Supporting ELs Pathways to High School Graduation WIDA Conference | - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

v Supporting ELs’ Pathways to High School Graduation WIDA Conference | October 16, 2019 Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D. & Marley Zeno, M.A. @DStaehrFenner www.GetSupportEd.net @GetSupportEd.net

Objectives www.GetSupportEd.net 2

EL Graduation Concerns • To your shoulder partner: What is your top concern about EL graduation in your school or district? • Share out with the large group. www.GetSupportEd.net 3

bit.ly/Graduation4ELs (Case Sensitive) www.GetSupportEd.net 4

EL Graduation Obstacles

Comparison of National Graduation Rates All Students ELs 16% 33% 67% 84% Graduated Did not graduate Graduated Did Not Graduate Source: U.S. Department of Education, ED Data Express, 2015-16 national-level data for Regulatory www.GetSupportEd.net 6 Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate.. https://eddataexpress.ed.gov/data-elements.cfm.

Graduation Rates in Your State U.S. Department of Education, 2018 www.GetSupportEd.net 7 https://www2.ed.gov/datastory/el-outcomes/index.html#datanotes

Change in Graduation Rates EDFacts/Consolidated State Performance Report, SY 2015-16. Retrieved from www.GetSupportEd.net 8 http://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/account/consolidated/index.html

What the Research Tells Us • EL dropout likelihood • Dropout consequences • Data systems • Goal setting and college and career planning • Access to courses Callahan, 2013; Duffy, Poland, Blum, & Sublett, 2015; Kanno & Cromley, 2015 www.GetSupportEd.net 9

Challenge Expectations Kanno & Cromley, 2015 www.GetSupportEd.net 10

Framework for Increasing EL Graduation Rates 11

Framework to Strengthen ELs’ Pathways to Graduation 2. 3. Socio- 1. Program emotional Instruction support and mentoring 5. 4. Unique EL Collaboration populations Callahan, 2013; Duffy, Poland, Blum, & Sublett, 2015; Kanno & Kangas, 2014; Staehr www.GetSupportEd.net 12 Fenner, 2014; Varga, Margolius, Yan, Cole, & Zaff, 2017

1. Program Considerations • Credit-bearing courses • Home language credit • School and credit recovery options • Intervention programs • Professional development Callahan, 2013; Kanno & Kangas, 2014; Staehr Fenner, 2014; Varga, Margolius, Yan, Cole, & www.GetSupportEd.net 13 Zaff, 2017

Sample Pathways to Graduation for 9 th Grade Newcomers Fairfax County Public Schools, VA www.GetSupportEd.net 14

EL Coursework Checklist Staehr Fenner, 2014, p. 209 www.GetSupportEd.net 15

2. Instruction Considerations • Access to grade-level curriculum with scaffolded support • Validation & inclusion of ELs’ cultural & linguistic backgrounds • Focused instruction on academic language Callahan, 2013; Kanno & Kangas, 2014; Staehr Fenner, 2014 www.GetSupportEd.net 16

Suggested Scaffolds By Proficiency Level Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017, p.72 www.GetSupportEd.net 17

Culturally Responsive School Checklist Adapted from Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017 www.GetSupportEd.net 18

3. Socio-Emotional Support and Mentoring Considerations • Possible socio-emotional needs • Opportunities for connection • Mentors of similar backgrounds Varga, Margolius, Yan, Cole, & Zaff, 2017 www.GetSupportEd.net 19

Seven Integral Factors Tool Used in Fairfax County Public Schools Fairfax County Public Schools, 2016; adapted from WIDA, 2013 www.GetSupportEd.net 20

4. Support for Unique EL Populations • Dually-identified ELs • Long-term ELs • Secondary newcomers • Students with limited or interrupted/inconsistent formal education (SLIFE) • Undocumented ELs www.GetSupportEd.net 21

SLIFE Program Review Planning Tool www.GetSupportEd.net 22

Padlet Resources: bit.ly/Graduation4ELs bit.ly/Graduation4ELs www.GetSupportEd.net 23

5. Collaboration Opportunities • Educators • ELs & families • Community Callahan, 2013; Duffy, Poland, Blum, & Sublett, 2015 Kanno & Kangas, 2014; www.GetSupportEd.net 24 Staehr Fenner, 2014; Varga, Margolius, Yan, Cole, & Zaff, 2017

Collaborative Strategies to Support ELs’ Participation in School-to-Career Programs Adapted from: Staehr Fenner, 2014; p. 217; Allen, DiBona, & Reilly, 1998 www.GetSupportEd.net 25

Ranking the Components Rank which component of the EL graduation framework is most important to you. www.GetSupportEd.net 26

Applying Advocacy Strategies for Increasing ELs’ Graduation Rates

Exploring EL Advocacy Having a deep understanding Working for ELs’ about each EL and family’s equitable and excellent background to be able to know education by taking which appropriate action to appropriate actions on take their behalf Stepping in and providing a voice for those students— and their families—who have not yet developed their own strong voice in their education Staehr Fenner, 2014 www.GetSupportEd.net 28

Scaffolded Advocacy for ELs and Their Families Staehr Fenner, 2014 www.GetSupportEd.net 29

Prioritizing Graduation Advocacy Issues: Your Sphere of Influence 1. What do I have control over in my environment? 2. What do I not have control over in my environment? Gorski, P., as cited in Staehr Fenner, 2014, p. 56 www.GetSupportEd.net 30

Use Talking Points to Strengthen Your Role • What? • Why? • How? Staehr Fenner, 2019 www.GetSupportEd.net 31

Steps for Writing Talking Points 1. Identify your key, succinct message – “I think we should have one guidance counselor who only works with ELs to ensure our students are on the right track to graduate.” 2. Anticipate pushback – “We can’t reassign everyone’s caseloads. It will take too much time.” 3. Add talking point(s) to address pushback – “Our new bilingual guidance counselor is starting this year and would like to work with ELs. How about if we assign her all the ELs and lighten all the other counselors’ caseloads?” Adapted from Staehr Fenner & Snyder, 2017 www.GetSupportEd.net 32

Case Studies • Choose one case study (ES, MS, or HS). • Discuss the reflection questions. • Role play a solution to your case study. www.GetSupportEd.net 33

Setting Goals for Strengthening Graduation Rates of ELs 34

Strengthening ELs’ Pathways to Graduation Goal Setting & Planning • Complete one component of the Pathways to Graduation Needs Assessment (e.g., Program, Instruction). • Write a clear description of your target outcome for strengthening EL graduation rates. • Brainstorm up to three actions you will take to work towards the goal in your context and when you will take each one. Create talking points for each of those actions. • Consider possible pushback for each action. Respond to the pushback by developing talking points to support your ideas and actions. Share out with the group. www.GetSupportEd.net 35

Wrap Up

Objectives www.GetSupportEd.net 37

v Thank you! Diane Staehr Fenner Diane@GetSupportEd.net Marley Zeno Marley@GetSupportEd.net @SupportEduc @GetSupportEd.net www.GetSupportEd.net