LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE
SERVICES
OCR Resolution Agreement
OCR Docket Number 07105002
Tulsa Public Schools
SCHOOL YEAR 2013-2014
Language Diversity
WHAT LANGUAGES ARE SPOKEN IN
TULSA PS?
Top 10 Languages Spoken in
Tulsa PS
12000
10000
8000
0
Spanish
Hmong
Vietnamese
Arabic
French
Chuukese
Tagalog
Urdu
Chinese
Russian
24
26
27
29
40
45
45
63
2000
239
4000
10836
6000
Languages Spoken in Tulsa PS
• 77 different languages
are represented in Tulsa
PS
• 29% of students speak a
language other than
English in the home
• 93% of students with
another language speak
Spanish in the home
Legal Requirements
WHY ARE LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
SERVICES REQUIRED?
Title VI of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964
• Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits
discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national
origin.
• Under Title VI, “No person in the United States shall, on
the ground of race, color , or national origin, be
excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of,
or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any
program to which this part applies.”
• National origin is interpreted by OCR to apply to anyone
of Limited English Proficiency.
May 1970 Memorandum
• Issued May 25, 1970 by J. Stanley Pottinger, Director,
Office of Civil Rights
• “School districts have the responsibility to adequately
notify national origin-minority group parents of school
activities which are called to the attention of other
parents. Such notice in order to be adequate may have
to be provided in a language other than English.”
Tulsa PS
Board of Education Policy
• BOE Policy 9501: Interpretation and Translation Services
for District Parents and Guardians
• BOE Regulation 9501-R:
• Identification & Reporting
• Translation Services
• Interpretation Services
• Essential Meetings & Functions
• Review & Evaluation
District Services
WHAT LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE
SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE?
Interpretation & Translation
Services
• Interpretation services refer to oral interpretation of a
spoken language into another spoken language.
• Translation services refer to written translation of a
document from one language to another language.
• Language Line
• TransAct Parent Notifications
• EduPortal for existing translated district documents
• Site interpreters & translators
• District language interpreters
Language Line Services
• Phone interpretation
services available in 200+
languages
• Calls can be made from
any phone
• Must have client ID #
and TPS employee ID #
number to access
• Quick reference guide:
http://bit.ly/1buaLTQ
TransAct Parent Notifications
• School documents
already translated
into 20+ languages
• www.transact.com
• Must have
tulsaschools.org
email address to
register for access
• Quick Start Guide:
http://bit.ly/15Ojbxu
Site Interpreters & Translators
• Depending on the size of the language subgroup at your
site, site staff has been identified as site interpreters
and/or translators.
• Interpreters & translators have been assessed for
language competency and trained on interpreter role,
skills, ethics, confidentiality, and legal factors.
• Site staff who have not been assessed and trained may
not provide language assistance services.
• A list of identified site interpreters & translators is
maintained by the Title III Office, Human Capital, and the
site office.
District Language Interpreters
• To schedule the following, please email Palmira Saldivar
or Zaida Kepford, District Language Interpreters:
• Request for on-site interpreter (5 day notice)
• Request for interpretation equipment
• Request for interpreter/translator language
competency testing
• Request for document translation (10 day notice)
• Request for on-site training for staff on using language
assistance services
Customer Identification
WHO NEEDS LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE SERVICES?
Who Needs Language Assistance
Services?
• Other alert in PowerSchool
indicates that parent has
requested interpretation or
translation.
• Hover over symbol in
PowerSchool and alert box
will state interpretation or
translation and language
requested.
• Requested through Home
Language Survey. It can
also be added as needed
through regular
communication.
Logging of Language Assistance
Services
• Logging of language assistance is a required activity
under the OCR Resolution Agreement
• Language assistance information must be logged by
staff member requesting services
• Logging is currently available in PowerSchool and will
become available in PowerTeacher in early December
• Step by step logging procedures are available on the
ELD website under Language Assistance Services
Parent Notification
HOW DO WE NOTIFY PARENTS OF
LANGUAGE ASSISTANCE SERVICES?
Parent Notification of Language
Assistance Services
• Interpreter signs should
be on display in the office
of every school and
department for parents
to view.
• Language assistance
services are provided to
parents at no cost to
Limited English Proficient
parents and/or
guardians.
Parent Notification of Language
Assistance Services
• Interpreter signs can be
printed from
www.transact.com or
requested from the Title
III Office.
Language Competency
HOW ARE PROVIDERS ASSESSED &
TRAINED TO PROVIDE SERVICES?
Language Competency Testing for
Interpreters & Translators
• Administered by District Language Interpreters with
advanced language proficiency certifications
• Testing required only one time during continuous
employment
• If the language competency test is not passed, the
employee may re-take the test once every 6 months if
they choose
Language Competency Testing:
Interpretation
• Oral language competency is assessed in both English
and the target language through school-based scenarios
including enrollment, discipline, and health issues
• Scored on a rubric of oral language competency with a
scale of 1 to 4:
• 1 is not passing
• 2 is passing
• 3 is good
• 4 is advanced
Language Competency Testing:
Translation
• Two-part assessment based on a current TPS school
document:
• Brief document translation
• Editing of sample translated paragraph
• Bilingual word-to-word dictionary provided
• Scored as pass or fail
Contact Information
QUESTIONS REGARDING LANGUAGE
ASSISTANCE SERVICES
Contact Information
Laura Grisso
Title III Administrator
918-746-6487
grissla@tulsaschools.org
Palmira Saldivar
District Language Interpreter
918-746-6282
saldipa@tulsaschools.org
Zaida Kepford
District Language Interpreter
918-746-6112
kepfoza@tulsaschools.org
Additional resources & training
information can be found under
Language Assistance Services on the
English Language Development (ELD)
webpage at
http://academics.tulsaschools.org