Secondary Newcomer Programs in the U.S.

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Harrisonburg High School Newcomer Program
Program Address:
1001 Garber's Church Road
Harrisonburg, VA 22801
Phone: (540) 433-2652
Fax: (540) 433-3595
www.harrisonburg.k12.va.us
Contact Person:
Laura Feichtinger McGrath
ESL Specialist
lfeichtinger@harrisonburg.k12.va.us

  • Program Information
    • Information provided for school year: 2010-2011
      Year Program Started: 2005
      School/Grade Levels: High school site(s)
      Program Description:
      The Harrisonburg High School Newcomer Program is a half-day program serving students in one high school. Newcomers have 90 minutes of English and 90 minutes of newcomer survival skills for the half day and then a math class according to their math placement and self-contained electives for Level 1 ESL students only. The students also receive cross-cultural orientation to the U.S. and take a class to develop their school/study skills. They may also choose to take the Spanish for Native Speakers course. Four levels of Spanish are offered to all students, not only to newcomers. Students generally remain in the program for one semester, but they may remain in the program for less than a semester or more, depending on individual needs.
      Newcomer Student Definition:
      A newcomer is a nonEnglish speaker who has come to the United States within the last year.
      Aspects of Program Working Well:
      The addition of Language for Learning (SRA) has been very positive. Students are introduced to practical, fluent oral languages. They are exposed to the correct usage of verb tenses and even prepositions and articles. We also have hired new teachers within the past two years who are capable ESL teachers overall. Previously, the Newcomer program was taught by whichever teacher happened to have space in his or her schedule. The program became more successful when teachers were hired specifically for that job.

