School Administration Interview protocol

Appendix D

LIEP Interview Protocol: Principals and School Administrative Team

State: District/School:

Date: Facilitator:

Note-taker:

Participants, Positions and Schools: Sign-in Sheet:

Participant	Position	School	Credential	Years in Administration	Years in this school

Introductory Script for Principal and School-based administrative Team (e.g., principals, vice principals, dean of students, school counseling staff): Good morning [afternoon]. First of all, thank you so much for being here and for being willing to participate in this study. My name is [name] and this is [name of the other site visitor], we are researchers from Synergy [and Ed Count], organizations that conduct research about education.

Before we start, I’d like to provide a little background on our work, and answer any questions you might have. We are conducting this study for the US Department of Education in order to explore exemplary programs for ELs and the contextual factors in their implementation. This is an interview of principals and/or the school administrative team who work with ELs and their teachers. During our conversation, I’ll be asking you about such topics as: your roles as leaders and/or school administrators, approaches to instruction for English language learners at your school, the capacity of teachers at your school to address the needs of ELs, assessment and accountability for ELs, the resources you draw on in meeting the needs of the ELs, the role of parents of ELs, and the challenges you face.

Are there any questions right now about the study or about why we are here?

Next, I’d like to say a few things about the process for this discussion. During our session today, I'll be asking you some questions and [other site visitor] will be taking notes.  If you don’t mind, I would like to record our conversation simply for note-taking purposes. No one outside of our research team would hear the recording; it would just be for own reference. If you would like us to turn off the recorder at any point, just let me know. Would that be OK?

We will make every attempt to keep all information you provide today confidential. It will only be used for the purposes of this study. We will not use your name and will not attribute any quotes. Also, all data will be kept secure and all reports, tables and printed materials will be presented in aggregate numbers. We will not share what we discuss with other people in this school or district.

This session will give you a chance to express your opinions. We want you to feel comfortable in saying what you really think and feel, as your ideas and opinions are important to us. It is OK to disagree with one another. We’d like to hear everyone’s perspective. If you do not feel like responding to a question, you do not have to. Your participation is completely voluntary.

I’d like to ask you to sign a consent form before we begin. It outlines some of the issues I’ve just mentioned with regard to anonymity and confidentiality. Please take a minute to read it and let me know if you have any questions.

Are there any questions before we get started?

Note to interviewer: Throughout the interview, possible probes are set aside following each general question. Asking these questions may help to move the interview pace or may prompt a less talkative respondent. However, do not feel you need to ask each of these probes; it is likely that the respondent will cover many of these issues when responding to your initial inquiry. Keep the tone conversational and comfortable.

Background

1. To start, I’d like to ask each of you to introduce yourselves by saying your first name, your school, your role at the school, and how long you have been an administrator or on the administrative team at your school.

2. Please describe for us your school’s EL population background. Talk about how recognized and celebrated the various languages and cultures are in your school, community, and district.

3. Tell us now about the vision in your school and district for educating ELs. What are the expectations and priorities? Describe the language instruction educational program(s) (LIEPs) (e.g., ESL, Bilingual, other) utilized in your school? For purposes of this study, we define LIEPs as a systematic approach to the provision of services that support the development of English language proficiency and academic achievement among English learners. LIEPs are program models that consist of a comprehensive set of services including curriculum and instruction strategies as well as other essential services (e.g., counseling, family support, etc.) that facilitate English proficiency and academic content gains.

For Items 1- 3, listen/probe for:

• Roles regarding leadership for instruction and/or promoting professional learning

• Shared expectations and priorities with regard to educating ELs

• Belief and value statements that permeate community and/or drive program decisions

• Size of EL population, language backgrounds, language levels, content area levels, and levels of prior education (particularly at secondary level where some ELs may come into the system with limited prior schooling)

• Presence of any significant subpopulations within the EL population and their characteristics (such as refugee populations, influx of newcomers, significant border population, etc.)

• How the population has changed at the school and how the district/has responded (e.g., services, staff, community partnerships)

• Approach to LIEP(s) and what labels they use. (E.g. Dual Language, Two-way immersion, Transition bilingual, Developmental bilingual, Sheltered English instruction, Structured English immersion, Specially designed academic instruction delivered in English (SDAIE), Content-based ESL, Team Teaching, Plug-In, Pull-out ESL).

• Focus on college- and career-readiness

4. Now, tell us a little about funding for your LIEP. Specifically, how much Title III funds does your school receive for your LIEP? Does the district contribute additional funds above Title III for your program? How are the funds utilized for your LIEP in your school?

State Standards

5. To what extent are you familiar with the state English language proficiency or English language development standards? How do you use them when determining which LIEPs to select and/or design to serve the needs of ELs in your school? How do you use the standards when evaluating your program(s)? To what extent do you find them useful in guiding EL support services and/or instructional decisions at your school?

