Does My Child Qualify for ELL Services?
Wisconsin state statute 115.96 (Count of Limited English Proficient Pupils) requires that “each school board shall identify potential Limited English Proficient pupils within the school district as part of the enrollment process using a home language survey and department-approved English proficiency assessment”. The home language survey criteria for selecting students for assessment are defined as:
- Pupils who communicate in a language other than English
- Pupils whose families use a language other than English
- Pupils who use a language other than English in daily non-school surroundings
Identified students are assessed for English language proficiency using a state-approved assessment called ACCESS for ELLs that addresses speaking, listening, reading and writing skills in English. The results of the English language proficiency assessment are subsequently compared to the state’s proficiency definitions.
Furthermore, annual testing of all identified LEP students is required by law to enable the district to provide yearly progress reports as well as to report language proficiency and academic status reports to parents.
Exit Criteria
It takes most students 1-3 years to acquire Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) and 4-10 years to develop Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). The length it takes students to acquire English varies a great deal. There are many different variables that affect the language acquisition process, including time in school, access to rigorous research-based instruction, background knowledge, years in the country, age/grade, and language level (see ACCESS testing and proficiency levels). Our goal is to provide our students with the necessary strategies to successfully increase language acquisition to promote their success across educational environments.
Students will no longer be considered eligible for ESL services when they can demonstrate academic English language proficiency necessary to compete with native English speaking students in age/grade appropriate learning environments. Parents and teachers agree to dismiss a student, and then the student is monitored for two years.
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