1
DEPARTMENT OF STUDENT SERVICES
English Language Learners Program
Guidelines for Identification, Assessment & Service Delivery
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Table of Contents
Contents
Legal responsibilities of Programs for English Language Learners (ELL)
Steps to the development of ELL programs
Page
3-4
5
Step 1: Westlake’s educational philosophy to ELL
6-8
Step 2: Identification of students with ELL needs
9
Step 3: ELL assessment and eligibility
10-11
Step 4: ELL service delivery
12-14
Step 5: Staffing and resources
15
Step 6: Transition from ELL services
16
Step 7: Monitoring
17
Step 8: Program evaluation
18
English proficiency levels described
20-24
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Legal Responsibilities of Providing a Program for
English Language Learners
1. School districts must identify all students whose primary or home language is other than
English.
2. School districts must assess all students who are suspected of being English Language
Learners to determine if they are limited English proficient (LEP) and need special
language assistance to effectively participate in the district’s instructional program.
3. For all students who are identified as LEP, it must be determined what kind of special
language services program will be provided and the program must be implemented.
4. Ohio does not prescribe a specific program for school districts, however the program
must be based on sound theory and best practice with the aim of choosing a program that
best meets the needs of the district’s LEP students.
5. The program must provide effective instruction that leads to the academic achievement
and timely acquisition of proficiency of English.
6. When implementing the program, the district must ensure the staff are properly trained.
7. When implementing the program, the district must ensure that appropriate curricular
materials are used.
8. The district must monitor the special language program and monitor student progress on
a regular basis and take steps to modify the program if the students are not making
reasonable progress.
Definition: Limited English Proficient
Ohio follows the same federal government definition of Limited English Proficient as
described in the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110, Title IX, Part A, Sec.
9101, (25)).
The term “limited English proficient,” when used with respect to an individual, means an
individual
1. who is aged 3 through 21; and
2. who is enrolled or preparing to enroll in an elementary school or secondary
school; and
3. who was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language
other than English; or
a. who is a Native American or Alaska Native, or a native resident of
outlying areas; and
b. who comes from an environment where a language other than English has
had a significant impact on the individual’s level of English language
proficiency; or
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c. whose is migratory, whose native language is a language other than
English, and who comes from an environment where a language other than
English is dominant; and
4. whose difficulties speaking, reading, writing or understanding the English
language may be sufficient to deny the individual –
a. the ability to meet the State’s proficient level of achievement on State
assessments described in section 1111(b)(3) of NCLB;
b. the ability to achieve successfully in classrooms where the language of
instruction is English; or
c. the opportunity to participate fully in society.
Legal References
•
Constitution of the United States, 14th Amendment
o … “no State shall…deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal
protection of the law.”
•
1964 Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—“no person in the United States shall, on
the ground of race, color, or national origin…be denied the benefits of, or be
subjected to discrimination under any other program or activity receiving Federal
financial assistance.”
Two Supreme Court Rulings:
• 1974 Lau v. Nichols
o The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a school district’s failure to provide
English language instruction to ELL students denied them meaningful
opportunity to participate in the district’s educational program in violation
of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; the Court further noted that equality of
opportunity is not afforded ELL students by providing them with the same
facilities, textbooks, teachers and curriculum which non-ELL students
receive.
•
1982 Plyer v. Doe
o The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution prohibits states from denying a free public education to
undocumented immigrant children regardless of their immigrant status.
The Court emphatically declared that school systems are not agents for
enforcing immigration law and determined that the burden undocumented
aliens may place on an educational system is not an accepted argument for
excluding or denying educational service to any student.
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Steps to the Development of an English Language Learners Program
1. Define the educational approach—the district must select a sound educational approach
for providing English language development and meaningful program participation for its
students.
2. Identify students—the district is responsible for identifying all students potentially
needing ELL services.
3. Assess students—the district is responsible for assessing each identified potential ELL
student for English language proficiency.
4. Place students—the district is responsible for providing its ELL students with a program
of services consistent with its chosen educational approach.
5. Staff the program—the district is obligated to provide the necessary resources to
implement its chosen educational approach.
6. Transition from services—the district is responsible for establishing criteria that
determine when a student has sufficient enough English language that would warrant an
exit from the program.
