Kerrie Torres
Assistant Superintendent
Brea Olinda Unified School District
Jerald Wilson
Administrator, Dr. Emmett J. Conrad Global
H-TECH, Dallas Independent School District
Dr. Ramon Namnun
Principal, High School of World Cultures
New York Department of Education
Tom Davis
Director, California Association of Latino
Superintendents and Administrators
We are excited to partner with the nation’s leading districts to highlight their efforts using online curriculum to meet the needs of English language learners (ELL) this week at the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) annual conference.
The panel, held on Saturday, February 16 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. in room 501C at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will feature three leading districts to share their perspective on addressing the challenges of supporting this rapidly growing population of students. The panelists will discuss best practices for implementing and evaluating effective resources to drive achievement. To learn more about this special ELL session, visit: https://www.apexlearning.com/AASA.
English Language Learners: Meeting the needs of this rapidly growing student population
ELL students represent the fastest growing student population in the United States. Nearly three out of four classrooms include at least one English language learner and just one-third of ELL students reach basic proficiency on national exams in math and reading. That’s half the rate of their non-ELL peers. Further, the dropout rate for ELL students is double the national average and the achievement gap between ELL and non-ELL students has remained constant for nearly two decades.
AASA’s National Conference on Education is the most comprehensive professional learning and networking event for school superintendents and administrators with more than 3,000 superintendents attending.
Why Curriculum Matters for ELL Students
ELL students often develop conversational English skills quickly, but it can take up to seven years for these students to develop full academic proficiency. Compounding the issue, many districts are unprepared to provide ELL students the support required to achieve proficiency, and most teachers agree that they lack high-quality instructional materials to address students’ language and academic needs, particularly within secondary education. These challenges are amplified when serving highly mobile families, as schools may serve students for only a few months or years of their academic journey.
Yet, the stakes are high to find high-quality resources to support ELL students. The right supports can have a considerable impact on whether or not a student can reach their full potential for academic achievement. Districts using our digital curriculum are able to simultaneously build English language learners’ language fluency and subject-level mastery, while providing students with the foundation they needed to excel in school and beyond. For more information on how districts can use online learning to better support their ELL students, visit: https://www.apexlearning.com/ell.