ABERDEEN, S.D. – For fifth grader Paw Eh Soe, being part of the Aberdeen Public School District’s English as a Second Language Program has given her more confidence to speak up and answer questions in class.
“Even if I don’t know, I say I’ll just try,” said Paw, a student at O.M. Tiffany Elementary.
“That’s a great motto to have in life,” said ESL Teacher and Program Coordinator Sheena Buckhouse. “‘I’m not sure, but I’ll try.’”
It could also be the motto of the Aberdeen Public Schools ESL Program, which encourages 276 students across the district on their journey toward English proficiency.
With eight certified teachers and three educational assistants, the ESL Program helps students develop English language proficiency while maintaining academics at grade level. Currently, 14 home languages are represented among English Learners in the school district: Spanish, Karen, Chinese, Swahili, Vietnamese, German, Albanian, Somali, Mayan, Palauan, Chuukese, Igbo, Catalan, and Quechua.
Though it fluctuates, the most common languages are generally Karen and Spanish.
At O.M. Tiffany, Paw’s home language is Karen, and her classmate Enrique Salas’ home language is Spanish. Both fifth graders have been part of the ESL Program since kindergarten, and working on their English with Buckhouse has helped them gain confidence and proficiency.
“It helps me say words and translate and helps me a lot with reading,” said Enrique, who now helps with translating for new Spanish-speaking students as a peer mentor.
Students who are English Learners are part of a traditional classroom, but they also work with an ESL teacher based on their individual need.
“It’s really not a one size fits all,” Buckhouse said.
Instruction is in English, and the teachers don’t speak all 14 of the languages represented. Teachers utilize various strategies to aid in communication as needed, including using visuals and translator apps such as Google Translate.
Must be Proficient in Academic English
English Learners work on two types of English: social and academic. The social tends to come out first—greetings, introductions—but exiting the program requires proficiency in academic English, Buckhouse said.
“They have to master the academic language of content areas to be able to exit, so it’s a really rigorous test,” she said.
The test is scored on a scale of 1-6—1 being new to the language, 6 being fully proficient. English Learners must score at least a 5. In comparison, Buckhouse said an average student whose home language is English who took this test would score approximately 4.5.
The standard number of students to test out of the ESL Program is 5 percent, she said. Last spring, the district had 12 percent exit the program.
“For students to exit, they have to be above the average student,” Buckhouse said. “So it’s even more of a celebration when our students exit. And to have 12 percent of our students exit last year is just phenomenal.”
Students can also exit the program if they score a 4 or above on the test and also score a 3 or 4 on the language arts portion of the South Dakota assessment.
“It shows that our English Learners are working toward meeting the targets we’re setting for all the students in the district,” she said. “They’re working really hard to do that, too.”
‘Most Rewarding Job I’ve Ever Had’
Buckhouse has been the school district’s ESL Program Director since 2012.
“This is my favorite job I’ve ever had,” she said. “I love working with the students especially because I get to work with them for usually more than one year. I grow really close with the families, so as they have successes in class, those are my successes, too.”
As her students’ English improves, she often sees them becoming more involved in school and extracurricular activities.
“When they do that and they tell me about that, it’s hard to blink back the tears sometimes of how proud I am of them and their confidence and their willingness to step out and try new things and use the English they’ve learned to make friends,” she said. “It is the most rewarding job I’ve ever had. It doesn’t feel like work when you get to come and hang out with kids and practice English and see their gains.”
And those rewards are long-lasting. She sometimes runs into her former elementary school students out in the community—like one young woman who, when Buckhouse first met her, didn’t speak a lot because she wasn’t confident in her English.
“She came and gave me a hug (and said), ‘I just want you to know, I’m going to go to school to be a doctor,’” Buckhouse said. “It’s just a bond that lasts a long time. It’s really fulfilling.”
About the Aberdeen Public School District
The Aberdeen Public School District provides a comprehensive educational program to approximately 4,200 students in grades K-12, with a mission of empowering all students to succeed in a changing world. Our students receive the knowledge and skills necessary to reach their potential in a global community through high expectations of academic achievement; diverse educational opportunities; and community involvement in a safe, supportive environment. Learn more at aberdeen.k12.sd.us.