Language support that benefits all students
More than 52 languages are spoken in Mehlville schools, and a growing number of students receive English Language (EL) services. Five additional EL teachers were hired after the passage of Prop R. In addition to increasing services for students, EL teachers like Jacqui Schilling are also exploring the best ways to deliver their instruction. Rather than pulling students out of a class to provide language services, today, many EL teachers co-teach with grade-level teachers. “In the past, students would leave during science or social studies for EL, and I would have to try to catch that student up on what they missed,” said Heather Reed, first-grade teacher at Forder Elementary who co-teaches with Schilling. “Now, students receive language instruction as part of social studies, math or science. We are working together to build the academic vocabulary that benefits all students.”
“I can see the students’ language growing from kindergarten through first and second grade,” Schilling said. “It’s amazing how fast students acquire their second or even third language.”