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Alameda Unified

English Language Learner Family Winter Meeting

2021-22

January 4: 粵語

January 6: 普通話

January 18: tiếng Việt

January 25: Español

March 10: اَلْعَرَبِيَّةُ

5:30 - 6:30 pm

Hello and welcome!

Please click on the link in the chat box so we can take attendance!

Nancy Lai: Coordinator of Language & Literacy

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Agenda

1. Why is the ELPAC important?
2. What does the ELPAC look like?
3. How can I support my child?

“ELPAC” stands for:

English Language Proficiency Assessments for California

What do you already know about the ELPAC?

What has your child (or children!) shared with you?

Who takes the ELPAC?

All students who are identified as “English Learners” take the ELPAC.

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English Learners include those who are Newcomers and those who have been attending US schools for many years.

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This includes students who are English Learners with disabilities.

Levels of English Proficiency

Conversational/Social

Talk with friends and family about food, movies, video games, sports--everyday life.

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Academic

Talk with classmates, teachers, professors, coworkers about history, science, politics, and philosophy

When do students take the ELPAC?

Students who might be English Learners take the Initial ELPAC when they first enroll in school, and this test tells us how whether they are English Learners, and what level of English proficiency they have.

When do students take the ELPAC?

Every spring, English Learner students take the Summative ELPAC, between February and May. They keep taking this test every year until they are reclassified as proficient in English.

Reclassification

COVID!

What do you notice? What questions do you have?

Why is the ELPAC important?

1. It tells us whether students are making progress in learning English.

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• It is one of the main benchmark that allows us to reclassify a student from English Learner to “Fluent English Proficient.”

How do students reclassify?

ELPAC Sample Score Report

What do you notice about page one of the sample score report? What do you think is the most important piece of information about page one?

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What do you notice about page two of the sample score report? What do you think is the most important piece of information about page two?

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• Chinese
• Filipino
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

ELPAC Report: Most Important on Page 1

ELPAC Report: Most Important on Page 2

ELPAC: What does it look like?

You’ve seen that the ELPAC has four sections:

• Oral Language
1. Listening
2. Speaking
• Written Language
• Reading
• Writing

ELPAC Practice Test Instructions

1. Click on this link to the Student Sign In.
1. If this does not work, click on this link instead and select “Student Interface Practice and Training Tests.”
2. Sign in as a “Guest User” by simply clicking on the green “Sign In” button:

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3. Select the grade.
4. Scroll down and select the test you’re interested in reviewing:

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• Click on the green “Select” button:
• Click the sound & video button to check they are working:

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ELPAC Practice Test Instructions

7. Click the green button:

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8. Click the green “Begin Test Now” button:

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9. Whenever you are ready, you can use the green “Next” button on the top of the screen to go on to the next section:

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ELPAC: What does it look like?

We’re looking at what the test looks like online for:

• 5th grade
• Listening (to a conversation, to stories): #1

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Note:

1. You can play the conversation AND the question with the answers.
2. You can only listen to the conversation ONE time.

ELPAC: What does it look like?

We’re looking at what the test looks like online for:

• 5th grade
• Listening (to a teacher): #13-15

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Note:

• Read or listen to the questions first.
• This is much longer.
• You can only listen to the lecture ONE time.

Levels of English Proficiency

Conversational/Social

Talk with friends and family about food, movies, video games, sports--everyday life.

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Academic

Talk with classmates, teachers, professors, coworkers about history, science, politics, and philosophy

ELPAC: What does it look like?

We’re looking at what the looks like for:

• 5th grade
• Speaking: Opinion (#8) and Information (#10)

Speaking: Opinion Question #8

Speaking: Information Question #10

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Note:

The ELPAC is untimed and computer-based. However:

• K-2 students write on paper. Grades 3-12 type on a computer.
• K-2 students are tested one-to-one.

Supporting Your Student

Practice Tests for:

• 3-5
• 6-8
• 9-10
• 11-12

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We do not recommend that K-2 students practice.

