Step 1.
Based on you data analysis, conduct and equity gap analysis for the students
group.
1. Describe the specific quantitative data that you included in Section II of the Data
Collection and Equity Gap Analysis template. How are these data relevant to
understanding equity issues at the school for student groups?
[ The first quantitative data represents our school performance on the SBAC (Smarter Balanced
Assessment System). Utilizes computer-based tests and performance tasks. It is based on the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English Language Arts/literacy (ELA). The SBAC
test result is broken in different groups such as ethnicity, gender, home language, and grade.
This data is relevant because it gives detailed information about the student's achievement in
the last three years.
The equity issues are my school are related to students of color underachieving their goals in
English Language Arts (reading and writing). The largest group at the school of EL learners are
Latinxs. They face many challenges that affect their trajectory in education. The challenges
include, but are not limited to, academic support, socioeconomic status, socio-emotional strains.
As an illustration, only almost one third of the students have developed the skills to perform
satisfactory in English Language Arts in mandated state testing.
The next data indicator is ELPAC (English Language Proficiency Assessment for California) just
transitioned to a computer-based assessment. The ELPCA is the required state test for English
language proficiency (ELP) that must be given to students whose primary language is a
language other than English. However, there are available qualitative data from the last two
years. All the sources of data were available in the sub-groups. The ELPAC subgroups are
defined by the amount of time of the students' enrollment in the school; Recently Enrolled (EL-
REC), Enrolled 3-6 Years (EL-3-6YRS), and Long term (EL-LTEL).
The last data indicator, the Reading Inventory (RI) performance. It is an Interactive computer-
adaptive assessment designed to measure how well students read literature and expository
texts of varying difficulties. The RI performance, along with the ELPAC data, is used as a
criterion to determine whether the student has met the ELP goals.
The school has a large concentration low-income students’ population with limited English
Proficiency. We receive federal funds to provide support to our Tittle 1 students, who are failing,
or most at risk of failing, to meet challenging State academic standards. It is clear that, there is an equity issue
to examine thorough the quantitative data presented
2. Identify the three qualitative or other data sources that you included in Section III of
the Data Collection and Equity Gap Analysis template. How did these sources provide
more information about this student group for the California state indicator?
I have included the survey results from the teacher’s responses to their ELD classroom
practices. They were asked about their weekly schedule and time allocation for guided
reading time, designated and embedded ELD instruction. All the teachers reported
teaching ELD embedded instruction at least four days a week. Each grade level from
kindergarten to third grade have aligned their curriculum with the Next Generation
Sciences Standards, Social studies, English Language Arts Standards and Spanish
Language Arts Standards to teach throughout Project Based Learning approach.
The second data source is a questionnaire about writing instruction and assessment.
Each grade level explained the program they are using to teach the Common Core
Writing Standards. The lower grade teachers have been using the Writers Workshop
using Lucy Calkins curriculum along Sciences Journaling with FOSS Curriculum (Full
Option Science System), interactive writing, independent writing, Opinion writing,
informative writing, narrative writing, but on teacher-directed topics (often with some
choice, within parameters.
The upper grades described their writing curriculum Writer’s Workshop, interactive to
partner or independent writing at least twice a week in both languages; journaling daily
for Language Arts with specific comprehension strategy focus in both languages
(guided reading with writing); expedition writing based on complex texts (close read:
reading the same text for different purposes) and GLAD strategies.
I also included notes from a staff meeting session about informal assessments.
Teachers shared their thoughts and experiences around the challenges they are facing
implementing support for all our Language Learners. For example, there is a large
amount of issues related to social and emotional needs. First and kinder teachers are
spending more time teaching strategies to effectively manage stress, control impulses,
and motivate students to set and achieve goals. Another are of growth for our students
is understanding the perspectives of others and empathize with them, including those
from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
The Teacher on Special Assignment (TSA) and principal responses about the priority
challenges of our literacy programs brought out a set of dilemmas and struggles of our school.
First, poor attendance impacts students most in need of academic interventions and support.
