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Extracted from Consolidated Report
This investigation was originally published as part of a larger consolidated report containing multiple investigations. View the consolidated PDF for the complete document.
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury
• 2011-2012
Santa Cruz County Grand Jury 2011-2012 Final Report Page 133 Rtc, County & Pvusd Responses to the Santa Cruz County
⚠️ Translation Notice: This content has been automatically translated. The original English text is the official version. Translation may contain errors.
⚠️ Este contenido ha sido traducido automáticamente. El texto original en inglés es la versión oficial. La traducción puede contener errores.
Findings 7 findings
F1
The Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for English Learner progress are complex, give little indication of how long it takes English Learners to become reclassified as fluent, and do not measure the effectiveness of individual English Learner programs.
F2
Many parents and community members do not understand the various English Learner programs.
F3
The English Learner program information is not readily accessible on district websites.
F4
Two-Way Immersion programs are not widely available in Santa Cruz County.
F5
Two-Way Immersion programs are beneficial to native English speakers who want to become fluent in multiple languages.
F6
Portions of the descriptive material made available by the Pajaro Valley Unified School District describing the Dual-Language Immersion program are inconsistent or incomplete, which could be misleading to parents trying to decide on the best program for their children.
F7
Collaboration and communication between Head Start and the elementary schools would be beneficial to English Learners making the transition to kindergarten.
Recommendations 6
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R1Even though it is not mandated by the state, in order to monitor historical trends and validate improvements made to programs, districts should consider tracking long term English Learner results by program and make the information available on district websites for review by parents, the Board of Trustees, and the community. The data should track all English Learners and follow them until they leave the district. This longitudinal data would allow the following information to be published by instructional program: ● Time to Reclassification (RFEP) ● Long term achievement levels (from STAR testing) ● Long term achievement level “gap” between English Learners, RFEPs, and English Only ● High school graduation and dropout rates
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R2Districts should make the following information available on their English Learner web pages: ● An easy-to-understand description of the programs offered by the district, with
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R3Districts should consider starting or expanding Two-Way Bilingual Immersion programs.
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R4Information on Two-Way Bilingual Immersion programs should be made available to parents of English speakers.
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R5The next version of Pajaro Valley Unified School District’s pamphlets, slide sets, video, and websites should revise the Dual-Language Immersion information to: ● Use consistent terminology throughout the district. For example, the district refers to a “Dual-Language Immersion” program, and Alianza (which provides the program) calls it “Two-Way Bilingual Immersion.” ● Update the description of how the waiver process works, as applied to Alianza, to clarify that neither the annual waiver, nor the need for at least 20 approved waivers by parents, is applicable because of Alianza’s status as a charter school. ● The “English Learner Programs” pamphlet should more clearly distinguish the differences between Late-Exit “Developmental” Bilingual, and Two-Way Bilingual Immersion.
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R6The districts should develop agreements for collaboration with the appropriate Head Start agencies to better align and take advantage of the school readiness efforts of Head Start.