English as a Second Language (ESL) Program ESL is a language assistance service. Students must have English Learner (EL) status to qualify for ESL services. Status is given when the student is identified as an EL. This is a two-step process that occurs when a student enters the district. First, the parent/guardian is asked to complete the Home Language Survey that requests the primary home language. If the primary language is other than English, then the district proceeds with the second step. The second step is a language proficiency test. A test is given to students to determine a level of English proficiency. There is a range of proficiency based on levels 1.0 to 4.9. According to the test: ] ] ] ]
A student who performs at a level 1.2 would be considered a newcomer. A student who performs at a level 2.3 would be able to use English at a beginner level. A student who performs at a level 3.5 would be able to use English at an intermediate level. A student who performs at a level 4.8 would be able to use English at an advanced level.
The schools and the district use primary language and the level of the student to make programming decisions. When families of ELs select a school, the district is required to offer schools that have an ESL program. There are 42 schools in the district that have an ESL program. Parents/guardians must sign a Permission form to attend a school that provides ESL. Parents who wish to decline the ESL program are asked to sign a Refusal form. If an EL student attends a school with an ESL program, he/she will receive English Language Development (ELD) instruction from an ESL teacher. The goal of ELD instruction is to help a student learn the skills, rules, and patterns of the English language. ESL is designed to prepare EL students to do well in the general education classroom. ELD instruction may be provided through a pull-out model, where the ESL teacher takes the ELs to an alternate location. Or, the ESL teacher may provide inclusionary services, where ELD instruction is provided to the ELs in the classroom, so that students can receive support but remain with their non-EL peers. All ELs, whether they attend a school that has or does not have an ESL program, are required to take the ACCESS test. ACCESS stands for Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State. The ACCESS test is required assessment that measures language growth which EL students take every December. When students reach a level 5.0 on the ACCESS test, they no longer qualify for ESL services, and they lose EL status. It may take students 5-8 years to acquire a level 5.0 English proficiency, however language acquisition is a process that varies by student.
30 Parent Coordinator’s Playbook, 2021–22
