The La Grande School District is set to receive a boost from the state that will help students from different cultures shine.

The Oregon Department of Education has awarded a $45,000 grant to the school district for its English Language Learners program, which serves students for whom English is their second language.

“This is very exciting,” said Reta Doland, the La Grande School District’s director of curriculum and federal programs.

Funding from the grant will be used to refine and expand the school district’s ELL program, which serves about 60 students. The number of students has increased for at least the past three years, said Zanah Larson, an ELL teacher in the La Grande School District.

“It is a growing student population,” Larson said.

Doland said these students face hurdles that many people may not fully understand.

“Unless you have lived in a culture as a non-native speaker, (the challenges are) difficult to appreciate,” Doland said.

One of the rigors ELL students face is communicating in the “academic languages” of English, including math and science.

“The language of learning is more challenging than the language used in social interactions,” Doland said.

This is why some money from the $45,000 grant will be used to train teachers to help ELL students better understand academic languages through the Sheltered Instruction Observation Protocol teaching model. This approach to teaching English language learners integrates language and content instruction.

A local educator who has received SIOP training will provide instruction to the district’s teachers about integrating language and content instruction, Doland said.

Teachers trained through SIOP will be encouraged to use what they learn to help all students.

“SIOP will be good for all students, not just ELL students,” Doland said.

Money from the grant will also be used to expand the availability of the Imagine Learning online program used in the school district to help ELL students learn English. Additional licenses for Imagine Learning will be purchased, making the Imagine Learning program more accessible to students, Doland said.

Funds from the grant will also pay for district educator to visit schools that have outstanding ELL programs.

“We will visit school districts with similar size and demographics,” Doland said.

Information from these visits will be used to help La Grande’s ELL program continue its progress, Doland said.

Funding from the grant will also be used to teach parents of ELL students how to help their students in school.

“(Parents) will learn how to support their children and advocate for them in the school system,” Doland said.

She said this will be valuable because parents of ELL students are not often familiar with the United States’ public school system. Parents will be taught things like how the parent teacher conference process works and what they can expect at the sessions.

Larson said many of the parents of ELL students are working hard to help their children become fluent in English.

“They want them to learn English because they want them to succeed. Their families are very supportive,” Larson said.

Funds from the state grant are designated for the 2017-18 school year. La Grande School District Superintendent Larry Glaze said the ELL program plays a valuable role in assisting students.

“Anything that builds vocabulary for academics and conversational skills for second language students helps students move forward in their day-to-day activities and in their academic pursuits,” Glaze said.

Contact Dick Mason at 541-786-5386 or dmason@lagrandeobserver.com. Follow Dick on Twitter @lgoMason.