Lacking time and data to support EL growth

Cicero School District 99, located in a suburb of Chicago, IL, serves over 5,000 English learners (ELs). In 2023, ELs made up 58.8% of their student population, compared to the state average of 14.6%. Despite the high number of language learners they serve, educators in the district have not always had the resources in place to effectively support their language learning.

“Before Ellevation, we didn't really prioritize looking at language data,” shares Betty Moreno-Paz, district Multilingual Director. “One of the challenges was not knowing students' English proficiency levels. I don't think that we supported how to determine where teachers’ EL students were at in language development and how to then support them to go on to the next level.”

For ESL Leads tasked with managing compliance requirements, outdated systems were bogging them down: “We had to go find paper copies and look through filing cabinets and folders - and you can't always find the hard copies, so it was a lot of investigating and locating and time involved in tracking all of that down,” shares Aida Rodriguez, an ESL Lead Teacher.

“I had to sift through literally hundreds of ACCESS pages, then also record them and then group my children based off of all the data that we get in the report,” adds Sheila Daly, the Multilingual Coach for the district. “Time is finite - and that takes away from time spent supporting our learners.”

“I always have it open.”

When Cicero School District 99 brought in Ellevation Platform, a solution designed to integrate EL data and instructional planning, educators quickly saw how it could improve their current systems for analyzing and acting on data. The tools offer a more sustainable approach to ensuring that students are getting the support they need. 

The district recently provided professional development for teachers focused on utilizing key features of Platform - filtering student data, grouping students by level, and creating customized dashboards - where educators left better equipped to provide impactful language support. 

“I think that has been the most beneficial professional development that we have provided,” reflects Moreno-Paz. “Using those proficiency level descriptors in the goals section, they're able to then identify how to push their students forward and use what they currently have to benefit them as they move forward.”

“I use it in so many other different ways. I always have it open on the side of my windows in case I need it,” adds Aida Rodriguez. “I use it when planning for co-teaching with classroom teachers. I have it open when I am sitting in IEP meetings. We use it when we have parents sitting in at these meetings, and we're making big decisions, big decisions about support. So it's a very integral part of the entire process, not just what happens right in the classroom, but parent meetings, individual goal setting, and teacher planning. There are just so many facets of it.”

“I was able to exceed district goals.”

With EL student data accessible at their fingertips, educators have been able to effectively determine the language supports and scaffolds students need to grow. One group of ELs they have been able to hone in on through Ellevation are students who are within one growth point of exiting. Once students pass the ACCESS test in Illinois, they are a step closer to getting their Biliteracy seal, so achieving English proficiency is a high priority. 

As educators have begun to more efficiently analyze student data, strategically group students, and target instruction, students across the district have been able to meet and exceed their language growth goals. One ESL teacher reported that through utilizing Ellevation to analyze her students alongside the district multilingual coach, she was able to triple the number of students she exited compared to the previous year without Ellevation Platform.

“Now, we have a multilingual lens at all times.”

Improved EL outcomes across the district are a testament to what can be achieved when teachers have the right tools and support in place. What once required hours of manual information gathering and searching is now streamlined and data-driven; educators never want to go back.

“This platform has been an absolute game-changer, allowing me to efficiently analyze data without having to sift through endless pages,” says Sheila Daly. “In a district like ours, with a significant EL population, having a resource that’s both comprehensive and user-friendly has made all the difference. I feel bad for districts that don't have it, genuinely; it would make their lives so much easier.”

The impact of Ellevation Platform goes beyond streamlining workflows; it has transformed how educators in Cicero 99 approach EL instruction, fostering a shared commitment to EL student success.

“I think the biggest impact has been knowing that we're all language teachers,” shares Betty Moreno-Paz. “There used to be this misconception that just because you're the history teacher, you're not really a language teacher. But I think we've now acknowledged that we're all language teachers and we have made sure that we have a multilingual lens at all times.”