At Provost Elementary there are a lot of English Language Learners. Most of them are Spanish speakers. Some come to the school not knowing any English at all and others have parents that speak Spanish to them in the home. Some parents don't speak any English so the student has to rely on the English they learn at school to help them with their assignments. At this school I do see lots of support for ELL students. They all take a test called the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment or WIDA. This assesses where the students are in their English proficiency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. They are given scores from novice to proficient in levels of 1-5. Provost also has several teachers who speak Spanish although not all of them do.

 Some ELL students receive one on one individual English tutoring each day. The tutor works with them on vocabulary and also encourages them to try to speak more English. Other ELL students receive some accommodations on tests. For instance, a math story problem might use the word "gain." Some ELL students haven't learned that gain also means add so they get help with a synonym for it. That way they are able to have an equal chance with English only speakers to get the correct answer. I think these accommodations for ELL students are a direct result of the 1974 Lau vs. Nichols decision that said that non US born students can't participate equally in school if they can't understand the teacher or the course materials. 

 Provost also has some African American students. It's amazing to think that really not that long ago these students would've been segregated and not allowed to attend a white school. Because of Brown vs. Topeka, all students are welcome to attend school and have the same learning opportunities as everyone else. There are also a few students who most likely have an IEP of some sort due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. I've seen a student wear a special fur hat inside even though the school doesn't allow hats to be worn inside. I assume the hat helps the student feel more comfortable in some way so no one asks him to not wear it. I've also seen this student get extra time to complete a test so that's probably in their IEP as well.



 

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