District 68 Audit: Double Number of ELL Teachers

should add 10 ELL, or English Language Learner, teachers by FY2012 to meet state standards and to serve the needs of its bilingual student population, according to a district audit.

If a language other than English is spoken at home, the student is evaluated for English language proficiency. Those who are deemed to need more attention are place in the district’s English Language Learner program.

Each year, these students take a standardized test to judge their proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and hearing English. Once a student scores high enough on this test, he or she is deemed proficient at English and is no longer part of the program. 

There are currently 626 ELL students in the district's population of 2,920 students. That 21.4 percent has jumped from 6.7 percent of the district’s 3,303 students in 2002.

With 454 Spanish speakers, Spanish is the most common language for these students. However, 32 students speak Arabic, 23 speak Lithuanian and 17 speak Malayalam. Urdo, Ukrainian, Filipino, Akan, Czech, Russian, Bulgarian, Polish and Korean are also spoken, as well.

The audit 

The district decided to conduct an audit of its ELL program after ISAT numbers indicated their limited English proficiency students needed more attention to meet state standards. 

In 2011, 65.3 percent of the district's LEP students met or exceeded state standards in reading; 79.6 percent met or exceeded state standards in math. The district did not make AYP for this subgroup. 

Sherry Johnson, a retired consultant for the Illinois State Board of Education who now works as a bilingual consultant for several school districts in Illinois, conducted the audit and presented her findings Monday’s District 68 board meeting.

Johnson made 26 recommendations to the district in areas where District 68 was not in compliance with state standards, from record maintenance to District 68’s bilingual student-to-teacher ratio.

District 68 has already tackled about half that list, said Greg Wolcott, assistant superintendent for teaching and learning for District 68. 

"Where we could tackle any low-hanging fruit, we've done that," Wolcott said. 

More work remains

Johnson recommended more professional development for general education and ELL teachers.

“I don’t think they have had sufficient professional development to bring out the best in those students,” Johnson told the board. “It will make it easier for teachers to work with them.”

She also recommended almost doubling the number of ELL teachers in the district's ranks.

The district has 543 students with limited English proficiency in grades K-8 and 12 full-time teachers to serve those students. That makes a district bilingual student-to-teacher ratio of 45:1. The district's overall student-to-teacher ratio is 17.7.

The ratio is highest at , where there is one ELL teacher for 63 students. 

Johnson proposed adding 10 teachers to reduce the average ratio to 25:1, in accordance with state standards. The district could then offer half- or full-day classes in Spanish, where ELL teachers would work with general education teachers to make sure their lesson plans reflect one another. 

Proposed change, after adding 10 ELL teachers 

Johnson also recommended the district hire an Arabic-speaking bilingual teacher.

“It’s a new group that’s growing,” Johnson said. “There are more and more Arabic-speaking children in suburban Cook and its collar counties.”

The district has hired two more ELL teachers since Johnson collected her data, Wolcott said. 

An "unfunded mandate by the state" 

The District 68 board showed frustration at hiring more personnel when the district receives only a small fraction of the cost in grants and Title 3 funding. 

Johnson agreed it wouldn’t be easy.

“The state doesn’t have the money,” she said. “It never intended to fund a full program. It’s supplemental money.” 

But ELL students need the extra resources, she said. In the analogy of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, general education students would be Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers would be the ELL students.

While Astaire is dancing forward, “Ginger Rogers has to dance backwards in high heels," she said. 

Board member Leslie Pollack wondered how the district would attract so many ELL teacher candidates when they are in such high demand. 

Johnson recommended offering training for current District 68 teachers who are interested in receiving ELL certification. She also said it would be possible to recruit teachers with the proper work by the district. The district has already taken steps to offer this recommendation to teachers. 

The District 68 administration will take the audit into consideration and make its own recommendation to how to change its ELL program.

Superintendent Cathy Skinner said district administration planned to bring a recommendation to the board in January.

“We’re going to look at it to make it as efficient as we can,” Skinner said.