A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n

Roles for Education Paraprofessionals in Effective Schools - 1997

Bilingual Pupil Services Program

New York City Public Schools
New York, New York

Increasing the Pool of Bilingual Education Teachers

Career ladder improves certified bilingual workforce
Classroom experience is linked to certification program
Federal and local funds support professional development

Overview

Maria, a bilingual teacher intern in a fourth-grade classroom at a public elementary school in Brooklyn, provides bilingual instruction in reading, writing, and math four days a week to a small group of Spanish-speaking students who have limited English proficiency (LEP). Although Maria's duties are similar to those of a paraprofessional, her paying internship is part of a program that leads to certification. On Fridays, Maria attends training sessions on such topics as lesson planning and classroom management, assertive discipline, and multicultural education; she also meets with other interns to exchange ideas and support. Taking courses at Brooklyn College, she is only a few credits away from earning her bachelor's degree in bilingual elementary education.

The Bilingual Pupil Services program is a 22-year-old Title I project operated by the New York City (NYC) Board of Education's Division of Bilingual Education. The main goals of the Bilingual Pupil Services program are to increase the supply of bilingual teachers through a paraprofessional-to-teacher training program and to provide the students with supportive bilingual instruction to aid their acquisition of English as a second language. The program uses Title I funds to allow bilingual teacher interns to take education courses at approved branches of the City University of New York (CUNY) and thus earn teaching licenses and baccalaureate degrees so that they can become regular classroom teachers. The program also promotes the academic and linguistic development of Title I-eligible Hispanic, Chinese, and Haitian students who have LEP.

Program Context

The Bilingual Pupil Services program served about 80 interns during the fall of 1994. In December 1994, the program added a bilingual special education component. Twenty bilingual special education interns and 30 new bilingual interns enrolled in February 1995, bringing the total number of interns in the program to about 130.

In the spring of 1995, bilingual interns and bilingual special education interns worked with more than 2,500 students in grades 1-6 in 38 schools throughout 18 community school districts.

Major Program Features

Program Development

In the early 1970s, Board of Education staff met with principals and community school district administrators to review data about curriculum designs, the nature of instruction, student test scores, schools' organizational patterns, schools' needs, and the availability of support services. They found many LEP students who spoke Spanish, Chinese, or Haitian Creole were failing either to perform at grade level or to achieve competence in basic or more advanced skills. Consequently, the Board of Education decided to provide bilingual teacher interns with training and career development opportunities to improve their ability to meet the academic needs of these students. The Board continues to meet periodically to review program progress.

Targeted Participants

To be chosen for the program, interns must be fluent in Spanish, Chinese, or Haitian Creole as well as English, and possess a minimum of 60 college credits. Most interns learn about the program through word of mouth in the schools, often from other interns. The program is advertised by colleges and community-based organizations in New York City, and interns are referred to the program by other offices and divisions in the Board of Education, including the Division of Personnel. Interns selected for the program make a commitment to participate for at least two years and to work as public school teachers upon graduation from the program.

Educational associates and educational assistants can be selected to participate in the program. Although both work five and one-half hours per day, five days a week, the higher-ranking associates earn a higher salary.

Interns work with a particular segment of the school population: students of Hispanic, Chinese, or Haitian descent who have LEP and who are eligible for Title I services. Indicators of eligibility are (1) a score below the 40th percentile on the Language Assessment Battery Survey, or above the 23rd NCE and below the 35th NCE on the test of English proficiency; and (2) evidence of below-grade-level proficiency as measured either by the citywide reading and mathematics tests or by informal diagnoses, records of academic performance, and observations by professional staff.

Inservice Training and College Courses

Each fall, the program adds about 30 new interns. Teaching four days a week, new interns attend weekly inservice training sessions and monthly workshops from October until April. Topics covered at these training sessions include reading, writing, math, science, teaching English as a Second Language, teaching native languages (Spanish, Chinese, and Haitian Creole), lesson planning and classroom management, assertive discipline, and multicultural education. The training sessions are provided by specialists, whose roles are discussed below; the monthly workshops are conducted by outside experts.

