Reclassification is an important part of the academic journey for English learners (ELs), as English fluency is critical to so many aspects of daily life. Like many local educational agencies, Menlo Park City School District found that too many of its EL students were not being reclassified as English proficient in a timely manner or were being referred for special education services primarily on the basis of their EL status.
So, district leaders made a change — or rather, several changes.
The K-8 district adjusted eighth grade basic skills assessment thresholds, changed standards for identifying students who are able to access and demonstrate learning in the classroom comparable to English-proficient peers and reduced the number of new EL evaluations for special education. Now, about 70 percent of ELs in the district are reclassified within five years, setting them up for success upon entering high school.
By changing the way English learner services are delivered and the district’s reclassification criteria, the Golden Bell Award-winning English Fluency Reclassification Program is reducing its number of long-term English learners and giving them access to the full curriculum of high school A-G courses.
Menlo Park City School District (MPCSD) Superintendent Kristen Gracia and Associate Superintendent of Educational Services Jammie Behrendt spoke to CSBA about the program, the importance of reclassification and tips for other LEAs looking to make similar changes. Their responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Could you describe the district’s English Fluency Reclassification Program?
MPCSD is realizing its vision for learning environments and leveraging the thinking of diverse perspectives across our community, especially through the district’s commitment to serving our largest underrepresented student population, English language learners.
Having a bold reclassification goal — bring to zero the number of long-term English learners who have been in MPCSD since kindergarten or at least five years — changes the trajectory for our English learners and prepares them for opportunities that will give them access to the curriculum of high school A-G courses.
MPCSD’s English Fluency Reclassification Program provides greater equity by allowing all students to engage, achieve and thrive to their potential.
Can you describe the makeup of your district’s EL student population?
Our student body reflects a rich diversity: 48 percent white, 20 percent Hispanic/Latino, 17 percent Asian, 13 percent multi-race, and smaller percentages of Pacific Islander, African American and Filipino students. We also welcome 7 percent English learners, 9 percent initial fluent English proficient (IFEP) students, and 8 percent reclassified fluent English proficient (RFEP) students, each embarking on a unique journey in pursuit of educational excellence.
Committed to inclusivity, we take a strengths-based approach in prioritizing our English learners, our largest underrepresented student group which includes 36 different spoken languages. We aim to empower English learners, seeing their multilingualism as a superpower that contributes to their achievement towards readiness for high school A-G courses. Fostering equitable opportunities for all students by eliminating the designation of long-term English Language Learner status, as supported by data, opens more doors for our students in school and beyond. MPCSD graduates join graduates from two neighboring K-8 districts — Las Lomitas Elementary School District and Ravenswood City School District — in matriculating to Menlo-Atherton High School in the Sequoia Union High School District (SUHSD).
Why is proper classification of these students so important?
Based on research and data about high school achievement, MPCSD and a partnership between county K-8 districts developed a plan for action for all of the Sequoia Union High School feeder districts to redesign the eighth-grade reclassification sequence and/or adjust eighth-grade Basic Skills Assessment thresholds to align with SUHSD reclassification and English course placement criteria. One significant reason presented by SUHSD is to increase the number of students who begin high school as RFEP. These changes will significantly increase opportunities for success for MPCSD former English learners once they get to high school.
In addition to aligning our reclassification criteria to SUHSD, the need to have a more illustrative and objective measure to evaluate student language proficiency with classroom literacy instruction has also surfaced through our work with the Stanford-Sequoia K-12 Research Collaborative [a research-practice partnership between the Stanford Graduate School of Education, the SUHSD and its K-8 feeder districts to focus on equity issues]. MPCSD is currently field testing the “Draft Observation Protocol for Teachers of English Learners (OPTEL)” for the California Department of Education (CDE) as a standardized measure to meet the state’s Criteria #2, Teacher Evaluation criteria.
[The OPTEL tool was designed by the CDE, WestEd and other education stakeholders throughout California to support educators in determining and documenting a student’s proficiency during classroom instruction.]
As the result of our work in partnership with the high school district and feeder districts, we have made the following changes to our current RFEP criteria:
- For Criterion 1, adding “Alternate English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) Level 3” as a measure for students who take alternate assessments. CDE determined Alternate ELPAC proficiency as Level 3.
- For Criterion 2, using a newly developed tool to evaluate student classroom language use, the “MPCSD Draft Observational Protocol for Teacher of English Learners (OPTEL)”
- For Criterion 4, changing the current performance level from “proficient” or “at grade level” to “nearly met” and changing the evidence indicator to a menu of options and the need to meet one of them.
Do you have any advice for LEAs looking to improve their reclassification efforts?
Have a clear, measurable goal that everyone can get behind and easily hold onto and keep it top of mind for all. Clear expectations that are supported by all levels in the district is key. From our school board to all certificated and classified staff, from district leadership to site administrators, we have a calibrated lens on what our commitment is to our English learners and their families. This is key for a district to be successful in making change.
And finally, having the right leader “owning” the English language program. Katherine Strach, our English Language Services Coordinator, has been crucial to the success of our program. She has created a multi-tiered system of support for our English Language Program, provided intentional training to all staff members, and ensured that we have the right guidelines to support our EL students.
MPCSD’s new vision, mission and core values were inspired by the critical work we have done and continue to do in complete support of our students. As an organization, we will anchor to our vision, mission and values and look forward to ongoing continuous improvement. If you are interested in learning more about our vision, mission and core values, check out our website.
