Janelle Lim

Through a combination of hard work and practice, these students were able to earn their re-classification in English. Pictured (from left to right): Assistant Principal Mrs. Durham, Jungu Lin (11), Jun He Wang (12), Jiachan Xie (12), Pengxin Cheng (11), Mrs. Fan, Lena Elmekkawy (11), Zheng Hong Wu (11), Marshall Huang (11), Kiwen Yang (11)

Imagine coming to a foreign country with no background knowledge on anything that is happening around you. The mannerisms down to the outfits that people are wearing are completely foreign to you. Worst of all, you can’t even speak the language that everyone else is using. 

This cultural adjustment is something that many students must learn to adapt to, but when you struggle with the language, you struggle with everything. That is where programs such as the English Language Development (ELD) club and English Learner Advisory Committee (ELAC) come in. These programs are designed to give these English Learner (EL) students and their parents a voice and door to representation in school. 

“I can understand how [foreign language students] feel,” ELD Club Treasurer Brandon Tse (11) said. “I also lived in Hong Kong for four years before coming to the United States and it took me a while to adjust.”

ELD is a club that hopes to foster community within the foreign students who immigrate to the United States. Their purpose is to teach the foreigners English, whilst also familiarizing them with American culture. 

“I used to be an EL student when I first arrived in the States,” ELD Club President Xenia Chen (12) said. “The sense of community within ELD motivated me to become a member and later take on the role of an officer, as I recognized the importance of fostering support and understanding for students facing similar struggles.”

ELD also helps English learner (EL) students work towards becoming “re-classified” as fluent English speakers. Reclassification is the process in which a student is reclassified from EL status to Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) status.

In order for these students to become re-classified, they must pass a series of tests including the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (ELPAC) and Essential Standards Assessment (ESA). 

“The process was challenging initially, requiring me to adapt and learn a completely new language,” Chen said. 

Foreign students’s parents also struggle with the same language barrier as their children, thus preventing them from having equal representation. 

“[ELAC] is basically a community and committee for EL parents to gather together to have a voice and be responsible to provide any ideas, thoughts, suggestions or advice to our school site,” Department Chair of Ayala ELAC and Mandarin teacher Mrs. Zhijing Fan said. “I want the parents to know that they can do something, they can be involved, and they can be engaged.”

ELAC’s most recent parent meeting on October 4, 2023 recognized and honored the newly re-classified students who worked hard for their certification. The student’s parents were made aware of the district program goals, parent portals, and were even able to see these changes in action.

Parents were then introduced to ParentSquare, a platform that makes it simple and easy for parents to access their student’s grades and attendance, reminding them of their legal responsibilities as members of ELAC. 

“Whether you speak English fluently or not, students and parents have a right to have a voice at Ayala,” Fan said. 

The next upcoming ELAC meeting will be on January 10, 2024.

For any extra information or questions about ELD and ELAC, please contact Mrs. Fan at [email protected]