The Department of Justice (DOJ) will stop monitoring how Worcester Public Schools (WPS) provides English as a Second Language, the school district announced Monday.
In a notification received on April 30 by WPS, the DOJ announced it would end the monitoring of the district, citing that WPS “substantially complied with its obligations” as outlined in a 2016 legal agreement, according to WPS.
For the past nine years, WPS has been overseen by the DOJ over how the district offers English as a Second Language, according to the press release from Worcester Public Schools.
In 2016, the district entered an agreement with the federal government to address the concerns about the adequacy of the WPS instruction and services for English Learner students, according to the letter from the DOJ. This agreement was an update to a previous agreement the school signed with the DOJ in 2008.
English learners students are classified as students who are learning English or have limited to no proficiency in English, according to the DOJ in the 2016 agreement.
WPS had to provide reports to the federal government to demonstrate its efforts to comply with the agreement.
“The Worcester Public Schools has demonstrated that it has strong systems in place to ensure we are effectively providing English as a Second Language instruction for our scholars,” said Dr. Rachel H. Monárrez, superintendent of WPS, in the press release. “Systems have been enhanced over the past three years specifically to not only provide required instructional services but to monitor them in a systematic and timely manner. I express my deep thanks to the many educators and administrators who have worked tirelessly to ensure our scholars are getting the education for which they are entitled.”
In addition to the news that the DOJ would cease its monitoring efforts, WPS announced there were increases in English Learner students who have proven mastery in the language.
These students are known as “former” English Learner students.
A total of 10.9% of the student body in the 2024-25 school year are former English Learner students, according to the district — an increase from 9.4% from the 2021-22 school year.
The largest increase in students who became former English Learners is those in middle school, increasing from 4.9% to 8.4% in the same period.
In total, 32.2% of Worcester’s student body are classified as English Learners, while 58.4% are labeled as having English not as their first language, according to the Massachusetts Department of Education.
“Speaking, reading and writing in more than one language is an asset to be celebrated,” Monárrez said. “When children move on from English learner status, by demonstrating proficiency in English, they have access to more opportunities and courses while possessing the gift of multilingualism. This is a benefit to our scholars, community and future workforce advancement.”
