History
Introduction
Since the early 1960s when significant numbers of limited English proficient (LEP) students enrolled in the Miami-Dade County Public Schools, special programs have been offered to facilitate the integration of such students into the mainstream instructional program. The rapid acquisition of communication skills in English has been and remains of the highest priority among programs of the Division of Bilingual Education and World Languages. At the outset, it was recognized that supportive use of the home language has an important role to play in the process of integration in order to avoid academic retardation while the students were learning English. In recognition of this multiple need of limited English proficient students, the following patterns of program delivery emerged:
1960's Orientation Program
As an early response to the special needs of LEP students, an orientation program was provided and delivered in large part by English language origin teachers with little or no training or experience in second language learning methodology. These teachers were supported by bilingual personnel assigned as teacher aides, although their professional preparation often equaled or exceeded that of the teachers they were assisting. The general pattern was one of initial presentation of content by the English language origin teacher with followup by the bilingual assistant or assistants. Initially, two assistants were commonly assigned to each teacher. This staffing pattern subsequently shifted to one assistant supporting the work of two teachers.
From this orientation model emerged what was to become the program of English as a Second Language (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and Spanish for Spanish Speakers (Spanish-S). As these programs emerged as separate components, the utilization of the home language to support the acquisition of concepts and skills in the areas of Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics generally fell into disuse except for a handful of elementary bilingual school organizations and secondary schools which offered Bilingual Curriculum Content in Spanish.
English for Speakers of Other Languages - Spanish for Spanish Speakers
Through the 1960s and early 1970s, the level of supplementary support for the programs of English for Speakers of Other Languages and Spanish for Spanish Speakers remained relatively low when compared to current standards. In 1973-74, only 34 special ESOL teachers were allocated to support a program serving nearly 20,000 students. In that year, Spanish-S membership was over 39,000. However, no special teachers were allocated to the Spanish-S program, and the 161 bilingual aides who were allocated were assigned to support both ESOL and Spanish-S. The year 1974-75 signaled a major shift in program delivery, with a tripling of the number of special ESOL teachers, and the assignment of 84 teachers and 93 aides specifically for Spanish-S. At the same time that the number of certified teachers was significantly increased, a phase down in the use of paraprofessionals was initiated, which for all practical purposes was completed in 1981-82.
The Entrant Program
1980-1981 marked another significant change in the deployment of resources and program delivery which resulted from the influx of Cuban/Haitian entrants and other refugees in unprecedented numbers. With over 26,000 limited English proficient students in membership at the opening of the 1980-81 school year, about half were a normally-projected ESOL population, largely from the community itself. The other half were new refugees. The former were served through a program of transitional bilingual basic skills supported by standing allocation formulas for ESOL, Spanish-S, and Bilingual Curriculum Content. The latter had to be served through the large scale utilization of regularly allocated teachers for all instruction in English, including ESOL. Instruction in and through the home language (Spanish-S, Bilingual Curriculum Content) was supported by teachers and paraprofessionals funded through the entrant program.
Self-Containing
During the middle 1980s large scale implementation of ESOL self-containing was initiated at the elementary level. Limited English proficient elementary students who are ESOL levels I and II receive their ESOL and related services through a self-contained rather than pullout model of program delivery. The self-contained model continues to be implemented successfully in schools having large enrollment of recently arrived LEP students.
Inclusion
A primary consideration for organizing instruction in ESOL is that the program is part of the total school curriculum, and that it is a basic skills, language arts/reading program that meets the special needs of a significant portion of the school membership. Therefore, organization of instruction in ESOL becomes essentially a matter of grouping and scheduling so that students with similar levels of English proficiency can, with the least amount of effort on all sides, and within the least amount of time, become functional in English. Consequently, size of student membership becomes the guiding criterion in organizing instruction.
Since the late 1990’s, a new model of ESOL instruction, the Inclusion model, was initiated for p rogram organization and delivery at the Elementary Level as an alternative ESOL instructional pattern.
ESOL instruction at the elementary level is now delivered through various staffing patterns, such as:
(1) a pull-out model in which LEP students leave their regular classroom to receive instruction from a specially allocated ESOL-endorsed teacher;
(2) a self-contained model in which the LEP students stay in the regular classroom and the ESOL-endorsed classroom teacher provides all the basic instruction in English; and
(3) an inclusion model in which LEP students remain in the classroom and a specially allocated ESOL-endorsed teacher provides ESOL/language arts/reading instruction.
