Gutiérrez asks how NYCPS defines multilingual learner

I wanted to ask, just to start.

You got something for me?

You got to go.

That's okay.

Okay.

Thank you, Councilmember.

I do love the open transparency.

Thank you.

Can you just start, can you define, and I graduated public schools here.

I think when I went to school, it was.

What was it?

What was the name of the class?

It was just like the bilingual.

ESL.

And I know that the vocabulary and the languages have changed.

So can you just share with me how the DOE defines multi-language learner?

Yes, so we are thinking very expansively about how we're supporting multilingual learners.

And to frame it, the way that we view that for the early childhood is a little bit different than how we view English language learners in K-12.

So I'm going to ask my colleague, Dr.

Branch, to provide some detail on how we define our multilingual learners for early childhood.

And then Dr.

Garcia can.

Share what it looks like in K-12.

Thank you.

Good morning.

Good morning, Chair.

So in early childhood education, the way that we define our emergent multilingual learners is students who come from a home that supports, you know, that speaks a language other than English.

So essentially families self-identify and they tell us that, you know, their little one speaks Spanish or is learning to speak Spanish or another language in addition to English.

So that's the definition.

And what is the, thank you, that seems easy enough.

What is the definition?

How is it different from then K through 12 or 1 through 12?

Good afternoon, Chair.

Thank you for the question.

So the state introduced the term multilingual learner.

And so it's an umbrella term.

Multilingual learner includes English language learners, which I'll define in a minute, former English language learners.

So those are kids who are L's at some point.

And it also includes any student who is learning a new language.

So that virtually could be any student in our system taking a world language course or heritage language course.

Our English language learners are the students who actually are entitled, as per CR Part 154, to English language.

English language acquisition instructions.

So it used to be called English as a second language.

Now it's called English as a new language or transitional bilingual education programs or dual language bilingual education programs.

Those are the three program models.