This challenge was especially acute given the demographics of the students served by HPS. For example, for the 2005-2006 school year, 74% of students identified as Latino, 54% reported a first language other than English, and 24% were in the process of learning English as a second language. Consequently, many of these students were struggling to pass mandated high-stakes exams in a language they were just beginning to use for academic purposes. This struggle is reflected in how students performed on the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS exam, in fourth grade in the subject of English Language Arts. Specifically, 88% of students scored in either the “Needs Improvement” or “Failing” categories in 2005.
As such, when faculty from the School of Education approached Dr. Carballo about a partnership, he was supportive of such a collaboration. Since then, approximately twenty-five teachers in grades K-8 have participated in a rigorous academic program of study that requires they read research, conduct studies of their own classroom practices, and design more culturally responsive curriculum. Through coursework and action-oriented research, teachers have earned a Master of Education and a Massachusetts license in Teaching English Language Learners and/or in Reading.
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