Baker 5J ESL Program Achieves Notable Progress
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 in Eastern/Southeast Oregon News More Top Stories
BAKER CITY – (Release from the Baker School District) Baker School District received news last week that their English Second Language (ESL) Program had demonstrated significant progress in helping English Learners (ELs) experience success in school. As a result, they will be exited from “targeted status”, a designation the district had received based on student data from the 2014-15 School Year.
“Targeted status” means that students associated with Baker 5J and Baker Charter School EL programs had not made sufficient progress towards state benchmarks in reading and mathematics and English Language acquisition, as demonstrated by the Oregon Statewide Assessment (SBAC) and the English Learner Proficiency Assessment (ELPA). Other factors considered include attendance, graduation rates, ninth grade on track and student discipline.
Baker 5J EL Team members MaLena Wirth, Aysha Vidales, Tamarack Grammon, Alexis Quinonez, Inna Perepechkin and Roland Hobson worked for the past four years to achieve goals leading to greater school success for English Learners. The team was directed by Assistant Superintendent Betty Palmer, who retired last June.
“In large part, Baker 5J and Baker Charter Schools’ achievement of Notable Progress in our ELD programs has been due to sincere relationships built between teachers, students, and parents,” said Grammon, Baker Web Academy ELD teacher. “For example, many struggling students never came to ELD class before teachers helped outside of class with things like getting drivers’ licenses, tutoring for tests, or writing letters of reference. Human connections and concern are what make people stick around long enough to achieve Notable Progress together.”
Key team efforts included offering multiple opportunities for professional development to K-12 and staff and specialists serving English Learners, purchasing curriculum and books aimed at promoting literacy in English and Spanish, developing a robust outreach for ESL parents and families, and providing additional support for EL students through extended week and summer programming.
“I am really proud of the work the teachers of this district have put forth and all that we have accomplished as a team,” said Baker 5J ELD teacher Vidales. “Our students not only feel loved by their teachers, but also are getting exactly what they need to succeed.”
“I credit our students and parents who work hard to obtain the skills and knowledge it takes to navigate our education system,” said Wirth, Baker 5J Student/Parent liaison. “Also, the school district’s investment to support the ELD team in training and sharing strategies to enhance their teaching models which allows our students to learn the English language across all content areas.”
ESL programs were rated on seven different components over the four-year period: On track to English Proficiency, Regular Attendance, Exclusionary Discipline, ELA Achievement, ELA Growth, Math Achievement and Math Growth. Baker 5J elementary students showed notable progress in 6 out of 7 components; secondary students demonstrated progress in 4 out of 7 components.
According to an announcement published by Oregon Department of Education, “Your district made some or notable progress in both elementary and secondary ratings and will be exited out of the HB3499: EL School and District Improvement Program.”
“We are excited to have achieved this designation,” said Palmer. “It took a concerted effort by education staff who work closely with ESL students and the support staff who helped track data, goals and expenditures over the past four years. Our EL students are extremely talented kids who have great prospects ahead of them; we are proud of their hard work and the tremendous efforts of the teachers and families who support them.”
About the Baker School District
Nationally recognized Baker School District 5J (BSD) is a major employer in Baker City, OR, serving 1,700 students locally with an additional 3,000 online students across the state of Oregon. Through enterprising, collaborative endeavors, BSD is creating an innovative educational foundation for future Oregonians. BSD believes strong school collaboration with local partners enables us to create vibrant communities that support lifelong learners.