7. Monitored transitioned students—the district will ensure that those transitioned from the
ELL program are having a meaningful participation in the education program.
8. Evaluate Program—the district will have a set of procedures to periodically evaluate the
effectiveness of its ELL program.
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STEP 1:
Our Educational Approach to English Language Learners:
Westlake City Schools
PHILOSOPHY
The district’s philosophy for the English as a Second Language Program is to help
our English Language Learners (ELL) overcome linguistic, cultural and language
difficulties. We want to assure that our English Language Learners receive an equal
educational opportunity whereby they can realize the mission and vision that the district
has for all students. As a result, the district will use a structured English immersion
approach for educating all ELL students.
DISTRICT VISION FOR ALL STUDENTS
The Westlake City School District will provide a dynamic, student-centered, positive
learning environment. Our district will be characterized by actively engaged learners,
mutual respect, shared knowledge, pursuit of new skills and capabilities, collaborative
learning, willingness to take action, a team commitment to data-driven continuous
improvement, and tangible results.
DISTRICT MISSION FOR ALL STUDENTS
WE EDUCATE FOR EXCELLENCE . . .
Empowering all students to achieve their educational goals,
to direct their lives, and to contribute to society.
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DISTRICT BELIEFS
The Westlake City Schools believe that students come first, that the dignity and worth of
each individual is to be respected, and that learning is a lifelong process. We further believe
that:
Successful students are ready to learn, display appropriate behavioral and
social skills, assume responsibility, and work to reach their full potential. They
are enthusiastic about learning, possess strong academic skills, and strive for
excellence.
Supportive families are proactive and involved in all aspects of their children’s
education, assist their children with schoolwork, encourage their children to make
positive choices and to be responsible for their actions, offer guidance and
motivation so their children reach their full potential, and work in partnership with
schools.
Excellent teachers care for their students, are knowledgeable regarding subject
matter and effective instructional strategies, and engage students in meaningful
learning experiences.
Excellent principals are knowledgeable and provide meaningful instructional
and managerial leadership. They create a safe, orderly, professional, and
supportive environment, empower all staff by providing opportunities for
professional development, and communicate effectively with all constituents.
Ideal learning environments are child-centered, stimulating and positive, free
from distractions, appropriate in class size, and include ample and varied
resources. Students and staff feel safe physically and emotionally, and devote
themselves to academic and personal achievement.
Helpful community members, organizations, and businesses celebrate their
schools’ and students’ accomplishments, share resources, and engage in
dialogue.
All constituents are needed for a professional learning community that is
characterized by shared mission, vision, and values, collective inquiry,
collaborative teams, research-based action orientation and experimentation,
continuous improvement, and results orientation.
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Program Goals Specific to the English as a Second Language Program
1. Westlake City Schools’ ELL program follows a structured immersion approach.
2. The district will identify all English Language Learner (ELL) students in the
district.
3. The district will determine if these ELL students need special assistance to
participate in the educational program.
4. The district will provide ELL students with assistance to attain English in a timely
manner so that they can successfully participate in the educational program.
5. The district staff will help ELL students acquire proficiency in all English
language skills appropriate to their grade level (Listening, Speaking, Reading,
Writing and Comprehension).
6. The district will conduct an ongoing analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the
service delivery and success of the ELL Program.
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STEP 2: IDENTIFICATION
Referral for ELL Services
‰ Upon registration of students into the district, the home language survey is given to all
parents/guardians.
‰ ELL staff conducts assessment of all students referred from the registrar.
‰ Classroom teachers are aware that they can refer a student for ELL service eligibility.
‰ Buildings have a Teacher Referral Form for ELL Services
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STEP 3: ELL Assessment
Program Entrance
All students will be evaluated for ELL services 10 school days from the referral date.
After the referral for testing is completed, the Testing Notification Form will be sent to
parents. Note that parent permission is not necessary in order to evaluate for services,
however parent permission is required for delivery of services.