Listen/Probe for:

• Ways in which standards are useful and utilized (for LIEP design, instructional approach, formative and summative assessments)

• How standards could be improved (to be more useful)

• Extent to which (and ways in which) school leaders use state ELP standards and content standards in planning, PD and/or choosing EL curriculum and materials

• Extent to which (and ways in which) EL instruction incorporates/addresses state ELP standards and content standards

• How staff learn about the ELP standards and how they access them. (For example, are they sitting in a binder on the shelf? On the internet? Etc.?)

• Extent to which the school team thinks that the district office monitors standards implementation

LIEP Programs and Practices

6. Next, I’d like to get a sense of the overall goals and approach to EL services and instruction in your school.

5a. Are there designated programs, specialized classes, supports and/or curriculum that are used school wide? How/why were they selected?

• Any programs or curricula indicated by district officials, if not mentioned

• How well the program is articulated and supported

• Whether there is a mandated/intended curriculum in place

5b. Describe the design elements of the program and how they are integrated to meet the goal of English proficiency and content area learning.

• Goals for ELP for acquiring language and mastering content

• Use of co-teaching or other collaborative approaches

5c. What are the non-instructional program components (e.g., counseling and other support services) and how do they support these integrated goals?

• Various program components and their intended purpose/goal

• Counseling services for building cultural bridges among and between students, faculty, families, and community resources

• Parent/family liaisons, provision of services in the home language, mentors, etc.

7. How do you design the specific program’s components to meet the EL instructional needs (testing students for the program, monitoring students once in the program, transitioning students out of program)? Are there any structures or approaches that you have found to be particularly effective in implementing the program? What guides the short and long-term program planning?

Listen/probe for:

• Whether there is a designated ELD time during the school day and a description of what takes place during that time.

• Influences on selection, such as district mandates, state standards, and/or TA provided.

• Various program components and their intended purpose/goal

• How well the program is articulated and supported

• Integration of program with other programs established in the school/district

• Need for qualified teachers and use of co-teaching or other collaborative approaches

• Involvement of community, families, teachers in short and long-term planning

• Ability to obtain information about population/demographic changes that maybe coming in order to plan for school population changes

• Special services/programs for subpopulations (e.g., special education, gifted and talented, SIFE, etc.)

8. How do you address the challenge of the large diversity of languages? (Note to interviewer: Ask this item if applicable to the school/district.)

9. Now tell us, how you address the challenge of wide ranging English language development levels and other needs and strengths in your EL population?

Listen/probe for (items 7 and 8):

• Use of native language in classes with ELs

• Interventions available to ELs who are struggling (such as, after school program, tutoring, mentoring, academic or guidance counselors, Response to Intervention, etc.)

• Integration with other existing services in school/district (such as special education, gifted and talented, AP/IB classes, clubs, athletics, tutoring)

• Transition services into/out of EL classes

• Perceived effectiveness of structures and/or practices mentioned (evidenced by)

10. If not already mentioned: Next, I’d like to ask you more about X. [As appropriate, probe further on any specific strategies or approaches mentioned by district level staff for which we’d like to get the school level perspective (if not already mentioned above).]

Listen/probe for:

• What is the focus? Who participates?

• Perceived effectiveness (measured by)

• Support/influence from the district

Teacher Capacity

11. Describe the teachers at your school in terms of their skills, knowledge, leadership capabilities, and cultural sensitivity needed to be successful with the ELs at your school.

12. Tell us more about teacher leadership, commitment and collaboration in your school and district. What are the leadership characteristics of your teaching staff? What does collaboration and leadership look like in everyday practice? Do you have language acquisition specialists working in your school on a full- or part-time basis? (Note to interviewer: Provide examples of language acquisition specialists’ roles since these titles will vary.)

For items 9-10, listen/probe for:

• Extent to which the most skilled general or EL teachers are the ones teaching the classes with the largest numbers and/or greatest diversity of ELs

• Distribution of highly qualified teachers in classes with the most and/or greatest diversity of ELs

• Teacher commitment attitudes toward teaching EL classes. Do they tend to request such classes or avoid them?

• Structures that incentivize teaching EL classes such as collaborative approach, more and/or common planning time, or availability of PD

• Challenges, such as turnover, resistance to change, etc.

13. What process do you/your district apply to recruit and retain teachers who are knowledgeable in the content area and language instruction for ELs? What role does your district play in this process?

Listen/probe for:

• Any recruitment and retention practices mentioned by district officials

• Extent to which EL qualifications are a factor in recruitment and which EL qualifications are considered such as culturally relevant pedagogy or bilingual abilities

• Any challenges associated with recruiting the teachers needed and how they are addressed

Professional Learning

14. To what extent do administrators and counselors at your school engage in professional learning that specifically addresses EL program implementation and instruction? Is this initiated at the district or school level? As a school leader, where do you turn for assistance on EL issues?

Listen/probe for:

• Systemic professional development initiatives identified by district officials

• Supports provided by district and/or any assistance provided by state, especially in promoting collaboration

• Follow up to professional development focused on understanding importance and features of quality EL instruction

• Counseling issues on placement, transition, social and health services

• Use of state content and ELP/ELD standards

• Perceived effectiveness (evidenced by)

15. To what extent are professional learning activities that address EL program implementation and instruction carried out collaboratively by the administrative team and teachers/instructional staff?

