Attached is a letter that is being sent home to the 166 students we have in our English Language Learner Program this week (it is being translated into Spanish).
We are very excited about Woodland Primary being selected to receive the Washington State Achievement Award for English Language Acquisition. OSPI used our ELL state language acquisition testing data (Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment) from the 3 previous school years. The 2 data points they used were how many students we have transitioned from one language level to the next and how many students transitioned out of the ELL program. I would also like to share some additional information that will help you understand what has helped us get to this point: Over the last 4 years we have been putting structures in place to help support ELL learners to be more successful in acquiring language skills and enable them to transition from one Level to another and out of the ELL program. These efforts include the following strategies:
*Additional ELL staffing have been added that have included both certified and classified personnel. We have also added a community outreach specialist that has improved our efforts at translating communication to families, increased our connections with families and their participation in school and help provide them with information on how they can support their children's education.
*We have also introduced a research based curriculum that has been implemented with very individualized, targeted instruction for our ELL students.
*We have doubled and in some cases tripled the amount of instructional time the students are receiving ELL services by qualified staff.
*ELL students are being exposed to technology during their ELL instructional time that emulates the state assessment tests.
*We have increased the amount of professional development for ELL certified, general education and ELL classified staff participate in.
*We provide an after school program for ELL students for extended ELL support 3 days a week. *ELL students are supported by ELL certified and classified staff during the instructional core and interventions.
*General and special education teachers collaborate with and receive instructional coaching and support from ELL certified staff.
This is a great honor and accomplishment that Woodland has a lot to be proud of!!