PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee voted to pilot the "Imagine Learning: Language & Literacy" program last week. 

 

This is a supplemental computer-based English language program for multilingual students that is available in 12 languages for kindergarten through eighth grade. 

 

It was piloted at Morningside Community and Williams Elementary schools but has since been integrated into all the elementary schools and expanded into the middle schools. 

 

The program does not include the Afghan language Dari but the Curriculum Department has applied for a grant for some resources that are geared toward Dari speakers in the school system. 

 

School Committee member Alison McGee noted that she has seen an influx of non-English speaking students at her school not receiving the right guidance and support. 

 

"I think it was very interesting to see that there is something that can be very useful for general education teachers who are not able to speak any of those languages to be able to reach and interact with their students and give them some independent work that still aligns with the literacy," she said. 

 

It is a gradual release model so the student will start out in their own language and then alternate between that and English, adapting as the student grows. 

 

"It's very difficult to communicate with the students and have them do independent rotations, or even oftentimes be at the teacher table, so this supports them," School Committee Sara Hathaway said.

 

If the student is older, working with the multilingual-learner teacher is a better option.

 

If a student is in middle or high school they will spend two block periods with the multilingual-learner teacher and may not have English Language Arts class with their peers until they are ready.

 

"When they're ready, they could begin with this and it would support them. It goes all the way down to first grade so even if it's a 10th-grader, it could start them out with some of the basic language," Hathaway said.