There will be three upcoming community feedback sessions where the Madison Metropolitan School District will discuss the school district’s draft English Language Learner(ELL) Plan.
The district is on a mission to close the gaps in opportunities that lead to disparities in achievement for Madison-area students. Part of that work is defining a more comprehensive and thoughtful approach to how we serve our English Language Learners, who now make up 27 percent of the student body.
An English Language Learner (ELL) is a student who comes from a multilingual or non-English speaking family and needs support to understand, speak, read, and write the English language at a level that prepares them for academic success in the schools.
Over the past several months, MMSD has met with families, staff, and community members to develop a draft plan for how to provide high-quality supports and services for all ELLs.
“We’re fortunate to have such linguistic diversity in Madison, but with this asset comes an important responsibility,” said Taryn Soza of MMSD Communications. “We need to provide all students the tools they need to succeed.”
MMSD is looking to get the community’s feedback about the draft plan and the proposed improvements to services, supports, and programs. With that feedback, and with feedback from others across the district, they will make adjustments to the plan and work with the MMSD Board of Education as they review the plan at the October 5 Instruction Workgroup meeting in preparation for a final vote on the plan at the end of October.
There are three community sessions:
◆ Wednesday, Oct. 7, 6-7:30 p.m. at Centro Hispano, in Spanish with English interpretation
◆ Wednesday, Oct. 14, 6-7:30 p.m. at Goodman Community Center, in English with interpretation available in Spanish and other languages
◆ Thursday, Oct. 15, 6-7:30 p.m. at Centro Hispano, in Spanish with English interpretation.
You can read the full draft plan by clicking here.