Second, Intervention groups are often interrupted by different issues: ELPAC testing,
intervention teachers being pulled away from intervention to cover classrooms for absent
teachers, etc. Third, the students who are farthest from meeting the standard need to receive
the most targeted small support from their classroom teachers. Last but not least important, the
teacher turnover affects the quality of instruction our students are receiving because students
need highly qualified and experienced teachers to teach the core subjects.
Classroom instruction and learning practices, and expectations about student’s learning goals,
are affected by institutional and cross-institutional values, education policies, and practices that
often work at odds with each other as well as in mutual support. (P. 295) Duran: Assessing
English Language Learners Achievement.
Given all these points, English Language Learners are still a vulnerable group in our school.
Their rights to a consistent English Language Development instruction are frequently affected by
external or internal factors. The school and the district are doing a disservice to the students by
putting student’s needs as Michael Dumas argues that schools operate as space for “racial
suffering” because “educational access and opportunities seem increasingly (and even
intentionally) elusive” to dark children. Michael J. Dumas, “Against the Dark:AntiBlackness in
Education Policy and Discourse, Theory into Practice 55, no I (2016) :11-19.
3. What patterns or trends related to the California state indicator and student group
equity issues did you find in the qualitative data? How do they relate to quantitative data
patterns or trends?
[ Latinxs English Learner students are the largest ethnicity group at the school. They make
68.3% of the population. They are not meeting the English language Art standards measured by
the 2018-19 SBAC test, in which only 28% of the students demonstrated the knowledge and
skills necessary to be proficient in ELA. This group reached 54.1 % and 45.2% in the previous
two years. English learners, Hispanic and economically disadvantaged children are the
population most affected by the underperformance trends.
The improvement in reclassification rates from last year to this year has decreased by almost
10%. Only 22.3% of the EL students who have been in the school for about 3-6 years, met the
ELPAC criteria to be reclassified. The long-term EL group has improved marginally by 1%. ]
The patterns in the qualitative data are related to the quantitative data
There is a correlation between the SBAC Language Arts test score results of ELs students and
the school-wide practices to support ELs. They are being reclassified in a reasonable period
time of five years as Fluent English proficient, which means that they have the sufficient skills to
comprehend and communicate effectively at the given age or grade level. What is not evident is
that all of them have sufficient academic language skills to engage in cognitively-demanding,
grade-level work without modifications or accommodations to cope with their native English
peers, because only 28 % met the standards in LA in the SBAC test. Accordingly, 72% did not
meet grade-level performance expectations, as demonstrated by academic achievement in
grade-level subject matter using English.
It is essential to examine school-wide practices because ELs need an intellectually challenging
curriculum, along with daily provided ELD/SLD instruction. The qualitative data obtained from
the 2018-2019 California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS ) shows that 33.4% of the students feel
challenged by the academic work at school. On the other hand, 73.8 % of the children feel like
his or her cultural background is valued and respected in the school.
4. Define the equity gap you have identified for a student group through your data
analysis. Discuss related research that supports your equity gap analysis finding for the
California state indicator and student group you have identified.
[ The large achievement gap persists with economically disadvantaged students who are Latino
English Learners performing below grade level and slowly being reclassified within 3-6 years.
The gap between English Learners and Non English Learners is wide and persistent in English
Language Arts, only 28% of students are proficient whereas 100% of the minority gruop white
counterparts met the standards ]
English Learners can move forwards linguistically and academically when they are receiving
well-designed, quality instruction, keeping pace with their peers who are native English
speakers. With this intention, teachers should ensure that academic language is taught every
day because the language to succeed academically in all content areas including the English
used to interact in the classroom and the English used to obtain, process, construct and provide
subject matter information in spoken and written forms.
ELs who are not adequately taught academic English or grade level content are at risk of falling
further behind and not meeting reclassification criteria, which increase in difficulty with each
grade. Without timely and appropriate programs interventions, ELs may find themselves
isolated in ”ESL ghettos”, stigmatized by long- term LEP status, placed in remedial courses with
unchallenging materials and subject to low self-fulfilling expectations, (Valdes, 1998, 2001)
Classroom teachers play an important role by developing intellectual practices in the classroom.
