Stunning. That’s the best word to describe the results of Eliot
Elementary School’s restructured bilingual education program.
Stunning. That’s the best word to describe the results of Eliot Elementary School’s restructured bilingual education program.
The Gilroy Unified School District has set high goals for itself: It wants 90 percent of its students to be performing at grade level in math and reading by June 2004. Considering the high percentage of GUSD students who come from non-English speaking homes, and how many live in poverty – two well-established markers for poor performance in schools – that’s a lofty goal indeed. In the Gilroy school district, 30 percent of students speak little or no English and 55 percent qualify for free or reduced lunch programs.
But the faculty and students at Eliot School are making remarkable strides toward achieving that goal. Kindergarten students who knew little or no English five months ago now know most – or all – of 35 common English words on a list they’ve been studying.
In addition, those kindergartners improved their scores on a standardized reading and oral language test by 30 percentage points in two months. We can’t wait to see the results after the Eliot kindergartners are retested next month.
Eliot School, which saw its enrollment of English Language Learners – the district’s term for students who speak little or no English – more than quadruple this school year as a result of the district’s shift from magnet to neighborhood schools, is handling the challenge admirably.
Kudos to Eliot Principal Diane Elia and her dedicated teaching staff. But the improvements aren’t limited to the amazing results at Eliot School. GUSD trustees recently reviewed data showing that ELL students’ standardized test scores for reading improved across all grade levels compared to test results from a year ago.
Superintendent Edwin Diaz is rightfully proud of the results – proud enough to share them with county and state education officials. The faculty and administrators at GUSD – and especially at Eliot School – are obviously doing something right when it comes to teaching ELL students.
The programs should be studied and shared with other school administrators and teachers so ELL students outside of Gilroy can benefit as well.
And a little outside recognition for the great work being done at Eliot and the rest of Gilroy schools with ELL students doesn’t hurt, either.
We congratulate all those involved – including, of course, the students: Great job, and keep up the good work.
