Department of Justice Finds Worcester Public Schools 'Substantially Complied' with ESL Instruction Requirements
Media Contact:
Dan O'Brien, WPS Chief Communications Officer
WORCESTER – Monday, May 5, 2025 – The U.S. Department of Justice notified the Worcester Public Schools (WPS) on April 30 that it will stop monitoring how the district provides English as a Second Language services because the district has “substantially complied with its obligations” outlined in a 2016 legal 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. “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.”
The news comes as WPS data show increases in English Learner students meeting the criteria to exit English Learner status — meaning they have demonstrated sufficient mastery in English and are no longer considered English Learners.
“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.”
WPS is proud to share that 280 seniors in the Class of 2025 have earned the Seal of Biliteracy — a state-level distinction that demonstrates a fluency in English and at least one other language. The languages represented include Spanish, Portuguese, Fante, Gujarati, Italian, French, Vietnamese, Chinese, Twi, Haitian Creole, Filipino, Arabic, American Sign Language, Albanian, Polish, Ukrainian, Bosnian, Swahili, Russian, Punjabi, Armenian, Hindi, and Ga.
According to ACCESS testing data that measures language skills for English Learners, WPS observed increases across elementary, middle and high school grade spans of students meeting the benchmark to exit English Learner status over the past three years.
The largest increase of students reaching “Former English Learner” status was in the middle school grade span, which went up from 4.9% in 2021-22 to 8.4% in 2024-25. The district overall increased from 9.4% in 2021-22 to 10.9% in 2024-25.
Over the past nine years, WPS has been subject to significant monitoring by the DOJ over English as a Second Language instruction, which entailed a voluminous amount of reporting to the federal government.
The DOJ wrote in its letter to WPS: “After a thorough review of the District’s most recent annual reports and supplementary documentation, we have concluded that the District has substantially complied with its obligations under the Agreement.”
WPS entered into the agreement on July 11, 2016, “to address the United States’ concerns about the adequacy of the District’s instruction and services for English Learner students.”
WPS is committed to providing high-quality instruction for English Learners to ensure the needs of all scholars with diverse backgrounds are met.
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