75 Languages Spoken in the Framingham Schools

The number of students enrolled in the English Language Learners (ELL) department in the Framingham Public Schools continues to increase.

As of December 2015, there were 1,626 students in the ELL program out of 8,920 students in the public school district, according to Bilingual Education Program Director Genoveffa Grieci.

In June 2015, there were 1,395 ELL students. In March of 2007, there were 1,186 ELL students.

Grieci said 37.5 percent of the students in the Framingham Public Schools speak another language in addition to English.

In total, there are 75 different languages spoken in the Framingham Public Schools.

Of ELL students, the top three languages spoken are Portuguese at 44 percent, Spanish at 42 percent and Indian sub-continent at 5 percent. (See attached photo for more detail.)

With the increase of ELL students, the district has had to add staff and resources.

This past summer as part of the 2015-16 school year, more than $500,000 was spent to improve the ELL department. Four English as a Second Language (ESL) positions were added at the elementary level, 4 bilingual content positions were added at the secondary level, a bilingual special education teacher was added and an English Language Learner coach was hired.

In the 2014-15 school year, 4 ESL teachers and one ELL coach was hired.

In the 2013-14 school year, 4 ESL teachers and two ELL coaches were hired.

Also this past summer, the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights began an investigation of the Framingham Public Schools, after a discrimination complaint was lodged against Framingham High. The complaint alleges Framingham High discriminated against English Language Learner students during the 2014-15 school year.

And this summer, Framingham agreed to resurrect the bilingual program at Fuller Middle School, after parents complained.

Grieci told the Framingham School Committee her department is working towards meeting state and federal guidelines.

Because of the increase in ELL students in the district an “assistant director position (was) reinstated.”

To address compliance requirements from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Grieci said the district has added ”ESL teachers to provide direct service to ELLs” per new state guidelines.

She said the “Spanish and Portuguese Bilingual program in math and science (was) reinstated at Fuller Middle School to address the achievement gap.”

Grieci said the “bilingual special educator was needed to support Spanish-speaking students on individual education plans at Walsh” Middle.

To continue to meet state and federal compliance, the district must “provide equal access to both academic and non-academic programs like AP and Honors courses, sports teams, clubs and integrated specials” said Grieci in a presentation to the School Committee this month.

Grieci said all text, materials, and instruction should be in English unless parents or guardians file a waiver. She said bilingual materials and resources for programs must be made available to all ELL students. Grieci said the accessibility of materials in other languages has been challenging to find and order.

The good news, explained Grieci is that Framingham ELL students out perform students across the Commonwealth in students growth in three key categories -- acquisition of English language, English Language Arts, and Math.

Framingham ELL students have a 66 percent English proficiency acquisition rate compared to 62 percent for the state.

At the elementary level, Grieci said Dunning, Potter Road, and Wilson IB “have overall high levels of students making progress in English language acquisition.”

Wilson IB was at 86 percent, Dunning was at 80 percent, and Potter Road was at 65 percent. The state average is 61 percent.

Brophy and Barbieri’s rate fell below the state at 51 percent for Brophy and 43 percent for the two-way program at Barbieri. (See attached graphic).

English Language Learner students at “the secondary levels consistently outperform the state in making progress in English,” said Grieci.

The state average is 63 percent and Walsh Middle was at 83 percent, Fuller Middle at 84 percent, Framingham High at 84 percent and Cameron Middle at 100 percent.

Greci said to continue to make progress, she would recommend the district:

• “Commit to hiring bilingual and multilingual staff in all areas,” including administration.
• Hire additional ESL teachers to meet the needs of recently arrived ELLs and Students with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education (called SLIFE students)
• Develop research-based programs meeting the academic needs of: dual language learners, SLIFE, ELLs-SWD, ELLs-SAGE students.
• Ensure effective SEI instructional practices in all classrooms.

As the district works to teach English to all of its students, it is moving towards an Structured English Immersion (SEI) model.

Since 2013, 18 SEI courses for teachers and administrators have been taught by state certified instructors in Framingham, said Grieci.

More than 400 teachers and administrators are officially SEI certified, said Grieci.

And an additional 130 teachers and administrators in the district are registered for SEI courses this school year, said Grieci.