English Language Learners Policy
CCA will provide an educational support program to help English Learners (ELs) overcome language barriers and participate meaningfully in the schools’ educational environment. The school will work toward preparing ELs to make academic gains in content and English language proficiency that both benefit students directly and support the school in meeting Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.
Pursuant to Georgia State Board of Education Rule 160-3-1-.07, all English Learners shall participate in the state assessments.
CCA believes that in order to have meaningful relationships with parents and students who do not speak English as a first language, a proactive approach in communication styles and techniques must be taken. Therefore, all efforts will be made to provide written and oral communications regarding the school’s English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) program in the language most accessible to the parent whenever feasible. CCA will actively recruit at least one full-time teacher who speaks the foreign language that is most common among its ELS and utilize state developed translation and interpretation resources in support of this goal whenever possible
- Eligibility for entry into and exit from language assistance
- Language assistance service delivery models
Eligibility for entry into and exit from language assistance
Entering ESOL
Entering ESOL
CCA uses the registration process to identify potential English Learners. At the time of registration, parents are given a Home Language Survey (HLS) to determine if a student has a primary or home language other than English (PHLOTE). The HLS includes the following questions:
- Which language does your child best understand and speak?
- Which language does your child most frequently speak at home?
- Which language to the adults in your home most frequently use when speaking to your child?
In addition to the HLS is a section for Additional Information from Multilingual Families that describes their child’s primary language and English proficiency. This consists of five statements that can be selected to determine if the child understands and uses no English, a little English, home language and English equally, mostly English, or only English.
Students whose parents respond affirmatively to any of the three questions on the HLS as well as select that their child understands and uses no English or little English are referred to the school’s ESOL Coordinator for English language proficiency screening using the WIDA Screener. This assessment correlates with the ACCESS for ELL 2.0 test used for assessment of English language proficiency and mandated by the state. For all testing, students will be assessed as soon as logistically possible.
The Date Entered a United States Schools (DEUSS) is required for all students with affirmative responses to the HLS. This includes the month, day, and year in which the student entered the United States (any of the 50 states, excluding U.S. territories and possessions).
Student eligibility for language assistance services is determined by the student’s score on the WIDA Screener. The W-APT screening results provide scores for each language domain as well as combined composite scores, including a specified Composite Proficiency Level. CCA will adhere to GaDOE Eligibility Guidance criteria and WIDA Screener results to determine eligibility for language assistance services. Students who have an English language proficiency score below proficient on the state-adopted English proficiency screening measure shall be determined to be English learners (ELs) and shall be eligible for language assistance services. Students who have an English language proficiency score at or above proficient on WIDA Screener shall be considered English proficient and shall not be eligible for language assistance.
Parental notification of ESOL program placement will take place within 30 days after the beginning of the school year for students who have been identified as eligible for language support services prior to the start of the school year, in accordance with Title III law. For students identified as eligible for ESOL program services, parental notification will take place within two weeks of the student’s placement in the language support program.
If a student transfers from another district within the United States or from a Department of Defense school and there are official records to support the student’s pre-determined eligibility and services within the past year, the school may accept the record and place the child accordingly in language assistance programs.
In compliance with Title III, notification of ESOL services eligibility must be sent to parents on an annual basis in a language the parent can understand whenever feasible. Parental notification will include the following:
- Eligibility for the school’s language assistance services
- Student's level of proficiency based on WIDA Screener results
- Information on the school’s language assistance service delivery model
- Information on how the program will help their student learn English and meet age appropriate academic achievements for exiting the program
- Specific requirements for exiting the program
- Information pertaining to parental rights that include how to request student removal from the ESOL program
CCA will utilize the state-mandated ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 to measure the growth of students classified as EL students on an annual basis. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is a standards-based, criterion referenced English language proficiency test designed to measure English language learners’ social and academic proficiency and progress in English. It assesses social and instructional English as well as the language associated with language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies within the school context and across the four language domains of speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students who score at the developing level or below on the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 shall continue to bel eligible for language assistance services.
CCA will ensure ESOL certified personnel complete the required WIDA training for ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 prior to administering the assessment, in accordance with state mandate.
CCA will work to prepare ELs to make academic gains in content and English language proficiency to both benefit individual students as well as support the school’s ability to meet Adequate Yearly Progress requirements.
Exiting ESOL
Exiting ESOL
CCA will follow the criteria established by GaDOE, found in the state’s ESOL Title III Resource Guide, to determine student readiness to exit from ESOL services.
