Olympia students fare well in English language proficiency

Students from the Olympia School District (OSD) scored above state standards in their proficiency in speaking, reading, listening and writing in English for the 2023-24 school year.

OSD’s score in the annual language proficiency assessment, WIDA ACCESS, was higher than the state average — 44% of learners are “progressing” compared with the state average of 37.7%, while and 11% “met standard,” compared with the state average of 8.5%.  

ACCESS is administered to kindergarten through grade 12 students identified as English language learners (ELLs). 

Heather Randolph, Director of Multilingual Services and Categorical Programs, updated the OSD Board of Directors about the district’s Multilingual Services and the Migrant Education Program at a meeting on Thursday, March 27.  

“Our district has done a lot of work, our special education staff, our classroom teachers, our multilingual specialists,” Randolph said.  

The latest data puts the district on par, or even above, the state average, something Randolph said they want to continue to work on in the multilingual Multi-tiered System of Supports (MTSS) process.  

OSD started using the assessment during the pandemic; the district has showed continuous progress in subsequent years.  

Randolph said the next district WIDA ACCESS scores will be released on May 19. 

Multilingual Learner Program and Migrant Education Program 

The district’s Multilingual Learner Program (MLP) provides equal access to general education intervention for students of all races, colors,and nationalities. 

“All students that are identified for multilingual services by way of their home language survey, they take a screener, and if they qualify, they can get support from our multilingual specialists,” Randolph said. 

The district has also partnered with the government on the Washington State Migrant Education Program (MEP) initiatives. 

OSD entered into a memorandum of understanding for an MEP-funded nurse and behavioral health counselor. 

“We got two staff members that are supporting our students identified for Migrant Education Program, funded by federal government, and we're sharing it with three other local school districts,” said Randolph. 

OSD shares MEP-funded staff with three partner school districts: Winlock, Rochester and Ocean Beach. 

To support MEP-eligible students, the nurse provides supplemental support for vaccines and health questions, and the health counselor provides supplemental social-emotional health support. 

MEP also provides extended day tutoring and summer college visits to qualified students in an effort to increase student leadership opportunities and provide internships for career interests,

College visits and summer programming will be done with the University of Washington, Washington State University, The Evergreen State College and South Puget Sound Community College. 

Sandra Gordon, Program Manager for Indian Education & Tribal Relations, announced that two students were awarded Mastery-based Learning credit for a cedar gathering and weaving project. 

Gordon said the students are recipients of both the Title III and Title VI grants, making the process academically and culturally relevant.  

Title III’s purpose is to aid classroom instruction for ELLs to attain English language proficiency and meet state academic standards. Title VI requires equal education access to students of all races, colors and nationalities. 

“These two students spent the summer with a master cedar weaver and professor at Evergreen State College to earn … environmental science credit, but a lot went into it. There's art, there's math, there's everything,” Gordon said. 

Gordon also mentioned the raising of the Squaxin Island Tribal flag in OSD offices, which she says is a “symbol of our commitment to each other — the tribe, as well as the district.” 

State Seal of Biliteracy 

This spring term, OSD students took the STAMP test to prove their proficiency in foreign languages other than English. Out of 151 test takers, 36 are 8th graders. 

The test takers are on track to gain the Washington State Seal of Biliteracy, an award that celebrates various linguistic assets.  

Students who demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English can earn up to four World Language graduation credits. 

“The goal was to get our eighth graders to come into high school. They are so excited they're coming in with high school credits that could eventually also turn into college world language credits,” Randolph said.  

Once the accredited students enter senior year and satisfy all English Language Arts requirements, they get the biliteracy medal to wear at graduation. 

Language Access Plan 

Director of Communications and Community Relations Conor Schober said the district’s Language Access Plan follows along board policies 4217 and 4218. 

The board policies support the establishment of effective, two-way communication between OSD and family members with limited English proficiency, and advocates access to programs, services and activities. 

Since the 2022-23 school year, all Washington state school districts with at least 1,000 enrolled multilingual learners require the offering of interpretation and translation services to parents and guardians. 

The district’s language services can be accessed by calling, emailing or sending a note to the school, or by contacting a teacher, school administrator or the Knox 111 Administrative Office. 

OSD currently has 474 multilingual learners, 93.8% speak English, 2.7% Spanish, 0.8% Vietnamese, 0.8% Chinese (Mandarin), 0.3% Korean and 0.2% Telugu.