Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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Newcomers High School
Program Address:
28-01 41st Avenue
Long Island City, NY 11101
Phone: (718) 937-6005
Fax: (718) 937-6316
77Q555PA@schools.nyc.gov
http://Newcomershs.schoolwires.net
Contact Person:
Orlando Sarmiento
Principal
osarmie@schools.nyc.gov

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 1995
      School/Grade Levels: High school site(s)
      Program Description:
      Newcomers High School provides quality education and a supportive environment for students and parents new to this country. It is a whole school with a full-day program of studies, plus an after-school program (four days per week for two hours per day)and a Saturday tutorial program. Students may enroll in Grades 9–12 and remain at the school until graduation. A unique feature of our school is that students have the opportunity to transfer to a variety of educational options and specialized programs available to high school students. The school works with each student, identifying abilities, strengths, needs, and interests and provides programs that meet these needs. There is an emphasis on learning English, developing native language skills, and obtaining academic, cultural and athletic excellence.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      Newcomer students are new immigrants, recently arrived in the United States, who have completed 8th grade in their country of origin, and for whom English is not their home language.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      All programs in our school assist students with different issues in both academic and social areas. The results of CBO (Community-Based Organizations) and other agencies in our school give our students exposure to the larger New York City community. A high percentage of our students are involved in the after-school and Saturday tutorial programs. We offer a variety of sports and clubs. Our higher GPA seniors are usually active in student government for their school year.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Urban/metropolitan
      How Families Learn of Program: Community organizations, local newspapers, local school districts, and the placement center run by New York City
      Students Assigned From:
      • More than one school
      • An in-take/assessment center
       Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title I SWP, Title III LEP
      • State: NYSTL Hardword, Textbook, Software, Library Books
      • District: Tax Levy, Fair Student Funding, Tax Levy Children
      • Private: Legislative Grants, REACH Grants, 21st Century Grants
       Other District Language Support Programs:
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Whole school (e.g., Grades 6-8 or 9-12
       Length of Day:
      • Full-day Program
      • After-school program: 2 hour(s)
      • Other: We also have a Saturday Tutorial Program.
       Length of Program:
      • More than 1-year program: 8 semester(s)
       Average Length of stay: 8 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 10 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 34 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: Students are new immigrants, recently arrived in the United States, who have completed Grade 8 in their country of origin; English is not their home language.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 930
      Age Range of Students: 14–20
      Number of Countries Represented: 40
      Most Common Countries:
      • Ecuador
      • Dominican Republic
      • Mexico
      • China
      • Bangladesh
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 40
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Chinese
      • Bengali
      • French/Haitian Creole
      • Polish
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 3%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 87%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English, Spanish, and Chinese
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
        • other: Physical Education, Music, Art, Dance, Computers
      • Content Instruction in native language(s)
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
      • ESL or English language development
      • Native language literacy
      • Cross-cultural/orientation to the United States
      • Reading intervention
      • Native language arts
      • School/study skills
      • Other courses: Media, Orchestra, Chorus, Virtual Enterprise
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: On average students are in classes for 7 hours per day: 9 hours or more of English per week; 3 hours of all other classes per week.; an additional 3–6 hours of AIS (Academic Intervention Service) classes if needed. A typical schedule includes ESL, math, science, social studies, language arts, physical education, music, and art.
      Literacy Development Practices: Reduced class size, individualized instruction
      Literacy Materials Used: Various titles for ESL Level 1 Instruction, such as Grammar Dimensions, Essay Starts, Penguin Series, Picture Stories, Stories from the Heart
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: ESL, English, Integrated Algebra, Geometry, Integrated Algebra 2/Trigometry, Earth Science, Living Environment (Biology), Chemistry, Physics, World History, American History, Participation in Government, Economics, and Foreign Language
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: Council for Unity, Journalism, Yearbook, Media Study, Virtual Enterprise, Computers, Forensics, Calculus AB/BC, AIS classes
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: Students can attend summer school, extended-day programs, and the Saturday Tutorial Program.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: After-school tutoring, Saturday-school enrichment (tutorial), summer-school enrichment, academic clubs: Math Team, Science club, Ballroom Dancing, Chess, Robotics, to name a few
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Title I
      • Health (physical)
      • Career counseling
      • Tutoring
      • Other: Health (dental)
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: All New York State students are entitled to a free public education until the June after their 21st birthday. This affords our students the opportunity to take 5 years to graduate, if needed. Note: The school, not the student is penalized for staying more than 4 years.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      Native Language Placement Exams (Spanish and Chinese) - we test for reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills.
      English language proficiency:
      LAB-R (Language Assessment Battery), English Placement exams
      Content:
      Math Placement Exams
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      NYSESLAT (New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test)
      English language proficiency:
      LAB-R test
      Content:
      School-created tests
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      All New York State Regents exams
      Other assessments:
      Teacher assessment and guidance interviews
      Program Evaluation: Yes, we continually evaluate progress towards meeting the NCLB goals (criteria). We also monitor attendance on an on-going basis since ELLs are a group considered "at risk."
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • Mainstream
       Exit Criteria: NYSESLAT
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: Orientation programs assist with articulation to high school lessons. There is a High School Fair. The ninth grade class transfers to other high schools, depending on when they were admitted.
      Guidance counselors and college office help the students make transitions.
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • GED
      • Community College
      • 4-yr college or university
      • Find a job
      • Other: Military, return to native country
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Total Number of Teachers: 70
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 70
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: Yes, they must all be properly certified by New York State for their speciality area(s).
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 0
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School:
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes. Our Parent Coordinator's responsibilities include informing the parents of all student and school-related activities, mailing translated letters to parents, notifying parents by phone through the Phone Master system, and using the parents' Website to comm
      Guidance Counselors for Program: Yes, 4
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 48
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: Spanish, French, Greek, Chinese, Bengali, Haitian Creole, Roma, English
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: The following are a few examples of our PD: Utilizing museums as a teaching resource; Teaching history through documentary film; Smartboard Basics; Podcasting; Language Acquisition Strategies/Literacy; Webzines(I & II); Sharing Best Practices & Curriculum Review to establish compliance with NYS standards
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Parent outreach
      • Native language literacy courses
      • Adult basic education
      • Adult ESL courses
      • GED
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      • Other: Some are available through the district.
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      Queens Community House - after school program and immigration services; YMCA - Youth and Government program; Met Life - Junior Achievement, Big Brother Big Sister Program
      Social Services for Families:
      Dental Clinic, Amerigroup Health, Elmhurst-Lenox Hill Hospital
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      They are made aware through the efforts of our Parent Coordinator, counselors, teachers and COSA (Coordinator of Student Affairs).
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Social service agencies contact the school and we contact them as needed.