Increasing Literacy Through Oral Language Practice

After School Programs and English Learners

English Learners in LAUSD who participate in ASP at a high frequency:

•Are more likely to communicate in English after school than their counterparts who are on the street or in their homes. •Score higher than peers on the California English Language Development Test•Reclassify at a higher rate (Frankel and Daley, 2012)

LAUSD English Learners After School Participant Data

21st Century Community Learning Centers After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs)

Supplemental: Equitable Access Grant

“Increase access to the 21st CCLC Program with information such as, but not limited to…English-language learners, whose participation in the 21st CCLC Program is likely to be affected by a lack of access to programs.” - 21st CCLC grant RFA

Recommendations for designing after school programs to promote student achievement

1. Quantity of participation: Dosage- Intensity: amount of time a student attends- Duration: history of attendance in terms of years- Breadth: variety of activities in a given time frame

2. Alignment with Regular School Day Curriculum3. Adaptation of Instruction to Small Group and Individual

Needs4. Use of Assessment for Program Improvement5. Provide Engaging Learning Experiences

Dosage• Immersion Week: Five days, two hour sessions• Follow up sessions: Once a week for ten weeks, sessions last

for and hour and a half• Culminating Event: Saturday college trip, six hours (total of 31 hours)

• Returning students serve as mentors for students who are new to the program

• During follow up sessions, agency site coordinator advertises and recruits students to participate in additional after school programs

Alignment with School DayThe importance of oral language development in ELD

•“There is well-established research evidence that supports the importance of oral language proficiency. The development of oral language is positively related to the development of literacy. (August & Shanahan, 2006)•“Recent research suggests that increased time spent on oral language instruction leads to stronger oral language outcomes without compromising literacy outcomes.” (Saunders & O'Brien, 2006)

Small Group and Individual Needs

• 40 students targeted for program• Agencies provide three to four facilitators per session• Grant requires staff to student ratio of 20:1• Language in Action Program has a staff to student ratio of

10:1• Activities engage students in small groups ranging from two to

four students

Assessment for Program Improvement

• Four traveling mentors to observe, assess and provide feedback on instruction for agency facilitators

• Observation form that is submitted to program administrator and distributed to agency leads

• Frequent agency facilitator meetings to discuss observation feedback, review curriculum and share best practices

• Student surveys conducted pre and post for immersion week and follow up sessions

• ERC evaluation, collects student data and produces analysis of program outcomes

• End of year review with agency facilitators to discuss and improve program curriculum

Provide Engaging Learning ExperiencesImmersion Week•Team Building Activities with an emphasis on creating conversations to help students get to know one another, and create a safe environment for practicing English

Examples:Mingle Icebreaker Song LyricsLandmine Game Main Idea GameI Like My Neighbor Who CupstackGroup Juggle Lego MemorySchool Tour

Lego Memory

Provide Engaging Learning Experiences

Follow Up Sessions•Sessions begin with a team building activity and vocabulary review (Thesaurus Chart)

Provide Engaging Learning ExperiencesImmersion Week•Students engage in a Service Learning Project•Serve project topic is chosen by students based on their perceived needs of the community•Lessons include activities needs to complete their project

Example:Researching OrganizationsWriting a business letterMaking a business phone callWriting an email

Provide Engaging Learning ExperiencesImmersion Week

•Facilitators scaffold for students using various SDAIE strategies including:– Sentence starters– Choral reading– Cloze reading– Pair share (Cooperative Learning)– Graphic Organizers– Personal Thesaurus– Brainstorming– Manipulatives

Service ProjectsLanguage in Action students have engaged in a variety of Service Learning Projects including:

Culminating Event• Students attend a Saturday college trip

• Past campuses include: UCLA, LMU, Whittier College, Woodbury College & CSUN

• Students make a presentation about their Service Project to students from other schools

• Students engage in a tour of campus

• Breakout sessions cover topics including College requirements, the DREAM act, AB 540 and talking to parents about college

Initial Results

Gap: 73.7Gap: 37.9