English Language Development
The primary goal of Junction City School District is for every student to meet or exceed Oregon State standards and be proficient in English.
Junction City School District provides English Language Development services designed to increase English language proficiency and to promote access to and increased academic progress toward state and district curriculum standards. Junction City School District sets goals and creates plans within the framework of the State of Oregon requirements.
From the approved JCSD EL Plan (Updated 2023):
Program Goals:
- Provide an ELD curriculum designed to support content-area instruction and move students’ progress toward benchmarks and meeting the same academic content and achievement standards that all students are expected to meet.
- Ensure that ELL students graduate high school at a rate equal to or above that of the general population.
- Provide ongoing staff development and training opportunities that will have a positive and lasting impact on teachers’ understanding of second language acquisition and teaching techniques proven beneficial to English language learners.
- Ensure meaningful participation in the district’s educational program for all ELL students.
- Assist schools and families with concerns that may negatively affect student achievement.
- Facilitate parent involvement in the schools and in the education of their children.
District’s Educational Approach:
The ELD program plan uses a combination of educational approaches to provide services to eligible EL’s. Based on the number of ELD students in the district and the resources available, the Junction City School District has chosen the English as a Second Language model to serve its ELD population. Students are instructed in the use of the English language with little or no use of their native language. This model is described in the Oregon Department of Education’s English Language Learners’ Program Guide (ODE, 2013) as based on research (Tikunoff et.al.1991; Snow, Met & Genesee 1989; Collier 1992; Ramirez et.al. 1991.) and appropriate to meet the goals of the District’s ELD Program which are:
- To ensure that ELD students acquire English language proficiency, master subject matter content, and have meaningful access to the educational program offered all students.
- To prepare ELD students to meet the Oregon State Benchmarks and to graduate at the same rate as other students in the district.
- To provide an effective ELD Program which will help students to reach a level of English language proficiency so that they can successfully achieve in classrooms where the language of instruction is English.
When students are not receiving ELD instruction, they are in a mainstream classroom with SIOP, GLAD or teacher trained in other appropriate instructional strategies designed to improve learning outcomes for EL’s. Furthermore, a student is provided with supplemental programs such as in-class support and additional tutoring as needed.
The key to using translation is that it is a tool to facilitate access to English instruction, rather than relying on translating everything into the student's primary language (L1) in isolation. Translanguaging allows students to use their L1 to support comprehension of English content, enabling them to speak, read, and write in both languages. This approach not only aids understanding but also values and elevates the student's L1, affirming their multilingual identity.
While translation tools can be helpful, they should not be the primary support. Instead, teachers should use strategies such as SIOP (Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol) or GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) to make content more accessible. This includes using hands-on manipulatives, visuals, multimedia, demonstrations, adapted text, graphic organizers, and other techniques like linking new content to students' background knowledge. These strategies help create an inclusive environment where multilingual students can thrive.
Decisions about the extent of translations should be made in collaboration with the ELD Teacher. Accommodations on assessments are to be determined by a team that includes the ELD teacher as well as input from the student and parent.