Listen/probe for:

• Joint professional development across administrative and teaching staff.

• Any differences in what content vs. EL teachers receive

• Follow up to professional development focused on understanding importance and features of quality EL instruction

• Supports provided by district and/or any assistance provided by state

• Perceived effectiveness (evidenced by)

• External expertise the school has access to, such as local university or PD provider, and internal expertise, such as experts at the district and school levels

Assessment & Program Evaluation

16. In addition to the state-mandated academic content assessments, what other measures do you use for assessing the academic progress of ELs at your school?

15a. In addition to the state-mandated English language proficiency assessments, what other measures do you use for assessing the English language proficiency and progress toward attaining English language proficiency for ELs at your school?

15b. How do you use the information you get from these assessments? How do the data inform modifications to your LIEPs?

17. What other data (formative or summative) do you use to evaluate the effectiveness of the program? How do you determine if the program remains effective for your student population?

Listen for:

• Whether and how district/ school tracks status of and progress toward English language proficiency using assessments other that those that are state-mandated

• Whether school-based accountability drives sense of shared responsibility for meeting ELP goals

• Variety of measures used, such as district-mandated assessment, teacher observation, end of course exam, etc. and extent to which, and by whom, these measures are mandated.

• Any changes over time in types of data tracked and how used

• How district empowers school-based leaders for instructional management linked to how data are used to drive instruction

• Other measures and approaches that have been used successfully to track program effectiveness

• Any systemic school/district support services or structures that allow administrators and/or teachers access to data and collaboration around use of data in planning for targeted instruction

• Use of state ELP standards and content standards in development of formal and informal classroom assessments

• Data are disaggregated to show trends and areas of need in ELP

• How often are these data reviewed, by whom, and how are data used for school-based programmatic changes (e.g., teachers, moving ELs)

Successful LIEP Practices

18. Are there any practices your school has implemented that you feel have been particularly successful with your ELs? What are they and why do you think they have been successful?

Listen/probe for:

• Integration with other existing services in school/district (e.g. special education, gifted and talented, AP/IB classes, clubs, athletics, tutoring)

• Transition services into/out of EL classes

• Counseling services for building cultural bridges among and between students, faculty, families, and community resources

• Specific extended learning opportunities (may be covered in first bullet)

• EL levels of engagement with program and its components

• Features of instructional programs

Resources

19. Next, I’d like to get a sense of the kinds of resources (financial, human, volunteer, community-based or other) and program structures you draw on to scale up and/or maintain your LIEP(s). Do you receive financial resources that are targeted for ELs? What other resources (financial and non-financial) do you draw on? Describe any challenges to securing and maintaining resources and solutions that you have found work well for your program.

Listen/probe for:

• Resources and program structures identified by district officials

• Resources from volunteer services and community-based organizations

• HR support in recruiting and hiring qualified EL teachers

• Whether school receives Title III money and how used

• Any challenges associated with securing resources needed

• How resources from multiple sources—Title I, Title III and others--are coordinated and utilized to support ELs

Family and Community Involvement

20. What programs and supports for families does the school sponsor?

Probe or:

• Supports that benefit EL parents, such as parent outreach programs, parent classes, language classes, parent liaison, etc.

19a. Next, tell us how you ensure that these supports meet families’ needs.

19b. Describe the challenges to parental involvement and your solutions. Are there any programs or supports that specifically target parents of ELs? Describe them.

Listen/probe for:

• Extent to which parents access the supports through the structures that are in place to encourage participation

• Ways in which the unique needs of EL parents are accommodated (such as, communication in home language).

• Perceived effectiveness (evidenced by)

21. How would you describe the role of community-based organizations or advocates in your school? Describe the challenges to community involvement and your solutions. Are there any program components or services that specifically involve community members with ELs?

Listen/probe for:

• Community values for languages and cultures

• Supports that foster community involvement in school programs

• Availability of community resources

• Extent to which community members access the supports through the structures that are in place to encourage participation

• Perceived effectiveness (measured by)

Challenges, Lessons and Solutions

22. What challenges and constraints do you face in implementing your LIEP that you have not already talked about? How do you address them? Are there any state or district policies that would be helpful in addressing those challenges?

23. If you could share one or two key lessons with other schools or districts that are attempting to implement a successful LIEP, what would you say?

Listen/probe for:

• Support structures and services in school, district, or community that are not adequate and/or available to administrators, teachers and/or ELs and families

• Elements of ELs’ family backgrounds such as great diversity of EL native languages, gaps in formal education, mobility, or absenteeism

• Willingness of general education teachers to modify or differentiate instruction

• Court cases and/or legal requirements to improve EL performance

• EL program structures

• Monitoring data and revision/modification process for program components

• School Board or other local political challenges

Note to interviewer: Thank participants for their time and the valuable information provided. Mention again our commitment to confidentiality. Remind them of how they can learn more about the progress and outcomes of this study. Mention that we might come back to them to clarify our notes after they have been developed.

Updated OMB Clearance Package June 21 2011 - 11