      Also, we have an electives program for our ESL students that would rival any in the nation. The program director works with the elective teachers to support them in providing an appropriate curriculum for these students that adds reading, writing, and oral skills with the tools to do so.
      Type of Language Program: ESL
      Type of Community: Rural
      How Families Learn of Program: Through our school's Welcome Center (registration center).
      Students Assigned From:
      • An in-take/assessment center
      Name(s) of the Home School(s): Harrisonburg High School
      Funding Sources:
      • Federal: Title III
      • District: Title I 08
       Other District Language Support Programs: N/A
  • Program Design Features
    • Program Location:
      • Program-within-a-school
       Length of Day:
      • Half-day program: 2 period(s)
       Length of Program:
      • 1-semester program
      • Other: It is possible that student may stay more or less than one semester.
       Average Length of stay: 1 semester(s)
      Maximum Length of stay: 2 semester(s)
      Average Class Size: 10 student(s)
      Entry Criteria: A nonEnglish reader or a pre-primer English reader, a nonEnglish writer, and a nonEnglish speaker who has come to the United States within the last year.
  • Newcomer Student Demographics
    • Number of Newcomer Students in Program: 17
      Age Range of Students: 14-19
      Number of Countries Represented: 5
      Most Common Countries:
      • Iraq
      • Dominican Republic
      • El Salvador
      • Mexico
       Number of Non-English Languages Represented: 2
      Most Common Student Languages:
      • Spanish
      • Arabic
      Percentage of Students with Interrupted Formal Schooling: 20%
      Percentage of Students with Free or Reduced Lunch: %
  • Instruction
    • Languages Used for Instruction: English and Spanish support, occasionally other language support
      Courses Provided by the Newcomer Program:
      • Sheltered content in English
        • math
        • language arts
      • Content Instruction in native language(s)
        • other: Spanish for Native Speakers, available for all students
      • ESL or English language development
      • Cross-cultural/orientation to the United States
      • School/study skills
      Typical Newcomer Student Schedule: Newcomer English - 90 minutes, Newcomer Survival skills - 90 minutes, Math (placement according to ability), Elective (self-contained electives for Level 1 ESL students only). Electives are a part of the newcomer schedule, but newcomer students do not take electives with the general population. They take self-contained electives that are designed specifically for ESL students. Our ESL electives are PE Exploratory (without the health component that requires literacy), Intro to Music, Intro to Technology, Keyboarding Applications, Life Skills (a family and consumer sciences course), Spanish for Native Speakers, and Art Exploratory. Each of these elective courses is taught by a teacher from that department.
      Literacy Development Practices: Reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
      Literacy Materials Used: Language for Learning (SRA), Standout Basic, New Arrival English, Rosetta Stone.
      High School Courses Receiving Core Credit: On rare occasions, a newcomer student is in a high school math course, like Algebra and Geometry, and so would get core credit.
      High School Courses Receiving Elective Credit: All courses are for elective credit.
      Credit Recovery or Online Learning Courses: No.
      Additional Learning Opportunities: We offer summer school ESL and Transitional English classes for our Level 1, 2, and 3 English learners.
      Ancillary Services Offered Students:
      • Special Education
      • Health (physical)
      • Health (mental)
      • Day care
      • Career counseling
      • Tutoring
       5- or 6- Year Program Available for High School Newcomer Students: Virginia allows students labeled as limited English proficient to stay in public schools until age 22. Students often stay with us in the traditional day program until age 19, and those older than 19 may stay with us in an alternative education program within our high school called Blue Streak Academy, where course lengths are more flexible. However, generally we lose students at age 18 or 19, whether they are at the newcomer level or higher. Often we begin to have discipline problems when they reach that age, especially if they are still in the ESL program--their frustration is understandable, but it does not make for a positive instructional environment. We encourage our older students to transfer to the adult program where they can have the positive influence of adults who are working and are serious about learning English, but we are not always successful.
  • Assessment and Evaluation
    • Placement Measures
      Reading:
      Pre-DRP (Degrees of Reading Power)
      English language proficiency:
      Pre-DRP, IPT oral test, writing prompt scored with rubric based on Virginia's English 11 Standards of Learning End of Course test scoring rubric
      Content:
      EAME for math skills
      Progress Measures
      Reading:
      Pre-DRP
      English language proficiency:
      Pre-DRP, IPT oral test, writing prompt
      Content:
      None, newcomers do not take content assessments until after they exit the Newcomer program.
      Achievement Measures
      State standards tests:
      No.
      Other assessments:
      Classroom assessments
      Program Evaluation: We look at the number of students who are ready to leave the Newcomer program after one semester and what ESL level they are ready for when they exit Newcomer. In the past year, we have seen an increase in students who are ready for our middle and highest Level 1 ESL classes. Two plus years ago almost every Newcomer student went in to the lowest of our Level 1 ESL classes. We see this change as a result of higher-quality instruction in our newcomer classes.
  • Student Transition and Monitoring
    • Type of Program Students Exit Into:
      • ESL
       Exit Criteria: Most of the students exit after one semester into the ESL program at the same school.
      Measures to Facilitate Student Transition Out of the Newcomer Program: Newcomer students take their Newcomer classes in the high school in ESL classrooms with ESL teachers. They have the same teachers in the same classrooms when they exit Newcomer and move into the ESL program. Our teachers are primarily responsible for helping students negotiate transitions within our instructional program. Our guidance counselors are involved in the transitions within the instructional program and to postsecondary options. Our building has two Spanish-speaking Home-School Liaisons that specialize in making sure our language minority students have first language support when needed and are aware of services/options outside of school. The division has two additional Home-School liaisons to serve the needs of our Arabic/Kurdish and Russian/Ukrainian speaking students.
      Our teachers are primarily responsible for helping students negotiate transitions within our instructional program. Our guidance counselors are involved in the transitions within the instructional program and to postsecondary options. Our building has two Home-School Liaisons that specialize in making sure our language minority students have first language support when needed and are aware of services/options outside of school.
      Postsecondary Options for High School Newcomers:
      • GED
      • Adult Basic Education
      • Find a job
  • Program Staffing and Professional Development
    • Total Number of Program Administrators: 1
      Full Time in Newcomer Program:
      Total Number of Teachers: 2
      Full Time in Newcomer Program:
      Criteria to Teach in Newcomer Program: ESL endorsement
      Total Number of Paraprofessionals: 1
      Total Number of Resource Teachers: 0
      Total Number of Guidance Counselors for School: 4
      Social Worker/Family Liaison: Yes. The Home School Liaisons facilitate the transitions of language minority students into the school/country (not just newcomers). They also facilitate communication between students and teachers, and between teachers and parents.
      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: Assessment (both for placement and on-going classroom assessment) Curriculum writing (pacing guides for each class as well as overall writing and oral curriculum) ESL state standards and state testing. Assessment (both for placement and on-going classroom assessment) Curriculum writing (pacing guides for each class as well as overall writing and oral curriculum) ESL state standards and state testing. Presently our focus is on increasing student engagement through structured academic discussion.
  • Connecting Families and Social Capital Networks
    • School Services Offered to Parents and Families:
      • Orientation to USA
      • Native language literacy courses
      • Adult basic education
      • Adult ESL courses
      • GED
      • Information sharing with community organizations
      • Other: Parents as Educational Partners
      Newcomer Program Partnerships:
      No.
      Social Services for Families:
      There is a refugee resettlement office in our town. Social and health care services that would be available to any high school student are also available to the Newcomer students.
      Methods to Inform Families of Services Available:
      The Welcome Center, the guidance counselors, most often the Home-School Liaisons inform parents of social services.
      Methods to Inform Service Agencies of Newcomer Program:
      None that I am aware of. Social service agencies are not made aware of the Newcomer program as a separate entity from the high school as a whole. Because 30% of our population at the high school (and 41% districtwide) is labeled LEP, the community as a whole is aware of this population.