The Charter School of Morgan Hill is a resource-based project based learning (PBL) school with strong programs in language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, physical education, foreign language, and technology. We provide an enrichment curriculum that includes such classes as art, music, drama, nutrition and agricultural science. Students are active in the community through their participation in various service learning projects.
Children learn by doing, and a hands-on learning approach gives students an opportunity to take learned skills and apply them to meaningful projects. Project based learning (PBL) provides students an opportunity to create knowledge for themselves based on their own experiences. The teacher shares control of the classroom and students are allowed to explore, experiment, and discover on their own. They then reflect upon and share their knowledge with others. Students are able to develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, social and communication skills, and cooperative learning which will prepare them for the 21st century.
Technology is a powerful tool when used to enhance student learning, and is integrated throughout the curriculum at CSMH. Teachers strive to incorporate technology into a variety of learning tasks, preparing students to be part of a technological workforce. Students perform tasks such as researching on the web, producing a written report or video, creating a power point or other type of electronic presentation, participating in an online discussion, viewing a web-cast, creating a blog or website, running a simulation, and analyzing a graphic spreadsheet. CSMH is equipped with a state of the art computer lab and students also have access to computers in the classrooms.
The CSMH learning community fosters a productive, safe, and enriching environment in which children of different backgrounds, abilities and needs work together successfully. Teachers use dynamic, flexible groupings to meet the needs of their students; these groupings encompass such factors as skills, ability, gender and interest. Since children have different strengths and styles of learning, CSMH educators develop instructional programs which build on each student's strengths and address diverse learning styles. Teachers design effectively differentiated curriculum to engage all learners. High achieving students are pushed deeper into the standards in ways that require higher order thinking. Curriculum is further adapted to meet the needs of second language learners and/or those students requiring additional modifications based on special needs.
CSMH is its own Local Educational Agency (LEA) for the purposes of special education. CSMH is a member in good standing of the Sonoma Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) and provides services for special education students enrolled in the Charter School.
At CSMH, teachers utilize reliable student assessment data, formative and summative, to help plan and drive curriculum. The DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) and math benchmark tests are consistently administered at every grade level multiple times per year. Teachers are able to review and reconfigure data so that they have a detailed analysis of students, and are able to revise instruction so that students all students can be successful.
Charter School of Morgan Hill meets all applicable legal requirements for English Learners (EL) pertaining to annual notification to families, student identification, placement, ELD and core content instruction, teacher qualifications and training, reclassification to fluent English proficient (RFEP) status, monitoring and evaluating program effectiveness, and standardized testing requirements. Our ELD program includes implementation of the new California ELD standards. The Charter School has implemented procedures to ensure proper placement, evaluation, and communication regarding ELs and the rights of students and parents.
Assessment and Identification
Home Language Survey - The Home Language Survey (HLS) is administered upon every student’s initial enrollment into a California public school. If CSMH is not a student’s first California public school, then the Charter School attempts to retrieve a copy of the student’s HLS from the prior school(s) of attendance. Nonetheless, all students are asked about their primary language with the Charter School’s enrollment paperwork to ensure an HLS is completed.
English Language Proficiency Testing - State and federal law require that all LEAs administer a state test of English Language proficiency (ELP). California’s ELP assessment is currently the CELDT (California English Language Development Test). All students who indicate that their home language is other than English will be administered the CELDT (or other state ELP) within thirty days of initial enrollment and at least annually thereafter between July 1 and October 31 until reclassified as fluent English proficient.
The Charter School will notify all parents of its responsibility for English language proficiency testing and of assessment results within thirty days of receiving results from the publisher. The CELDT (or other state ELP) shall be used to fulfill the requirements under the ESEA for annual English proficiency testing.
All references in the charter petition to the CELDT will be understood by the Charter School and the District to mean the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (“ELPAC”), when it replaces the CELDT.
Primary Language Assessment - The evaluation of a student’s proficiency in his or her primary language helps to create a more complete picture of the student’s language proficiency skills and to design appropriate instruction and support services. Research indicates that a child’s fluency and literacy in the home language is an important factor when designing ELD instruction.
Initially identified Spanish-speaking ELs at CSMH are assessed in their primary language using an instrument such as Ballard & Tighe’s Spanish IPT. Every EL student whose primary language is one other than Spanish is informally evaluated through a survey sent home to the parent to complete and return.
Assessment, Monitoring, and Reclassification Process
When creating classroom assessment tools, ELD standards are incorporated whenever possible. Listening, speaking, reading, and writing are assessed; results are tracked and discussed at collaboration opportunities, ensuring EL student progress is frequently monitored and assessed for differentiation and additional support services as needed.
