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Overview of NPS Bilingual/ESL Program Services

Strengthening Bilingual & ESL Programs Based on Student Needs, Equity, and Family Choice

Frances Saez, Education Administrator for MLL

Taylor Da Silva, Assistant Education Administrator for MLL

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January 2026

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AGENDA

NPS Multilingual Learner Data
Connecticut State Department of Education Requirements
Process for Identifying Multilingual Learners
Overview of Bilingual and ESL Programs
Program Findings & Shifts Towards Equitable Access
Program Outcomes
Questions

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NPS Multilingual Learner Data

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NPS Student Population Data (1/1/2026)

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	PreK 3 & PreK 4	Elementary School Grades K - 5	Middle School Grades 6 - 8	High School Grades 9 - 12	Total
All Students	385	4,941	2,493	3,873	11,307
MLLs	N/A	1,305	493	702	2,500
Dually Identified *	N/A	312	145	146	603
Monitored +	N/A	87	155	76	318

* Identified as a MLL and a student receiving specialized learning services.

Services provided for two additional years to ensure effective transitioning.

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MLL School Data

School:	1/1/26 MLL Enrollment	% of MLL per school
School:	1/1/26 MLL Enrollment	% of MLL per school
Brookside Elementary	119	31.3%
Concord Magnet Elementary	36	8.8%
Cranbury Elementary	40	9.9%
Fox Run Elementary	68	16.6%
Jefferson Elementary	186	41.1%
Kendall Elementary	168	47.1%
Marvin Elementary	93	26.1%
Naramake Elementary	68	21.1%
Rowayton Elementary	55	13.4%
Silvermine Dual Language	160	38.4%
South Norwalk Elementary	138	50.0%
Tracey Magnet Elementary	141	32.0%
Wolfpit Elementary	45	12.5%
Nathan Hale Middle	92	16.9%
Ponus Ridge Middle	156	24.1%
Roton Middle	87	18.4%
West Rocks Middle	143	22.4%
Brien McMahon High	351	20.2%
Norwalk High	305	23.4%
Center for Global Studies	6	2.1%
P-TECH	23	5.7%
Total	2,500	22.1%
Total	2,500	22.1%

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Connecticut State Department of Education Requirements

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Connecticut State Department of Education Service Requirements for MLLs

Identification and Screening: Every school district must have a process to identify students who may need services.

Home Language Survey (HLS): Upon enrollment, parents must complete a survey. If any answer indicates a language other than English, the student must be assessed.

Program & Services for MLL: Multilingual learners must receive services for English development.

CSDE requires language services, but does not require number of minutes of support.
Parent choice dictates students’ service program.

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Process for Identifying Multilingual Learners

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NPS Process for Identifying Multilingual Learners

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Overview of Bilingual and ESL Programs

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Overview of Bilingual Education & ESL Services

Transitional Bilingual: These programs use the student's native language as a temporary bridge to help them transition into English-only instruction. Instruction starts primarily in the students’ native language and transitions to primarily English.

English as a Second Language (ESL): Program provides English Language instruction to MLL by a certified TESOL teacher focusing on listening, speaking, reading, and writing through various delivery models (pull-out, push-in, co-teaching).

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Types of Dual Language (DL) Programs

Two-Way Dual Language Immersion: Enrolls native English speakers and native speakers of the partner language. Instruction is in both languages to help scholars excel academically while becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.

One-Way Dual Language Immersion: Serves students from a single language background native speaker. Instruction is in both languages to help scholars excel academically while becoming bilingual, biliterate and bicultural.

Overview of Bilingual Education & ESL Services

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NPS Bilingual & MLL Program Offerings

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School	Grade Levels	Dual Language Program
Brookside Elementary School	K -3	Two-Way DL Program ESL
Jefferson Marine Science Elementary School	K-5	One-Way DL Program ESL
Silvermine Dual Language Elementary School	K-5	Two-Way DL Program
South Norwalk Elementary School	K-3	One-Way DL Program ESL
West Rocks Middle School	6-8	Two-Way DL Program ESL
All Schools	K-12	English as a Second Language - ESL
High Schools	9-12	ESL/Bilingual Content Area Teachers & Native Language Support

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Program Findings & Shifts Toward Equitable Access

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Registration & Enrollment Process Shifts

Program findings	Shifts To …
MLL students were not consistently or adequately receiving services. In middle school, MLLs who scored a Level 3 or Level 4 on LAS Links did not receive ESL services.	Established a districtwide ESL service requirement applicable to all schools. Defines minimum required minutes of ESL instruction for all Multilingual Learners (MLLs). �

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Program Findings & Shift to Equitable Access

Program Findings	Shifts To …
The high school program of study delayed access to English courses.� Many MLL students did not receive English credit–bearing courses until their fourth or fifth year.� Students also experienced limited access to other courses needed to meet graduation requirements. Students faced delayed graduation due to limited course offerings.	Revise the program of study to ensure Multilingual Learner (MLL) students are enrolled in English Language Arts (ELA) earlier in their high school years.� Prioritize early access to ELA coursework aligned with graduation requirements.� Provide appropriate language supports (e.g., co-teaching, ESL within ELA courses).�

