Putnam City Schools, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

At a Glance: Putnam City Schools, Oklahoma

When Putnam City Schools faced an increase in newcomer English Language Learners (ELLs), the district leveraged Off2Class to deliver a supplemental summer learning program, “Summer Recharge.” The program yielded improved academic results and life skills. 

Putnam City Schools (PCS)  is the fifth-largest school district in Oklahoma, serving 18,411 K-12 students. PCS sees 54 languages spoken (Spanish- 84%, Vietnamese- 6%, Arabic- 2%) Of those students, 22% (4,083) were identified as English Learners (ELs).  

Challenges for the English Program at Putnam City Schools: 

1. Supporting newcomers:

Like many districts, PCS has seen an increase in its EL population with a significant portion of those being recent arrivals in the US. As a result, the school wanted to help these students acclimate to the new setting and build confidence before the start of the upcoming academic year.  

“All of these students were refugees,” said Sally Diaz, (Secondary English language facilitator). “90% were from Afghanistan and the rest were from Honduras.”

2. Improving english proficiency:

The summer program focused on bridging the gap for these students while increasing their knowledge and proficiency in the English Language. In particular, this was important for middle school students in building foundational vocabulary skills. 

3. Recover academic credits:

Newcomer students face challenges in earning the requisite academic credits for graduation. As a result, Diaz and PCS needed to find a structured way to allow high school students to earn credits and work towards graduation. 

4. Delivering effective supplemental learning:

PCS had never experimented with summer learning for ELs. Consequently, PCS needed a structure to deliver learning that was effective, efficient and easy to implement with the new students. 

 

The Off2Class Solution: 

Ensuring those students were equipped to succeed led Sally Diaz and the team at PCS to offer a special “Summer Recharge” program. Targeting newcomers in middle and high school who had been in the U.S. for less than a year, the program focused on helping them improve their English proficiency, acquire computer literacy skills, fulfill graduation requirements — including passing a state-mandated citizenship test — and obtain high school credit. 

This program utilized Off2Class as part of a rotation model of learning that saw middle and high school students rotate between hands-on learning and technology-enabled instruction targeting language skills in the classroom, as well as providing real-world learning opportunities, external lectures and field trips. 

1. Increased newcomer engagement:

Summer school traditionally competes for attention between work and summer activities. For this reason, maintaining student attendance can be a challenge. The carefully constructed program saw high retention with attendance averaging 88% across the summer. 

“I was so proud of the consistent attendance,” said Diaz. “Each day, we’d have students say, ‘I love this but tomorrow I need to go to work. And each day, they would show up.” 

2. Improved levels of english proficiency:

The program paid special attention to building proficiency with ELs. For middle school students, one block was devoted to Off2Class, with the other two blocks of time used to focus on key Thematic Vocabulary Units. High school students spent two blocks of time using Off2Class. At the end of program, teachers reported improvements in participants’ language skills. 

3. Meaningful credit recovery:

Summer school traditionally focuses on providing students with the chance to earn credits necessary for graduation. Diaz and PCS built opportunities for students to earn credits for courses such as computing as well as focusing on ensuring that all students were prepared for the state-required citizenship test. 100% of students passed the citizenship test and 70% earned credit for computer literacy by demonstrating proficiency in programs such as Powerpoint and Excel. 

4. Effective and easy to implement:

For PCS, the roll-out of Off2Class and the summer program was greeted by teachers and students. Teachers found little trouble with implementing Off2Class while Students were able to understand and complete their assignments. 

“High school teachers are traditionally the hardest group to convince with new technology,” said Diaz. “Even they found it easy!” 

ELLs represent the fastest-growing student population. Off2Class makes it easy for districts to rapidly adjust to changing student numbers and quickly spin-up supplemental programs to position newcomer students for success. 

Our expert team can help you design a personalized Off2Class system that will empower your teachers and match the needs of the learners in your district. We can also advise on federal funding options. Book a consultation with our friendly advisors.