English Language Learners by Beatris Barrera https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12 en-us 2022-07-18 23:05:04 UTC 2026-01-05 09:53:18 UTC hello@padlet.com 1. Professional Perspective/Audience/Topic bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245687899 My professional perspective is one of a school counselor in an elementary school setting. This is intended for future school counselors. The topic will be English Language Learners. This topic has been chosen because as a current educator at a Title I school, I am seeing the influx of Newcomers and English Language Learners and I would like others to know how to best serve them and what the legal rights are in serving this community. ]]> 2022-07-19 00:11:12 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245687899 3. Professional Association bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245710345 There is a webinar being offered by ASCA named Support Latinx Students. This webinar will offer guidance for school counselors in assisting first generation Latinx students as they navigate obstacles that can be encountered in their academic lives. It will also offer strategies in getting their families involved. The link is available here: https://members.schoolcounselor.org/event-details?id=e983ef1f-46d5-ec11-bea1-0003fff7e612&reload=timezone (ASCA, n.d.). ]]> 2022-07-19 00:36:55 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245710345 4. Current News Article bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245743375 The title of this article is Virtual learning made persistent problems worse for English-learners. Here is the link: https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/virtual-learning-made-persistent-problems-worse-for-english-learners/2022/06 
The summary on how it pertains to the topic includes: 
  • There were struggles with English Language Learners during virtual learning that were noticed by teachers. These included inadequate workspaces, limited access to food, incomplete work assignments and not enough support at home. 
  • ELL students lost the strong support system they had at school when virtual learning had to take place. 
  • These students also lost necessary resources, such as visual aids, that were an asset during face to face instruction. 
  • Strategies that can assist ELL's now and in the future include one on one check ins by teachers, strong communication between schools and parents, and hiring bilingual counselors and teachers and liaisons between home and school (Najarro, 2022).
]]> 2022-07-19 01:16:15 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2245743375 5. Current News Article bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246422240 In the article Century Foundation report calls for bilingual ed funding boost, policy shift by Shawna De La Rosa, there are some important points: 
  • The argument is that more funding is needed to move away from English only models for these students and instead provide Bilingual models for their learning environments. 
  • The amount of funding for ELL learners should be tripled and there should also be a focus on early education for ELL's.
  • The academic progress of ELL's was limited, mostly due to the pandemic, and this supports the case for more funding to be made available for them (2021). https://www.k12dive.com/news/century-foundation-report-calls-for-bilingual-ed-funding-boost-policy-shif/611379/ 
]]> 2022-07-19 22:21:07 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246422240 2. Interview bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246436992 The person I interviewed is Julie Gomez, she is a Bilingual School Psychologist with Dallas ISD. She is assigned to many schools in the district but one such school does include many New Comers and ELL students. There are a lot of referrals with these new students and she needs consent for certain types of services, such as individual and group counseling, but not others such as classroom management and social services. 
The best practices for ELL's in Ms. Gomez's position are as follows:
  • Building relationships with students and also parents and/or guardians. 
  • Therapy that involves individual therapy and also trauma therapy, as some ELL's have experienced situations in their native countries that require processing. 
  • Familiarizing with best practices with students and families from other cultures. 
An emerging issue that can be seen with ELL's is the influx of students from many different countries, especially during these present times. Ms. Gomez did explain that even though she is a Bilingual school psychologist, she does not speak all of the dialects from Mexico, and she does receive students from these different parts of Mexico. Students are coming from all over the world. When a student comes and Ms. Gomez doesn't speak their language, she reaches out to the  language services of the school district. If the school district doesn't have support for the native language of the student, she reaches out to the community to find a reliable source that speaks the native language of the student. 
https://www.dallasisd.org/Page/28158
]]> 2022-07-19 23:12:26 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246436992 6. Constitutional Law bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246499844 The Constitutional Law that aligns with English Language Learners is the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974. In respect to English Language Learners, this law: 
  •  allows anyone to get an education, regardless of their race, color, sex, or origin.
  • asks educational institutions to assure that language barriers do not prohibit students from gaining an education (Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. § 1703). 
https://www.congress.gov/bill/93rd-congress/house-bill/40
]]> 2022-07-20 00:55:39 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246499844 7. Judicial Law bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246515941 The law that stems from the court case of Brown v. Board of Education is one that began the movement of segregation in schools. In reference to English Language Learners, this court case assisted in:
  • beginning the process of ending segregation.