Referred students will be assessed in the following areas:
‰ ELL assessment measures suspected student’s skills in
o Listening
o Speaking
o Reading
o Writing
ELL staff members will use the assessment to make a determination as to the stage of student
language development based on the following skill levels:
‰ The ELL assessment used categorizes students into at least 5 stages of English language
proficiency. These skills are listed below and can be referenced in Appendix A:
o Pre-functional
o Beginning
o Intermediate
o Advanced
o Proficient/Trial Mainstream
Students who have been assessed and found ineligible for ELL services may be referred again for
assessment by school personnel with the following understandings:
•
•
A student who is initially evaluated and found to be ineligible for services can be
assessed again after 90 calendar days or sooner if so determined by the Director of
Student Services.
After the above has been addressed, a student can not be assessed more than 1 time for
eligibility during a school year.
Program Exit
‰ The ELL student demonstrates via assessment the ability to understand, speak, read and
write the English language at a level in which they are able to:
o Achieve successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English
o Meaningfully participate in academic assessments in English
o Participate fully in society in the United States:
As demonstrated by…
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‰ Achievement at the proficient level in Ohio’s appropriate English language proficiency
test in all language domains (listening, speaking, reading, writing and comprehension);
AND;
‰ 2 years of successful participation in classrooms where the language of instruction is in
English (this is referred to as the “trial mainstream” period, which begins after the student
has met the first exit criteria above) AND;
‰ Attainment of proficient or above for 2 years on Ohio’s Achievement Test in the areas of
Reading and Writing during the student’s trial mainstream period.
ELL Notification of Eligibility Status
Student Qualifies
‰ Parent notification is sent using Parent Permission letter and follow up with a phone
call.
‰ Notify the referring classroom teacher by sending a copy of the Parent Permission letter
‰ The building principal where the child attends is sent a copy of the parent notification
letter.
‰ Building principal is responsible for notifying the teacher(s) of the student either
personally or through delegation (i.e. building counselor).
‰ Written permission is required in order to commence the delivery of services. The
original copy of the permission form should be in the students ELL file in the Office of
Student Services and a copy should be in the student’s building file.
‰ If a parent refuses services, it must be in writing. A meeting must be arranged by
the school with the parent, the ELL teacher, principal and Director of Student
Services to discuss the reasons for refusal, student’s results and the best course of
action for the student’s success in school. Documentation of the meeting shall be
recorded at the bottom of the parent permission form and the form is to be filed in
the student’s folder located at the board office in the Department of Student
Services.
Student Does Not Qualify
‰ Parents/guardians of student are notified by sending the Parent Non-Eligibility letter.
‰ The building principal where the child attends is sent a copy of the parent notification
letter.
‰ Building principal is responsible for notifying the teacher(s) of the student either
personally or through delegation (i.e. building counselor).
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STEP 4: ELL Program Service Delivery
After a district has identified LEP students who need assistance, it must determine
what kind of special language service program is to be provided and it must implement
the program. Ohio does not prescribe a specific type of intervention program. Thus,
school districts have the flexibility to decide on the educational approach that most
appropriately meets the needs of their LEP students. The program, however, must be
based on sound theory and best practice. In other words, the program must be one that is
likely to be effective in meeting the educational needs of its language minority students.
Whatever program is selected, it must provide effective instruction that leads to academic
achievement and timely acquisition of proficiency in English.
In implementing its program, school districts must ensure that staff are properly
trained and that appropriate curricular materials are used. In addition, classroom facilities
should be comparable to those used by other students.
Students who have been determined eligible for ELL services will have a plan of
support services constructed by the ELL team. The construction of the plan will be based
on multiple data points that could include but are not limited to:
1. Language proficiency test scores
2. Length of time in the United States
3. Previous English language instruction
4. Classroom teacher observations and classroom performance
5. Guidance counselor observations if available
6. Results of state assessments in reading and writing
Eligible English language learners will have a specific Plan of Support created by the
ELL team. The ELL lead teacher will be primarily responsible for facilitating the
development of this plan. The purpose of this plan will be to identify the annual goals for
the student, put the necessary instructional supports in place, provide quality instruction
and evaluate the student’s progress towards the achievement of these defined goals.
English Language Learner Plan of Support
The process for determining the Plan of Support for eligible English Language Learner
will be as follows:
1. Assessment data (both formal and informal) will be used to identify the needs of
the ELL.
