RE1J’s English language learning student program facing challenges

But programs in need of more personnel and resources

[  By Kendra Walker  ]

The Gunnison Watershed School District Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CLD) education team works hard to ensure English learning students achieve success. On December 12, the team presented an overview of the program to the GWSD board of directors. The board quickly learned just how much work they put into their roles as teachers, translators and mentors.

“It is our duty and a gift to offer equity by serving all students,” said CDLE teacher Laurel Cammack. “We ensure all of them are attaining and achieving success and have equal access to all opportunities. We are all in this collaborative effort to provide equity for our multi-lingual students.”

CLD program specialist Erin Harrington explained how the district determines who is in need of English Language Learner (ELL) services. Every student fills out a home language survey and a language proficiency screener. Based on those results, students requiring CLD services fall into categories: Non-English Proficient (NEP), Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Fluent English Proficient (FEP). ELL program services are individually designed based on the individual student needs, parent requests, classroom teacher and recommendations from the CLD team. 

This year, GWSD has 96 NEP students, 103 LEP students and 44 newcomers. ELL makes up 1.5% of Crested Butte Community School, 14% of the Gunnison schools and 9% of the district as a whole. Special services director/English language acquisition director Robert Speer noted that the NEP population has experienced a drastic increase, having tripled over the last six years. The newcomer population has nearly doubled since last year. 

“Many are here without families and parents and have faced hardships from their home countries,” said CLD teacher Krista Drendel. “They bring culturally and linguistic diversity that brings benefit to all that interact with them. Their success is vital to the district and the community as a whole. The diversity these students bring is crucial.”

The CLD team provides several English Language Development programs for students, including the newcomer program, designated English language development and integrated English language development. However, due to overwhelming caseloads of students, the department has had to limit the designated English language development program for LEP students as well as the integrated English language development program. The team is also frequently called on to support in other duties, such as interpreting and translating. “We’re not able to get into classrooms and really coach teachers because of our caseload and there’s only so many of us,” said Harrington. 

Cammack explained that the job goes far beyond teachers. “We’ve become an extension of these kids’ families. We’re their counsel, their refuge, their connection to our school and to their community.” She said it’s not uncommon for them to make doctor appointments for the EL students or help with a passport application. It also isn’t uncommon for the CLD teachers to work beyond regular school hours and sometimes on weekends to accommodate the unique needs of their students. “We wear so many roles and so many hats. We are a real connection through language and providing those extra resources that other teachers might not,” she said. 

The team hopes to be able to expand their program offerings and resources, including being able to clearly designate programs, have enough personnel to support each program, establish Spanish classes in the elementary level and provide opportunities for students to receive a Bill of Biliteracy accolade when they graduate.

In addition to program expansion, the team hopes to add to its staff to better support its current and future needs.

“As of now, because of the influx of numbers, we need more personnel to really support those numbers,” said Cammack. “Our vision is to anchor our district and school goals into that equity and really focus on providing these supports so we can support all students.”

Kelsey MacDonald, a district middle school teacher spoke during public comment. “I advocate for the CLD team. I implore anyone to shadow them for a day,” she said. “They are educators, advocates, community liaisons and really heroes of our community. They are the hardest workers that I’ve seen in our school district and the expectations placed on them to both teach the students and advocate for them is simply impossible with the time they have, the resources they are given and the expectations that are expected of them. It’s not possible. This system is failing our teachers. It’s not sustainable.”

She concluded, “When you help your most vulnerable and marginalized students, you’re helping all students.”

“You obviously go above and beyond your teaching duties every day and outside of school hours,” board member Anne Brookhart said to the team. “Thank you so much, I hope we can get you so more help.”

“I see you all providing a social services function that I view should be accommodated at a county level. We have a department of health that should be invested in these types of situations,” said board member Dave Taylor. “How is your collaboration with the county?”

“The conversations have begun, thanks to this team this year,” said superintendent Leslie Nichols. The team noted that there are connections with county resources and they are working on establishing more collaboration as they are able. Harrington noted the phenomenal work of GCSAPP and the Gunnison Country Food Pantry. “I feel like the connection is there, it’s just a lot when we’re tasked with educating and teaching English,” she said.

“It seems to me that there is a need for some discussion with the county as to who is doing what and or who’s not doing what they should be doing,” said board president Tyler Martineau. The board agreed more conversations between school administration and the county should happen.

Nichols also shared the district’s ELL achievement data from standardized tests. Historically underserved populations, which include ELL, are performing lower than other groups, said Nichols. “That is an area of concern.”

For academic achievement, ELL students in grades 3, 4 and 5 taking the CMAS ranked in the 1 percentile in the state. In other words, GWSD ELL students did better than 1% of all other ELL students in the state. Middle school grades 6, 7, 8 taking CMAS, as well as high school grades 9 and 10 taking the PSAT, also ranked in the 1 percentile.

“I can’t believe that when we compare Gunnison Watershed ELL to all the state we’re only doing better than 1%,” said Martineau. “That to me is just an absolutely stunning number. I am shocked by it that we are not doing better than that compared to our peer school districts in the state. I’m disappointed.”

He addressed the CLD team. “Your commitment has been demonstrated tonight. It’s not a question of your commitment and ability. This bears a lot of serious looking into. Our numbers have grown so dramatically in last couple years. The need emerges and the staffing and priorities have to change to meet the need that has emerged. Your workloads have grown to meet the overwhelming needs.”

“This isn’t just a Gunnison Watershed School District problem, we have an immigration problem in our country,” said Taylor. “We have 44 new (ELL) students which has a dramatic effect on our school district to implement successful processes and procedures. I love each and every one of these kids, but how effectively can we integrate this many newcomers into our school district? It is a true cost, one that we have to deal with.”

“The hope is that we as a school board and as a district can figure out the cause behind these concerning numbers, which is clearly not this team’s lack of brilliance,” said Nichols. “I wish I could find the magic wand and create more FTEs (full-time equivalent positions) for better support here. There has been a huge shift in the pressure on this team over the past two years. My hope is that it becomes a tool for us to say we have work to do and how can we as a board who holds the purse strings figure out how to redirect our resources. They are limited, we have more and more priorities…but how can we prioritize and fill the needs with the money that we have? It takes a lot to get every one of our kids what they deserve and what they need to achieve at the highest level possible.”