School administrators defend elimination of SEI program, say district remains compliant with state law

At the May 6 School Committee meeting, Superintendent Marisa Mendonsa presented the district’s rationale for eliminating sheltered English immersion course sections at Waltham High School starting in the fall. The explanation came after 75 WHS teachers signed a Waltham Educators Association letter in April arguing that the transition was being made without a clear plan and that proposed staff cuts would harm students during the shift. 

What is changing is the removal of separately labeled SEI course sections, which were restricted to students at lower English proficiency levels. Under new guidelines from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, schools cannot segregate classes in this way. Instead, students in the beginning stages of learning English will be placed in classes with fluent speakers. 

Mendonsa clarified that the district is not abandoning SEI. Technically, she said, any class with English learners is an SEI classroom, because according to DESE, SEI is merely an instructional approach to teaching English. Since all core content teachers are required to have an SEI credential, as long as English learners are in the classroom, SEI techniques are supposed to be in use. 

“Every class, kindergarten through all the options in high school, are SEI classes, as our student population is rich with ELL-identified students,” Mendonsa said, referring to English language learners. 

The presentation pointed to outcome data as one of the central reasons for the change. WHS sits in the 9th percentile among Massachusetts schools. In state performance data, English learner students scored an 11 against a target of 18 in overall performance. Achievement points in math and science content classes – where segregated SEI classes were concentrated – showed zero improvement in recent years. 

Assistant Superintendent Shannon Conley attributed part of the problem to how SEI course sections had evolved at the high school. She said the separate classes were originally intended as short-term support for students who were foreign-born and had limited or interrupted formal education. Over time, due to lack of administrative supervision, the classes became a longer-term track without clear exit criteria, which is out of sync with DESE guidelines. 

“Unlike at the middle school[s], WHS did not have any documentation of a process for how students could transition out of these classes during the year,” Mendonsa said. 

Enrollment of English learner students at WHS has dropped sharply in recent years, from 428 students in the 2023-24 school year to 282 in 2025-26, while ESL staffing has increased over the same period. Administrators said the staffing model needs to reflect the shift in enrollment. 

Under the proposed model for the 2026-27 school year, English learners will take standard content courses. Those with very low proficiency levels will continue to receive dedicated English language instruction – from one to three 45-minute periods per day – taught by a licensed English as a Second Language teacher. 

Mendonsa also said the district has been working with DESE’s Office of Language Acquisition, which she said is supportive of the transition away from separate SEI classes. The office will provide consultant recommendations, help with master scheduling and visits to high schools where integrated models are working. 

Officials and residents raised concerns during the meeting about whether the transition could be executed before the beginning of the next school year. Committee member Elizabeth AlJammal asked how newcomer students at the lowest proficiency levels would access content they cannot yet understand. Committee member Tammy Wong-Bigelow questioned whether teachers would be adequately prepared. 

Mendonsa acknowledged that co-planning between ESL teachers and core content teachers has not been a consistent practice at WHS. She said the district plans to address this through professional development during common planning time in the coming school year.

The superintendent also pointed to state licensing requirements for SEI as a built-in mechanism for keeping teachers trained in SEI instruction. All educators in Massachusetts, including the superintendent herself, must complete professional development credits in both special education and SEI instruction within every five-year license renewal cycle. She said the district intends to continue offering those opportunities to ensure teachers meet the required hours.

The district is also in the process of hiring an executive director of language acquisition, who administrators say will be central to overseeing the change. 

Despite the plans for professional development, teachers voiced concerns about power dynamics in the classroom. Francisco Kondor, an English acquisition teacher at WHS, had a more immersive approach, asking the committee a question about Chinese history in Mandarin to illustrate the experience of an English learner in an integrated classroom. 

“We are risking our students suffering the problems of both a power gap, where others know more than they do, and a language gap,” Kondor said. 

Additionally, committee member Sabrina DeJoannis gave a personal anecdote about her experience being a non-native English speaker coming to the United States for college. Despite being technically fluent in English, she was embarrassed by her heavy accent. 

“So, when I needed help, I didn’t raise my hand,” she said. “And I’m sure a lot of [students] will go through this. I want to make sure we have a way to catch them when they are not sure of themselves, or when they don’t want to be made fun of by others. To recognize that before it’s too late.”