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Page 1 of 4
EASTON AREA
SCHOOL DISTRICT
No. 138
SECTION:
PROGRAMS
TITLE:
ENGLISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE/BILINGUAL
PROGRAM
ADOPTED:
MAY 17, 2007
REVISED:
APRIL 17, ,2008
138. ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE/BILINGUAL PROGRAM
1.
Purpose
In accordance with the Board's philosophy to provide a quality educational program to
all students, the district shall provide an appropriate planned instructional program for
identified students whose dominant language is not English.
The purpose of the program is to increase the English language proficiency of eligible
students so that they can attain the academic standards adopted by the Board and
achieve academic success.
2.
Authority
Title 22
Sec. 4.26
42 U.S.C.
Sec. 2000d
20 U.S.C.
Sec. 6801 et seq
The district shall provide a program for each student whose dominant language is not
English for the purpose of facilitating the student’s achievement of English
proficiency and the academic standards. The program shall include bilingual-
bicultural or English as a Second Language instruction. The program shall meet the
three-pronged test of program compliance: sound research-based education theory;
sufficient resources and staffed by appropriate prepared personnel; and periodic
program evaluation.
Title 22
Sec. 4.13
The Board shall include the provisions for the LEP program in its Strategic Plan.
Title 22
Sec. 49.16, 49.17
SC 1205.1,
1205.2
Pol. 101, 333, 433
The Board shall include provisions for the LEP professional education for ESL
teachers, classroom teachers of LEP students and new teachers in its professional
development plan.
20 U.S.C.
Sec. 6801 et seq
The Board shall establish procedures for identification of students whose dominant
language is not English. The Home Language Survey shall be completed for every
student in the district and filed in the student’s permanent record folder through
graduation. For students whose dominant language is not English, assessment of the
student’s English proficiency level must be completed to determine the need for
English as a Second Language instruction.
138. LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PROGRAM - Pg. 2
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3.
Delegation of
Responsibility
The Superintendent or designee shall implement and supervise an ESL/Bilingual
Program that meets the legal requirements for ESL/Bilingual Program compliance.
The Superintendent or designee, in conjunction with appropriate stakeholders, shall
develop and disseminate written procedures regarding the ESL program, including:
1.
Program goals.
2.
Student enrollment procedures (i.e. Home Language Survey).
3.
Assessment procedures for program entrance, measuring progress in gaining
English proficiency, and program exiting.
4.
Accommodations for English Language Learners (ELL) in the classroom.
5.
Grading policies.
6.
List of resources including support agencies and interpreters.
4.
Guidelines
Guidelines For The ESL/Bilingual Program
LEP students shall be enrolled upon presentation of a local address and proof of
immunization.
The ESL/Bilingual program shall be designed to provide instruction to meet each
student's individual needs, based on the assessment of English proficiency in reading,
writing, listening and speaking. Adequate content area support shall be provided while
the student is learning English, to ensure achievement of academic standards.
Pol. 404, 433
A certified teacher and, if necessary, appropriate support staff (e.g., teacher aides)
shall provide the ESL program.
Instructional resources shall be comparable to the resources provided other core
academic subjects.
20 U.S.C.
Sec. 6801 et seq
The program shall be evaluated for effectiveness based on the attainment of English
proficiency. If ELL are not learning English, the program shall be changed to ensure
greater success.
20 U.S.C.
Sec. 6801 et seq
The ELL shall be required to meet established academic standards and graduation
requirements, with accommodations, as adopted by the Board.
138. LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PROGRAM - Pg. 3
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20 U.S.C.
Sec. 1703
Students shall have access to and should be encouraged to participate in all academic
and extracurricular activities available in the district.
Communication with parents/guardians shall include information about assessment,
academic achievement and other related education issues in the language understood
by the parent/guardian whenever possible.
Criteria Necessary To Exit ESOL Program
In order to exit the ESOL program, a number of criteria must be met:
1.
The student must have a score of Basic on the annual Pennsylvania System of
School Assessment (PSSA).
Special Circumstances:
For students transferring from other states, out-of-state academic achievement
assessment results may be considered when the academic proficiency level is
comparable to Basic on the PSSA.
For students that are in a grade that is not assessed with the PSSA, LEAs must
use each of the remaining criteria listed below to exit students.
2. The student must have a composite proficiency score of 5.0 on a Tier C ACCESS
for ELLs assessment (see Items A ad B below for cutoff score flexibility).
A.
Following the scoring criteria in the table below, the W-APT may be
Administered between April and June to students who scored below the minimum
cutoff for program exit on the January administration of the ACCESS in order to
demonstrate sufficient progress to justify exit.
NOTE: The W-APT may ONLY be administered to a student once in any
school year.
Grade Level ACCESS Score Required W-APT Scores*
K-5
4.6-4.9
5.5 in each domain
6-8
4.7-4.9
5.5 in each domain
9-12
4.8-4.9
5.5 in each domain
*A student must score 5.5 in each domain (listening, speaking,
reading and writing). A composite proficiency score will not be used.
B.
A score of PROFICIENT on the reading PSSA can be used along with all
other required criteria outlined in this policy to justify exit for students who
achieve a composite proficiency core of 4.5 to 4.9 on the January administration of
the ACCESS. In this case, W-APT scores are not necessary to demonstrate
progress from the time of ACCESS administration to the end of the school year.
138. LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY PROGRAM - Pg. 4
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Additional Exit Criteria:
a) The student must be demonstrating satisfactory progress in the academic areas
within the regular classroom setting, with final grades of C or better in core
subject areas (Mathematics, Language Arts, Science and Social Studies).
b) The student must achieve scores on district-wide assessments that are
comparable to Basic performance level on the PSSA.
When a student exits the ESOL program, it will be noted on their cumulative folder.
Students will be monitored for 2 years after exiting from the program, in order to chart
continued progress.
References:
Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964 – 42 U.S.C. Sec. 2000d
Equal Education Opportunity Act, amending Education Amendments of 1974 –
20 U.S.C. Sec. 1703
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-334, 115 Stat., Title III, Language
Instruction For Limited English Proficient And Immigrant Students, amends
Title III U.S.C. Sec. 6801 et seq.
School Code 24 P.S. Section 1205.1, 1205.2
State Board of Education Regulations 22 PA Code Sec. 4.13, 4.26
Basic Education Circular July 1, 2001: Educating Students With Limited English
Proficiency (LEP) and English Language Learner (ELL)
Lau v. Nichols – 1974
Plyler v. Doe – 1982
Castaneda v. Pickard – 1981