Newcomers to U.S. Find Success in the Classroom

Accelerated English Academy provides a transformative experience for international students.

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[dropcap color=”#888″ type=”square”]T[/dropcap]he first day of school for teenagers is hectic as they find their classes. Chattering voices and laughter fill the halls. This is great unless you can’t speak and understand the language.

That is exactly what Thuy Duong experienced two years ago when she enrolled as a freshman at Nimitz High School. Thuy arrived from Vietnam. She enrolled in an Accelerated English Academy (AEA). Ofelia Sufflé served as the AEA English language arts teacher in 2014-2015.

According to Sufflé, the AEA is an intensive training program. It provides a small class size environment. This is important for English language learners (ELLs). It is critical for teachers to build relationships with their students. The teachers serve as models for appropriate language use. In class, educators as well as peers work collaboratively. They create an academic support system for [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]newcomers with limited English.

“There is a lot of talking the the AEA program,” said Sufflé. “The students and I have academic discussions. We use accelerated learning techniques. These are research-based techniques that accommodate different learning styles. The program also provides extended opportunities for faster language development within the English courses.”

Christine Kujawa is a [icons icon_name=”icon-external-link” icon_size=”14px”]multilingual program specialist. She supervises and provides support for the AEA program. Kujawa explains that the Academy’s main goal is to help newcomers settle and integrate. This means helping them develop social and academic language as quickly as possible. As the same time, educators want to ensure they are making content comprehensible. In other words, the content needs to be graspable in every course they are taking. The Academy has a strong focus on literacy along with intensive English as a second language (ESL) and content area learning.

“We provide intensive training for our AEA teachers,” said Kujawa. “Each campus has a support staff that facilitates assessment and placement. They also guide students in their educational programming here in the United States.”

The Academy provides a transformative experience for international students and an ideal academic setting. They work closely with a teacher and peers. The positive, supportive learning environment encourages newcomers to take risks using the English language. The AEA lays the foundation for improved communication success.

Thuy came into the AEA program early into her first year at the high school. It was small with about a dozen newcomer students from other countries that grew to 32. Sufflé noted that Thuy was shy and nervous. That is until Hanh Nguyen arrived to join the program. Hanh, a freshman, enrolled at the campus late in October of the same year. Like Thuy, her family had just moved here from Vietnam. She also didn’t know English. So they started out with what they did have in common: their native language.

“They became buddies,” said Sufflé. “Students build a bond with others that speak their native language. This gives students a chance to help each other grow.”

During newcomers’ first year, students enroll in the AEA program. They attend two 90-minute blocks of Accelerated English Academy instruction every day. Small-group projects foster language development through collaborative projects. The teacher facilitates their work and guides the process. Students actively speak with their peers, collaborating to complete a complex problem. They move between using their native language and English to understand concepts. They also explain to peers who don’t understand in English. This ensures students understand the concept. Once it is understood, newcomers encourage peers to use English to communicate. They also help each other prepare for oral presentations in English.

The AEA program also encourages students to take challenging courses. In Thuy and Hanh’s case, they took classes like algebra as well as integrated physics and chemistry (IPC). This included many late night calls to Sufflé to ensure they understood the assignments or concepts. Thuy and Hanh also helped one another find the words to say what they wanted to express.

“We want our newcomers to integrate as quickly as possible,” said Kujawa. “That includes college-readiness preparation. The district developed a recommended four-year course sequence for all newcomer students. The plan promotes timely graduation. Each campus has a team of dedicated educators. They work together to ensure newcomers‘ academic success. The educators facilitate for students‘ growth and help them adapt to a new school as well as a new culture.

“Everyone is helping newcomers like Hanh and Thuy find success. We strive to open the door to unlimited potential for these newly arrived youth.”

Hanh and Thuy are proving they are bound to achieve their dreams. One joined Upward Bound. Both took on afterschool tutorials. Each determined to succeed. They each have a wall at home dedicated to the medals and certificates earned at school.

The two earned another recognition this year. They were inducted into the National Honor Society. Annette Flores was their IPC teacher in 2014 and she is one of the sponsors of the NHS chapter at the campus.

“Thuy and Hanh work exceptionally well together,” said Flores. “I believe they use each other as competition to do better. This healthy competitive nature has allowed them to succeed in their academics.

“Their goals are clear. They want to learn as much as possible and grow in their academic careers at Nimitz and beyond.”

“My parents are so proud of me,” said Hanh. “They don’t want me to stop. My parents want me to keep going … to keep succeeding. I hope to be a role model for my younger brother and sister.”

“I know that all this work here will help me in my future,” said Thuy.

When asked what they enjoy most, they say vocabulary. The two enjoy learning new words. The teenagers are still shy, but are conquering their fears to reach higher goals. The need to succeed is not just about them. They play a major role in helping their families. Thuy and Hanh both translate for their parents and help them out with daily tasks.

Both Hanh and Thuy plan on attending college. Hanh wants to go to the University of Houston. She aspires to be an attorney. Thuy would like to attend the University of Texas and pursue business administration. They begin their junior year at Nimitz in fall 2016.

Sufflé is proud of what Thuy and Hanh have accomplished.

Hanh Nguyen and Thuy Duong pose with teacher Ofelia Sufflé.

“These two students are an example of the positive impact of the AEA program,” said Sufflé. “Two years ago, Hanh and Thuy arrived not being able to speak in English. Now look at them. They’ve accomplished so much. And they made it into the National Honor Society.

“Thuy and Hanh are hardworking young ladies. I am proud of their growth and the effort they put into everything they do.

“This is the success we want all our students to achieve.“