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In the Napa Valley Unified School District (NVUSD) middle and high schoolers performing far below proficiency are getting extra help from the district’s new shadow class program. Taken in lieu of an elective, the shadow or parallel class is small, with typically 10-15 students who also attend the regular class, both taught by the same teacher. Through this double exposure the teacher gets to know her students academically very well, and so can better understand student’s stumbling blocks and customize strategies to help ready them for upcoming regular lessons. For example, before students read a book in the regular class, the teacher may frontload content and vocabulary, and use Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English (SDAIE), sheltered strategies, and other English language development methods, as appropriate.
The shadow class program has been effective in NVUSD, increasing the percentage of middle and high school students who are proficient in math and English, while decreasing the percentage who are far below basic and below basic. As Elena Toscano, Assistant Superintendent of Instruction, says, “Over the past three years, we have seen the percentage of 8th grade students proficient in English language arts increase from 35% to 44% in and the percentage of 8th grade students who are far below basic drop from 32% to 23%, a decrease from a third of the students to almost a fifth.”
Because of the shadow class program, the district was able to discontinue 8th grade General Math last year and put over 1000 students into Algebra I – with the accompanying benefit of having a shadow class with their same teachers.
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