Newcomers are students who are in their first year in the United States, and they are classified as Non-English Speakers or at the pre-production or beginning level of language proficiency. The term Newcomer is the overarching nomenclature for different types of recent immigrants. In Garland ISD, newcomers can have one or more indicators in their profile which will help appropriate the support students receive. 

Through GISD's compliance procedures, Emergent Bilingual students (also called English Learners federally) who are identified as Newcomer EBs are provided the opportunity to participate in the different programs designed to support newcomer emergent bilinguals.

Newcomer programming

Our Newcomer Programming supports:

• Correct identification of Newcomers
• Appropriate program placement
• Teacher training on Newcomer-specific strategies
• Providing resources specific to Newcomers

Elementary

At the Elementary Level, newcomers are recommended to participate and are supported in either our Dual Language (Spanish or Vietnamese) or in traditional classrooms as Emergent Bilingual students. Teachers and staff receive training on Sheltered Instruction.  Newcomers are also supported by the Newcomer Ambassadors who are our EB Paraprofessionals in each school.

Secondary

At the secondary level, high school newcomers have the option to attend the Newcomer Center at Memorial Pathway Academy (MPA). The program is specifically designed to support newly arrived emergent bilingual students as they adjust to U.S. schools and continue developing English. Teachers receive additional training and support in second language acquisition and effective Content-Based Language Instruction (CBLI), helping students develop English while learning grade-level academic content.

At MPA, high school newcomers take the same required content-area courses for high school credit, with additional language support and instructional scaffolds to help them access grade-level content and make progress toward graduation. Students also receive targeted preparation and support for required STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) assessments, with many newcomer students successfully meeting passing standards.

Newcomer students may also choose to attend their traditional middle or high school based on their individual needs and circumstances. Students who attend a traditional campus continue to receive additional support through the Newcomer Team, Newcomer Ambassadors, LPAC, Secondary Team, and Sheltered Instruction Team to help ensure a successful transition and continued academic and language growth.

Main goals for Newcomers

The main goals in supporting Newcomers are to ensure that by correct identification, program placement, teacher training, and provision of resources, the district will be able to:

1. Help ease the transition of newcomers in their first year in US schools
2. Grow them to at least one language proficiency level in TELPAS at the end of the school year.

The first year for newcomers is so crucial as it usually paves the road for how our Emergent Bilingual students will continue to thrive and become successful in their next years as students in the United States. Thus, Garland ISD’s Department of Multilingual Programs is dedicated to providing a welcoming and nurturing environment for all Emergent Bilingual students.