. Experts say that may be because many students lacked access to virtual resources at home, or because schools struggled to transfer in-person EL help to remote environments.Districtwide, the percentage of students who met their language proficiency goals increased from 46% in 2019 to 61% in 2022. At the two elementary schools, proficiency jumped by nearly 30 percentage points.
Together, they join about 20 other EL educators, aides and translators in the district – nearly half of whom are funded with COVID money. The school now assigns aides to just a couple of teachers throughout the school year, so that they have time to build relationships with students. Alonzo typically spends that time working with small groups of students or translating assignments.
Leaders at the Alabama State Department of Education say they’re supportive of the increase, and now are asking for more room in this year’s budget for EL specialists and regional coordinators, who can help connect schools with more resources. “It takes a lot more money to educate a child that does not speak your language,” said Rep. Jamie Kiel, R-Russellville, who has been working with district leaders to put more money toward EL students in the state budget.