ESL Department

Website: https://www.mcssk12.org/department/federal-programs/english-learners

Phone: 256-852-2557 ext. 62245

Happy September Everyone!

My name is Tanya Staples and I am the Federal Programs ESL Resource Specialist for MCSS. It is my privilege to lead our ESL Team as they work diligently to provide the best services and research-based English instruction to all of the EL students in Madison County Schools. This year we have 16 ESL Specialists who serve across 29 schools. A list of ESL teachers and their school assignments can be found HERE. Our ESL Specialists have been working hard to identify new EL students who need to be screened, to analyze student data, and to set first semester goals for their students. Over the past month, they have screened new EL students using the WIDA Screener assessment to determine each students need for services. Additionally, they have been writing IELPs for each of the EL students on their caseloads, drafting parent letters, and meeting with teachers. If you need assistance with any of your EL students or have questions, please reach out to your school's assigned ESL Specialist.

In this month's newsletter you will find some helpful tips & tricks, the contacts for our ESL team and updates from our 2026 WIDA ACCESS assessment. I am here to help too, so please don't hesitate to reach out to me.

I wish you all a wonderful year ahead!

Tanya Staples

ESL Resource Specialist

Check out the video below for a how-to tutorial on finding your student's information in Ellevation. Video Credit: Heather Ray, ESL Specialist for Buckhorn Middle & High Schools

Some of our ESL Specialists recently presented at the MCSS IGNITE 2026 event held at the VBC on July 31st. During the presentation, ESL Specialists shared information about EL proficiency levels, ways to connect with ELLs, instructional strategies and supports to help ELLs be successful, how to track and document accommodations provided to ELLs, and favorite tools on Magic AI that can help ELLs in the classroom.

Thank you to Sarah Threlkeld, Adriana Henson, Erin Stults, and Heather Ray for the thoughtful and engaging presentation they provided for our teachers!

Missed our presentation? You can check it out HERE!

WIDA conducted a standard setting process at the end of July where cut scores for the new assessment were determined. There are currently no state goals set for the 2026-2027 school year. ALSDE has formed a committee to review the new cut scores provided by WIDA and to set goals for the future.

Below is some data from our Spring 2026 WIDA ACCESS score reports. Our ESL Department has been working to set goals for our students for this school year as we aim to continue to increase the number of ALL students who meet their growth goals as they work towards proficiency in the English language.

Sparkman Intermediate School's ESL Specialist, Kim Darnell, wanted to do something special at the start of the year to celebrate the diverse cultures represented in their school. She asked staff members and student families to tell her where they and their families were from and what languages they speak. From there, she created this beautiful visual display celebrating everyone's origins. Mrs. Darnell said she learned so much in the process and feels grateful to be part of such a diverse school community!

Moores Mill Intermediate School

Walnut Grove Elementary School

abedingfield@madison.k12.al.us

Endeavor Elementary

tamis@mcssk12.org

Legacy Elementary

Harvest Elementary

rbansal@mcssk12.org

Meridianville Middle School

Lynn Fanning Elementary

abergeson@mcssk12.org

Sparkman Intermediate School

kdarnell@mcssk12.org

Sparkman Middle School

Madison County Virtual Academy

selledge@mcssk12.org

Riverton Intermediate School

Riverton Elementary School

Mt. Carmel Elementary School

agarcia@mcssk12.org

Hazel Green High School

kharper@madison.k12.al.us

Sparkman 9

Sparkman High School (10th Grade)

ahenson@mcssk12.org

Madison Cross Roads Elementary

mlopez@madison.k12.al.us

Sparkman High School (11th & 12th Grade)

amcconnell@mcssk12.org

Buckhorn Middle School

Buckhorn High School

hray@mcssk12.org

Hazel Green Elementary

New Market Elementary

estults@mcssk12.org

Central School

Madison County High School

Owens Cross Roads Elementary School

sthrelkeld@mcssk12.org

Monrovia Middle School

Monrovia Elementary School

hcwatkins@mcssk12.org

New Hope Elementary School

New Hope High School

Madison County Elementary School

syoung@mcssk12.org

This Ellevation Strategy is designed to help students analyze and discuss a content-related image and write a hashtag to describe it. Audio, video, images, and real-life experiences will give multilingual learners the meaningful context they need to be ready for new learning.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1enHH2Jr_98A4XJNCnQY0vJJQijJoy-Dgouo06p8WGB0/edit?usp=drive_link