Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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ESL Orientation Center
Program Address:
627 4th Street
Sioux City, IA 51101
Phone: (712) 279-6079
Fax: (712) 279-6840
ruelasm@siouxcityschools.org
www.siouxcityschools.org

Contact Person:
Maria Ruelas
Program Coordinator
ruelasm@siouxcityschools.org

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 1985
      School/Grade Levels: Combination middle and high school site
      Program Description:
      Students who are registered for ESL at the beginning level of English, are new to the United States, and are in Grades 6–12 qualify for a Secondary Orientation Center (ELD English Level 1), a separate-site program that serves three middle schools and three high schools. The students in this program receive a theme-based curriculum that is also content-based. Emphasis is placed on helping the students to acclimate to life in the U.S. and to be successful at their middle school or high school. Most students at this level are non-readers or pre-primer readers at best. Students at this level are not able to understand many concepts in the content areas unless a hands-on, visual approach is provided in a meaningful context. Half of the day is spent in the Secondary Orientation Center and the other half at the student’s middle or high school. Middle school students are served in the morning and high school students in the afternoon. Generally, students remain in the program for two semesters.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      A newcomer is any student who recently arrives in the district and tests as needing the services of the Orientation Center. Most newcomers have been in the U.S. for less than one year. The student may have limited or no readiness skills in either the first or second language. The student’s oral English proficiency is limited. The student may have some receptive skills in English or none at all.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      The number of students that stay in school, excel, and graduate has been very good.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Urban/metropolitan
      How Families Learn of Program: They learn about the program from family members and others in the community, agencies, or the school itself.
      Students Assigned From:
      • An in-take/assessment center
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): East High School, East Middle School, North High School, North Middle School, West High School, West Middle School
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title III
      • State
      • District
      Other District Language Support Programs:
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Separate site from home school(s)
      Length of Day:
      • Half-day program: 3 period(s)
      Length of Program:
      • 1-year plus summer program
      Average Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 4 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 22 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: The results of a Home Language Survey indicate whether or not a student needs to be assessed for English Language Proficiency. Referral may also be from parent, principal, or teacher. An appointment is made with the family to register at the ESL Office at the Education Service Center. The ESL Registration team gets background on the student from the family during the registration process (i.e., complete educational history, medical information, and review of documents). Students are given the following assessments: a. Full battery (Oral, Listening, Reading, and Writing) of a standardized English Language Proficiency test appropriate for second language learners/IPT tests for placement purposes. b. An ESL informal kindergarten assessment and pre-IPT for students between the ages of 3-5. All ESL kindergarten students will take the IPT Early Literacy assessments prior to beginning school in the Fall. c. An informal Math assessment. d. Assessment in the student’s native language when appropriate. e. Other formal or informal assessments based on the student’s educational history. Students who are not fully English proficient according to the entry assessments are placed in appropriate ESL classes. Each student is assigned a proficiency level according to the initial placement testing and any other appropriate programming is determined at this time. Parents are given an explanation of the results of the assessments, placement information, and an overview of the Sioux City School District.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 54
      Age Range of Students: 11-20
      Number of Countries Represented: 8
      Most Common Countries:
      • Mexico
      • Vietnam
      • Guatemala
      • Somalia
      • Ethiopia
      Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 6
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Vietnamese
      • Urdu
      • Somali
      • Oromo
      Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 23%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 95%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English (with support in Vietnamese and Spanish)
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
      • ESL or English language development
      • Cross-cultural/orientation to the United States
      • School/study skills
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: ESL Math, Physical Education, and one of the following: Food and Consumer Science, IA Tech, Keyboarding, Art, and Music at the home schools. 3 classes of ESL: Orientation to the U.S., English, and Reading at the ESL Orientation Center
      Literacy Development Practices: Read Alouds; Guided Reading with graded reading books that are close to the students' acquisition levels; Power Point projects with oral presentations; Student-generated charts, graphs, and personal stories on the computer using vocabulary and personal writings; FLIP record and playback for reinforcement; Teacher-made and directed choral readings
      Literacy Materials Used: Scholastic Content Area Readers, Rigby Content Series Readers, Poetry Power, and other materials used for development practices mentioned above
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: 3 credits each semester: one in each course - ESL Orientation, ESL English, ESL Reading
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: There is a credit recovery program, an Academic Enhancement Center, alternative high school, and a Career Technical Track that is available to all students in the district.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Summer School is available to all newcomers who desire to attend. Attendance is greatly encouraged.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Tutoring
      5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: We have had students that have petitioned the school board for an extension to their H.S. career. Most students have been able to get enough credits for graduation if they remain in the district and/or remain in school.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      Idea Proficiency Tests (IPT), English Language Development Assessment (ELDA), and when appropriate, Basic Reading Inventory, Phonemic Awareness Test, ELD Common Assessment and Levels Tests
      English language proficiency:
      ELDA and IPT testing at the semester when appropriate
      Content:
      Informal math assessment, Observation in mainstream classroom, Portfolios, Testing within the ESL sheltered classroom subject
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      Basic Reading Inventory; Phonemic Awareness Test, when appropriate; Levels Tests; Informal observations; Running records; rubrics; ELD Common Assessment
      English language proficiency:
      IPT, ELDA, Informal ESL assessment, Portfolios; ELD Common Assessment
      Content:
      Observations, Portfolios, Classroom tests
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      Iowa Tests of Educational Development, Iowa Tests of Basic Skills
      Other assessments:
      Projects completed, use of oral and written English, and comprehension of English within the classroom construct
      Program Evaluation: Yes, this is done in our District Self-Study Guide which is available in the ESL Handbook program review by Midwest Equity Center in 2010.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
      Exit Criteria: ELDA scores, Oral and Written Language Proficiency, Iowa Tests
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: Visits to the home school are arranged.
      ESL teachers and counselors help students 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: Teachers need to have an ESL endorsement.
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 2
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School: 4
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes. Contacting families, disseminating school information to guardians
      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: We don't have specific PD just for the Newcomer Program. We do PD for the entire ESL staff /instructional assistants and sometimes for the elementary staff separately from the secondary school staff. We are presently working jointly with the Language Arts Dept. with the reading map and Question-Answer-Relationship strategies.
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      • Other: School liaison services
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      We work closely with Head Start, our Area Education Agency, and Mary Treglia Community House (a community center).
      Social Services for Families:
      Mary Treglia Community House, Health Center, Job Referrals and other agencies
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      Special orientation meetings are held at a school and parents are contacted about the times and topics of the meetings. They are also given a lot of material at the time of registration for their child. Also, mailings in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese are frequently sent to parents. Our District also uses a calling system called ParentLink to send messages about events, attendance, and services.
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Through our office on an as needed basis