Educators and administrators from nine California school districts, spanning 345 miles across the state, recently came together to discuss the changing policy landscape and the systems they have in place to help English Learners (ELs) succeed in school and beyond.

As a partner in this work, we were thrilled to foster these connections and learn about the different ways districts are addressing their goals by using Ellevation to support educators and help students. The key takeaway was thesheer amount of improvements and efficiencies gained by taking a traditionally paper-based process, such as RFEP monitoring, and moving it all online.

Among the discussion, we heard from: 

• Oakdale USD, where they use Ellevation for a number of collaborative workflows including gathering teacher input and completing reclassification forms. Having the ability to view all digital activity (distributed, overdue, collected, qualifies for a meeting, etc.) in one place has created a more transparent and manageable process.
• Newman-Crows Landing USD, where they use Ellevation to monitor EL and RFEP students. Teachers there not only provide important feedback on the progress of the EL and RFEP students they serve, they also regularly upload student writing samples, ensuring educators have access to authentic student work.
• Sanger USD, where educators have designed their own language matrix that aligns the speaking & listening skills from the ELA and ELD standards. Through an innovative progress monitoring form, Sanger is able to electronically review the growth of all ELs in the district. The EL team considers teacher feedback on the language matrix as students are reviewed for reclassification in Ellevation.

We’ve learned a great deal from our partners in California, and we’re heartened by the impactful ways districts use our tools to help EL students. We’re excited to head back there next week for CABE 2017 as we continue pursuing the shared goal of bettering the lives of ELs and the educators who serve them.

Here are a few ways we can connect at the conference:

• Join us for complimentary appetizers and drinks at our reception on Thursday, March 30th, at 6:30pm. RSVP to save your spot.
• Attend our session with Sanger USD on Thursday, March 30th, at 3:15pm.
• Stop by to say hello in the exhibit hall and we’ll share why California districts choose Ellevation to help ELs reach their highest aspirations.