HispanicTrending

December 20, 2009
By Sara Schilling

A couple of teacher's aides used to be enough to serve all the Finley School District students who needed extra help because they were still learning English.

But about five years ago the small district hired an additional staff member — a full-time teacher — because that group of students kept growing.

More and more districts across the state are seeing that kind of shift in student demographics. As a result, school leaders are delving into research and adjusting staffing and teaching methods to find the most effective ways to reach all their students.

"Whatever we do to help these kids helps all kids" because instruction improves, said Barbara Donaldson, special services manager for Finley schools.

The number of students in the district who qualify for bilingual services based on their performance on a state assessment has doubled in the last five years, from 50 to 60 students to about 120 students.

Athena Pelly, the district's English as a second language teacher, works with them, helping to bolster their language and literacy skills through various exercises and activities.

Two teacher's aides help and the team works with Finley students in kindergarten through high school.

Other Tri-City districts also have seen growth in this student group.

In the Columbia-Burbank district, 7.7 percent of students qualified for transitional bilingual services in 2003-04, compared with 8.6 percent in spring 2009, according to state data. (Overall student enrollment declined during that time period).

The Kennewick district saw a jump from 8.6 percent of students in 2003-04 to 10.7 percent last May, the data said. Statewide, that group of students grew from 6.9 percent of the total school population to 8 percent in the same period.

It's been a different story in the Richland School District. The percentage of students needing bilingual help fell from 2.8 percent to 2.2 percent between 2003-04 and last year, state data shows.

But Richland has seen growth in the number of students from low-income families — from 22 percent to nearly 30 percent of all students during that time period. The growth is something district leaders are watching closely, and "we'll continue working hard to serve (those students') needs," said Mike Kirby, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.

Research shows students in poverty and those who are learning English as a second language often struggle more than their peers and need extra support. The achievement gap exists across the country.

It's not because the students aren't as smart or capable as their peers, but because they generally face more obstacles, officials said.

For example, a student from a low-income family might not get as much help with homework because his or her parents are working long hours to make ends meet. And parents who don't speak English can't always help with assignments in that language.

Figuring out ways to help these students is good for all students, officials said. Teachers learn more effective methods that can be applied to different classes and instruction can be sped up because fewer kids are behind.

The Pasco School District hasn't seen its demographics change dramatically over the last few years, but it already had far more students living in poverty and learning English.

The district is having success narrowing the achievement gap, especially among English language learners. Several strategies and programs are in place, including what's called a "late-exit transitional bilingual" model, said Superintendent Saundra Hill.

In that model, students who aren't proficient in English learn core subjects like math in their primary language while also getting English instruction. As they become more proficient in English, the language proportion flip-flops.

The strategies and programs used by the district are research-based, Hill said, and data show they seem to be working.

For example, in spring 2009 more than 90 percent of 10th-graders who learned enough in the eyes of the state to exit the bilingual program after initially coming to Pasco knowing little or no English passed the state writing test. Nearly as many passed the reading test. Both results beat the state average.

The trend was similar for students who came from homes where a language other than English was spoken. Pasco's graduation rates also were at or better than the state numbers in most categories in 2008, according to district information.

Pasco teachers and other officials work hard because "we want these kids to graduate and select their futures from positions of academic power and personal confidence," Hill said. "That's our vision and our goal."

Pasco and other districts — like Finley — also have programs to engage parents and help them become more involved.

In Finley last week, Pelly, the ESL teacher, worked with a small group of second-graders on their writing. Most of her students come from homes where Spanish is spoken, although she also has native Russian and Ukrainian speakers.

Since winter break was coming, Pelly had the kids break into pairs and write their own versions of the Frosty the Snowman story. The kids giggled as they talked about Frosty riding a four-wheeler and goofing around.

One little boy was trying to write about the snowman's hat, but he got stuck spelling "magical." Pelly helped him sound it out.

She said she likes working with students learning English because she's been in their shoes. In middle school, she lived for a while in Germany and didn't speak the language.

It's rewarding to see her students learn and improve, she said. "Every year (the number of students needing bilingual services) goes up, but every year we exit more students than ever before," she said.

Source: The News Tribune