2. The student’s service delivery team will prioritize the needs of the student with
the understanding that not every student need can be worked on and evaluated.
Things must be prioritized. These skills should be identified based on the Ohio
English Language Proficiency Standards.
3. The team will use the Ohio English Language Proficiency Standards and select
the prioritized learning indicators deemed most appropriate for the student.
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These indicators will be used to determine the level of service needed by the
student.
4. Each regular education classroom teacher that the ELL has will be aware of the
contents of the student’s plan in order to support its implementation.
Contents of the Plan of Support
As indicated, each eligible ELL will have a Plan of Support. The plan will have
the following characteristics:
1. All pertinent student demographic information will be listed.
2. A meeting date will indicate when the plan was created and
initially/annually reviewed.
3. An effective date will indicate the implementation period of the plan.
4. The 4 ELL Domains will be listed in the plan (Listening, Speaking,
Reading and Writing).
5. Within each domain, student baseline data will indicate the starting level
of the student. Next, the goals will be listed that the team has agreed
upon. The goals/learning targets will be derived from the ELL Content
Standards.
6. A quarterly summary of progress will be created as a means to provide
benchmarking of the student’s progress towards goal attainment.
7. Each plan will display the type and amount of services being provided to
the English Language Learner.
8. Each plan will have a section devoted to listing any accommodations or
modifications necessary to help facilitate the success of the student. These
might include but are not limited to: classroom, report card adjustments in
assessment or evaluation, state achievement test accommodations; and
9. A signature page signed by those who participated in the creation of the
plan.
After the Plan of Support is Created
After the Plan of Support is drafted, the plan should be reviewed with the child’s
learning team. Team members could include: the principal, classroom teacher, guidance
counselor and parent. The plan should be reviewed and signatures of all participants
obtained.
If the parent is unable to meet in person, send the document in advance and
review it via phone. Obtain the parents signature. Plans of Support should be put into
place after 30 days of determining ELL eligibility.
After signatures have been obtained, send the original Plan of Support to the
Department of Student Services. Copies must be given to the classroom teacher,
guidance counselor and parent. The plan should be reviewed annually with the
understanding that a plan should be developed from August through June. For new
referrals in the middle of the year, the plan should be written through the conclusion of
the school year (e.g., student is eligible in December, 2006…the plan should be written
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for December, 2006 through June, 2007. A new plan would then be created to be
implemented in August, 2007 through June of 2008).
Service Delivery and Service Model
English Language Learners require a broad spectrum of individualized services
based on their needs. Based on data obtained from assessments, these services range
from pullout programming as well as other appropriate instructional and support services
which could include support from an ELL staff member within the context of the regular
education classroom. While the service model will deemed an immersion approach, the
delivery of the services based on data and is determined by the ELL team.
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STEP 5: STAFFING & RESOURCES
Service delivery will be delivered in a structured immersion format. While some
students will receive pull out services, the majority of classroom instruction will be
within the context of the regular education classroom with support from ELL staff
members.
Services to students will be data driven and research based. The staffing and
resources for the program will be based on aggregating the services needed as defined
within each student’s Plan of Support. The staffing for the program will be dynamic and
based on the commitment made in the Plan of Support.
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STEP 6: TRANSITION FROM ELL SERVICES
A student may exit from the ELL program by testing proficient on the OTELA
(Ohio Test of English Language Acquisition), passing the State Achievement test in
reading and writing (all tests), the Ohio Graduation Test and be successful in their
monitoring for 2 years thereafter.
Parents may, at any time, refuse ELL services by signing the Do Not Grant
Permission section of the Parent Permission letter. The ELL student will continue to
receive services until a parent meeting is held with the ELL teacher, principal and
Director of Student Services to discuss the reasons for refusal.
Upon a student exiting from the program, the Two Year Follow Up Evaluation
form will be sent to the parent, Department of Student Services and a copy shall be
placed in the student’s permanent record file.
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STEP 7: MONITORING
After students are exited from the ELL Program, their progress in regular
classroom settings will be monitored by the site-based ELL teacher in collaboration with
classroom teachers twelve weeks after exiting and annually for two years.
