Safety Harbor Middle

Philosophy on Language: It is the philosophy of Safety Harbor Middle, and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), that language is the fundamental way we learn about our humanity and how we create relationships in our global society. Given this premise, we understand that all members of our community are language learners, and we are all language teachers. We commit to creating a caring language community in which all students feel accepted and supported. When we practice using language to describe understanding and multiple perspectives, it builds more confidence to be a risk-taker and an agent of our own learning. 

Purpose of this Document: This document serves to communicate to all our stakeholders the way in which language development, (oral and written), is instructed, supported, and assessed by our community. 

Language and Literature- Language A: Our language of instruction at Safety Harbor Middle is English. Our Language and Literature courses, as well as our intensive reading courses, explicitly develop and assess reading, writing, speaking, listening, and media literacy. Other subject groups support language development in our writing across the curriculum expectations. Students are prompted to complete written reflections about their knowledge, understanding of transferrable concepts and their connection to global contexts, in addition to their approach to learning. Extra supports are provided for all students as needed. The extra support is articulated throughout year 1 to year 3 and is available to our English Language Learners per their language needs. For students whose home language is not English, Safety Harbor Middle supports the development of their English proficiency by ensuring that all emerging multilinguals have a Limited English Proficiency Plan which provides students with appropriate and comprehensible instruction in all subject groups. Plans are given to the students’ teachers and outline the accommodations, which provides equal access to the academic curriculum. All students are enrolled in a Language and Literature course in grades 6, 7, and 8 and are assessed using the IB MYP Language and Literature criteria along with Pinellas County Schools’ grading policy. Language and Literature courses are developed using the Florida B.E.S.T. Standards and IB MYP Language and Literature objectives. 

Support for our English Language Learners: 

Our English Language Learners, or emerging multilinguals, come from five different continents. When enrolled at Safety Harbor Middle, their language development is assessed, and students are scheduled in one of two courses to accelerate their English language proficiency skills. 

The purpose of the English Language Development Courses (DLA-A and DLA-B) is to enable secondary emerging multilingual students, who are native speakers of languages other than English, to accelerate the development of reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills and to strengthen those skills so they can successfully read and write at grade level independently. Instruction emphasizes reading comprehension, writing fluency, and academic vocabulary study using a variety of literary and informational texts encompassing a broad range of text structures, genres, and levels of complexity.  The English Development Courses are staffed with two multilingual assistants who provide targeted, individualized support to our emerging multilingual students. In addition, all teachers are required to complete a 60-hour endorsement titled: English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) by their third year in Pinellas County Schools. 

Additional Resources for our English Language Learners and Families:  

Assessment of Language Learning: Students are assessed on the IB MYP objectives of writing, speaking, reading, and listening and graded on the IB criterion. Teachers use rubrics for summative assessments and collaborative student-centered activities for formative assessments.