Project New Beginning
New Beginning provides instruction in English and in a language other than English during the initial stages of language acquisition and are examples of transitional programs. Once the students have acquired a high intermediate level of English proficiency, they are grouped heterogeneously with independent students, and ESOL instruction is provided according to one or more of the approved models of instruction at each school site. Project New Beginning and the ESOL self-contained models are designed to meet equal educational opportunity requirements for those participants who may be of limited English proficiency.
Project New Beginning is designed to address the needs of a selected group of newly-arrived students entering M-DCPS who are LEP and with limited or no prior school experience. The students in question have a dual problem: lack of English proficiency and lack of literacy and academic skills in their home language. Specifically it addresses students whose chronological age corresponds to grade six and above. This places them in the Middle School age bracket of 11 – 13 years, grades 6 – 8, or the Senior High age grouping of 14 years and up, grades 9 – 12.
Curriculum Content in Spanish - Bilingual Curriculum Content
As noted above, the use of the home language as a tool for learning in areas such as Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics fell into general disuse with specialization within the programs of English for Speakers of Other Languages and Spanish for Spanish Speakers. In 1976, however, a site visit from the Office for Civil Rights and subsequent negotiations on programmatic adjustments to avoid being declared out of compliance resulted in the county-wide implementation of a program of Bilingual Curriculum Content. This program was modeled after the program of Curriculum Content in Spanish, but expanded in recognition of similar needs of students from language backgrounds other than Spanish.
Basic Skills in the Home Language
In order to provide for the special needs of LEP students by using the home language as a medium of instruction part of the time while students are learning English, and at the same time meet commitments with the Office for Civil Rights, a new program was designed which combines the highest priority objectives from Spanish-S (and other home language arts) and Bilingual Curriculum Content. The design of this new program had the effect of reducing the amount of time spent in a language other than English and a refocusing of the allotted time to State minimum standards and balanced curriculum requirements.
Elementary Bilingual School Organization (BISO)
One effective means to attaining bilingualism and biculturalism in a school setting is through a bilingual school organization in which two culture groups study one another ’ s native language and cultural background, and demonstrate mutual respect for one another ’ s heritage. The elementary BISO responds to a felt need and/or expressed wish of parent(s)/guardian(s), community, and school staff.
BISO refers to a program delivery system offered at the elementary level which, in addition to the regular instructional program in the English language, provides instruction in ESOL, and Language Arts and selected content areas in the target languages, providing instruction of basic concepts and skills in the student ’ s home language and reinforcement in the second language. Because of the intensity in terms of time and scope in which the target language (i.e., Spanish/Portuguese) is offered to English language origin students in this situation, a major objective pursued is to make the target language a second language for these children.
Extended Foreign Language Program (EFL)
EFL refers to a program delivery system offered at the elementary level which follows the same organization as a BISO model except that it is only offered in selected classes per grade level. The EFL Program emphasizes the teaching of language arts and curriculum content in both English and another language (i.e., Spanish, French, Italian, and Haitian Creole).
Students in the EFL Program receive approximately 60% of their instruction in English and 40% in the other-than-English language. The goal of the program is to produce students who master both English and another language commensurate with their experiential and educational levels, ages, and interests, who can function easily when learning subject matter in either language, and who can interact effectively with members of both cultures.
International Studies Program (IS)
The International Studies (IS) program provides students with an international curriculum which emphasizes study in a second language (French, German, or Spanish). Students increase their language mastery as they study literature, mathematics, history, and geography in the language of choice. IS students are often taught by instructors from France, Germany, and Spain, according to a unique and cooperative agreement between M-DCPS and the governments of these countries. Students participating in the IS program are encouraged to work at their highest level in non-IS courses and commonly enroll in Honors and Advanced Placement (AP) level courses in English, science, social sciences, and the arts. The IS program is offered to any student who attends or is eligible to attend an M-DCPS school.
Adult ESOL
The ESOL program provides courses that enable adults to acquire English-language proficiency. Through a curriculum that integrates life-skills content with language functions and relevant grammer, students learn to use English to achieve their goals. Students are challenged to use critical-thinking skills to transfer the classroom experience to daily life. The competencey-based program offers six levels of general language skills plus additional courses for specific Adult ESOL needs.
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