As director of plurilingual services for the Anaheim Union High School District, Dr. Renae Bryant has spent nearly a decade shaping how a district of about 27,000 students supports English learners and multilingual programs. Renae Bryant has overseen program access efforts that helped more than 1,000 students annually earn the State Seal of Biliteracy, work grounded in a four-year Plurilingual Master Plan she guided using CAL Principles for Dual Language Education and the English Learner Road Map. Before joining Anaheim, she served as executive director of the office of language acquisition at Westminster School District, and she now teaches as an adjunct professor at California State University, Fullerton, and the University of La Verne. A published author who coauthored The Ed Branding Book in 2024, Dr. Bryant holds a doctorate in organizational leadership and continues to advocate for equitable access to advanced coursework for English learners statewide.
In many cases, English learners have the ability and interest to take advanced courses, but school decisions can still limit their access to them. A student may miss a higher-level class because of placement rules, a schedule conflict, unclear course information, or missing classroom support. Schools improve access when they treat advanced coursework as a planned pathway, with clear entry rules, language support, and follow-up.
English learners are students who are developing their English skills while learning school subjects such as math, science, history, and English language arts. Schools identify them for language assistance to help them build English proficiency and meet academic content standards. That status should guide support, not serve as a shortcut for judging academic potential.
Advanced courses are higher-level classes that ask students to complete more demanding academic work. These options may include honors, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, career pathways, or other higher-level courses. In California, A-G courses are college-preparatory classes that help students meet the minimum admission requirements of the University of California and the California State University system. These course patterns can shape college preparation and later course choices.
School leaders and counselors should review the criteria students must meet before entering advanced courses. Placement decisions may rely on grades, test results, teacher recommendations, language status, or course history. Those measures can help, but they can also miss students who show readiness through other evidence. Schools should check whether each requirement relates directly to the course.
Counselors play a direct role because students cannot choose courses they do not understand. Counselors should explain course sequences, prerequisites, deadlines, and college or career connections in plain language. Schools should also provide translated information and interpretation support when families need it. That communication helps students and families ask questions before enrollment closes.
Teachers help students stay in advanced courses by teaching both content and the language students need to show what they know. Academic language refers to the words, sentences, and text patterns that students use for school tasks. A student may practice explaining scientific evidence, comparing historical ideas, or justifying a math solution. Teachers can build that language practice into challenging lessons instead of moving students away from demanding content.
Scheduling creates a different barrier. An English language development class, a graduation requirement, and an advanced option may meet at the same time. School administrators, counselors, and registrars should review timetables and registration steps together. That review helps schools identify conflicts that prevent students from enrolling in grade-level, advanced, or college-preparatory courses.
Schools also need to track what happens after enrollment. Counselors and teachers should watch grades, attendance, course drops, and student feedback during the term. Early review gives staff time to adjust tutoring, language scaffolds, or course check-ins. Support should help students remain in the course when the course is academically appropriate.
District administrators and school leaders should also look for patterns across schools, grades, and subjects. If English learners rarely take advanced math, science, English, or college-preparatory courses, leaders should review that pattern. Leaders can compare course enrollment, completion, credit, grades, and later placement. Disaggregated data can show where access problems begin.
The measure is not whether an advanced course appears in a catalog or whether a small number of English learners enroll. Schools gain more useful evidence when English learners complete rigorous classes, earn credit, and progress to the next appropriate course. That result keeps the focus on lasting academic progress, not just initial placement.
About Renae Bryant
Dr. Renae Bryant leads plurilingual services for the Anaheim Union High School District, overseeing programs that support thousands of English learners across dual language and world language pathways. A former executive director of language acquisition at Westminster School District, she now teaches as an adjunct professor at California State University, Fullerton, and the University of La Verne. She holds a doctorate in organizational leadership from the University of La Verne and coauthored The Ed Branding Book in 2024.