How Can Families Support?

Regularly ask your child for their opinion, and for them to give at least 2 reasons for their opinion.

How Can Families Support?

Watch science or history programs with your child, and ask them to summarize key ideas.

How Can Families Support?

Ask your child questions about the books they’re reading.

How Can Families Support?

Encourage your child to practice for the ELPAC, either online or to review the attached files. (We do not recommend this for K-2 students.)

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Supporting Your Student

Sample Questions for Parent-Teacher Conferences

• Arabic
• English
• Chinese (Traditional)
• Spanish
• Vietnamese

What’s one question you’d be interested in asking?

Resources

1. Practice Tests of the ELPAC sections (Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing)

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• Online Practice Test

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• Parent Resources (in Spanish, too!)

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Any more questions?

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nlai@alamedaunified.org

Closing

ATTENDANCE

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Old Slides

Key Ideas

1. The resources we have for English Language Learners today are a result of people fighting for their rights.

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• Parents have always been at the forefront to ensure their children have the education they need.

Share

What’s one new thing you learned or realized about:

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• Multilingualism
• How parents fought for their children to receive supports

What is Reclassification?

This is the goal for all English Language Learners.

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It means that the student has gone from being an English Language Learner (ELL) to Fluent English Proficient (FEP).

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Reclassification can be thought of as an ELL’s language graduation.

How do we know a student is an English Language Learner?

Home Language Survey at Enrollment

1. Which language did your child learn when they first began to talk?
2. Which language does your child most frequently speak at home?
3. Which language do you (the parents and guardians) most frequently use when speaking with your child?

If a language other than English is noted for Questions 1, 2, or 3, this leads to an Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for CA (ELPAC).

Process: from English Language Learner to Reclassification

Home Language Survey

Initial ELPAC

Level 3 = Initially Fluent English Proficient

No ELD classes, no yearly testing needed

Level 1 = Novice and Level 2 = Intermediate

ELD classes & yearly testing UNTIL they meet criteria for Reclassification

Reclassification: “Reclassified Fluent English Proficient”

How do I reclassify?

Levels of English Proficiency

Conversational/Social

Talk with friends and family about food, movies, video games, sports--everyday life.

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Academic

Talk with classmates, teachers, professors, coworkers about history, science, politics, and philosophy

Safety Net: After Reclassification

We follow reclassified students for 4 years after they reclassify and check their grades and test scores to make sure they are not falling behind.

Any clarifying questions about the journey of an English Language Learner student to Reclassification?

College and Career

• AUSD Graduation Requirements

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• A-G Requirements (Difference between UC and CSU)

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University of California - UC (UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC Davis, etc.)

California State University - CSU (East Bay, Long Beach, Sacramento, etc.)

College and Career

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AUSD and A-G Comparison Chart

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Private Colleges

Myth About ELD Groups and Classes

• “ELD means my child will not receive English instruction with classmates.”
• All students receive the same core English instruction in reading literature and non-fiction. ELD is in addition to the required ELA class.

ELD means I can’t apply to college...

Electives are more important than ELD...

• Students need “G” elective credit to meet A-G.
• They also need elective credits for AUSD graduation.
• Electives speak to student interests.

• Students need to have enough Academic English to be successful with us, and after HS.

Parent Discussion

In language-alike breakout-rooms

• What was education like in your home country?
• How were students expected to act?
• Were they expected to talk in class?
• What was the role of parents/guardians?

(7 minute discussion)

In Alameda Unified

We encourage:

• Students to participate in classroom discussions and respectfully disagree with and/or have different perspectives than each other and the teacher.
• Parents to ask questions and advocate for what is best for their children.

Parent Power & Community

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• Ask your student’s teacher(s) questions in your Parent-Teacher conference.

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• Get connected:

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Parent Power & Community

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• Join your school English Language Advisory Committee (ELAC) OR join the District English Language Advisory Committee (DELAC)!

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• School Smarts weekly sessions