Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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New Comers ELD 1, Toro Canyon Middle School
Program Address:
86150 Avenue 66
Thermal, CA 92274
Phone: (760) 397-2244
ppenalber@coachella.k12.ca.us
Contact Person:
Perla Penalber
Teacher
ppenalber@coachella.k12.ca.us

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2008-2009
      Year Program Started: 2008
      School/Grade Levels: Middle school site(s)
      Program Description:
      The goal of our full-day newcomer program at Toro Canyon Middle School is to provide a positive learning environment and help transition students into the U.S. school system. We provide a self-contained setting where students are given a highly structured ELD program that integrates social studies and science and also a Pre-Algebra class that is standards based. Students generally remain in the program for one year and may attend summer school.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      Newcomers are students who have been in U.S. schools less than 1 year.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      I believe that our newcomer students are being very successful in their transition to the U.S. school system. They are provided with an environment and community of learners that reflects their own experience. Most of my students are like family and support one another in all aspects of learning (language, socialization, content, culture, etc.). They are immersed in a language program that teaches them the basic English literacy skills needed by anyone learning a new language. They are supported in all areas (cognitively, emotionally, academically) to ensure that they are successful as students.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Rural
      How Families Learn of Program: Upon registration
      Students Assigned From:
      • One school
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): Toro Canyon Middle School
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal
      • State
      • District
       Other District Language Support Programs:
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Program-within-a-school
       Length of Day:
      • Full-day Program
       Length of Program:
      • 1-year plus summer program
       Average Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 27 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: Students are recent immigrant arrivals to U.S. schools within the past year.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 27
      Age Range of Students: 12-14
      Number of Countries Represented: 3
      Most Common Countries:
      • Mexico
      • Honduras
      • El Salvador
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 2
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Tarascan (Native Mexican
      Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 40%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 100%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English and Spanish
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
      • ESL or English language development
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: 2 periods of Pre-Algebra, 1 period of P.E., 2 periods of ELD, 1 period of science, and 1 period of social studies.
      Literacy Development Practices: Phonemic awareness, letter-sound correspondence, phonics instructions and vocabulary development.
      Literacy Materials Used: High Point Basics
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: N/A
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Yes, summer school.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Title I
      • Other: Migrant Education Program
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: N/A
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      Basic Phonics Skills Test
      English language proficiency:
      CELDT (California English Language Development Test)
      Content:
      District benchmark tests
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      English language proficiency:
      CELDT, Basic Phonics Skills Test for basic reading phonics and decoding in English, High Point (state/district adopted program) selection test & unit test which assess reading comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and writing.
      Content:
      District benchmark tests for four content areas (English Language Arts, Science, Math, & Social Studies) administered in English
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      Other assessments:
      Teacher-created standards-based tests for all content areas.
      Program Evaluation: No. We have reflected on how it can be improved with the principal and leadership group and continue to refine our process.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: After completing one year, they move on to ELD 2 and mainstream classrooms that provide structured English immersion and strategies designed for ELLs.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: Students and parents are informed about the transition process. 8th Grade students enter the high school next door and are identified and placed by the English literacy coach with my recommendation and articulation between us.
      This is our first year; our literacy coach and I intend on following up. In fact, we proposed to administration that I loop up with the newcomers in 7th grade and teach ELD 2 for the fall and take any 2nd year students from the feeder schools and continue to provide instruction for them.
  • 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: Yes, they need a Crosscultural, Language and Academic Development (CLAD) certificate.
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 0
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School: 2
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: No
      Guidance Counselors for Program: No
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 1
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: Spanish
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: None specific to newcomer students
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Parent outreach
      • Other
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      New Comer staff work closely with the district/county migrant education program resource aide and California Mini-Corps tutors for the students with parents who are migrants and work in the fields.
      Social Services for Families:

      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      New Comer staff work with the school service aide and counselor to make any necessary referrals to program available in the area.
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program: