Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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Oakland International High School
Program Address:
4521 Webster
Oakland, CA 94609
Phone: (510) 879-2142
Fax: (510) 879-2143
Carmelita.Reyes@ousd.k12.ca.us
http://oihs.blogspot.com/
Contact Person:
Carmelita Reyes

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2008-2009
      Year Program Started: 2007
      School/Grade Levels: High school site(s)
      Program Description:
      Oakland IHS is a small, public 4-year high school. All our teachers are trained in the Internationals Approach, which allows students to develop their English skills (reading, writing and speaking) through content classes while addressing state standards in the content area. This is in contrast to the traditional model of newly arrived immigrants attending only one class of target English language instruction. At OIHS, they are receiving English language instruction in all classes. All teachers receive professional development and coaching to support language development in their classes. The Internationals model groups students heterogeneously by language, skill, English development, and grade level. Grouping them heterogeneously enables the students to teach one another and learn from one another. We believe these groupings provide crucial support for struggling students and benefits all students. The Internationals model creates structures and master schedules that allow for deep relationships to develop between students, teachers and families. A team of 5 teachers shares 100 students who are divided into 4 cohorts. Cohorts of students move together from class to class. Students and teachers remain on the team for 2 years. Teachers on the team are responsible for the academic performance and emotional health of their students. They work together to create curriculum and interventions (academic and behavioral) that will support the students on their team. International schools have a required internship program. It requires students to work as an intern, but the project is linked to their academics. During or after the internship, students compile a written project or research paper. The internship opportunity helps students with career research. Most students enter the school in 9th grade and remain through graduation. The International schools have a strong record of having students graduate and participate in postsecondary education.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      Newcomers are new immigrants who have been in the U.S. for 4 years or fewer, and are not proficient in English language.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Urban/metropolitan
      How Families Learn of Program: District, school outreach, refugee and immigrant organizations
      Students Assigned From:
      • An in-take/assessment center
       Funding Sources:
      • Federal
      • State
      • District
      • Private: Foundation and grant support
       Other District Language Support Programs: Comprehensive high schools have English language development programs.
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Whole school (e.g., Grades 6-8 or 9-12
       Length of Day:
      • Full-day Program
       Length of Program:
      • More than 1-year program: 8 semester(s)
       Average Length of stay: 8 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 8 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 22 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: Less than 4 years in the U.S.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 200
      Age Range of Students: 14–20
      Number of Countries Represented: 25
      Most Common Countries:
      • Mexico
      • China
      • Burma
      • Nepal
      • El Salvador
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 23
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Chinese
      • Karen
      • Nepali
      • Arabic
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 25%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 92%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
        • other: Art, Computers
      • ESL or English language development
      • Career/vocational education/apprenticeships
      • Reading intervention
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: English, math, science, history, elective, advisory - 65 minute periods
      Literacy Development Practices: The Internationals Approach (Internationals Network to Public Schools) is the following: Integrating language and content is connected to experiential learning and to collaboration. Providing students with rich experiences and tangible, hands-on ways to access materials builds their knowledge of a content area and provides a need to develop the language to explain the acquired knowledge. Language in this sense is an outgrowth of content. However, when small groups negotiate the meaning of the content and clarify understanding, the language becomes a vehicle for deepening content comprehension. In order to discuss the content effectively, teachers need to provide support for students to develop the necessary vocabulary and language structures. These are acquired through multiple opportunities to apply them in conversations and activities (redundancy). Grammar is taught in the context of learning content (e.g. the past tense is taught because students need to discuss something that happened in the past for a particular project). Language is not taught as a goal in and of itself, but as a means to improve understanding of the content.
      Literacy Materials Used: Please see this Website: http://www.internationalsnps.org/our-philosophy/our-philosophy-language-and-content-integration.html
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: English, math, science, history, advisory
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: Art, physical education
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: No, the language level is too difficult.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Summer school
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Title I
      • Special Education
      • Health (physical)
      • Health (mental)
      • Tutoring
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: Yes
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      San Diego Quick, SRI, CELDT
      English language proficiency:
      San Diego Quick, SRI, CELDT, OIHS Writing Assessment
      Content:
      OIHS Math EL Assessment
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      San Diego Quick, SRI, CELDT
      English language proficiency:
      San Diego Quick, SRI, CELDT, OIHS Writing Assessment, portfolio presentation
      Content:
      Project mastery, portfolio
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      CELDT, CST, CAHSEE
      Other assessments:
      Portfolio
      Program Evaluation: N/A
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into: Exit Criteria: Students transition out of the program when they graduate.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: College trips, dual enrollment in community college
      Counselor, advisor
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • Adult Basic Education
      • Community College
      • 4-yr college or university
      • Find a job
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Total Number of Teachers: 17
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 13
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: ESL endorsement with the following qualifications: - Evidence of capacity and willingness to carry out the above duties and responsibilities, including teaching another subject area, elective, and/or advisory; - Experienced CA licensed certified teachers in appropriate subject areas; - Willingness to commit to the school’s mission and educational philosophy; - Experience working with a heterogeneous English language learner population; - Demonstrated ability to plan lessons that incorporate a wide range of instructional strategies including: interdisciplinary, project-based, ESL methodologies, and cooperative learning; - Demonstrated ability to collaborate with peers to design and implement curriculum; - Demonstrated respect for immigrant rights and a willingness to act as an advocate; - Has had experience living, working or studying abroad or demonstrates some cross cultural experience; - Preferred proficiency in a language other than English.
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 0
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 1
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School:
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: No
      Guidance Counselors for Program: Yes
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages:
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: Spanish, Vietamese, French, Chinese, Polish, German, Japanese, Korean, Hindi, Portuguese
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: Many strategies are covered (e.g. curriculum critiques, best practices).
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Parent outreach
      • Orientation to USA
      • Native language literacy courses
      • Adult basic education
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      Yes, the program has established partnerships with the community that include refugee transitions, soccer without borders, bacsac, bayvac, Otx-west, East Asian Mental Health, IRC, CYO, and Girl’s Inc. These organizations bring services into the school.
      Social Services for Families:
      Refugee, mental health, gang intervention, tutoring, and free computers
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      Through school meetings and parent conferences
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program: