Clear Creek ISD Blog

Bilingual and English Second Language (ESL) programs in elementary school have long been established in the Clear Creek Independent School District (CCISD). The bilingual program was originally developed to support the linguistic and academic needs of Spanish-speakers, while the ESL program was developed to support speakers of other languages. As the number of Vietnamese, Urdu, and Mandarin-speaking students increased, CCISD developed additional bilingual and native language support programs for these languages. 

Traditionally, the focus of all these programs was on meeting the policy set by the Texas Education Agency in servicing English language learners; however, in 2004, a paradigm shift occurred at McWhirter Elementary. The Estrellas Two-Way Immersion program was launched.  In this program, English and Spanish-speakers share a classroom and receive instruction in both languages. Students are able to learn from each other, share cultures, engage in authentic language acquisition, and excel in an enrichment model of bilingual education. The students who began the program in 2004 are now in 7th grade and continue receiving instruction in both languages in the Estrellas Intermediate Program at Clear Creek Intermediate School.

As a district, we are entering into another exciting period of offering even more language learning opportunities at the elementary school level. Brookwood will become the district’s fifth Spanish-English bilingual campus in the 2012-2013 school year.  Bilingual classes will be offered in PK-5, and a Foreign Language Enrichment Program will be offered to entering Kindergarten students. This program will combine Spanish and English-speaking students for part of the school day, with students receiving science instruction in Spanish and math instruction in English.

Stewart Elementary, an established bilingual campus, will begin a dual language program in the 2012-2013 school year. Students entering Kindergarten are eligible to apply for this program, in which English and Spanish-speaking students will receive instruction in both languages based on a model which implements a language of the day for instruction.

This is an extremely exciting time for CCISD as we continue to grow linguistic opportunities for our students. Research from the Center for Applied Linguistics cites a variety of benefits to second language acquisition, such as a positive effect on intellectual growth, flexibility in thinking, and enriching and enhancing cognitive development. While these are important benefits, the philosophy of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages may best exemplify why these linguistic enrichment models are so powerful: Language and communication are at the heart of the human experience. The United States must educate students who are linguistically and culturally equipped to communicate successfully in a pluralistic American society and abroad.

We are excited to prepare students for the human experience that occurs beyond the school door.

Tacy King
Director of Instructional Services for ELLS

Read more on this subject at: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/18/opinion/sunday/the-benefits-of-bilingualism.htm?_r=1&scp=1&sq=bilingual&st=Search

Lacy Elliott
Clear Creek ISD
Child Nutrition Asst. Director

In 2012, preventing hunger among school-aged children continues to be a main goal of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs and Clear Creek ISD. In order to address the health issues of a new generation, a new focus has been placed on reducing childhood obesity.  In December of 2010, Congress approved what has resulted in the most drastic change in school lunch guidelines in 30 years.  The guidelines will most likely be mandatory for the 2012-2013 school year.

By increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, and whole-grains offered to students, school meals will be aligned with the 2005, “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.”  In addition, the proposed guidelines also set specific, age-based calorie requirements, allow only fat-free and low-fat milk to be offered, and aim to reduce the amount of sodium and saturated fat in meals.

In anticipation of the upcoming guidelines, CCISD implemented several changes at the start of the 2011-2012 school year. A few of these changes include offering all whole-grain items on our elementary menus, offering only fat-free or low-fat milk, and placing a variety of dark green and orange vegetables on our menus.

During the fall 2011 semester, six CCISD schools participated in a pilot program with Baylor College of Medicine to study the impact of the proposed guidelines.  Based on the success observed in these schools, we are implementing additional changes in each CCISD school in order to extend the benefits to all students.

When students line up in the cafeteria on January 4, 2012, they can choose more servings of fruits and vegetables at breakfast and lunch.  Under the old guidelines, at breakfast, students could only select one fruit at breakfast while under the new guidelines students can choose two fruits.  At lunch, students may now select two different fruits and two different vegetables instead of two servings of fruit and/or vegetables.  We are pleased to be able to offer these additional selections to students with no change in breakfast or lunch prices.

It is an exciting time in CCISD cafeterias!  We invite parents to join us for breakfast and lunch to experience all of these new changes with your child.

For more information about meal program changes in CCISD, visit the Child Nutrition Department’s webpage.
http://www2.ccisd.net/Departments/ChildNutritionDepartment.aspx

For more information about the proposed guideline changes to the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs visit USDA’s School Meals webpage. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/

By Heber Taylor
The Daily News
Published October 11, 2011

The Daily News recently published a story with several pages of graphics about the changing demographics of Galveston County, particularly as they affect schools.

If you missed it, the most intriguing idea was that the school-age population is different from the older population in one respect — it’s much more Hispanic.

Many people reacted angrily to the story. At least one threatened to cancel the paper. Some complained that school districts should take a harder line against paying for students who are here, as immigrants, illegally. Others said school districts should not spend money on bilingual education, but should teach English only.

Most of the anger was about change. The statistics clearly indicate the future of Galveston County increasingly will be in the hands of people who do not look exactly like the people who are in charge today.

But there is a larger picture.

First, this demographic trend is not something that’s theoretical. It’s not something that can be changed by anger. It’s just a fact.

In 10 to 20 years, when these children are grown, they will be the leaders of our communities.

The question is not whether those of us who are older like that picture. The question is whether that picture of Galveston County looks better if all those children are educated well, if they are able to compete in a global economy and if they are in a position to bring resources back to this place we call home.

Does investing in their education result in a better picture for Galveston County — or worse?

Second, the question about learning one language, rather than another, is for dinosaurs. Already, people who are limited to one language find themselves at a competitive disadvantage in a global economy.

Europeans, who frequently learn three or four languages in school, do so for a reason: They find that they need those skills to compete in a world in which business routinely crosses national boundaries.

The changes in our schools reflect changes in our communities. The question is whether we’ll see opportunities in those changes or whether we’ll just be angry.

Read the story that sparked debate:
http://galvestondailynews.com/story/262146

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