Lexia English Brings Cultural and Age-Appropriate Materials to Older Learners

Having one or two Emergent Bilingual students in a classroom can pose challenges, but imagine teaching a group speaking dozens of languages. At one point, Daniella Bass, English learners senior coordinator at Georgia’s DeKalb County School District, was charged with teaching students speaking more than 30 different languages. 

“Most of my students were refugees and immigrants,” Bass said. “We have so many students with interrupted education. They may not have literacy skills in their first language.” 

Finding a program to meet the needs of this diverse population was a must for DeKalb County educators because the district is home to the majority of Georgia’s refugee centers. Bass said Lexia English Language Development™ makes literacy attainable to all students regardless of their native language or their age. 

The age piece is especially important to Bass since some of her students didn’t start learning until they were teenagers. “I’m not going to give my students ‘The Cat in the Hat’ or something like that,” she said.

Bass said she likes Lexia English because it keeps her students interested with topics they can relate to. “So, you want it to be about things like soccer or just things that they like, not primary-level things,” she added.

Lexia English integrates speaking, listening, and grammar while incorporating each language and culture to individualize the learning environment. 

This short video provides a glimpse into how DeKalb County educators are meeting challenges head on with Lexia®.