The following methods are used to monitor students’ progress:
- Students are assessed using the CELDT (or other state ELP assessment) at the beginning of each year by October 31.
- Staff monitor EL student progress in language arts using school-wide assessments, such as the DRA, a standardized reading test used to determine a student’s instructional level in reading
- During weekly grade-level collaboration time and data review meetings, teachers regularly discuss the needs and performance of our EL students, based on both formal and informal assessments.
A student may be reclassified as fluent English proficient using criteria consistent with legal requirements. Education Code Section 313(f) specifies that multiple measures be used to reclassify ELs but must include all four of the following criteria: 1) Assessment of English language proficiency; 2) Teacher evaluation; 3) Parental opinion and consultation; and 4) Comparison of student performance in basic skills against an empirically established range of performance in basic skills based on the performance of English proficient students of the same age.
Reclassified students are monitored for at least two years to ensure their continued ability to achieve mastery of CCSS English Language Arts standards and to provide additional support if needed.
Instructional Strategies
All student records, including English Learner files, are reviewed when creating class lists for each new school year. ELs are placed with teachers with a Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (“CLAD”) or a Bilingual Cross-cultural Language and Academic Development (“BCLAD”) for their core classes.
Our educational program is designed to reach all learners, including ELs. It promotes language acquisition and proficiency, oral language development, and enriched learning opportunities. We value the knowledge and experience that every student brings to the classroom. Our inclusive and collaborative environment gives ELs a setting to learn from and with English-speaking peers as well as other ELs. Teachers encourage students to share that knowledge in a variety of forms so that all students can participate, regardless of their own English proficiency. In addition, parent involvement in the classrooms ensures that students receive more individualized support.
All EL students are fully integrated into the regular classrooms. They receive core content instruction appropriate for their English proficiency and grade levels. All teachers with ELs are given information about their students’ English language proficiency levels and proficiency level descriptors. They plan their curriculum to ensure that these students have full access to the material, modifying their instruction as needed. A plan for differentiation for ELs is included in all project planning forms.
We believe that English Learners should be held to the high expectations outlined in the Common Core State Standards. ELs may require additional time, appropriate instructional support, and aligned assessments as they acquire both English language proficiency and content area knowledge. The new California ELD standards are aligned to the ELA standards, and they describe what knowledge and skills are needed to help ELs master the new Common Core State Standards. They provide ELs with full access to the core curriculum while maintaining steady progress toward developing fluency in English. The California ELD Standards are incorporated into planning and classroom assessment tools as well. The staff uses the ELA/ELD Framework to support implementation of the CCSS for ELA/Literacy and the California ELD Standards.
We recognize and appreciate the particular needs of EL students and continually evaluate our educational program with those in mind. As part of our ongoing staff development, all teachers are becoming familiar with the California ELD Standards and trained in a variety of ELD techniques and strategies, including Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (“SDAIE”), as well as the research-based Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol (“SIOP”) Model, a research-based and validated model of sheltered instruction that has been widely and successfully used across the U.S. for over 15 years. Staff is investigating incorporating the SIOP Model, including its methods for assessing the effectiveness of lessons for EL students and ways to monitor comprehension informally.
On professional development days and during weekly grade-level collaboration time, teachers regularly discuss the needs and performance of our EL students, based on both formal and informal assessments. During tuning protocols (a structured process that allows for reflection and meaningful feedback about a project), teachers know to listen for and inquire about how projects will be differentiated and support all students with special needs, including ELs.
Specific strategies that support our English Learners include:
Constructivist, Inquiry-Based Teaching: EL students benefit from the collaborative, engaging and purposeful teaching methods at CSMH. Teachers provide a context for English language development by connecting with students’ prior knowledge and engaging them in meaningful learning experiences. The focus on conceptual understanding and contextualized learning supports language development.
Scaffolding: Scaffolding is a way of temporarily supporting learners to access grade level content and concepts as they develop proficiency. Multiple forms of instructional scaffolding are used. Scaffolding is also used in reading and writing development. Peregoy and Boyle (2005) define literacy scaffolds as “activities that provide built-in teacher or peer assistance, permitting students to participate fully at a level that would not be possible without the assistance.” Such activities may include shared reading, patterned writing, cognitive mapping, and interactive journal writing. Most importantly, teachers support risk-taking by creating safe, supportive environments for their students.
Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English: Teachers across all grade levels use SDAIE strategies to support ELs in learning academic content. The SIOP Model helps teachers plan and deliver lessons that allow English learners to acquire academic knowledge as they develop English language proficiency. Project Based Learning incorporates many aspects of SDAIE instruction, which focuses on making academic input comprehensible and reinforcing it using strategies such as realia and manipulatives, visuals, graphic organizers, planned opportunities for interaction, and modified language used during instruction.
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