Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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Columbus Global Academy 6-12
Program Address:
2001 Hamilton Ave.
Columbus, OH 43211
Phone: (614) 365-8811
Fax: (614) 365-6909
bcustodi@columbus.k12.oh.us
Contact Person:
Brenda Custodio
Asst. Principal
(614) 365-8811

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 1999
      School/Grade Levels: Combination middle and high school site
      Program Description:
      The Columbus Global Academy 6-12 is a full-day, whole school program that serves 42 area schools. This ESL program for students in Grades 6-12 includes a component for native language support and includes an after-school (5 hours) program as well. Students may remain in the program until graduation from high school if they so choose. Full high school courses are offered for credit. In the past, the program was a separate-site program and housed in two buildings, one for middle school, the other for high school. Now all Grades 6-12 are located in one building.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      A newcomer student scores at the beginning level on the placement test, and has less than one year in U.S.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      Several aspects that work well are reading development for students, high school courses for graduation, and our test prep classes.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Urban/metropolitan
      How Families Learn of Program: Students are offered enrollment at the Global Academy when they are given the placement test at our Assessment Center.
      Students Assigned From:
      • An in-take/assessment center
       Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title I, Title III
      • District: Local funds for teachers/bilingual assistants
       Other District Language Support Programs: In Columbus, 50 schools of our 140 elementary, middle and high schools offer ESL classes, and most high schools also offer sheltered classes.
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Whole school (e.g., Grades 6-8 or 9-12
       Length of Day:
      • Full-day Program
      • After-school program: 5 hour(s)
       Length of Program:
      • More than 1-year program
      • Other: Students may stay until graduation from middle or high school.
       Average Length of stay: 4 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay:
      Average Class Size: 25 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: Beginning level on placement test and less than one year in the country.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 497
      Age Range of Students: 11-21
      Number of Countries Represented: 45
      Most Common Countries:
      • Somalia
      • Mexico
      • El Salvador
      • Mauritania
      • Dominican Republic
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 26
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Somali
      • Spanish
      • Mai Mai (Somali dialect)
      • Fulani
      • French
       Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 60%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: 98%
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • science
        • social studies
        • language arts
        • health
        • other: PE, art, computers, music
      • ESL or English language development
      • Career/vocational education/apprenticeships
      • Reading intervention
      • School/study skills
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: Middle School: double period of ESL and math, single period of science and social studies and unified arts. High School: double period of ESL, math, science, and social studies for grades 9-10, The classes for grades 11 and 12 are ESL 11 and 12, Chemistry, Government, Algebra 2, and various electives for graduation requirements. These are semester long classes.
      Literacy Development Practices: Language and literary development, phonics instruction, computerized instruction for reading comprehension, and tutors offer small group instruction (e.g., guided reading), SSR
      Literacy Materials Used: VISIONS (Heinle), 100 Book Challenge, Reading Basics (Hampton-Brown)
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: ESL, Algebra Geometry, Algebra II, U.S. History, World History, Government, Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: PE, Health, Art, Music, Computer literacy
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: Yes, we have credit recovery. We use the district program which is based on Plato, a computer program.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: We have a summer school program for all ELLs, a Saturday program for test prep, and an after school program.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Title I
      • Special Education
      • Health (physical)
      • Health (mental)
      • Legal
      • Career counseling
      • Tutoring
      • Other: Health clinic, Dental clinic
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: Yes, but the district wants to eliminate 5-year plans because of the NCLB cohort requirement.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      District-created assessment
      English language proficiency:
      District-created assessment
      Content:
      None
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      District-created exam given every 9 weeks
      English language proficiency:
      Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition
      Content:
      District Exams
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      Yes - all of them (Language Arts, Math, Science, Social Studies, English Language Proficiency)
      Other assessments:
      Informal and formal classroom assessments, and district-created exams.
      Program Evaluation: We review our school's progress each year through test scores, grades, and graduation rates.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: We meet with students at the end of grade 10 to see if they want to leave - about half leave and half stay.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: We do not do very much to aid in transition. There are 44 home schools and the job would be monumental.
      The counselor and graduation coach help with transitions.
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • GED
      • Adult Basic Education
      • Community College
      • 4-yr college or university
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 2
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 2
      Total Number of Teachers: 33
      Full Time in Newcomer Program: 33
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: ESL endorsement, plus content area certification for most positions
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 28
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 4, 1 for scheduling; 3 coach teachers
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School:
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes. Work with parents - help with interpreting and translating for special education conferences and teacher conferences
      Guidance Counselors for Program: Yes, 1
      Total Number of Staff Who Speak in One of the Student Native Languages: 42
      Languages that Staff Speak in Addition to English: Spanish, Somali, French, Russian, Arabic, Oromo, Chinese, Hindi
      Professional Development Topics for Teachers and Staff: Reading, Working with paraprofessionals, Data analysis, Grouping, Test prep strategies
  • 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
      • Family literacy
      • GED
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      • Other: Health Services
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      FBI and Xenos Church
      Social Services for Families:
      Extensive health services, full-time nurse with periodic dental care, and health van services
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      Via the students and in a newsletter
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      Family services personnel in our school connect to community services.