Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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Newcomer Center
Program Address:
1709 High School Road
Chapel Hill, NC 27516
Phone: (919) 967-8211
Fax: (919) 918-7096
jnambo@chccs.k12.nc.us
www.chccs.k12.nc.us
Contact Person:
Jose Antonio Nambo
ESL/ Dual Language Coordinator

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 2008
      School/Grade Levels: High school site(s)
      Program Description:
      The Chapel Hill Newcomer Center is a full-day, program-within-a-school that serves three area high schools. The program is located at Chapel Hill High, offering a one class setting for high school students. The newcomer program provides intensive courses in English language development and content instruction through ESL strategies. The staff incorporate into their instruction new student orientation and information on the U.S. culture and on the school community. They also explain what the expectations are in a traditional school setting. Students may remain in the newcomer program for up to three semesters.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      A newcomer is a student that has enrolled in a U.S. school within the last school year and has experienced interruption in his/her formal educational experience.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      Support from school district; commitment from newcomer staff; support with materials (books, software, technology)
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Suburban
      How Families Learn of Program: Information is provide at International Welcome Center when students are being tested with the English language proficiency test (W-APT); Students can be referred from home school through their administrator, counselor, or ESL teacher.
      Students Assigned From:
      • More than one school
      • An in-take/assessment center
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): Chapel Hill High School, East Chapel Hill High School, Carrboro High School
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title III
      • State: limited English Proficient funds
      • District: local school district funds
       Other District Language Support Programs: The regular ESL program
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Program-within-a-school
      • Separate site from home school(s)
       Length of Day:
      • Full-day Program
       Length of Program:
      • Other: 2-year program
       Average Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 3 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 10 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: New arrivals to U.S. schools; low English language proficiency; interruptions in formal education; recommendation from home school (if applicable), parent consent
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 31
      Age Range of Students: 11-20
      Number of Countries Represented: 3
      Most Common Countries:
      • Myanmar (Burma)
      • Mexico
      • Thailand
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 3
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Karen
      • Burmese
      • Spanish
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 100%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: %
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
      • ESL or English language development
      • Cross-cultural/orientation to the United States
      • Career/vocational education/apprenticeships
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: About 60% of the day is spent with the Newcomer teacher. For the rest, students participate in electives, like P.E., or community programs. Some community organizations are contracted by the school to come in and teach specialized classes like drumming, storytelling, and arts fairs. High school newcomers have electives at Chapel Hill High.
      Literacy Development Practices: Interactive read aloud; interactive writing; writer’s workshop; shared reading; literature-based instruction
      Literacy Materials Used: Benchmark Education Company; National Geographic School Publishing; Hampton-Brown
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: N/A
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: P.E., ESL 1, other electives they might take
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: Yes, PLATO Learning credit recovery.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Yes, students will qualify for summer school when it is made available in our district. Most newcomers (about 95%) are able and do participate in the districtwide novice ELL summer school program. However, this is not a specialized Newcomer program, just an ESL program.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Special Education
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: Our goal is to help students graduate in four years but some need more time. They may remain in high school until age 21. If older students need to leave before graduation, we work with them to develop a plan to continue their education.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      None
      English language proficiency:
      W-APT
      Content:
      None
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      None
      English language proficiency:
      ACCESS (WIDA)
      Content:
      None
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      N/A
      Other assessments:
      Teacher-made assessments
      Program Evaluation: We plan to evaluate throughout the year to improve the instruction and process for students.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: Teacher will review progress that a student has completed so they can meet with coordinator and receiving ESL teacher at home school.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: We facilitate visits to home school and have students meet with home school counselor and ESL teacher.
      ESL teachers and counselors at home school help with transitions.
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Total Number of Teachers: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: ESL certification
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 1
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School:
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes. Provides support to students and families with basic needs (e.g., medical appointments, basic food, clothing supplies).
      Guidance Counselors for Program: Yes, 5
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 2
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: English, Spanish, Portuguese
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: Our district continues to search for appropriate professional development for newcomer staff.
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Orientation to USA
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      County Health department - medical services coordination, completion of medical data for continued participation in school
      Social Services for Families:
      Lutheran Family Services (LFS) of NC provides services to some refugee families; United States Council of Refugee and Immigrants (USCRI) also provides some support to some of our refugee families.
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      Many of our newcomer students are refugees and they are resettled through these agencies (LFS & USCRI).
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Electronic lists and community round table meetings