The Department of Student Services will conduct a semester review of the data
obtained on these individuals to determine their level of success. Periodic intervention
may be required to insure the success of students who have exited from the program, but
may need incidental intervention. The ELL site-based staff and student’s counselor will
determine the level of intervention needed.
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STEP 8: PROGRAM EVALUATION
The district will utilize multiple data points in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the
ELL program. These will include:
•
•
•
•
Surveys completed by students, parents and teachers
Accountability data (OAT and OGT)
OTELA results
Curriculum based/criterion referenced measurements such as DIBELS or other
measures that are sensitive the acquisition of literacy skills.
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APPENDIX A
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English Proficiency Levels of LEP Students
Students learning a new language proceed through different stages or levels of
proficiency. Ohio has established five proficiency levels to categorize LEP
students at different stages of their English language development:
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Pre-functional
Beginning
Intermediate
Advanced
Proficient/Trial-Mainstream.
The following are summary descriptions of each of the proficiency levels:
Pre-functional
Students at this level may understand some isolated words (particularly school and social
environment vocabulary), some high frequency social conventions, and simple (single word or
short phrase) directions, commands, and questions. They rely on non-verbal cues such as gestures
and facial expressions and require frequent repetition and rephrasing to understand spoken
language.. In conversations, they may be able to provide some basic information in response to
requests and questions. They can ask one- or two-word questions without regard to structure and
intonation.
Regarding reading and pre-reading skills, students at this level may demonstrate an
understanding of concepts of print (e.g., front-to-back, top to-bottom, left-to-right) and begin to
track print. They may be able to distinguish letters from other symbolic representations. They can
imitate the act of reading (e.g., holding a book and turning pages); however, they get meaning
mainly through pictures. Students at this level participate in writing activities by drawing
pictures. They may be able to copy letters or form them from memory and may be able to copy
some words. They can imitate the act of writing (e.g., scribbling); however, their text does not
transmit a message. They may attempt to apply some writing conventions but do so
inappropriately or do so correctly only when copying.
Beginning
As LEP students’ oral comprehension increases, they begin to imitate the verbalizations of others
by using single words or simple phrases and begin to use English spontaneously. They gradually
construct more meaning from the words themselves, but the construction is often incomplete.
They are able to generate simple texts that reflect their knowledge level of syntax. These texts
may include a significant amount of non-conventional features, such as invented spelling, some
grammatical inaccuracies, pictorial representations, surface features and rhetorical patterns of the
native language (i.e., ways of structuring text from native cultural and language).
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Intermediate
At this level, students understand more complex speech, but still may require some repetition.
They acquire a vocabulary of stock words and phrases covering many daily situations. They use
English spontaneously, but may have difficulty expressing all their thoughts due to a restricted
vocabulary and a limited command of language structure. Students at this level speak in simple
sentences, which are comprehensible and appropriate, but which are frequently marked by
grammatical errors. They may have some trouble comprehending and producing complex
structures and academic language.
Proficiency in reading may vary considerably depending upon the learner's familiarity and prior
experience with themes, concepts, genre, characters, and so on. They are most successful
constructing meaning from texts for which they have background knowledge upon which to
build. They are able to generate more complex texts, a wider variety of texts, and more coherent
texts than beginners. Texts still have considerable numbers of non-conventional features.
Advanced
At this level, students' language skills are adequate for most day-to-day communication needs.
Occasional structural and lexical errors occur. Students may have difficulty understanding and
using some idioms, figures of speech, and words with multiple meanings. They communicate in
English in new or unfamiliar settings, but have occasional difficulty with complex structures and
abstract academic concepts.
Students at this level may read with considerable fluency and are able to locate and identify the
specific facts with the text. However, they may not understand texts in which the concepts are
presented in a decontextualized manner, the sentence structure is complex, or the vocabulary is
abstract. They can read independently, but may have occasional comprehension problems. They
produce texts independently for personal and academic purposes. Structures, vocabulary and
overall organization approximate the writing of native speakers of English. However, errors may
persist in one or more of these domains.
Source of the above proficiency level descriptions of Beginning - Advanced: Teachers of
English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), Inc., 1997, pp. 20-21
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Proficient/Trial-mainstream
At this final stage, students usually can participate in academic topical conversations
without difficulty. In most cases, they can follow complex and multi-level directions
without assistance and they can understand oral information provided via electronic audio
and video media. Students at this level usually speak English fluently in social and gradelevel academic settings and they control age-appropriate syntax and vocabulary in their
speech.
