Serving Our English Language Learners (What Principals Need to Know, Part 1)

SC ESOL Handbook and WIDA site PLEASE VIEW OUR DISTRICT HANDBOOK AT: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/oela/english-learner- toolkit/eltoolkit.pdf www.wida.us – to access the 2012 Amplified Standards

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964: public schools to comply with their legal obligations under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), they must take affirmative steps to ensure that students with limited English proficiency (LEP) can meaningfully participate in their educational programs and services.

Lau v. Nichols Supreme Court 414 U.S. 563 (1974) “Where inability to speak and understand the English language excludes national origin-minority group children from effective participation in the educational program offered by a school district, the district must take affirmative steps to rectify the language deficiency in order to open its instructional program to these students.” Justice William O. Douglas stated simply that “there is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities, textbooks, teachers, and curriculum; for students who do not understand English are effectively foreclosed from any meaningful education.” The Court cited Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, noting that the students in question fall into the protected category established therein.

Plyler v. Doe, 457 U.S. 202 (1982), that a State may not deny access to a basic public education to any child residing in the State, whether present in the United States legally or otherwise.”

From the Dear Colleague Letter – DOJ and DOE – May 8, 2014 “Recently, we have become aware of student enrollment practices that may chill or discourage the participation, or lead to the exclusion, of students based on their or their parents’ or guardians’ actual or perceived citizenship or immigration status…”

TOTAL NUMBER OF ELLS from levels 1-5 = 156 OCSD 5 (AS OF NOV. 10, 2015) TOTAL NUMBER OF ELLS from levels 1-5 = 156

Supplement vs. Supplant Title III, funds the English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Program. The funds may not be used to fund the activities chosen to implement an SEA’s or school district’s civil rights obligations.

APRIL 19, 2015 TITLE III AND ESOL Audit Interview: 3 principals Interview: 3 teachers EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE

KNOW THAT OCSD 5 IMPLEMENTS THE FOLLOWING: A. We identify and assess EL students in need of language assistance in a timely, valid, and reliable manner. If the Home Language Survey states that the student speaks a home language other than English, then we assess them and provided them with ESOL services. Language screeners are given within 10 days of enrollment. If a new student enrolls and the HLS states that a different home language other than English is spoken, then the ESOL teacher assigned will be contacted to assess the student. HLS are kept in permanent records. It does not have to be done every year if the student has remained in the district. DO NOT PURGE.

KNOW THAT OCSD 5 IMPLEMENTS THE FOLLOWING: B. We provide EL students with a language assistance program – English to Speakers of Other Languages - that is educationally sound and proven successful. ESOL teachers do push in and pull-out services. ELLs are given ACCESS, an English proficiency assessment in the Spring. The results will determine their levels of proficiency in the four domains of reading, writing, speaking, listening and comprehension. The scores are included in Power School Coding. ESOL teachers provide instruction in English language development and assist ELLs, if needed, in understanding the work/lessons in their content area classes. We also use additional program: Imagine Learning to help in language development and in literacy.

KNOW THAT OCSD 5 IMPLEMENTS THE FOLLOWING: C. We sufficiently staff and support the language assistance programs for EL students. Currently we have 4 ESOL teachers who serve all the students in the district and teacher assistants. Mainstream teachers are provided PD’s to learn how to make the necessary accommodations and modifications to ensure success for ELLs. We follow the state guidelines in ensuring that ELLs should not be given failing grades, IF LANGUAGE is a factor. Accommodations in instruction and in assessment should be reflected in lesson plans.

D. We ensure EL students have equal opportunities to meaningfully participate in all curricular and extracurricular activities, including the core curriculum, graduation requirements, specialized and advanced courses and programs, sports, and clubs. Our students participate in sports, GT programs, ROTC, etc. E. We avoid unnecessary segregation of EL students. ELLs are placed in mainstream classrooms, but receive accommodations as listed in their Individualized Accommodation and Modification Plans.

F. We ensure that EL students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) or Section 504 are evaluated in a timely and appropriate manner for special education and disability-related services and that their language needs are considered in evaluations and delivery of services. Parents of Special Ed students are given language/interpreting support especially during IEP meetings by the district. ELLs who receive Spec. Ed services also take the Alternate ACCESS test.

G. Meet the needs of EL students who opt out of language assistance programs. (Parents have the right to waive services.) If parents decide to waive services, they will be informed that their child would still be taking the English proficiency test- ACCESS or state sanctioned EPT - in the spring and will do so every year, until the child receives a full proficiency score of 5 in all domains of reading, writing, speaking, listening and comprehension.

KNOW THAT OCSD 5 IMPLEMENTS THE FOLLOWING: Monitor and evaluate EL students in language assistance programs to ensure their progress with respect to acquiring English proficiency and grade level core content; exit EL students from language assistance programs when they are proficient in English, and monitor exited students to ensure they were not prematurely exited and that any academic deficits incurred in the language assistance program have been remedied; exited students will be monitored for 2 years to ensure that they meet state standards and are academically successful.

Home Language Survey–SC Specific A Home Language Survey must be completed for EACH student registering for enrollment in a SC public school. Transfer student –Request from previous school HLS can be an individual form OR part of the enrollment form DO NOT PURGE –Completed once at initial enrollment

Identifying and Assessing All Potential ELs Take “Affirmative Steps” and “Appropriate Actions” Identify with adequate Home Language Survey Included in Initial Enrollment; •Should not be completed every year 30 days to notify parents of services (10 day notification after school starts) “To the extent practicable” translate notices in a language the parent understands School districts must offer parent free oral interpretations if written translations are not practicable.

School Atmosphere Provide a welcoming environment! Assign a staff who will assist parents in registration if they need language assistance. Know the ESOL Staff who will be administering the HLS. Know the translation and interpretation needs of Parents. Contact the ESOL teacher if you’re not sure.

Staffing and Supporting EL Program Highly Qualified Teachers must work with ELLs. Paraprofessionals, aides, or tutors may not take the place of qualified teachers. Appropriate instruction materials must be provided to meet the linguistic and academic needs of students. Adequate quantities of ELD materials must be provided for appropriate proficiency and grade levels.

ESOL is part of the Curricular Program Core Curriculum •ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies •ESOL (does not replace ELA) •Curriculum may temporarily emphasize English language acquisition •Grade level content instruction •Same standard grade level curriculum •Support in curricular areas that will ensure Elshave equal opportunities to participate •Accommodations must be made. Student report card grades should not be mostly 70.

Non-Compliance Issues: Denying English language services to EL students with disabilities Evaluating EL students for special education services only in English when the native and dominant language of the EL student is other that English Failure to include staff qualified in EL instruction and second language acquisition in placement decisions under IDEA and Section 504 Failure to provide interpreters to LEP parents at IEP meetings

For more information, please contact: Thank You! For more information, please contact: Yvonne D. Mitchell, Title III/ESOL Program Coordinator OW HS, W.J. Clark MS, North MHS and Dover ES Ext. 6852 yvonne.mitchell@ocsd5.net Cell: 803-347-4162 Other ESOL Teachers: Deena Fogle – Ext. 8454 Mellichamp ES, Whittaker ES, and Brookdale ES Jennifer Ceisel – Ext. 8831 Sheridan ES Latanza Garvin – Ext. 7533 Bethune Bowman ES and MHS, Marshall ES and R.E Howard MS