ELL Policy Survey: Results

Survey results

Which of the following best describes your role?

• 54.5% — ESL educator
• 20.5% — ELL program director
• 9.1% — Classroom teacher
• 6.8% — Higher education faculty
• 6.8% — Bilingual educator

What age are the students that you work with? Check all that apply.

• 71.7% — Early elementary
• 67.4% — Kindergarten
• 63.0% — Upper elementary
• 45.7% — Middle school
• 39.1% — High school

Which state is your district in?

• Alabama
• Arizona
• California
• Colorado
• District of Columbia
• Florida
• Georgia
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Missouri
• Nebraska
• New Jersey
• New York
• North Carolina
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Oregon
• Pennsylvania
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas
• Virginia

My district has this kind of policy.

• 49.3% — Language policy
• 82.9% — ELL assessment policy
• 39.0% — ELL grading policy
• 92.7% — ELL program exit policy

Content/classroom teachers are aware of this policy.

• 48.0% — Language policy
• 76.0% — ELL assessment policy
• 52.0% — ELL grading policy
• 60% — ELL program exit policy

Administrators are actively involved in writing this policy.

• 78.6% — Language policy
• 78.6% — ELL assessment policy
• 42.9% — ELL grading policy
• 78.6% — ELL program exit policy

What kinds of ELL data does your school district track?

• 93.0% — Proficiency level
• 83.7% — ELL program exit information
• 83.7% — Home language(s)
• 83.7% — Student assessments: Formal/State-wide
• 60% — Attendance
• 53.5% — Student assessments: Instructional/Classroom-based
• 51.2% — Socio-economic status
• 46.5% — Grades
• 46.5% — Graduation rates

Other:

• "'Subgroups' which can overlap such as free and reduced lunch, special education, Hispanic, ESL"
• "Writing portfolios"
• "We have an ESL data team that keeps track of proficiency levels, formal/state-wide assessments and ELL program exit information. The state requires that attendance be tracked, I think."

Which of the following activities have you participated in on behalf of your ELLs?

• 84.6% — Led professional development at the school or district level
• 74.4% — Connected ELL students and families with community/social/medical services
• 71.8% — Served on a school- or district-wide committee as an "ELL voice"
• 48.7% — Attended school board meetings
• 25.6% — Wrote a letter to a lawmaker
• 12.8% — Visited local/state lawmakers
• 10.3% — Wrote a letter to the editor

Other/Examples

• Presentations to Reading Association and state ESL conferences
• Interact with ELL State Ed. Board Members personally and via email.
• Provide parent outreach, technology and literacy development for ELL community
• Started a program to teach and empower parents to learn English along with parenting skills and life skills. At the same time children were being tutored in an adjacent classroom.
• Work on the Latino Education Advisory Council on behalf of students including ELLs.

Which policies do you think affect have the strongest impact on your work with ELLs?

• 71.7% — District/local program policies
• 60.9% — State policies
• 39.1% — Federal education policies
• 37.0% — Teacher quality/evaluation policies

Comments

• "The oversight by the state, for good or bad, drives a lot of what we do as a district. I would be interested in information about how states interpret federal rules and regulations and how that often looks quite different state to state."
• "When parents are empowered they can contribute meaningfully to ensuring quality language instruction. Many times they are not empowered and language programs are cut without their knowing."