The Art of Writing and Revision

School Setting and Demographics

Kayenta (Tó Dínéeshzhee'), Arizona and the surrounding communities have an abundance of culture and various demographics.  Tó Dínéeshzhee' is located on the Navajo (Diné) reservation.  The location is known for its scenic desert plains, red sandstone buttes, and eroded volcanic peaks, and to the south is a long stretch of wooded mesa (Black Mesa).  Nearby, there are ancient ruins scattered throughout the area and dinosaur tracks embedded in the rocks.  Based on the Census Report (2023), Kayenta has a population of 5,651.¹

Kayenta Unified School District (KUSD) serves multiple communities that surround Kayenta. Many students travel on the school bus at least an hour in the morning to attend school and travel another hour back home. Weather conditions vary and they affect the student’s ability to make it. As a result of inclement weather, the school day can be delayed-or even, once in a while, canceled altogether. Unfortunately, missing school causes students to fall behind on their assignments. According to the Arizona Department of Education (ADE) School Report Cards (2024), KUSD serves 95.34% of Native Americans, 2% of multiple races, 2.05% of Hispanic, and 2% redacted students.²  KUSD provides education for pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade.  As Superintendent Lemual Adson stated, “KUSD was recently labeled as a B district from the Arizona Department of Education.”³ KUSD has amazing teachers that support the students as much as possible.

I am an English Language Learner (ELL) teacher at Baker Middle School. I teach 52 fifth through eighth grade ELL students. The school is dedicated to providing the Pull-Out ESL model and Content-Based ESL model programs for students identified as second language learners. The Pull-Out model is designed for students to come to the English Language Development (ELD) classroom for 55 to 60 minutes per day in a separate room apart from the mainstream classroom. The Content-Based ESL model is designed to build language skills by integrating content-based instruction with language instruction. Every year, the ELL students take the Arizona English Language Learner Assessment (AZELLA). For the school year 2024 to 2025, Baker Middle School ELD students gained twenty-three percent English Language Proficiency for grades fifth through eighth grade.