Project Secondary Online Learning: Promoting Bilingual College Readiness for Immigrant Students

1. Project Secondary Online Learning: Promoting Bilingual College Readiness for Immigrant Students Council of Great City Schools May 19, 2012 UCLA Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles

2. Rationale 120,000- 150,000 high school age immigrant students in California alone Extremely high drop out, and fail to drop in, rates In large part because there is nothing offered for students in most schools; most would not have access to college prep These are the easiest students to retain and send to college

3. Students Describe Being Denied Access “The ESL students, they kept us, in a way, separate. We couldn’t take some classes until we could do a little more in English. I remember that my first semester, all of the courses I took except for two were electives. So, I was practically not advancing.”

4. Goals Retain more Spanish dominant immigrant students in high school Provide college prep curriculum in Spanish Support & motivate students to graduate and go to college Assist parents to support students Support Bilingual development

5. Components Online STEM courses in Spanish; standards aligned based on Colegio de Bachilleres Mexican online tutors PD for teachers & counselors PIQE support for parents SOL Club for students– including college field trips

6. Sites Over 4 years: 5 high schools: 3 Los Angeles; 1 San Diego; 1 Imperial Valley Currently: 4 schools; 4 principals; 9 teachers; 4 counselors

7. SOL Enrollment Increased Steadily Each Year

8. Video: What Does a SOL Classroom Look Like? https://vimeo.com/42234526 Password: proyectosol

9. SOL Course Enrollment, 2008 to Present

10. Raising Expectations: “I don’t do anything and I still pass [in non-SOL classes]….There are many teachers who think that because you are ESL you don’t have the ability to do the work.” But in SOL: “Mr. Cuevas, each time when I was in class he would approach me and he would tell me to work hard, that here it is a country with many opportunities, that all the time I should be vigilant of my work and everything.”

11. It’s More Than Language When I started Project SOL, it was like I felt more…free to express myself because when I came there weren’t any [SOL classes]…all my teachers spoke only English. And some of them spoke Spanish, but you feel like it’s difficult to talk to them, because you’re always thinking they won’t understand you very well or won’t listen to you. And when I entered Project SOL, it was more like, ‘Okay, I can express myself well.’

12. Evaluation of Student Outcomes • Student Outcomes • Courses taken and passed • Grades • Test scores • Retention and graduation • College enrollment • Self-concept as learner • 2 Student Comparison Groups • Matched student comparisons • Comparison cohorts from previous years and similar school

13. Student Comparison Groups 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Non-SOL EL Students Project SOL Students Comparison School Non-SOL EL Students

14. Student Persistence

15. SOL is a Safety Net Pues, cuando llegué, si [SOL] no hubiera estado el aquí yo pienso que, como todo los estudiantes de ESL, se pasan como haciendo, como echando relajo nada más. Pues yo también hubiera entrado en eso y cuando hubiera estudiado. No hubiera estudiado ya, nada. *************** Well, when I arrived, if it [SOL] hadn’t been here I think that, like all the ESL students, they spend their time doing, like just messing around. Well I would also be into that and I would not have studied. I would not have studied anymore, anything.

16. SOL Creates Access to Courses for Graduation Con el Proyecto SOL tengo química y matemáticas. Son clases que se necesitan para graduarse y si no las hubiera tenido el Proyecto SOL estuvieran en inglés y tal vez no las estuviera pasando ahorita. ************ With Project SOL I have chemistry and mathematics. These are classes that are needed to graduate and if I had not had Project SOL, those classes would have been in English and I probably would not be passing them now. • -

17. More SOL Students Now See Themselves as Strong Students In 2008, only 1 out of 10 SOL students saw themselves as better than average students. Today, 1 in four describe themselves as “better than average” The proportion of students expecting to go to community college has more than doubled, from 17% to 37%

18. Greater Numbers of SOL Students Now Aspire to Go to College

19. Preliminary Pass Rates for SOL Courses Across the comparison schools, only 36% of students passed their math and science courses

20. Teacher Outcomes: “ Project Sol helps me to keep in mind that my objective is to prepare my students to go straight to the university.” – Mr. Alvarez “I feel more comfortable trying new techniques, and supplementing my instruction with different things, and activities. I'm not all by the book anymore!” – Ms. Estrada “I now feel more comfortable using technology to teach off the internet, something I didn't really resort to before.” – Ms. Donlucas “My science vocabulary in Spanish has improved. Overall, my academic Spanish has improved which makes me sound much more professional when speaking to parents. It has helped me become more culturally aware of my students and their lives, how they see school, the every-day problems they face, their interest as immigrant students.” – Ms. A. Lopez

21. Administrator “outcomes”:Awareness of “right” teachers • “That teacher wouldn’t fit with our Project SOL and what we are doing. We are not going to put our kids in that classroom with that teacher.” • Principal of one SOL school

22. Evaluation of Counselor Outcomes • Increased expectations • Nearly doubled the proportion of Spanish dominant students expected to graduate prepared for college, from 48% to 82% • Increased expected college matriculation from 53% to 70%

23. Unforeseen Challenges • Impact of anti-immigrant activity • Recession hit hardest in this community • Budget cuts affecting our teachers & counselors --constantly • Inability to always select “right” teachers and counselors (expertise & attitude) • Time needed to establish the program • Each school has different challenges

24. Real Benefits Schools refocusing on immigrants Some increase in persistence Real access to graduation and college prep courses Greater sense belonging, engagement Remarkable growth in teachers’ skills, confidence, commitment Likely impact on teacher retention

26. Sponsors Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Carnegie Corporation Irvine Foundation Instituto de Mexicanos en el Exterior, Secretary of Foreign Relations, Mexico Civil Rights Project/Proyecto Derechos Civiles