EL Eligibility

Students whose Home Language Survey has a language other than English denoted must be screened by the ESL teacher to determine the current English language acquisition level. The WIDA Screener or W-APT (kindergarten) will be used to determine levels for listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students who score within the State determined level are eligible to receive additional support in the ESL program. Based on their score, the amount of service can range from a few times a week to one hour or more of service per day. The ESL teacher will notify the parents of their students’ scores and service delivery. Communication between the ESL and classroom teachers will occur regularly while providing service in the ESL classroom. In addition to receiving support in the ESL classroom, students are eligible to receive accommodations in their general education classrooms to ensure success.

Each ESL student will have an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) created that will contain their assessment scores, language goals, accommodations, and input from the teachers, the student, and parents. This will guide the classroom teacher in providing support for the student.

Parents have the right to waive services, if for some reason they feel their student doesn’t need additional support. If parents are unsure about this decision, they may request a conference with the ESL teacher or facilitator. The waiver form must be filled out annually to refuse services. These students will still be required to take the annual language assessment (WIDA ACCESS) until they score high enough to transition out of the program, even though they are not being supported in the ESL classroom. These students are still eligible to receive accommodations in the general education classrooms.