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With the growing number of non-native English speakers in Haverhill Public Schools, director of multilingual learning Heidi Perez says her department has increased in size to meet the greater need.
She told School Committee members last week, “It’s been a change [for] the teachers and the school community, so we’ve been trying to stay up-to-date, to give our students what they deserve.”
In her six years at the helm, Perez said the proportion of ML students grew from 9.5% to 13%, while the state average went from 10.5% to 13.1%. The surge accelerated particularly in the last three years, according to slides Perez shared. As of last September, 1,037 of 7,882 students were English learners.
In the same period, the district increased the number of ML teachers from 19 to 38, bilingual parent liaisons from two to 16 and testers to assess incoming ML students from two to four. Perez also got an assistant and her department hired two coaches to help classroom teachers support students who are still learning the language of instruction.
“Students are in the regular classroom and the teachers are trained to be able to deliver the instruction in such a way that our students don’t get behind while they’re acquiring the language,” she said.
Perez said all teachers in Haverhill’s schools have a Sheltered English Immersion—or SEI—endorsement from the state, which indicates they know research-based, ML instruction techniques. The district ran one professional development workshop called “Newcomers in Your Classroom,” according to Perez.
“SEI strategies are great, but when you have a brand new student that has the very beginning stages of language,” she said. “No one is prepared for that, so how do we keep them not in the back of the room doing something on their own, but engaged, like how do you pull out the right amount of language that they can access, [so] they’re participating meaningfully?”
She added, “But what people don’t know, too, is that the beginning stages of language acquisition, if the conditions are correct, it’s kind of a rapid process.”
Member Yonnie Collins said she met with a group of ML students, with some telling her they have no way to give staff feedback.
If they feel left out, Collins said, “They’re going to be the kids that wander around in the hallway and hide in the bathroom. Some of those same students that have a history of doing that, because I like to ask a lot of questions, they said they felt as though they wanted an avenue where maybe someone could translate if they’re having a problem, like one of their teachers or something like that.”
Perez responded, “If they have the perception that they’re not being included, 99% of the time I would imagine there are some other factors going on because we’re promoting constantly this inclusivity, making sure that our students have these opportunities.”
She cited increasing involvement in school programs to support her point. She said 39 ML students are in Early College, 30 in Career Technical Education, 30 in Reserve Officers’ Training Crop—or ROTC and 68 on sports teams. The students are also “very active” in the visual and performing arts, she added.
Along with high-achieving foreign language students whose first language is English, Haverhill’s ML students can receive a seal of biliteracy, a state award, by taking tests in their native language. This is another way the district promotes biliteracy and honors diversity, according to Perez.
In other news, Haverhill YMCA leaders reported at last week’s meeting that participation in Positive Alternative for School Suspension, a program for students suspended for non-violent offenses, has doubled to 435 since last year. With research showing unsupervised after school time leads to more risky behaviors, Youth Services Director Kiana Rios said the YMCA provides “programs, opportunities and a safe place.”