New Phase of Stanford Partnership to Study RCSD Reclassification Best Practices

Always focused on innovation as one of its operational values, Redwood City School District (RCSD) is continuing its long-standing partnership with Stanford in 2023-24 to study implementation of changes to reclassification practices. Reclassification refers to the process in which a student who is classified as an English Learner (EL) demonstrates English language proficiency. 

The District will also take part  in a project that takes a heightened look at the longer-term multilingual learner pathways of those who are reclassified earlier on in their school career. 

This school year, RCSD is among local school districts to benefit from research practice partnerships with the Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE). The GSE has awarded continued grants to carry out and develop projects with partner school districts in the 2023-24 school year. Topics of projects include the impact of reclassifying multilingual learners as English proficient, strengthening practices of equity, and the academic trajectory of reclassified students.  

The existing Stanford-Sequoia K-12 Research Collaborative, which includes RCSD, is a leading model of research practice partnership. Districts can utilize Stanford partners’ research to inform impactful decision-making while facilitating university research. 

Another major project for RCSD and Stanford in 2023-24 will examine leadership stance, and how school leaders work together to uphold equity and creatively resolve challenges faced by students. 

Previous projects conducted through the RCSD and Stanford partnership confirmed that local high school students who graduated from RCSD’s Dual Language Immersion Program in Spanish are reaching high levels of academic achievement. Researchers performed a longitudinal study following several cohorts of Spanish Immersion graduates into middle school and high school.