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Championing the Success of English Learners

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EL RISE

Moving the EL Roadmap Forward

October 23, 2023 by Californians Together

The California English Learner Roadmap passed unanimously by the State Board of Education in 2017, and it marked a sea-change from previous state English learner policies. It is aspirational, principles-based, comprehensive, research-informed, and takes an assets-oriented approach toward students. From addressing every aspect of schooling that impacts English learners to embracing the language and cultures that students bring to the classroom—the roadmap represents a major break from the past.

To ensure such an aspirational policy can become a reality, the California legislature, in 2020, funded a $10 million in 3-year Educator Workforce Investment Grants for EL Roadmap Implementation. One of those grants was awarded to Californians Together for the EL RISE! (English Learner Roadmap Implementation for Systemic Excellence) partnership.

The reports and videos presented here summarize key findings from the three-year statewide capacity-building effort, share conclusions about what it will take at all levels (state, county office, local district, school sites, and classrooms) to meaningfully implement the EL Roadmap, and offer recommendations for continuing work to give life to the promise of the California EL Roadmap policy.

Read 

Moving the California English Learner Roadmap Forward: Lessons Learned From EL RISE!

This report summarizes key findings from the three-year statewide capacity-building effort, shares conclusions about what it will take at all levels (state, county office, local district, school sites, and classrooms) to meaningfully implement the EL Roadmap, and offers recommendations for continuing work to give life to the promise of the California EL Roadmap policy.

Read the report

Bright Spots: Five Districts Move the English Learner Roadmap Forward

This Bright Spots publication is comprised of selected examples that illustrate what it looks like to implement the English Learner Roadmap from TK to 12 at a district level. Although the contexts and journeys of these dive districts differ, this publication highlights visionary leadership, investments in professional learning and capacity building, and the development of district-level systems for coherence and sustainability, as common threads.

Read the report

Moving the California English Learner Roadmap Forward: The Pivotal Role of County Offices of Education

This publication tells the story of one of the Sacramento County Office of Education, and its three-year journey that would deepen understanding and ownership for addressing and embracing English learners throughout the departments and functions of the COE.

Read the report

Watch

Moving the EL Roadmap Forward – 3 minute version

Moving the EL Roadmap Forward: Vision and Principles

Azusa Unified: Moving the EL Roadmap Forward

Moving the EL Roadmap Forward at the District Level

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Filed Under: Blog, Home-Latest, Uncategorized Tagged With: county office of education, districts, EL RISE, EL roadmap, English Learner Roadmap, implementation, professional development, systems

Happy Holidays from Californians Together! ⛄

December 23, 2022 by Leo Martinez

Christmas This year has been filled with excitement and a deep commitment to supporting the needs of all English learners. We feel so grateful and inspired for your support and all of what we’ve accomplished and have had amazing opportunities in continuing our mission of championing the success of all English learners throughout California in 2022. Here are some of our accomplishments:

  • We partnered with 20 County Offices of Education across the state and served over 76% of California’s English learners. In total, EL RISE! served 547 Districts and organizations with 10,211 attendees from September 2021 through June 2022 and a total of 216 sessions were offered to administrators, teachers, counselors, school board members, parents, and community members through EL RISE!.
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  • We published five volumes of the English Learner Roadmap Implementation Guide and Toolkit for Administrators, authored by Dr. Laurie Olsen, which is designed to support administrators as they take up the challenge of leading and supporting the implementation of the EL Roadmap.
  • We released an English Learners in the Central Valley policy brief and held three listening sessions in the Central Valley to launch the development of a policy agenda to centralize the research, policy, and practice resources, and influence and shape the public narrative to reflect the diversity and assets of English learners in K-12 through higher education, and diversify the representation of English learner advocates across the Central Valley and statewide.
  • We continued to build our advocacy network by convening our third English Learner Advocacy Institute as part of our ever-growing English Learner Leadership and Legacy Initiative (ELLLI) network. Sixty teachers, parents, professors, county office and district staff, and allied organization representatives spent 4 days learning the history and lessons from the English learner movement, about current issues, and how to be an effective advocate.
  • With the Center for Equity for English Learners at Loyola Marymount University, we published a fourth review of the Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), Search for Equity for English Learners: A Review of 2021-24 Local Control Accountability Plans (LCAPs), documenting the lack of goals, actions and services to address the needs of English learners.

These accomplishments would not be possible without you and the support and collaboration of our coalition members and donors. On behalf of Californians Together we want to express our sincere appreciation for helping us focus our common efforts in seeking to overcome and transform the harms of systemic racial, language, and cultural inequity in education and closing opportunity gaps from early childhood through post-secondary education. As you celebrate these special times with the people you love, we wish to thank you for all of your continued support this past year and in years past. We look forward to building momentum from this year’s efforts in supporting all English learners in 2023!

