Back in fall of 2017, Rodel, along with the Delaware Hispanic Commission and the Arsht-Cannon Fund, published a series of award-winning fact sheets about English learners in Delaware—a demographic that represents the fastest growing segment of students in the state by far.

Since that time, Delaware began implementing new accountability and reporting systems for schools across the state, which has many implications for those that care about English Learners. Delaware’s new accountability system includes increased recognition of English learners and their academic progress.

This is all good news: We need good data to make informed decisions that help our students succeed. At the same time advocates and policymakers continue to push for essential supports for EL students, including equitable, per-pupil funding that follows student needs.

Here are five things we’ve learned in the last year:

1. New recognition and data for ELs

Thanks to the Every Student Succeeds Act, Delaware is now officially tracking English Language Proficiency, a new measure that tells us the percentage of ELs making progress toward reading, writing, and speaking English in each school.

Additionally, as part of the state’s attempt to track college and career readiness in high schoolers, we’ll see for the first time the number of students who received a certificate of multiliteracy at their school. There are also implications for EL students in Delaware’s new approach to low-performing schools. School with a subgroup of students (i.e. English learners) performing at or below the bottom five percent of all schools receive additional support and improvement interventions.

2. New reporting for families

The new-look school report cards will help EL families make informed decisions about their schools. At the state, district, and school levels, English learners will be measured on:

• The number and percentage of students at each of three or more levels of achievement on each of the academic assessments in mathematics, reading/language arts, and science
• Results on each measure included within the Academic Progress indicator
• The four-year adjusted cohort graduation rate
• Results on each measure included within the School Quality or Student Success indicator(s) (On Track Attendance, Social Studies, CCP, On Track in 9thGrade)
• The number and percentage of English learners achieving English language proficiency

Increased awareness of English learner data is critical to public transparency; it will also help districts and schools monitor student growth targets and disaggregate EL student data so that they can make informed decisions while planning for possible fiscal investments.

3. ELs are (still) the fastest growing student population

As we noted in our first EL Fact Sheet, the EL student population grew 428 percent over the last 20 years—making them Delaware’s fastest growing student population. ELs make up nearly 10 percent of public school students, more than 13,000 students.

4. ELs still need academic support

An achievement gap persists between ELs and native English-speaking students from elementary school to postsecondary. Fact sheet number three explains how under-resourcing EL students (lack of sustained funding and chronic teacher shortage) may contribute to the achievement gap.

 *Note: College remediation data are the most up-to-date data available and taken from Delaware English Learner fact sheets. Smarter Balanced and SAT assessment data have been taken from Delaware Student Assessment Reporting & Analysis for the Public DSARA; Graduation Rates data have been provided by Delaware Department of Education 2017-2018 Graduation Summary Statistics.  

5. Opportunity funds will help EL students, but a long-term solution still elusive

Governor John Carney recommended $75 million to expand his Opportunity Funding initiative. The funding aims to provide weighted funding for low-income and English learner students in schools across Delaware, which could be spent flexibly on things like additional reading and math specialists, counselors, trauma-informed training, after-school programming and smaller class sizes, and more.

It’s a step in the right direction because, as Carney’s office notes, “Delaware is one of only a handful of states that does not target additional resources for low-income and English learner students – students who we know need additional resources to reach their fullest potential.”

Organizations like Education Equity Delaware and the Delaware Hispanic Commission continue to advocate for a permanent fix to Delaware’s 70-year-old “unit count” system in favor of a flexible system where dollars follow students.

Want to get involved and advocate for EL students? Check out our fact sheets for some ideas.

This spring, the Delaware Department of Education launched a “microcredentials” pilot program for Delaware educators.

It’s an exciting step for teachers. Here’s why: All teachers must train and submit 90 hours of professional development over the course of five years (or 18 hours per year). Most PD courses are passed down from district administrators and cover broad topics to cover as many teachers as possible. But microcredentials, which can be earned for an array of specific topics, online, and on a teacher’s own time, are an innovative way to personalize professional development and hone skills. Ten states, including Delaware, are already piloting microcredentials for teachers; five others are experimenting with microcredentials in some way.

Though microcredentials may be a relatively new model of professional learning, they give teachers choice and flexibility in developing their skills in the classroom.

Microcredentials help teachers develop skills relevant to their classrooms

What are microcredentials? The National Education Association defines micro-credentials as “a competency-based, digital form of certification that show competency or mastery in specific skills for an individual.”

But actually describing microcredentials in practice is a bit trickier. Districts will have to answer some questions about what experiences will count as a microcredential and what proof educators should submit for approval. Sites like Digital Promise and BloomBoard offer their own courses for teachers to take, but it’s also up to districts to vet any courses by online providers.

Once districts figure out what a microcredential will look like for their teachers, educators can begin personalizing their professional development. Teachers can earn microcredentials in a variety of ways, from taking a course on an uber-specific topic (say, adapting lessons for English language learners), or by attending a conference on a topic like integrating technology in the classroom.

Other hands-on experiences, like a summer fellowship in a community center learning from specialists on special needs students, or drafting a new discovery lesson with hands-on material that can be personalized for each student—can also occupy this category.

So long as their district approves it, teachers can earn a “digital badge” for their experience to demonstrate their competency.

Imagine your very own “Adapting Instruction for EL learners badge” on your digital portfolio, LinkedIn profile, and other websites. Microcredentials emphasize personal choice and demonstrations of skills so that teachers can be better prepared to work with their students.

Microcredentials allow for personalized professional development

Microcredentials give teachers more choice over their professional development based on their individual needs and the needs of their classrooms. According to a Rodel Teacher Council survey of educators across the state of Delaware, only 11% of educators believed that current professional development offerings have a high impact on student outcomes. Microcredentials provide an alternative way to engage teachers in order for them to learn and hone skills that will best assist them in the classroom.

Educators from the Rodel Teacher Council will participate in the state pilot

The microcredential pilot is currently underway for a group of educators from around the state of Delaware, including three members from the Rodel Teacher Council. These teachers will complete their choice of micro-credential offering by fall 2019. The selected Rodel Teacher Council members participating in Delaware’s micro-credentials pilot are:

Kendra Moritz-Rosner, Appoquinimink School District

Tim Brewer, New Castle County Vo-Tech School District

Robyn Howton, Brandywine School District

These three teachers have been instrumental in advocating for improved professional development through publishing policy briefs and meeting with the state education professional standards board. This microcredential pilot is a testament to their work; with it, professional development for teachers takes an exciting step in a more innovative and engaging direction.