Research has shown that EL learners engaged in high-order thinking and in disciplined and
inquiry-oriented activity to construct knowledges not only scored higher in standardized testing
but showed higher individual competences rather that the mechanic reproduction of knowledge
in the traditional classroom setting where they are slowly introduced to the language before they
are challenged to produce information.
The quantitative data displays the urgency to truly embrace the school vision, mission and values
of the school. EL students and low-income children are being risked to fail their grade level
expectations when they are prescript to only receive knowledge from the teacher. Teachers are
expected to review their curriculums in order to align their practices and provide effectives
Embedded and Designated ELD instruction, examine their conceptions about students of colors
and their capacities.
5. How is the equity gap you have identified for a student group at your school related
to the school's vision, mission, and/or goals?
[ My school is an Project-Based Learning School with a focus on Language, Culture, Equity,
and Family-School Integration. Teachers spent a fair amount of time integrating all these
elements to prepare the students to be academically proficient in both languages: English and
Spanish. Teachers are using a balanced literacy framework, Spanish and English are
developed while engaging in science and social studies content that is further enriched through
art instruction. Language and literacy is developed into and from content attending to both
English language learners and English only students as language learners with an asset based
culturally-enriched approach to learning.
One of the challenges of our school model is the limited amount of time available in both
languages. Although the planning and implementation of the content-embedded Designated
ELD are happening in nearly most of the classrooms, the protected minimum 30 minutes-a-day-
Designated ELD is not always allocated in the student's schedule.
Communication and family engagement of ELL students with is another area to strength in our
school. Even though teachers are holding student-LED conferences to check student’s progress
and set goals to meet the reclassification criteria and/ or academic progress targets. Many of
the non-English speaking families do not feel empowered to teach their children's literacy skills,
therefore they need school provided workshops in which families are receiving advice and tools
to become their children’s first teachers - no matter what their own level of education-.
After interviewing some families I realized that ELL parents are not fully engaged in representing
governance structures, particularly within the School Site Council (SSC) and the Site ELL
Subcommittee (SELLS). One reason can be that parents are working full time, in some cases
two jobs to provide for their families. Low-income families work
When the structures and routines to ensure meaningful academic language production and
practice are absent in small group and whole group instruction, gaps will appear in ELL
achievement. These gaps may have little or nothing to do with learning difficulty on the part of
an ELL student, and more to do with the absent structures and routines. Therefore, the school
leadership role is to inventory of the critical elements of the site’s instructional program.
Furthermore, stakeholders must be monitored, evaluated and held accountable for the ELL
progress.
Classroom instruction and learning practices, and expectations about student’s learning goals
are affected by institutional and cross-institutional values, education policies, and practices that
often work at odds with each other as well as in mutual support. (P. 295) Duran: Assessing
English Language Learners Achievement.
https://www.in.gov/sboe/files/ODE-Family-Involvement-Instructions-and-Survey.pdf
Equity…
diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Instructional teacher leaders
Low teacher retention in poverty
Bi-literate and Bilingual: in both English and Spanish
because we believe that all students are capable of being bilingual and bi-literate. The main
district’s focus is to put students first, so they have multiple learning opportunities to ensure a
positive school culture.
Ultimately, if second language learners are not to be disadvantaged in their long-term learning, and
are to have the time and opportunity to learn the subject-specific registers of school, they need
ongoing language development across the whole curriculum and the recognition by all teachers that
they are teachers of English, not simply of subject content.
—Paula Gibbons, Scaffolding Language, Scaffolding Learning, 2015
We need to ensure that English learners, within a reasonable period of time, achieve the same
rigorous grade-level academic standards that are expected of all students.
Ensure that English learners acquire full proficiency in English as rapidly and effectively as
possible and attain parity with native speakers of English.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5345547/
with Hispanic or Latino students being the majority and Spanish being the most commonly
spoken language
https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/edtrustmain/wp-content/uploads/sites/
3/2018/10/18100102/SBAC-2018-PPT_10.17.19-FINAL-DECK.pdf
