Reflection No. 4

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Reflection #4

After reviewing TEA’s policies on serving English Language Learners, (a) discuss whether you believe TEA’s policies align with the best practices that you read about in preparing for last week's discussion board assignment and why, (b) highlight TEA policy information that may have caught you by surprise, and (c) identify changes that you desire to be implemented in reference to TEA’s approach towards serving ELLs (if you believe changes are necessary)

          In these days, when our schools are filled up with more than 20 limited- English- proficient students, most of them in languages like Spanish and Vietnamese, especially in Garland, it is imperative to have a special program for this population.

Nowadays, our district is getting well prepared in order to serve the growing population of Vietnamese students; our school district has started a bilingual program for these English Language Learners students where the Texas Education policies and guidelines align with best practices. Our highly qualified bilingual teachers, are providing bilingual education as integral part of the regular program as described in the Texas Education Code, ṩ4.002. Only certified teachers have been hired to ensure that these students are afforded full opportunity to master the essential skills and knowledge required by the state of Texas.

The Hispanic population had already been served with excellent performance in our district. Our bilingual and/ESL programs meet the linguistic, academic and effective needs of students, it provides our students with the necessary instruction to allow them to progress through school at a rate commensurate with their native-English speaking peers. What I think is one of the most important clues in order to succeed is that we must make the best use of our district and community resources.

If there is something I would like to change in here is the formalized parent authorization. All students should participate of the program if it will assist them in developing a better understanding and use of the English language, sometimes by not having parents’ authorization; students are not receiving the tools to succeed in the regular classroom where instruction is being held in English only. I think it is of paramount importance that all students in Texas that are not proficient in the English language must participate on these programs. Therefore, if the policy 89.1201(c), states that we should address the goal of English as a second language, in other words to help these students to become fluent and competent in the comprehension, speaking, reading, writing and composition of the English language through the integrated methods for the use of a second language, why would a parent stop their child of getting served from an extraordinary program?

I think once a student has been identified as an ELL student by a Language Proficiency Assessment Committee, he should be placed either in a Bilingual or ESL program, parents should have the right to know the policies, procedures and the plan, but I disagree with asking them for permission, if this program will allow the student to succeed later into his/her education.

Reflection No 3

Highlight the major components of Title I, and how policies have evolved through NCLB 2001 and ARRA 2009. Discuss measures that you believe can be taken as a school administrator to enhance academic outcomes for at-risk youth through Title I funding:


1. School wide reform strategies:
Instructional strategies and initiatives in the comprehensive plan must be based on scientifically based research, strengthen the core academic program, increase the quality and quantity of learning time, and meet the learning needs of all students in the school.


2. Instruction by highly qualified teachers:
High poverty, low-performing schools are sometimes staffed with a high numbers of teachers who are not highly qualified. To address this, the school requires that all teachers of core academic subjects and instructional paraprofessionals in a school wide program school meet the qualifications required by section 1119. Student achievement increases in schools where teaching and learning have the highest priority, and students achieve at higher levels when taught by teachers who know their subject matter and are skilled in teaching it.


3. High-quality and ongoing professional development:
Teachers and other staff in school wide program schools must be equipped to face the challenge of helping all students meet the State’s academic achievement standards. To do this, they must be familiar with the goals and objectives of the school wide plan, and receive the sustained, high-quality professional development required to implement them.  The statute requires that professional development be extended, to those who partner with teachers to support student achievement, such as principals, paraprofessionals, and parents.


4. Strategies to attract highly qualified teachers to high-need schools:
Although recruiting and retaining highly qualified teachers is an on-going challenge in high poverty schools, low-performing students in these schools have a special need for excellent teachers.  Therefore, the school wide plan must describe the strategies it will use to attract and retain highly qualified teachers.


5. Strategies to increase parental involvement:  
Research has demonstrated that successful schools have significant and sustained levels of parental involvement.  Therefore, it is important that schools contain strategies to involve parents, especially in helping their children do well in school.  In addition, parents must be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of the school wide program.


6. Plans for assisting the preschool students in the successful transition from early childhood programs to local elementary school wide programs:
This component emphasizes the value of creating a coherent and seamless educational program for at-risk students.  Early childhood programs, including Early Reading First and others, provide a foundation for later academic success, and effective school wide programs capitalize on this strong start.


7. Measures to include teachers in decisions regarding the use of academic assessments:
In addition to State assessment results, teachers need current and ongoing assessment data that describe student achievement.  These data often come from less formal assessments, such as observation, performance assessments, or end-of-course tests.  The school should provide teachers with professional development that increases their understanding of the appropriate uses of multiple assessment measures and how to use assessment results to improve instruction.


8. Activities to ensure that students who expierence difficulty attaining proficiency receive effective and timely assistance: 
The school must identify students who need additional learning time to meet standards and provide them with timely, additional assistance that is tailored to their needs.  This assistance must be available to all students in the school who need it.


9. Coordination and integration of Federal, State and Local programs and services:
Schools are expected to use the flexibility available to them to integrate services and programs with the aim of upgrading the entire educational program and helping all students reach proficient and advanced levels of achievement.  In addition to coordinating and integrating services, school wide program schools may combine most Federal, State and local funds to provide those services.  Exercising this option maximizes the impact of the resources available to carry out the school wide program.


Some of the measures that I will take as an administrator are very similar to the ones they take at the school where I work at, such as:


*Incoorporate extended learning opportunities for students , like before or after school extended day program, or a summer program.
*Provide an accelerated , high-quality curriculum.
* Minimize removing students from regular classes and instructional time.
* Provide instruction with highly qualified teachers, at the same time provide outstanding staff development for these teachers.
* Provide strategies to increase parental involvement and family literacy program like ESL classes for parents.
*Coordinate and integrate federal, state, and local services and   programs including, but not limited to violence prevention, nutrition, housing programs, Head Start, adult education, vocational and technical education, and job training programs.
* Super saturday tutorial, where teachers not only reinforce what they have taught during the week, but also reward students who attend this saturday tutorial. I usually do it for my AP Spanish students before the AP exam, for an entire month.