Generally, students read and understand factual information in non-technical prose as
well as discussions on concrete topics related to special events. They comprehend
standard newspaper items addressed to the general reader, correspondence reports and
technical materials. At this level, they can write short papers and clearly express
statements of position, points of view and arguments. In their writing, they usually show
control of varied sentence structures, spelling, and vocabulary, expressing well-developed
thoughts.
During this transition stage, the students’ progress is carefully monitored and additional
support is provided on an “as-needed” basis.
English as a Second Language Program Audit Checklist
Westlake City Schools
English Proficiency Levels—Descriptions
Language
domains
Levels
Listening
‰
Level I
‰
Prefunctional
‰
‰
Level II
Beginning
‰
‰
‰
‰
Level III
Intermediate
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Level IV
‰
Advanced
‰
‰
Has zero to very limited ability in
understanding spoken English
Relies on non-verbal cues such as
gestures and facial expressions,
and requires frequent
repetition/rephrasing to
understand spoken language
May understand some isolated
words, some social conventions,
and simple directions, commands
and questions
Understands simple, short
statements and questions on a
well-known topic within a
familiar context
Can follow simple multi-step
directions
Can identify the main idea and
some details of short
conversations or simple orallydelivered text on a familiar topic
May still need repetition and
rephrasing
Shows understanding simple
questions and statements on
familiar topics
Often requires restatements in
graphic terms or at a lower rate
Can follow many simple
directions
Shows appropriate responses
when read or told a story
(example – laughs at humor)
Has difficulty comprehending
academic-related
Understands conversations in
most school/social settings
Understands main ideas and
significant relevant details of
extended discussions or
presentations on familiar and
relevant academic topics
May ask for clarification on oral
information related to academic
content
Understands multiple meanings
of words and can use context
clues to understand messages
Speaking
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Has zero to very limited ability
in speaking English
May say or repeat common
phrases, words and formulaic
language
May be able to provide some
basic information in response
to requests and questions
Can ask one or two-word
questions without regard to
structure and intonation
Predominantly uses formulaic
patterns and memorized phrases
Uses language that is often
marked by the lack of tense,
number, and agreement
Uses school-social vocabulary
that is limited to key words and
has little or no academic
vocabulary
Responds to questions usually
with one or two-word answers
Can communicate ideas and
feelings in English, but with
some difficulty
Speaks coherently, but with
hesitations and with
grammatical and syntactic
errors
Can retell a simple story, but
detail may be lacking
Can respond appropriately to
many questions, but with
errors in grammar and
vocabulary
Speaks in coherent, fluent
sentences, but with occasional
errors in vocabulary and
syntax
Has little difficulty
communicating personal ideas
and feeling in English
Can respond appropriately to
many questions in classroom
settings, but makes some
errors in more complex
grammatical structures
Can often use language to
connect, tell and expand on a
topic; and can begin to use it
to reason
Writing
Reading
‰
‰
‰
‰
Has zero to very limited ability
in reading English
May demonstrate some basic
concepts of print (front-to-back,
top to-bottom, left-to-right)
May distinguish letters from
other symbolic representations
May follow one-step directions
depicted graphically
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Begins to identify the names of
both upper and lower case
letters of the alphabet
Can identify where words
begin and end
Can follow multi-step
directions depicted graphically
During read aloud, gets
meaning primarily from
pictures and the teacher’s tone
of voice and gestures
Reads simple printed material
within a familiar context
Understands short discourse on
familiar topics.