Filed Under: Home-Latest, Uncategorized Tagged With: celebration, coalition, EL RISE, ELLLI, English Learner Roadmap, LCAP

Supporting English Learners in Learning Continuity Plans

August 27, 2020 by Californians Together

As school districts kick off the 2020-21 school year and address the challenges presented by the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, equity must be front and center. Equity in this context means that reopening plans consider the needs of the most vulnerable students and have explicit strategies and investments to ensure that opportunity and achievement gaps are not exacerbated. Given some of the gaps in access to education that have been documented from the spring closures, Californians Together recommends that districts ensure that the needs of English learners are addressed in their Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans. 

Districts have an opportunity to describe their plans for school reopenings and how they will address the needs of our most vulnerable students through the development of their Learning Continuity and Attendance Plans (LCPs), which must be adopted by September 30th. To ensure that the needs of English learners are addressed in their LCP, we encourage districts to provide a clear description and definition of the following factors. 

  1. Designated and Integrated instruction in English language development (ELD). Education Code 43503(b)(5) clearly states that distance learning shall include “Designated and integrated instruction in English language development pursuant to Section 11300 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations for English learners, including assessment of English language proficiency, support to access curriculum, the ability to reclassify as fully English proficient, and, as applicable, support for dual language learning.” LCPs must provide a clear description of how designated and integrated ELD instruction will be delivered within distance learning.
  2. Daily live interaction and synchronous learning time that all students will receive. Education Code 43503(a)(6) clearly states that distance learning shall include “Daily live interaction with certificated employees and peers for purposes of instruction, progress monitoring, and maintaining school connectedness.”  School districts should clearly define what daily live interaction will entail and incorporate expectations for synchronous learning, including the time and frequency expectations for every student, grade level, and the format. In addition, districts should describe any modifications for English learners, students with disabilities, homeless students, foster youth, and socio-economically disadvantaged students.
  3. Support that will be provided to parents and families. This support should be focused on opportunities to learn strategies to help enhance the education of their children at home. In addition, this should also include opportunities for authentic engagement that informs and has an impact on district and school decision-making. All of these support opportunities must be differentiated to ensure the engagement of families whose primary home language is other than English. 
  4. Social-Emotional Supports. Providing students with access to social-emotional supports is critical during this time of crisis. Moreover, districts should detail strategies to ensure that such supports are accessible to all students and that SEL is incorporated within instruction.
  5. Alignment and articulation between early childhood education and early elementary education, with supports for dual language learners and their multilingual families. The first five years are a critical window of opportunity for brain, language, and bilingual development. Therefore support for dual language learners and their multilingual families must start from the earliest years possible (i.e. infant/toddler programs, and preschool). Early childhood education should continue to be included within the planning process and aligned with elementary education so that students have a smooth transition into elementary education. This is of particular importance to dual language learners that can be supported in the development of both their home language and English language as early as possible.

To support districts in incorporating these factors within their LCP’s our EL RISE! Initiative (made possible with the support of an Educator Workforce Investment Grant [EWIG] to Californians Together from the California Department of Education) developed two tools aligned to the English Learner Roadmap. 

  • EL RISE! Reflection and Planning Tool for Administrators provides recommended actions organized by section of the EL Roadmap.
  • EL RISE! Learning Continuity Plans Opportunities for addressing English Learner Needs provides recommended actions organized by section of the LCP template. 

We encourage all districts, schools, teachers, and community members to review the recommendations in these resources and to continue to do what they can to close opportunity gaps for English learners. 

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For wide dissemination of the tools and the report, here are social media posts for each of the five factors:

Districts must ensure that time for integrated and designated English Language Development is provided within distance learning. @CalTog through EL RISE! has guidance to help districts develop their Learning Continuity Plans with English learners at heart. https://bit.ly/32Cwq9Y

Students deserve daily live instruction and interaction with teachers. For ELs, these interactions are integral to language development. @CalTog through EL RISE! has guidance to help districts develop their Learning Continuity Plans with ELs at heart. https://bit.ly/32Cwq9Y

During distance learning, families need help to support their children’s education at home. Supports must be available in families’ home languages. @CalTog through EL RISE! has guidance to help districts develop Learning Continuity Plans with ELs at heart. https://bit.ly/32Cwq9Y

Social-emotional supports are important for students during distance learning. These must be accessible to ELs and incorporated within instruction. @CalTog through EL RISE! has guidance to help districts develop Learning Continuity Plans with ELs at heart. https://bit.ly/32Cwq9Y

During distance learning, early childhood education for dual language learners must be incorporated. Articulation between ECE and elementary education is critical. @CalTog through EL RISE! has guidance to help districts develop Learning Continuity Plans. https://bit.ly/32Cwq9Y

Filed Under: Blog, Home-Latest Tagged With: Continuity Plans, EL RISE, English Learners, LCP

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