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Volume 63, Issue 4
Homestead High School 21370 Homestead Rd, Cupertino, CA 95014
ELD adapts to improve ELPAC scores after dip District holds meetings with teachers, updates classroom instruction strategies Parth Dhaulakhandi and Alicia Liste
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n response to the district’s decline in English learner progress on the California dashboard assessment published, 2025 English Language Development classes are being reworked to include more practice for the English Language Proficiency Assessments for California language test. Although these indicators are not always reliable and vary between years, coordinator of curriculum and teacher leadership Welton Kwong said the district is working with a Santa Clara County Office of Education representative to improve ELD teaching strategies. “We’ve put much emphasis on supporting teachers and providing professional development so teachers can implement instructional strategies that directly help students develop in the four language domains, [listening, speaking, reading and writing],” Kwong said. These strategies also help students prepare for the ELPAC test, one of the primary means of measuring EL growth, Kwong said. Hence, improving students’ test scores is a core focus of the district’s strategy to improve the ELD program. One aspect of growth is instilling the academic value of the ELPAC test as a representation of EL learner accomplishment, Kwong said. “We want to emphasize the purpose of this test because some students don’t even know why they’re asked to take this test,” Kwong said. “Hopefully, it will [be taken] seriously because it’s meant for them to show that they’re learning English and improving each year.” Additionally, some ELD teachers have volunteered to participate in a Stanford study that allows them to use an app called FLOW Speak, Kwong said. “The idea is that there are lessons for students to practice,” Kwong said. “It would say, ‘Here’s a tip to improve your pronunciation,’ for example, so it’s like instant feedback.” Having implemented the app in his class,
ELD teacher Adrian Buenrostro said he can monitor his students’ progress efficiently and accurately, especially since it provides detailed information on their learning stages. “We have recognized that one area of improvement for us has been speaking,” Buenrostro said. “The app has different lessons every week that allow students to improve their speaking abilities and skills. As a teacher, I’m able to see where they are, and I can give them feedback [and] be very specific on what they need.” In addition to FLOW Speak, the district’s professional development instructs ELD teachers on how to approach ELPAC testing when creating curriculum, EL site coordinator Grace Henson said. “[ELPAC practice] should be something we do anyway in our classes,” Henson said. “It’s just being able to make sure we incorporate it somehow, whether it be a short, five-minute thing or something we subconsciously try to incorporate.” To educate teachers best, these full-day meetings allow teachers to collaborate and engage with other professionals to form comprehensive lesson plans, Kwong said. “The more a student knows before having to read or discuss something, the better they are at engaging in those activities,” Kwong said. “‘How do we do that for English learners?’ Those are the kinds of strategies we would like teachers to incorporate more into their lessons.” To improve ELD student learning, Buenrostro said teachers must apply techniques like ELPAC practice tests to their own curricula. “We talked about all teachers incorporating ELPAC activities in classes, so students can have more practice in class,” Buenrostro said. “When they take the test, they [will already be] used to seeing the ELPAC.” Despite district efforts, Kwong said many external factors still contribute to EL students’ learning. “It depends on where they went to school before they came to the US, the kind of education and quality of education that they had and also what’s going on in their lives,” Kwong said. “A lot of things might contribute to both the rise and decline of these scores. We are definitely keeping an eye on that.” Although focus has shifted to the upcom-
ing ELPAC test, Kwong said staff still hold student wellness and sense of belonging as a big priority for the ELD program. “It’s really about caring for our English learners so we make sure they have the language skills, but also the academic and social skills to participate fully while they’re with us in our high schools, but then after they graduate, too,” Kwong said.
Sanjeet Jayaseelan and Alan Zhang The music department will host an orchestra festival on Feb. 6 -7 in the auditorium, viola section leader, junior Daphna Raveh Glassman said. Composed of around 30 orchestras from across the Bay Area, from places like Berkeley and Fresno, director of instrumental music Ben Scharf said the event provides a great opportunity for the ensemble to improve.
From early outreach to ongoing preparations, Scharf said the event has required careful logistical planning. “[It] started by inviting a panel of judges to come and do this event. Then, we sent out a registration to a bunch of schools to see if they wanted to come and perform at this event,” Scharf said. “It’s been a lot of planning to get flights and hotels for our judges, make sure we have all the facilities we need and [do] a lot of behind-thescenes logistical work.” With professional musicians acting as judges, ensembles from the Bay Area will receive personalized feedback on their
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1. English learner
scores decline
Photo by Maya Dutt
A measure of proficiency for EL students is whether they improve their ELPAC scores between the fall to spring test. In the 2025 school year, 64.8% either decreased or maintained the same scores. Among EL students with special needs, no student in the district improved their scores, 2. FLOW according to data from Speak app the California School implemented Dashboard. in classrooms Sophomore Chenyang Lei works on an ELD assignment. The self-paced FLOW Speak app, utilized as part of a study with Stanford University, allows students to improve their pronunciation and confidence when speaking , ELD teacher Steps Adrian Buenrostro said.
Photo courtesy of Adrian Buenrostro
toward improving the ELD curriculum
3. Professional development on Jan. 20
Teachers across the district participated in professional development meetings to learn how to better support students while they navigate challenging sections of the ELPAC, EL site co4. ELPAC ordinator Grace testing week of Henson said. March 9
ELD teacher Adrian Buenrostro helps a student with an English assignment. This year, the district is asking both students and teachers to make time to practice for the ELPAC test, especially because the format might be unusual for those who have not taken standardized tests in the United States, Kwong Ph ot said. ob
Music department hosts orchestra festival Event fosters musical growth, camaraderie
February 5, 2026
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p e r f o r m a n c e s, Scharf said. “A panel of three judges will have a video or audio recorder [to] give feedback saying, ‘Hey, you’re doing a really good job here, or you can improve this in the future’ while orchestra is performing,” Scharf said. “Then afterwards, one of those judges will go into another room with that orchestra and will give a 20-to25 minute clinic.”
See Orchestra festival, page 2 PAGE DESIGN BY SANJEET JAYASEELAN AND SELINA WANG