Unstoppable Literacy Acceleration: Engagement, Effectiveness, and Equity for Diverse Learners

Presented by Louisa Aguirre Baeza, Director of Academic Language Programs, Ysleta ISD (TX); Travis Monroy, ALPs Compliance Evaluator, Academic Language Programs Department, Ysleta ISD (TX); Vanessa Dominguez, Secondary Instructional Specialist, Ysleta ISD (TX); and Sarah Ponce, Secondary Instructional Specialist, Ysleta ISD (TX)

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Literacy and ensuring equity for all is everyone’s responsibility as language gaps lead to literacy gaps. Students who are culturally and linguistically diverse often enter school as English Learners. Language proficiency in the home language and lack of readiness for learning to read in English may hinder their ability to fully participate in English-only instruction. This edWebinar explores ways in which school districts can accelerate learning and ensure literacy success for English Language Learners in ELA and other content areas.

This recorded edWebinar will be of particular benefit to elementary through high school teachers, principals, superintendents, and school and district leaders.

About the Presenters

Louisa Aguirre Baeza currently serves as Director of Academic Language Programs at Ysleta Independent School District. The district serves just over 40,000 students, and, among those students, every 1 in 4 is coded as Limited English Proficient (LEP). Ysleta’s district borders Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. Louisa began her career as a 5th-grade bilingual teacher twenty-three years ago, and since then has served as a technology coordinator, university instructor, regional professional development consultant, assistant principal, and director of curriculum and professional support. Louisa’s passions are curriculum and success for all. Her mantra is “Faith, Family, Fun, and Fierceness” and she states, “I value my bilingualism and the acceptance of a world filled with diverse people. I treat everyone as if they were my own – special circumstances call for special actions, and we are definitely not all the same. I approach every day with an attitude of being fierce in all that I do.”

For over 20 years, Travis Monroy has worked with English Learners (ELs) as a teacher, instructional specialist and program coordinator. In his current role as the Academic Language Programs Department Compliance Evaluator in the Ysleta Independent School District (YISD) in El Paso, Texas, he evaluates the effectiveness of all language acquisition programs, ensures that the YISD is in compliance with all state and federal regulations for ELs, and oversees the secondary English as a Second Language program. He is committed to create an instructional environment that will empower ELs to remove the language barrier as an obstacle to developing personal and professional relationships, attaining high levels of academic success, and realizing professional goals.

Vanessa Y. Dominguez serves as Secondary Dual Language Instructional Specialist for the Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. Her career in education began in 2005, as an English teacher at Socorro High School, where she served students of varying language levels. She now develops and implements districtwide specialized staff training for English/ESL certified teachers, support staff, and administrators on specialized instructional strategies for students who are English Learners. Vanessa ensures ELAR/ESL teachers are ready to work with students in Ysleta for the growth and educational development in grades 9-12, both in the area of English content and through the lens of language acquisition. She has taken her content knowledge and now merged it with best practices of language acquisition for ELAR/ESL classrooms. As a native El Pasoan, and former UTEP graduate, she is proud to serve her hometown community. Follow Vanessa on Twitter @VDomYISD.

Sarah A. Ponce serves as Secondary Instructional Specialist for Ysleta Independent School District in El Paso, Texas. Sarah employs her 20+ years of experience in bilingual and ESL education to successfully support, coach, instruct, and serve as a model for all middle school ESL teachers in her district. Subsequently, she also promotes countless students’ English proficiency through diligent teacher preparation and training of best practices for successful curriculum and resource implementation. Her incessant pursuit for growth and her devotion to education have allowed her to foster and advance her competence while instructing many students throughout the years at the elementary, middle school and college level. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SponceYISDALPS.

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At Achieve3000®, we believe literacy is the key to unlocking student success. Since 2001, we have partnered with schools and districts to accelerate literacy growth for all students with our flagship PRO platform for differentiated literacy instruction. Now we also offer Smarty Ants® for personalized foundational literacy and Actively Learn™ for secondary curriculum depth. Together, our solutions help all PreK-adult learners increase their college and career readiness and reach their full potential.