that allow them to achieve this goal. For example, 63 percent of Seal of Biliteracy recipients who entered high school in 2016 were socio-economically disadvantaged, compared to 67 percent of all graduates and 69 percent of students who entered high school in 2016 (2020 four-year graduation cohort students). 

The table below provides a breakdown by ethnicity for all students who entered high school in 2016 (2020 four-year graduation cohort student):

Ethnicity  % of Seal of Biliteracy Recipients % of Graduates % of Cohort  Students
Latino 58.8% 52.7% 54.1%
Asian 17.9% 10.1% 9.2%
White 16.8% 24.1% 23.1%
Filipino 2.3% 3.2% 2.9%
African American 1.2% 5.2% 5.7%
Pacific Islander 0.3% 0.6% 0.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.2% 0.5% 0.5%

The table shows the promise that the Seal of Biliteracy has provided to Latino and Asian students, while also highlighting opportunities to increase access to Filipino, African American, Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. 

Number of School Districts Offering the State Seal of Biliteracy

Out of the 420 school districts in California eligible to offer the Seal of Biliteracy, 340 are participating (a slight increase from 321 in 2018). It is hoped that the remaining 80 districts will adopt the Seal of Biliteracy and provide access for all students across the entire State of California.

Conclusion and Recommendations

California is moving toward multilingualism for all students. The rapid increase in the number of local educational agencies adopting the Seal of Biliteracy and the number of students qualifying for that designation is heartening. The state adoption of the EL Roadmap and Global California 2030 provides the framework for further work in elevating multilingual programs and supports the vision of a multilingual state with benefits to students and the state as a whole.

Below are recommendations to continue to support expanding access to the Seal of Biliteracy: 

  • Support 100% of California’s school districts to adopt the State Seal of Biliteracy. 
  • Have up-to-date lists of county offices, districts, and charter schools that have adopted the Seal of Biliteracy. 
  • Track and report the demographics of students who receive the Seal of Biliteracy. 
  • Expand resources for districts, schools, and classrooms to fully implement the English Learner Roadmap including multilingual programs leading to eligibility for the Seal of Biliteracy.
  • Keep the focus on Global California 2030’s goals by widely reporting on the status of goal attainment annually. 
  • Publishing and distributing informational materials for students in the lower grades to motivate them to develop proficiency in English and another language leading to state recognition with the State Seal of Biliteracy. 
  • Develop a multilingual communications campaign to reach parents of English learners to learn about the State Seal of Biliteracy and the importance and benefits of enrolling their children in multilingual programs to qualify for this recognition.
1 https://dq.cde.ca.gov/dataquest/dqcensus/CohRate.aspx?cds=00&agglevel=state&year=2019-20
2 https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/ssbeldata201920.xlsx

New Report from Californians Together Highlights the Need for School Districts to Prioritize English Learners in their Upcoming 2021-2024 Local Control and Accountability Plans

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The report offers a comprehensive review of 41 school district Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) adopted last fall as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic and highlights the need for them to prioritize English learners (ELs)—some of California’s most historically marginalized students and among the most impacted by the pandemic.

 

( VIEW / DOWNLOAD THE REPORT )

Long Beach, CA — Californians Together announces the publication of Teaching and Learning During Uncertain Times: A Review of Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans, a new report which draws upon a comprehensive review of Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs) from 41 school districts.  The report aims to inform school district decision-making as they develop their upcoming 2021–24 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs), and highlights the need for them to prioritize English learners (ELs)—some of California’s most historically marginalized students and among the most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“In reviewing these plans we were able to identify areas for improvement while also finding promising practices that we hope school districts will use as examples of what can be done. Districts have made progress toward digital inclusion and accessibility, but there are still many inequalities to address—these inequities will only worsen without meaningful commitments from educators and district leadership,” says Martha Hernández, Executive Director of Californians Together. 

In late June 2020, California replaced the 2020-21 Local Control and Accountability Plan (LCAP) with the Learning Continuity and Attendance Plan (LCP) as a response to the pandemic. The purpose was to provide information about how districts planned to invest state resources to address student learning and school safety during the COVID-19 crisis in the 2020–21 school year. The plans, which were drafted with stakeholder input and locally approved by school boards, provide a unique view of how well district approaches to distance learning this year centered equity for ELs and other students. However, while conducting the study, Californians Together did not review the implementation of the activities in the plans. 

The districts included in the study were chosen to represent a wide range of communities and settings across the state. For instance, the selected districts spanned 21 counties and enrolled 27 percent of all California K–12 students, as well as 34 percent of the state’s ELs. Californians Together reviewers rated districts’ LCPs across seven focus areas.  Each of these focus areas was broken up into three to five elements: 

 

  1. Family Collaboration
  2. Continuity of Learning for Equitable Access 
  3. Assessment and Progress Monitoring for Student Achievement
  4. Educator Professional Development (PD)
  5. English Language Development (ELD) 
  6. Responsiveness to EL Profiles
  7. Social-Emotional and Mental Health Support

 

In addition, the report contains recommendations for state policy and local implementation while highlighting what could be addressed in upcoming three-year LCAPs.

 

To read the full report visit: http://caltog.co/lcp

 

 

About Californians Together

Californians Together is a statewide advocacy coalition of powerful organizations from all segments of the education community including teachers, administrators, board members, parents and civil rights non-profit groups. Our member organizations come together around the goal of better educating 1.1 million English learners by improving California’s schools and promoting equitable educational policy.

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Media Contact: Ashley Aguirre ashley@californianstogether.org

New Report – Masking the Focus on English Learners: The Consequences of California’s Accountability System’s Dashboard on Year 4 Local Control and Accountability Plans (LCAPs)

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21007 LCAP Report Cover (1)

Our latest report Masking the Focus on English Learners questions the efficacy of the state accountability system in identifying the needs of English Learners accurately. The report states that by combining data from two English Learner subgroups (current and reclassified), the system masks the distinct needs of each subgroup and diminishes the urgency to address the numerous educational needs of current English Learners thus undermining the central equity intent of the Local Control Funding Formula. The report’s strongest recommendation is that the state discontinue aggregating the two subgroups and instead report them separately for analysis and planning.

View and Download The Report
View and Download The Executive Summary
View The Press Release

Seal of Biliteracy Update

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We are very glad to announce that we have issued the 3rd edition of our Seal of Biliteracy Information and Implementation Booklet. We hope you find this updated booklet helpful when planning to adopt and implement the Seal of Biliteracy and pathway awards.

You can download the booklet by clicking here.

Physical copies are available for purchase in our store.

We also want to share this video that LAUSD prepared which highlights their Seal of Biliteracy graduates.