Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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International Center (Hamblen County Schools)
Program Address:
1609 College Park Drive, Suite IC
Morristown, TN 37813
Phone: (423) 585-2194
Fax: (423) 585-2197
Brenda_Dean@hcboe.net
www.hcboe.net
Contact Person:
Dr. Brenda Dean
Assistant Director of Curriculum and Instruction
210 E. Morris Blvd., Morristown, TN 37813
(423) 586-7700
Brenda_Dean@hcboe.net

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 2007
      School/Grade Levels: Combination middle and high school site
      Program Description:
      The International Center is a separate site program for middle and high school students that serves 18 schools, and includes students from Grades 4 to 12. The main goal of the Center is to help ELLs make the transition to the mainstream successfully by doing the following: • Creating a safe, secure, and nurturing environment, • Immersing students in varied and rich English language experiences that provide demonstrations of the interdependence of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, • Developing students' language abilities through the use of many different modes and technologies, • Providing multiple opportunities for students to use English to successfully interact with others as they study meaningful and challenging content across the curriculum in mathematics, science, and social studies, • Establishing ongoing communication with parents, • Collaborating with staff to promote students' academic, social, and emotional development, • Familiarizing students with their newly adopted American culture and promote citizenship, • Fostering strong family-school communication and relationships, and • Providing access to parent training and Adult Basic Education to parents. Newcomers receive a half day of ESL services at the Newcomer Center, which is located on the campus of Walters State Community College, but operated by Hamblen County Schools (TN). Elementary students attend in the morning; secondary school students in the afternoon. For the remainder of the day, students attend their neighborhood schools and are included to the extent possible in the general curriculum. This format provides maximum ESL support while allowing students to form relationships in the home school and have opportunities daily to communicate with language majority peers. Students generally remain in the program for two semesters, but may remain for up to four.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      Newcomer students are incoming students who score as "non-English proficient" on all three subtests of the IDEA Proficiency Test or who earn a 1 or 2 Composite score on the English Language Development Assessment.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      The introduction of content vocabulary and intensive reading instruction have been especially beneficial to students. The classroom teachers at the students' home schools comment that the students who have attended the International Center are much better prepared and learn much faster than ESL students who have not attended the International Center. The half day program model provides an opportunity for newcomers to develop and practice English skills, but also have the ability to form relationships with peers, teachers, staff, and administrators at their neighborhood schools.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Suburban
      How Families Learn of Program: We send a letter home, in the student's native language when possible, describing the placement into the International Center.
      Students Assigned From:
      • More than one school
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): East Ridge Middle School, Lincoln Heights Middle School, Meadowview Middle School, West View Middle School, Morristown-Hamblen High School East, and Morristown-Hamblen High School West. Also 12 elementary schools
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal
      • State
      • District
      • Other: Grant
      Other District Language Support Programs: Students who are eligible for ESL services but who do not attend the newcomer program receive ESL services in their regular schools.
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Separate site from home school(s)
       Length of Day:
      • Half-day program: 2 period(s)
       Length of Program:
      • 1-year program
       Average Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 4 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 20 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: Incoming students in Grades 4-12 who score as non-English proficient on the IDEA Proficiency Test (IPT) or who earn a 1 or 2 Composite score on the English Language Development Assessment are eligible to attend.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 40
      Age Range of Students: 9-20
      Number of Countries Represented: 2
      Most Common Countries:
      • Mexico
      • Japan
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 3
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Tarasco
      • Japanese
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 50%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 95%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English, some Spanish
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
      • ESL or English language development
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: Students typically receive 40 minutes of reading on science-related topics, 40 minutes of social studies, and 40 minutes of either math or science each day. High-school students receive credits in a science and a social studies course each semester. We choose high school courses that do not require students to take End-of-Course tests. Students are able to earn required credits toward graduation while gaining critical academic English skills. We have taught World Geography, Government and Economics, World History, Life Science, Environmental Science, and Physical Science classes. We rotate the classes so that students who attend the International Center over multiple semesters will not repeat the credits they earn.
      Literacy Development Practices: We choose high-interest/low-readability materials that our students find engaging. We typically begin a lesson by showing a PowerPoint with a variety of pictures to illustrate the facts presented in the reading. Then the reading is read aloud to students, first slowly and then at a normal rate, and students read the passage aloud both chorally and individually. Students answer questions about the reading, watch videos to facilitate understanding, and write paragraphs about what they know.
      Literacy Materials Used: We use books from American Education Publishing, Access: Building Literacy Through Learning series, and materials from Enchanted Learning, EdHelper.com, Discovery Education, and other Internet resources.
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: Life Science, Environmental Science, World History, U.S. Government, Economics, Geography, World Geography
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: Students who fail a class can take credit recovery classes in the summer in order to earn credit for that class. However, it is our policy not to fail any student on the basis of language proficiency.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Only programs offered by the schools themselves are available; the International Center does not offer these programs.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Title I
      • Special Education
      • Tutoring
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: The International Center does not offer a specific program path, but the high schools themselves may. Because students get credit for some science and social studies courses at the International Center, it eases their path to graduation.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      Teacher-created assessments, IDEA Proficiency Test (IPT), English Language Development Assessment (ELDA)
      English language proficiency:
      IDEA Proficiency Test, English Language Development Assessment
      Content:
      Teacher-created assessments
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      Teacher-created assessments, IDEA Proficiency Test, English Language Development Assessment
      English language proficiency:
      IDEA Proficiency Test, English Language Development Assessment
      Content:
      Teacher-created assessments
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      Yes. All students are required to take the math, science, and social studies standardized tests. Students who have been in U.S. schools for more than one calendar year must also take the Reading/Language Arts test.
      Other assessments:
      Informal ongoing assessments
      Program Evaluation: No
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: Students transition out of the International Center when they classify as "limited-English proficient" on the IPT or earn a 3 or higher on the ELDA. Some students may be transitioned out with a lower score if all teachers involved feel that the student is ready.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: No measures specifically, although all ESL teachers at the home schools serve as resources for the students and talk with their classroom teachers to ensure an easy transition. All students attend their home school for half of the day while they also attend the International Center.
      The ESL teacher helps students transition into the regular education program, and guidance counselors at the home schools help the student transition into postsecondary options.
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • Technical or Trade School
      • Community College
      • Find a job
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 0
      Total Number of Teachers: 4
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program:
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 0
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School:
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: No
      Guidance Counselors for Program: No
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 2
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: Spanish
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: SIOP Model
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Parent outreach
      • Orientation to USA
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      The initial funding for the center was as a result of broad-based collaborative among the following: Niswonger Foundation, Walters State Community College, Jefferson Charitable Foundation, Hamblen County Government, Morristown City Government, Garcia Labor, and the Hamblen County School District. Douglas Cherokee Economic Authority has been a partner in providing materials and equipment, as well as adult ESL classes for parents.
      Social Services for Families:
      Health services
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      We have held Open House evenings for parents of our students at the International Center, and we distribute information regarding English classes for adults, health services, and other resources available in Spanish in the community.
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Some agencies have been our partners since the beginning so they know the program well.