Highland Park Elementary

Highland Park Language Policy 

Language Philosophy: Language is a crucial component of all learning. It extends understanding in every aspect of life and allows children to inquire across subject areas about themselves, others, and their world. All staff members are teachers of language and all students are language learners. Authentic experiences in reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing, and visual representation are integrated within lessons and across the curriculum. 

Effective language learning enables students to be impactful contributors in a global community with strong multicultural understanding and cultural identity. At Highland Park, the language of instruction is English but each student’s mother tongue is valued and supported to ensure equal access to academic and social opportunities. We are also committed to the development of an additional language for our students to promote cross cultural awareness.

Practices:

GRADE-LEVEL CLASSROOMS:

• Classrooms are print rich, multi-sensory and encourage language development.
• Skills in phonological and phonemic awareness, word recognition, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension are taught through modeling, direct and indirect instruction. 
• Different genres are explored through literature circles, read-aloud, and independent reading. Mini-lessons focus on specific reading comprehension strategies, text analysis of different genres, modeling, developing background knowledge, and vocabulary to improve comprehension.
• Teachers and students use literacy to explore issues of diversity and fairness. Readers use literature to analyze, critique, and understand their social world.

• Students use simulations, games, peer teaching and collaboration to develop rich communication skills.
• Students use a variety of written formats to communicate their knowledge and ideas such as illustrations, diagrams, and sentence writing. 
• Units of inquiry include interactive discussions, reflective responses, project collaboration, and open-ended research questions. Visible Thinking routines are implemented to help students engage meaningfully with information and skills learned. 
• Student choice is encouraged when choosing ways of learning and communicating. Students have opportunities to publish their work in a variety of ways (orally, digitally, or physical displays).
• Students use language to reflect on their learning and self. 
• Students and staff are given opportunities to express opinions and feelings and are expected to use language responsibly and respectfully.
• Technology is used to reinforce and enrich learning and expression.
• Data from formative and summative assessments, portfolios, and individual conferring sessions is used to inform instruction.
   

MOTHER-TONGUE SUPPORT:

• The Monroe County Community School Corporation’s Office of English Language Learning facilitates the integration of newly arriving students and families.
• Home Language Surveys are collected from all families which include the native language of the student, the language most spoken by the student in the home, and the language that families feel most comfortable receiving communication from the school. 
• The district provides bilingual family liaisons for Korean, Spanish, Arabic, and Mandarin (the most-spoken languages in the district). A language line translation service, and a text translation service is provided for other languages to facilitate communication between schools and families.
• The linguistic and cultural background of the students is honored (labeling commonly used items in the classroom with both languages, having books available in the child’s home language, providing translations of communication made to parents).
• Our part-time ENL teacher collaborates with classroom teachers on content, introduces new students to established students who speak their language, and helps students adjust to school culture, rules, and norms. 
• Students are evaluated using the WIDA Screener for testing all four language domains (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) to determine their level of language acquisition, as well as the types of instructional support, modifications, and accommodations they will need. 
• Realistic expectations are set based on the student’s ILP (Individualized Learning Plan).
• Student progress on the language access continuum is assessed through frequent formative assessments.
• We encourage parents of other languages to support their children in continuing to increase literacy and proficiency in their mother-tongue language.
• Our library houses a collection of books and electronic resources in multiple languages that support mother-tongue language.

SPANISH INSTRUCTION:

• All students in grades K-6 receive 30 minutes of Spanish language instruction each week. 
• Students learn basic vocabulary in Spanish related to their daily lives, grade-level standards, and Units of Inquiry.
• Students are given opportunities to make cultural connections by studying celebrations, traditions, and customs of Spanish-speaking countries.

SPEECH AND HEARING: 

• Students with speech or language-related challenges are referred to the Speech-Language Pathologist (SLP).
• The SLP and team members use evaluation measures to develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP) and determine appropriate intervention services and goals.
• Services may include direct individual therapy, group therapy, social skills groups, support in the classroom, consultation with other team members, and resources for parents and teachers.

AFTER SCHOOL LANGUAGE CLUBS AND EVENTS:

• Through Indiana University, a Turkish Club is available for students in both the fall and spring semesters for Turkish language instruction and cultural understanding.
• Our annual Culture Fest includes student displays and performances, as well as booths from Indiana University organizations to highlight different languages and cultures from around the world.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES FOR STAFF:

• District workshops during school year and summer months
• Full-day workshops for the entire corporation in the Fall
• Weekly Professional Learning Community meetings between our Instructional Coach and teachers to discuss student progress, classroom management, and teaching strategies
• Vertical alignment during faculty meetings
• IB workshops and training when available