  • it overturned the Plessy vs. Ferguson case of separate but equal (Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954)).
https://catalog.archives.gov/id/1656510
]]> 2022-07-20 01:16:14 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246515941 8. Administrative Law bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246532867 Texas Education Agency supplies a reclassification chart for English Language Learners. It includes the following: 
  • the assessments that classified ELL learners must take and the grading criteria needed to reclassify them. 
  • a subjective teacher evaluation is also provided so that teachers can have direct input on the reclassification of ELL students (TEA, 2022). 
https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/2021-2022-eb-el-reclassification-criteria-chart.pdf
]]> 2022-07-20 01:34:12 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246532867 9. Statutory Law bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246541797 The Texas Administrative Code includes a law on the testing and classification of students, including ELLs. It includes the following: 
  • students that are noted as speaking another language in their home language survey will need to have a language assessment. 
  • there is specific protocol to be followed to classify students as ELLs. 
  • there is also specific protocol on reclassifying ELL students. These reclassifications occur at the end of the school year (TAC rule §89.1226). 
https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=89&rl=1226
]]> 2022-07-20 01:44:44 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2246541797 10. Local Administrative Policy bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247128599 McKinney Independent School District has guidelines in effect to assist ELL's in their learning. These include being able to communicate in their academic classes and also have an understanding of the different cultures in our society as a whole (McKinney ISD, 2022). 
https://www.mckinneyisd.net/english-learner-support/]]> 2022-07-20 21:41:48 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247128599 11. Ethical Principle bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247130755 The American School Counselor's Association (ASCA) offers a code of ethics for school counselors. In section A.1.c. in the code of ethics it states that school counselors should support all students in their academic and emotional development. This includes working through any barriers that might hinder their development. This would include language for ELL's in the schools (ASCA, 2022). 
https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf]]> 2022-07-20 21:50:13 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247130755 12. Personal Connection bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247132882 My personal connection to English Language Learners is that I was an ELL. When I entered kindergarten, I was used to speaking more Spanish than English at home so I was placed in a Bilingual classroom. This was in Indiana. When I moved to Texas at the age of 9, I was placed in a monolingual classroom. Now that I teach at a school where there are many ELL's it was interesting to take a "behind the scenes" look at the laws involved with ELL's. When submitting scores for my kindergartners on the TELPAS, it is not something that should be done without any data to back it up. Students can be reclassified and this can change the course of their academic lives. Educators must make sure they are guiding students to meet their best academic merit, no matter what their primary language may be. ]]> 2022-07-20 21:59:32 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247132882 13. Recommendations/Best Practices bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247138161
  • English Language Learners lost valuable academic knowledge during the pandemic. Teachers, schools, districts and the government can step in and try to make up for the lost educational time. 
  • ELL's are allowed to have an education in the United States. Their country of origin does not matter. 
  • The state of Texas has very specific laws on the status of ELL's and the codification needed through LPAC to get them reclassified. 
  • Educators need to make sure what assessments are to be given to ELL's and what these assessments mean, in accordance with the primary language that is spoken by the student. 
  • As school counselors, we will need to make sure that we make relationships with ELL students, and with their families as well. 
  • The barriers for ELL's include language and possibly cultural barriers as well. School counselors will need to work closely with teachers, administrators, students and their families to help them overcome these barriers. 
  • Community outreach will need to be made by school counselors. The community can assist with translation and/or resources the students or families may need, especially if they are New Comers.
    • ]]>     2022-07-20 22:18:13 UTC https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247138161     References bbarrera61 https://padlet.com/bbarrera61/xm9pb1hrvg1z9s12/wish/2247146346 American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors.
    American School Counselor Association. (2022). Live webinars.
    Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
    De La Rosa, S. (2021, December 14). Century Foundation report calls for bilingual ed funding boost, policy shift. Education Dive.
    Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974, 20 U.S.C. § 1703.
    Mckinney Independent School District. (2022). English Learner Support.
    Najarro, I. (2022, June 3). Virtual learning made persistent problems worse for English learners. Education Week.
    TAC, Title 19, § 89.1226
    Texas Education Agency. (2022). 2021-2022 Emergent Bilingual/English learner reclassification criteria chart. 



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