Students in Kindergarten may exit only if the student scores an overall Composite Proficiency Level of 5.0 or greater and 5.0 or greater in Listening, Speaking and Reading domains and 4.5 or greater in Writing domain.
Students in Grades 1-12 who score an Overall Composite Proficiency Level (CPL) score of 5.0 or higher will be deemed English proficient and will be exited from language assistance services. Students who meet this criterion will be coded EL-1 and academic progress will be monitored for two calendar years.
If the student scores an Overall Composite Proficiency Level (CPL) of 4.3 – 4.9, at the teachers’ discretion, the student may be referred for Reclassification by the EL Reclassification Team. Using the state Reclassification form, the Team will review language proficiency, classroom performance, teacher recommendations, criterion-reference test scores, writing samples, and other evidence of language proficiency to determine if the student is likely to be successful with limited English supports in place.
If the committee determines a student may exit the ESOL program, the student will be deemed English proficient, exited from language assistance services, coded EL-1 and his/her academic progress will be monitored and reviewed for two calendar years.
CCAS will conduct a documented review of report card grades, state assessment results, classroom performance and teacher observations for the purpose of ensuring the successful transition to the general classroom as part of the school’s post-exit monitoring process.
The EL Reclassification Team at CCA will be composed of the following members: Administrator or designee, ESOL teacher(s), home language arts teacher (if applicable), classroom teacher, and guidance counselor. In addition, other educational personnel, such as a school social worker or school psychologist may be requested to participate as part of the committee whenever appropriate. The parent(s) may also be invited to attend any meeting of the EL Reclassification Team.
Reclassification for students using the Alternate ACCESS will follow the following guidelines. Overall Composite Proficiency Level (CPL) of P2 for two consecutive years with IEP team recommendation as recorded on the state’s completed signed IEP EL Reclassification Rubric and as documented in the student’s IEP meeting minutes, with ESOL language specialist on the team. Or any other Overall CPL (excluding P2) for three consecutive years with IEP team recommendation as recorded on the state’s completed signed IEP EL Reclassification Rubric and as documented in the student’s IEP meeting minutes, with ESOL language specialist on the team.
All ELs shall also participate in the state assessments pursuant to Georgia State Board of Education Rule 160-3-1-07.
Language assistance service delivery models
CCA will deliver ESOL services to ELs through various approved state models, with immersion programs for students K-8. Students will remain in their class and receive content instruction from their primary teacher, while receiving targeted language instruction from their ESOL teacher. The model allows teachers to work in partnership to meet ELs content and language needs within reading, language arts, mathematics, science, or social studies instructional blocks.
In order to promote both literacy and proficiency, the ESOL program will provide students with English language development instruction that is age and grade appropriate and is tailored to the student’s English proficiency level. This will be accomplished through the implementation of the WIDA English Language Proficiency standards in conjunction with the Georgia Standards of Excellence.
Learners will be in a climate that not only promotes listening, speaking, and reading, but also writing skills. English Learners will receive comprehensible instruction for the core curriculum so that they can make academic progress comparable to that of native English speakers as documented by individual and group data.
In addition to English language development and the academic Guaranteed and Viable Curriculum, all students will receive instruction that promotes positive self-image and cross-cultural understanding.
Activities, methods and strategies, as well as culturally appropriate content in all areas will be used. Home-school partnerships will be acknowledged as a positive aspect of the student’s background and will be important instruments for communication of academic information.
English Learners will have equal access to appropriate programming as required by law. Although instruction will take into consideration the student level of English proficiency, ELs will be exposed to instruction that includes the same content and objectives as found in the Georgia Performance standards for the assigned grades. Teachers will utilize appropriate ESOL strategies and teaching methods to ensure that instructional input is comprehensible as well as age and maturity level standards. CCA will provide all necessary faculty and materials to enable ELL students to achieve proficiency and attain the high standards established for all students. CCA will provide support services that may be needed by EL students in order to achieve and maintain a satisfactory level of academic performance. Further, the students will acquire English in a supportive environment where goals and objectives will be developed and documented in an Individualized Learning Plan (ILP).
In order to ensure that the ELL program is achieving the desired results (students are making progress in the acquisition of the English Language and making progress academically), CCA will conduct an annual evaluation of the program. To determine the need for programmatic modifications, CCA will evaluate the progressive growth of its ELL students on standardized assessments and non-standardized assessments in comparison to that of non-ELL students. CCA will track students longitudinally throughout their matriculation to determine if there is significant variation in the academic achievement assessments and non-standardized assessments. CCA will track how many students are declassified as ELL and the number of instructional years it takes for this declassification to occur.