Heights, Southwest Licking adapting to increasing number of English language learners
When Licking Heights Local Schools sent letters to families about the Battle for Broad Street Food Drive ahead of the district's match up against rival Watkins Memorial High School, it had different versions prepared. The first sentences read:
In English, "As many of you know, next week is the “Battle for Broad Street” when our Licking Heights Hornets take on the Watkins Memorial Warriors in their annual football game."
In Somali, "Sidaad intiina badan ogtihiin, isbuuca soo socdo waxaa dhici doono “Battle for Broad Street” markay ciyaarta kubadda sanadka isaga hor imaan doonaa kooxdeena Licking Heights Hornets iyo kooxda Watkins Memorial Warriors."
In Spanish, "Como muchos de ustedes saben, la próxima semana es la "Battle for Broad Street" cuando nuestros Licking Heights Hornets se enfrentan a los Watkins Memorial Warriors en su juego anual de fútbol."
This year, the district started sending all communications in English, Somali, Spanish and Nepali to better meet the needs of parents and caregivers. As the English language learner population grow within Licking Heights and Southwest Licking Local Schools, the districts are changing the ways they communicate with families.
Licking Heights had about 150-175 students in its ELL program in 2012, said District Supervisor of Pupil Services Mitch Tom. By 2017 it was up to 300-350 students. Because of an influx of Nepali students students in the last five years, the number has jumped to roughly 900 students — nearly a fifth of the district's total enrollment this year.
"We have probably 20% of students that are in our program, but we probably have close to a third of our students that are diverse in nature, that have families that have English as another language," Tom said.
To handle this influx of students, Licking Heights has hired three bilingual assistants who speak Nepali, French, Fulani, Liberian Creole, Sierra Leone Creole and other languages to do everything from translating documents to working with students in classrooms.
Licking Heights also works with different translation services to translate documents, but Tom said that doesn't cover all the district's communication needs.
"It's roughly about a third of our families that are literate in their home language. The other two thirds are not. It's a spoken language," he said, particularly with Nepali families.
Corey Stroud, the district's diversity, equity and inclusion supervisor, said the district is working on solutions to help families more, including possibly hosting evening English language classes for adults.
"It is a challenge because we're so diverse. We have over 42 different languages represented in our school district, and so trying to make sure that everyone has what they need is very challenging at this time," Stroud said.
The district is also taking a more hands-on approach to support families when they can, such as assisting filling out medical forms. Tom said the district set a goal for a higher completion rate this year. It's a complicated process with multiple forms that need completed per student. The district offered an in-person event at West Elementary School with translators, health aid staff, administrators and other district personnel available to assist parents and caregivers.
"Those are the times that it’s rewarding," Tom said. "Because the families ... no matter how long that they were waiting, they came to you and smiled and were appreciative of the fact that you were taking the time to sit down and do this with them."
Working with ELL students
To identify students for the ELL program, families first complete a language usage survey. When district officials see other languages besides English, it prompts them to do the required Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener, which tests students' reading, listening, speaking and writing abilities.
What comes next depends on the student's grade level and their proficiency with English. Tom said elementary students are in regular classes with their peers and then are pulled into small groups. But the district will also have English language teachers go into classrooms and work with students.
Once students hit fifth grade, Tom said English language services are embedded into the classroom as well as sheltered courses for students who need more support. Christy Dean, one of three English language learner English language arts teachers at the high school, said the sheltered courses move at a slower pace. As Dean read "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" to her class on Oct. 13, she would often stop and define words for students or ask them to do it.
In addition to teaching a sheltered course at each grade level, Dean and the other two ELL high school teachers go into other classes to support students.
"I will go into a ninth grade science class where it's mixed with English learners and regular gen. ed. kids," said Dean, who is in her first year with the district. "I'm in there to support the English learners with vocabulary and understanding content and then we'll do that with math classes or in science classes. We're in all the academic areas."
Licking Heights has a total of 14 ELL teachers and three bilingual aides spread out across its six buildings.
Southwest Licking Local Schools doesn't yet have the same number of students in its English language program, but it's seen growth in recent years. In 2019, the program had about 90 kids and now it has 225, with about 120 students in K-3 alone, said Etna Elementary ELL teacher Derek Hinkle. The district has gone from one English language staffer to six in the span of about five years.
"Five years ago, we didn't have a designated person at the district level that necessarily oversaw EL. We were so small," said Superintendent Kasey Perkins.
Of the six staffers, one is a family liaison, Babita Gautam, who has been a game-changer for Southwest Licking. Gautam, who is Nepali, grew up in Colorado and moved to Ohio with her family a few years ago to be closer to extended family in the Midwest. While she graduated high school before they moved to Ohio, her younger brother was a student within Southwest Licking Schools who has since graduated. Because her parents speak limited English, the now 23-year-old Gautam would accompany them to parent conferences and translate for them. She was so impressive, the district contracted with her for translation services starting in 2019.
Gautam, who is a third year Otterbein University student studying to be a nurse, said she helps the district with home visits, parent conferences, parent calls and more. This year the district made changes to its lunch program and Hinkle narrated a video describing the changes with Gautam translating for him. Many Nepali-speaking families will now reach out to Gautam if they need to contact a teacher.
For Gautam, the work helps keep her involved with her community, she said.
"Ever since I started doing this, I see more of, like, what my community is struggling with and the places we can help," she said.
Making sure kids see themselves reflected
With increasing numbers of English language learners, Stroud said Licking Heights officials know the importance of and are committed to hiring more people of color. He has attended job fairs at historically Black colleges and universities and has connected with other education officials to share that the district is looking to diversify.
"The challenge that we find — especially coming off the pandemic — is that, you know, not only has the applicants for education decreased, but the number of African American or those of color has decreased significantly in educational programs," he said. "We're doing our best to go find people and bring them in but unfortunately, the people aren't there."
Over the summer, the entryway of Licking Heights' North Elementary was painted with a mural that has the word "welcome" in a range of languages. Tom said similar projects are in the work at other Licking Heights schools. Throughout district buildings, Tom said staff intentionally make sure that posters include people of color.
"Though they seem small, it means a lot to our students to look up and see that. It means a lot to our families to look and say, 'You know what, that's something that represents me and my family,'" he said.
mdevito@gannett.com
740-607-2175
Twitter: @MariaDeVito13
This article originally appeared on Newark Advocate: Heights, Southwest Licking adapting to English language learners
