Active Collaboration Environment (ACE)
ESL Curriculum Collaboration Tool
Problem Statement
As the population of English language learners (ELL) rises each year, the demand for an effective English as a Second Language (ESL) program that provides adequate collaboration between core classes and the ESL program will become a critical issue for school districts across the country.
Problem Characteristics
According to the most recent Census, there are approximately 5.4 million LEP students in the United States. Former U.S. Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, was quoted in 2006 as saying:
“The 5.4 million LEP students in U.S. schools are our fastest-growing student population and are expected to make up one out of every four students by 2025. Our schools must be prepared to measure what English language learners know and teach them effectively.”
As of today, many ESL students still experience a rift between themselves and the rest of the population because of their limited English proficiency. No matter what age they are, English language learners seem to feel distant from everyone else in the mainstream schools, and are suffering the consequences later in life. In order to assure economic security for both the students and the country as a whole, the communication barrier between mainstream educators and ESL programs needs the be resolved.
Current ESL Spending
Specific spending and budget allotment are not released by some states, but the major states who have data available include California, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, and Texas. Although ESL has become a bigger priority in recent years, spending on ESL programs is still pale in comparison to other special education programs. <more>
Population Characteristics
The ESL population has been growing at an alarming rate over the last few decades, and as the United States becomes a more diverse country, the characteristics and needs of ESL programs will continue to change. In 2006, the Census reported that the percent of students who speak a language other than English at home is around 20.5% nationwide. However, in the southwestern states such as California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, the percentage goes up to around 30-45%. Of the approximate 20.5% of students speaking a foreign language at home, around a quarter of them speak English very poorly, and because of this they struggle in mainstream schools and testing. <more>
Current ESL Performance Statistics
LEP graduation rates are significantly lower than non-LEP learners. LEP students scored significantly below non-LEP learners in all SOL assessments with the exception of mathetmatics. <more>
Current ESL Program
According to an article in “Current Issues in Education” published in May, 2009 by the Arizona State University, there are two types of ESL program at the elementary level, ESL pull-out and ESL push-in.
The article also mention that the most prevalent ESL program type in the United States at the secondary level is “one that treats ESL as a separate subject and students attend a specified number of ESL periods each day or week, depending on individual state guidelines.” Because most school treat ESL as a separate subject and students attend ESL class separately, there is not much communication between ESL teachers and regular class teachers.<more>
Resources Required:
This product will be able to work with the existing setup of the current system. Schools will have the options to intergrate this on their existing servers or to install it on a brand new machines. In order to implement this product, we will be using Dell Servers with Oracle database installed on these machines. We will also be providing a live 24/7 technical support. <more>
Risks:
With every proposed solution, many risks are involved. These issues include proprietary data access, data security issues, state and federal funding, and an outright refusal to use certain technology. While ACE ESL can improve programs as a whole, it must be understood that there are certain issues that are simply unsolvable. <more>
Competitors
While competitors offer products with many features, none of those platforms are specifically oriented toward ESL programs and suited ESL needs.
SchoolNet
Edmin
Edmodo
Blackboard Learn and Blackboard Connect
Wikispaces Private Label
Mykoob
Desire2Learn K-12 Suite
ACE ESL
Identification of ESL students
X
ESL student’s status change
X
Contact list of teachers
X
Teachers’ comments
X
ESL student’s progress tracking
X
Message translation
X (one way)
X
Discussion board
X
X
X
X
Secondary resources
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Vocabulary list
X
Assignments and grades posting
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
Accessibility from home
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X