Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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The Newcomer Center
Program Address:
2121 S. Goebbert Rd.
Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Phone: (847) 718-7937
Fax: (847) 718-7956
norman.kane@d214.org
http://www.d214.org/schools/newcomercenter/index.htm
Contact Person:
Norman Kane
Director of Newcomer Center/District ELL Program

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 2002
      School/Grade Levels: High school site(s)
      Program Description:
      The Newcomer Center is a separate site, full-day program serving six district high schools. The center is the initial site for immigrant students who come to District 214 and is designed to meet their learning and acculturation needs. It provides a flexible program of instruction combining comprehensive diagnostic and placement assessment, intensive English language and content instruction, and counseling with a strong emphasis on helping students make the transition to their home high schools. Students generally remain in this program for two semesters.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      Newcomer students are (1) are recent arrivals to the United States, (2) are at a beginning level of English fluency, and 3) might have gaps in their formal education.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      The small community environment lends itself to connecting with newly arrived international students at a critical time in their lives. Newcomer staff do an exemplary job of providing a bridge to the American high school experience to their students. The level of language growth and acculturation while at Newcomers is something we are very proud of and it translates in a quantifiable way in state assessments.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Suburban
      How Families Learn of Program: When families arrive at the home school to enroll their student, they are given a home language survey. Any student responding affirmative to the survey is given a screener test at the district intake center. Students who meet the criteria mentioned above are recommended to the newcomer center. At that time the parents are given an extensive overview of the program.
      Students Assigned From:
      • An in-take/assessment center
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): Buffalo Grove High School, Elk Grove High School, Wheeling High School, Rolling Meadows High School, Prospect High School, John Hersey High School
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title III
      • State: Transitional Bilingual Education State Grant
      • District: All other funds
       Other District Language Support Programs: Besides the Newcomer Center, there is a full service ELL program for all LEP students at the home schools.
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Separate site from home school(s)
       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: 15 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: The only criteria is that a student is new or recently arrived to the United States and would have difficulty making academic progress at the home school due to language and acculturation issues.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 40
      Age Range of Students: 14-19
      Number of Countries Represented: 10
      Most Common Countries:
      • Mexico
      • Poland
      • India
      • Korea
      • Ukraine
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 10
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Polish
      • Gujarati
      • Korean
      • Ukrainian
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 25%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 75%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English, Spanish
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
      • Content Instruction in native language(s)
        • language arts
      • ESL or English language development
      • Native language literacy
      • Cross-cultural/orientation to the United States
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: All Newcomers take two periods of ESL (one reading, one writing), one reading tutorial class, two periods of math (different levels according to student ability), one period of social science, and one period of physical education.
      Literacy Development Practices: We have a Spanish Reading class for native Spanish speakers at Newcomers.
      Literacy Materials Used: We use short stories, novels (fiction and non-fiction books), and plays.
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: ESL Reading/Writing classes, P.E., social science, and math. Newcomers have two periods of math per day so they get one year of graduation math credit in one semester.
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: Reading tutorial classes, including the Spanish Reading class
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: No
      Additional Learning Opportunities: Once at the home school, exited newcomer students are able to access after school, summer, and Saturday programs.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Other: Special Education through home schools
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: Students are given credits for all courses completed at the Newcomer Center. Once they return to the home school, they can attend until they are 21 years old, assuming they are working towards graduation and are in good standing.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      We use the DORA (diagnostic on-line reading assessment) which gives us a reading Lexile score for all of our students. Our Spanish-speaking students also take the SUPERA test which gauges their native language grade equivalent in language and reading.
      English language proficiency:
      W-APT (WIDA ACCESS screener) upon entry is used to identify all ESL students in our district.
      Content:
      In-district test is used to determine appropriate math placement.
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      Reading Gains tests from National Geographic as part of the EDGE series is given 3 times a year to all district ELL students, including Newcomer students to chart growth using Lexile levels.
      English language proficiency:
      ACCESS test. We also give Newcomer students pre and post writing tests using an in-district writing rubric loosely based on the IMAGE rubric. ESL teacher input at the end of the semester also measures growth in English acquisition.
      Content:
      N/A
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      All Newcomers take the ACCESS test once per year and all eleventh grade Newcomer students take the PSAT/ACT test as well.
      Other assessments:
      The body of work a student has demonstrated while at Newcomers is taken into consideration and collected from all the Newcomer teachers regardless of subject area. We look at participation, level of acculturation, social language and academic language as well as student motivation to make the transition to the home school and the age of the student. In some cases we need to consider over-aged students with few graduation credits as potential candidates to make the transition to their respective home schools sooner than we would want to in order to help them graduate on time.
      Program Evaluation: So far only informal evaluations have taken place. Growth in state test scores for Newcomer Center students have been compared with growth for the general ESL population. Since the number of Newcomer students tested is small, it is difficult to determine statistical significance, although the basic data shows higher average growth for Newcomer students compared to the general ELL population.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: Newcomer staff meet weekly to discuss student progress and evaluate potential candidates for transition as end of semester approaches. We take into consideration the body of work the students demonstrate while at Newcomers and collect feedback from all the Newcomer teachers regardless of subject area. In addition we take into consideration student participation, level of acculturation, social and academic language as well as student motivation to transition to their home school.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: All transitioning students visit their home schools with a Newcomer staff member and are given a tour by home school personnel. Prior to transitioning, home school ESL counselors provide the Newcomer staff with the transitioning students' schedules, locker assignments, and bus information. Some Newcomer students visit their home school for a day to shadow a former Newcomer student in order to get a feel for the culture of the home school. Throughout the school year, the Newcomer staff makes an effort to connect Newcomers with their home schools through school dances, athletic events, sports, and clubs at their home schools. The Newcomer Center staff puts together transition meetings with the staff at the home schools to discuss the individual transition needs of each student. Meetings with parents are also planned. Students are given a chance to visit the home schools and meet with the ELL staff.
      The Newcomer Center staff puts together transition meetings with the staff at the home schools to discuss the individual transition needs of each student. Meetings with parents are also planned. Students are given a chance to visit the home schools and meet with the ELL staff.
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • GED
      • Technical or Trade School
      • Adult Basic Education
      • Community College
      • Find a job
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 1
      Total Number of Teachers: 4
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 3
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: Teachers need to be ESL certified in the State of Illinois, also need content endorsement for their particular area.
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 2
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 1
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School: 8
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes.
      Guidance Counselors for Program: No
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 4
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: English, Spanish, Russian, Romanian
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: Assessment, helping students with interrupted learning, vocabulary strategies, literacy training, social work workshops, and RTI (Response To Intervention).
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Orientation to USA
      • Other: district-wide bilingual parent information meetings
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      Community Education in District 214
      Social Services for Families:
      Community Education in District 214 provides information on local organizations to newcomer families that help with matters from low cost health care, English classes for adults, Spanish GED, GED, citizenship classes and access to food pantries.
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      A social worker hired by Community Education conducts informal visits to Newcomer families identified as needing services by Newcomer staff members. Newcomer staff members interview families and students to assess their needs during the intake appointment and Newcomer orientation.
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Community Education shares contact information of appropriate services in the area and connects the family to these services directly or indirectly with the assistance of Newcomer staff members.