Salem-Keizer Pubic Schools’ Chávez Elementary School has been recognized by the Oregon Department of Education to receive the Carmen West award for outstanding progress for English learner students in a dual language setting.
Chavéz Elementary consists of 590 students, of which 67 percent are classified at English Language Learners. At Chavéz, teachers, staff and students thrive in their diversity and embraces each of the 14 different languages spoken by their student body.
Chávez was among the top 10% of schools in four of the five areas of student outcomes evaluated for this award. These outcomes included:
- Annual Measurable Achievement Objective (AMAO) 1 – growth for English learner students
- AMAO 2a – students exiting English Language Development (ELD)
- AMAO 2b – long-term students exiting English Language Development
- Reading growth for English learner students
Staff members at Chavéz Elementary work hard to provide enriching opportunities to their students while honoring each student’s language and cultural background.
To support each student, teachers at Chavéz partner with local universities and collaborate together in the school’s learning labs to improve their skills and continue life-long learning to benefit their ELL students.
“As teachers, we understand that language development is best fostered socially, through content instruction, and during targeted language instruction,” says Chavéz Elementary Principal Olga Cobb. “We engage in processes to reflect and evaluate our practice to make sure that students’ needs are met and that we continue developing our own skills to become better teachers.”
Chávez Elementary School was presented with the award at the 2018 State English Learners Alliance Conference held March 8 in Eugene, OR.
Congratulations to the team at Chávez Elementary School and all of our teachers and staff who provide exceptional instruction and support to our English language learners.