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Program Findings & Shifts for Equitable Access and Quality Instruction

Student Integration-Equity Access to Quality Instruction	Shifts To …
MLL students were sometimes isolated and not integrated into general education classes.� MLL students were not consistently exposed to grade-level texts or academic standards.� MLL students were pulled out of core classes to receive MLL services. This resulted in students missing valuable instructional time.	Move from pull-out and segregated ESL models to co-teaching, push-in services, and integrated classrooms that promote access to grade-level content alongside their non-MLL peers. The district has adopted English HQIM curriculum across the grade bands. this ensures every scholar has access to quality instruction: Elementary-Wonders Middle school-StudySync High school-Odell�

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Program Findings & Shifts for Equitable Access and Quality Instruction

Program Findings	Shifts To …
A significant number of MLL students dropped out of school. A large number of MLL students received administrative withdrawals.	Introduced a re-engagement process to support students who have disengaged from traditional high school pathways.� Utilizing Future Ready, we offer flexible, innovative schedules designed to meet the needs of working students and provide schedule options that accommodate students with children and other family responsibilities.�

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Program Findings & Shifts for Equitable Access and Quality Instruction

Student Integration-Equity Access to Quality Instruction	Shifts To …
MLL high school students were scheduled for the same courses. Some students earned passing grades, but due to the attendance policy; their credits were not honored. Many students infrequently met with their school counselor due to language barriers.	Shift from limited monitoring to systematic progress tracking. Updated attendance policy. Transcript reviews done twice a year by School Counselors and MLL department.�

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Program Findings & Shifts for Equitable Access and Quality Instruction

Student Integration-Equity Access to Quality Instruction	Shifts To …
Summer school offerings provided ESL courses only.� Content-area courses required for high school graduation were not offered.� This further delayed students’ ability to graduate within four years of high school.	Redesign MLL Summer Program (MLL Accelerated Summer Academy) Summer program offerings to include core academic courses alongside language development, allowing MLL students to recover credits they didn’t have the opportunity to obtain to remain on track for graduation. �

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Program Changes

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MLL English Course Placement Revised

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MLL English Course Placement Revised

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NPS K-8 MLL Service Requirements

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NPS High School MLL Service Requirements

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Outcome of Program Changes

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MLL Graduation Rates: A Three-Year Overview

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NPS Graduation Rate
Graduation Years	2022	2023	2024
All Students	91.1%	91.6%	92.6%
MLL	68.8%	70.9%	79.3%

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MLL Graduation Data

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Cohort 2024 (Published by the CSDE)
	District	BMHS	NHS	CGS	P-TECH
All Students	92.6%	91.6%	91.9%	100%	98.9%
MLL	79.3%	75.0%	83.3%	100%	100%

Cohort 2023 (Published by the CSDE)
	District	BMHS	NHS	CGS	P-TECH
All Students	91.6%	89.8%	90.1%	98.6%	98.9%
MLL	70.9%	71.9%	70.5%	100%	100%

Cohort 2022 (Published by the CSDE)
	District	BMHS	NHS	CGS	P-TECH
All Students	91.1%	89.7%	91.7%	97.0%	98.8%
MLL	68.8%	69.8%	67.7%	100%	100%

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LAS Links Growth-Average Percent of Target Achieved

Connecticut Cities Population over 70,000

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MLL LAS Links Results

15 schools have shown an increase in Oral Growth PTA	10 Schools have shown an increase in Literacy Growth PTA
Concord Magnet School Cranbury Elementary Fox Run Elementary Jefferson Marine Science Marvin Elementary Naramake Elementary Silvermine Dual Language South Norwalk Neighborhood School Tracey Magnet Wolfpit Integrated Arts Nathan Hale MS West Rocks MS Norwalk HS PTECH CGS	Cranbury Elementary Jefferson Marine Science Naramake Elementary Rowayton Elementary Silvermine Dual Language South Norwalk Neighborhood School Nathan Hale MS Ponus Ridge MS West Rocks MS Norwalk HS Schools that increased in both Oral and Literacy PTA

224 Scholars Met Proficiency a 75% increase from last year

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Questions?

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Established Late Entry Guidelines

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PURPOSE AND IMPACT

Increased achievement of all MLL students
Increased number of Dual Language Program options
MLL professional development and cycles of support for both administration and teaching staff
Increased 4-year graduation rate by decreasing the number of years HS MLL students remain in school

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LAS Links Assessment

Annually identifies, places, evaluates and reports the progress of English Language Learners on all 4 modalities of language.

LAS Links Assessments are grade appropriate and available in five grade bands: Primary (K-1), Early Elementary (2-3), Elementary (4-5), Middle School (6-8) & High School (9-12)

Exit Criteria

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Revised High School Program of Study

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MLL ELA & Math Achievement

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