To continue in the Bilingual Pupil Services program, interns must take at least six college credits each semester. Many interns enroll in the CUNY system because the Board of Education will pay tuition for interns and other paraprofessionals to take up to six credits each semester at any branch of the university. Interns can take courses at City College, Hunter College, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Bernard Baruch College, Lehmann College, the College of Staten Island, and other four-year colleges that are part of the CUNY system.

Interns earn certificates of achievement after they participate in 15 inservice training sessions. Most remain in the program for two or three years while they work toward their teaching credentials, although a few leave the program after only one year. Veteran interns often help program staff conduct inservice training sessions.

Other Support

Each intern works one-on-one with a cooperating teacher. Cooperating teachers, many of whom are former interns, are bilingual and teach in self-contained classrooms with at least 22 LEP students. Interns and cooperating teachers hold weekly conferences to develop lesson plans, discuss students' needs, and reflect on their work.

Five field instructional specialists conduct the inservice training sessions and supervise the interns in classrooms. Serving as resources to the interns and providing them with ongoing support, they are all tenured New York City public school teachers who are bilingual and who have previous experience supervising teachers and developing curriculum.

Interns have to write pupil logs and lesson plans regularly. They are evaluated by their cooperating teachers and principals in December and May. Evaluations for interns are based on their ability to develop lesson plans and manage groups of students, and on the rapport they have developed with other teachers and students. Interns are also observed and evaluated by program staff.

The interns meet with one another during the monthly workshops to share materials and reflect on their teaching experiences.

Curriculum Content for Students

The Bilingual Pupil Services program provides participating Title I-eligible LEP students with in-class, small-group bilingual instruction in reading (including listening, speaking, and writing) and mathematics in both their native language and English.

The size of the instructional groups for reading and mathematics instruction is based on the age, needs, level, and abilities of learners involved. Reading groups for children who are slightly below grade level are usually no larger than eight students, and groups for children needing more intensive reading assistance are limited to four students.

Interns provide 15 to 20 instructional sessions in reading and math each week over 41 weeks (the entire school year). The instructional sessions last 30 to 45 minutes. Interns also plan daily activities with their cooperating teachers and assist them in supervising students.

Funding

One of the "Chancellor's Initiatives," the Bilingual Pupil Services program receives Title I funds through the Board of Education's Division of Funded Programs. Six years ago, the program served 140 interns, but it has been level-funded for the past six years. As a result, it has had slots for only 85 to 95 interns each year for the past few years.

In December 1994, however, the NYC public schools' chancellor allocated to the program some tax levy funds that are being used to increase the number of slots for interns and add a bilingual special education (BSE) component to the program. As a result, the program added 30 new bilingual interns and 20 BSE interns in February 1995. For now, the new component serves only BSE interns who work in classes for Spanish-speaking LEP special education students mildly in need of services. Bilingual special education interns work in classrooms where the average class size is 12 students.

Administration

The program director supervises the overall program, serving as program liaison not only with appropriate state and city officials but also with the program evaluator. Supervising the various program components, the director is responsible for ensuring that the program operates efficiently.

Evidence of Success

More than 1,500 teachers have earned their teaching licenses through the program; many have remained in New York City and taken teaching positions within the public school system. A number of them have been hired to work as regular classroom teachers in their intern placement schools. Some have gone on to become assistant principals, bilingual coordinators, and principals. A few have even become community school district superintendents. Interns have served more than 50,000 LEP students.

The Bilingual Pupil Services program has received several awards, including a U.S. Department of Education Compensatory Education Award, a Secretary of Education Certificate of Excellence, a New York City Board of Education Certificate of Excellence, and a New York State Certificate of Merit for being a model compensatory education program.
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