Has a small repertoire of high
frequency words
Partially uses details to extract
meaning
Partially perceives the feeling
and tone in a poem or story
Has some weaknesses in
predicting from details
Can read familiar text with
little teacher or visual support;
still needs those supports when
reading to comprehend
unfamiliar text
Has oral fluency and uses selfmonitoring and self-correction
strategies when necessary
Can identify main idea of many
reading passages
Able to identify most specific
facts within a text
May have some difficulty
using details to make
predictions
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Has zero to very limited ability
in writing English
Can participate in writing
activities by drawing pictures
May be able to copy letters or
form them from memory
May be able to copy some
words
May attempt to apply some
writing conventions, but often
does so inappropriately
Produces writing that is marked
by the lack of tense, number,
and agreement
Makes frequent errors in
mechanics such as punctuation
and capitalization
Writes most effectively when
supported by a visual, a shared
experience, or scaffolding
Can begin to revise or edit own
writing with teacher support
Composes short paragraphs that
are mostly intelligible
Begins to edit for sentence-level
structure, spelling and
mechanics and revises for
content, organization and
vocabulary, usually with the
support of the teacher
Writes with less dependency on
visual supports, shared
experiences, and scaffolding
Writes simple social
correspondence with some
errors in spelling and
punctuation
May have some difficulty in
producing complex sentences
Produces writing that generally
addresses given topic
Produces writing that is
generally intelligible but lacking
grade-level quality
Produces writing that generally
expresses complete thoughts
English as a Second Language Program Audit Checklist
Westlake City Schools
‰
Level V
Proficient
‰
‰
Shows understanding of
academic topical conversations
without difficulty
Can follow complex and multilevel directions without
difficulty
Shows understanding of oral
information provided via
electronic media
‰
‰
‰
‰
‰
Speaks English fluently in
social and grade-level academic
settings
Produces speech that include a
variety of adverbs and
transitional signals
Participates in classroom
discussions without difficulty
Demonstrates control of ageappropriate syntax and
vocabulary when speaking
Can use language effectively to
connect, tell, expand, and reason
‰
‰
‰
‰
Reads and understands factual
information in non-technical
prose as well as discussion on
concrete topics related to
special events
Comprehends standard
newspaper items addressed to
the general reader,
correspondence reports and
technical materials
Shows understanding of the
main idea
Understands figurative
language in a poem
‰
‰
‰
‰
Writes short papers and clearly
expresses statements of position,
points of view and arguments
Shows good control of sentence
structure, spelling, and
vocabulary
Produces writing with wide
range of vocabulary
Edits for sentence-level
structure, spelling, and
mechanics and revise for
content, organization and
vocabulary
Sources: North Carolina Department of Education, 1999; Iowa Department of Education, 2000; IDEA Reading and
Writing Proficiency Tests, Examiner’s Manual, 1993, Ballard and Tighe; The State Collaborative on Assessment and
Student Standards (SCASS) for Assessing Limited English Proficient Students and American Institutes for Research
(AIR), English Language Development Assessment K-2 Test Administration Manual, 2006.
Westlake City Schools English
Language Learners Program
Procedures
ALL Parents/guardians complete Home Language
Survey at registration
Does survey
indicate any
Student is not an
language other
English as the
NO
English Language
Learner (ELL)
Student is
assessed for
YES
primary
language?
language
proficiency
using
assessment
YES
Do assessment
results show
Student is
considered as
PROFICIENT
skills in English:
NO
speaking,
reading, writing,
ELL:
Parents are
sent permission
letter
listening &
comprehension?
ELL is placed in regular classes due to refusal.
Do parents give
permission for
Student is observed for progress to see if LEP
services are needed. ELL takes OTELA
NO
annually until determined PROFICIENT in
speaking, reading, writing, listening &
student to
receive LEP
Services?
comprehension
YES
ELL student
teakes OTELA
Student is
enrolled in LEP
on an annual
basis
Program. ELL
Team writes a
Plan of Support
NO
Student is no
longer ELL and
successfully
exits program.
Student enters
first trial year
Student is
reclassified in
and progress is
monitored
EMIS and exits
LEP status
Does ELL student score
PROFICIENT in English
speaking, reading, writing,
YES
listening & comprehension
on OTELA?
YES
Is the student successful
Student enters
2nd trial year
academically and do they
pass the State achievement
YES
test in reading and writing?
A team of educators is formed to discuss ELL as it
NO
relates to: 1) re-enrollment into LEP Program, 2)
Student remains in mainstream classes, but is
closely monitored using ELL strategies or 3)
Student repeats trial 1st year classes
Is student successful
in 2nd trial year as
demonstrated by
academic success
and State
achievement tests in
reading and writing?
NO