Oregon ELL Program Newsletter: Local Resources and Guide

Oregon has a diverse ELL landscape shaped by its long-established Russian-speaking Slavic communities, large Spanish-speaking populations in the Willamette Valley and Portland, significant refugee communities in Portland, and Indigenous Mexican-language farmworker families in agricultural regions. Oregon also uses ELPA21 rather than WIDA ACCESS for ELL proficiency testing, which distinguishes it from most other states. Effective Oregon ELL newsletters reflect these distinctive community characteristics.

Oregon's Russian-Speaking Slavic Community

The Portland metro area has one of the larger Russian-speaking Slavic evangelical Christian communities in the United States. These families, many of whom came from the former Soviet Union as religious refugees, have been in Oregon for 30 to 40 years. Multi-generational Russian-speaking families include both long-established community members and newer arrivals through family reunification. ELL students from this community are often children of immigrants who grew up in Russian-speaking homes. Russian translation is a genuine need in many Portland-area school districts.

Willamette Valley Farmworker Families

Oregon's Willamette Valley agricultural communities serve a unique farmworker population that includes not only Spanish-speaking families but also families from Indigenous Mexican communities speaking Mixtec, Zapotec, and other Indigenous languages. For families whose primary language is Mixtec, Spanish translation is not sufficient -- these families may need support in both Mixtec and Spanish alongside English. PCUN (Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste) is the farmworker advocacy organization that best understands these communities and is a key partner for agricultural community schools.

Oregon Uses ELPA21, Not WIDA ACCESS

Oregon administers the ELPA21 (English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century) for annual ELL proficiency testing, not WIDA ACCESS. This is an important distinction for ELL newsletters: families who have moved from other states where WIDA ACCESS was used, or who have heard about ACCESS testing, need to understand that Oregon uses a different assessment. ELL newsletters should explain what ELPA21 measures, when it takes place, and how the proficiency scores relate to program placement and eventual exit from ELL services.

Oregon Department of Education Resources

ODE's English Learner Programs unit provides guidance and family resources on the ODE website. ODE publishes ELPA21 family guides and information about ELL program rights. Oregon's commitment to educational equity is reflected in ODE's ELL program framework and the resources available to districts. The Oregon Department of Education also has specific guidance for districts serving Tribal members and Indigenous language communities.

Portland Community Organizations

Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) is one of Portland's most comprehensive immigrant and refugee services organizations, with multilingual staff and programs for many of the language communities in Oregon. Hacienda Community Development Corporation serves Latino families in the Portland area. Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon provides refugee resettlement services. The IRC Portland serves refugee families. Oregon Legal Services provides immigration legal assistance statewide. Public libraries in Portland and the Multnomah County system offer multilingual resources and ESL programs.

Addressing Oregon's Agricultural Community Needs

Oregon's Migrant Education Program provides services for migrant farmworker families and their children, including support during seasonal moves. For schools in agricultural communities near Woodburn, Salem, and the Willamette Valley, the Migrant Education Program is an important resource to reference in ELL newsletters. Families who work seasonally and move need to know how to maintain their child's educational continuity and ELL services during moves.

Using Daystage for Oregon ELL Newsletters

Daystage supports Oregon ELL coordinators in creating newsletters with Spanish, Russian, Somali, Vietnamese, and other language sections and delivering them to family groups by language. For Portland-area schools with both Spanish-speaking and Russian-speaking ELL families, Daystage's segmented delivery ensures each community receives content in their language. For agricultural community schools, the reusable template structure makes consistent communication achievable despite seasonal population shifts.