Identification: All students of the Rolla 31 School District will be surveyed upon entrance so as to determine which students are language minority students or Limited English Proficient students.
Initial identification begins with questions found on the school enrollment form, as required by state and federal guidelines. Questions on the form also seek to identify students who may qualify as migrant students. When a positive response is given to one of the ELL related questions, this information is verified and a student home language survey is disseminated as a follow up. The form is to be completed by the parents or student (if age appropriate) as part of the enrollment process.
ELL Faculty may engage the family in a follow-up interview to gain more information, review records and assessment scores from previous schools, and if necessary, administer the appropriate WIDA Screener. Versions of the screener test (paper-based assessment, or online assessment) exist for Kindergarten and for Newcomers in K-12 who meet specific guidelines. The WIDA Screener, along with interview information and/or the review of records will help the EL faculty to determine eligibility in the EL Program and Limited English Proficiency (LEP)/English Learner (EL) status. Parent input is a valued and important aspect of the identification process.
Based on identified needs, translation services will be provided.
ELL Assessment: All language minorities will be assessed to determine if they qualify for ELL services.
The assessment instrument to be used is the WIDA screener. This test assesses the student’s ability in reading, writing, listening, and speaking.
A qualified ELL teacher will conduct the assessment.
If the student is eligible for services, the ELL Teacher will send a letter home to the parents notifying them of the student’s eligibility. This letter/notification may be translated as needed to communicate with the parents within 30 days.
The ELL teacher will then contact the parents and teacher(s) of the student to inform them of the student’s eligibility and any additional information.
The ELL teacher will keep the documentation of the parent/teacher contacts and results of these meetings in the ELL files.
Placement
For students identified as eligible for services, the ELL teacher will send a letter home to the parents notifying them of the student’s eligibility. This letter/notification may be translated/interpreted as needed to communicate with the parents within 30 days.
Notification occurs in an understandable uniform format, and includes the reason for placement, the method of instruction, and what is required for the child to exit the program. To the extent practicable, the notification will be in a language or manner that the parents understand.
Parental Notification and Involvement
Annually, the faculty and staff of the EL Program notify parents of their children's participation in the EL Program, solicit parent input, discuss academic services, goals and concerns, and review annual WIDA ACCESS English proficiency assessment scores.
Translation and interpretation is provided to parents as needed.
Fostering communication and engagement between the school and the family is a goal of the EL program.
Instruction, Assessment, and Evaluation: Based on the theories of linguistics in the field of language acquisition, the Rolla 31 School District will implement a program of instruction, assessment, and evaluation to meet the educational needs of English Language Learners in the district.
Educational Goals: It is expected that each student will progress each year in attaining English language proficiency as measured by the yearly administration of the ACCESS test.
Instructional Services:
Based on the assessed need, the ELL teacher will work with content teachers to provide ELL students with appropriate instructional environments. The use of a combination of content-based ELL and pull-out ELL services may be utilized.
Classroom aides and student volunteers may be utilized to help students after school or during school time to give additional support to the students in their academic content.
The ELL teacher may write up an Individualized Academic Plan to help the teacher and student better understand the path to increased English Language proficiency.
Coordination of Services: The curriculum will monitor the progress of ELLs in attaining English Language proficiency as well as mastery of state content standards. It will also utilize authentic and alternative assessments.
Additional Services: The culture and linguistic background of the child will be taken into consideration for each service. Based on need demonstrated through assessment, the following services shall be available to all ELL students.
Title I
Special Education
Gifted
Speech
At-Risk
Interpreters
Assessment: Each year, all ELL students receiving services will be assessed using the ACCESS test administered by a certified ACCESS evaluator.
The program will be assessed based on student performance as well as other appropriate information gained through surveys from parents, students, and district teachers. Changes will be made based on identified needs in the program and available resources. The program evaluation will include a review of the following:
Identifying ELL students
Assessing English Language proficiency
Serving all eligible students
Implementing effective instructional practices
Providing appropriate resources consistent with program design and student need
Transitioning and monitoring
If through yearly review of the process revisions need to be made to the program, the ELL coordinator, ELL teacher, and other qualified staff will meet to discuss and revise the program. This will be done after soliciting input from stakeholders in the ELL program
Students who receive EL services participate in the WIDA ACCESS assessment during the state testing window. Generally this window is open during January, February, and the beginning of March for the state of Missouri. Student growth with respect to English proficiency is measured in this annual assessment. Test scores are used to determine when students are ready to exit services, decrease services, or increase services.
Program data will be organized and arrayed in a manner that enables the district to evaluate student performance over time and monitor performance after transitioning. The data will provide sufficient information to enable the district to determine program effectiveness and to identify areas that require improvement.
Exit Criteria: Missouri DESE determines exit criteria at the state level, and the district complies with those guidelines when making decisions about ELs' services, utilizing annual WIDA ACCESS assessment data. The most recent guidance is available online.
Monitoring: Once the student has exited the program, the student will be monitored for a period of two years.
The ELL teacher will conference with the student’s teacher(s) at least once per year.
The student will maintain his/her satisfactory grades in all classes.
If the student does not meet the above criteria for one semester, the student will re-enter the ELL program.
Teachers may request a re-evaluation or meeting if they determine there may be a language related issue.
Personnel and Professional Development
All identified ELL students will receive services from a certified ELL teacher.
ELL staff will participate in district collaboration opportunities in order to ensure communication among the ELL staff and content teachers.
ELL staff will participate in in-service training, conferences, and formal college coursework in order to adequately meet the needs of ELL students.
Professional development is provided to staff through district resources.
Teachers will participate in district required Performance Based Teacher Evaluation, which includes classroom observations, mentor meetings, and walkthroughs.
ELL personnel will provide scientifically research-based professional development opportunities consistent with sound educational theory to district personnel in order to educate mainstream classroom teachers, special education teachers, administrators, and support staff and improve the instruction and assessment of ELL students. The goal of the professional development will be to increase English proficiency, improve academic achievement, increase teaching knowledge, and improve teaching skills. Finally, the professional development will be of sufficient intensity and duration to have a positive and lasting impact on teacher performance in the classroom.
Translation and Interpretation
The Federal Programs office strives to locate and provide translation and interpretation services when needed. Parents have the opportunity to indicate during enrollment the language in which they prefer to receive communication. Infinite Campus and ParentSquare are two examples of programs the district utilizes which allow parents to elect to receive communication in a language other than English. Additionally, interpretation can be provided for IEP meetings, Parent/Teacher Conferences, Meet the Teacher, in-person enrollment, to communicate office referrals on behalf of building administration, and other meetings as necessary.
Resources and Equity
The Rolla 31 School District assures that this program will be equitable with other programs in the district. The ELL teacher will use a collaborative approach in working with classroom teachers and teacher aides. The teacher will use a variety of strategies to help implement a content-based approach. Pull out services will be used for targeted instruction.
