WAC 162-28-040 - Washington State English language limitations and national origin discrimination (Washington State Legislature, 2003). This law states that schools must provide equal opportunity to children of all national origins including those who are deficient in English language skills and meet the following standards:
1. Take steps to ensure that all programs and activities do not bar such students from fully participating.
2. Build competency in English language without detriment to skills in other languages and without suppressing cultural identity.
3. Must not assign students who are deficient in English language skills to special education solely on the basis of lack of English proficiency. Nor deny children access to college
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Department of Education’s English Learner Tool Kit, the Serving English Learners: Laws, Policies, and Regulations printable guide, English learner student and parent fact sheets in a variety of languages, the Office of Civil Rights Q& A on rights of limited-English proficient students, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division as well as links to research and reports (Colorin colorado, 2017).
B1. Understanding Needs of School in Meeting ELL Requirements By asking questions regarding current district policies, programming, and practices, an ELL teacher can gain a better understanding of the current needs of the school for meeting specific federal and state ELL requirements. Some of those questions could be:
• Is there existing school district policy and programming for meeting ELL requirements for identification, assessment, program and staff development including curricular materials, exit from program criteria, and parent involvement and notifications? If so, does it adhere to Federal and State
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• District history/prior experience with ELL programs, curriculum, and other materials to discover what has been previously purchased and/or implemented, what worked well and what didn’t.
• Test scores comparing ELL students and native speakers of English as well as number of ELL students identified as requiring special education services
• Surveys of ELL parent concerns and needs.
• Surveys of mainstream teachers to better understand their need for support.
List of Major ELL Programs
Washington State recognizes six types of program models for the purposes of TBIP funding and reporting; per the 2015 OSPI Program and Models of Service document (State of Washinton Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2015).
Bilingual Programs:
1. Dual Language (Two-Way Immersion or Two- Way Bilingual)
2. Developmental Bilingual (DBE or Late-Exit)
3. Transitional Bilingual (TBE or Early-Exit)
Alternative Instructional Programs (AIP)
4. Content-Based Instruction (CBI) or Sheltered Instruction
The authors of the article explained how important it is to meet the needs of the students with limited English ability in the education system. One of the main point expresses about how frustrating it could be for these students, especially if they were never expose to this sort of environment or language before. Another point that was made in the article, explains how the educational system was not prepared for changes in this sort of population. In most cases, some of the curriculum that is being offered in school cannot be changed to accommodate English Limited Learners, also known as ELLs. Budget is also another issue, as schools are limited to hiring more ELL teachers.
This section of the handbook included the following subcategories: Curriculum, Elementary School Program, Junior High School Program, High School Program, Alternative Education, Special Accommodations, Special Education, Gifted Education, ELL (English Language Learners), Title I, Response to Intervention (RtI)/Teacher Support Team (TST), Homebound Instruction, Health/Sex/Family Education, and Abstinence-only Sex Education.
Section 305(a)(2) states that “school districts and county offices of education shall, at a minimum, provide English learners with a structured English immersion program.”(CSU, 2017, p. 554). The immersion program designed with English learning students in mind will allow the use of the students home language for clarifications and to check for understanding(Buenrostro. 2017, p.2). The
When it comes to legal obligations for students that are English language learners, every student violated supposed to have equal access to their education. It was mentioned that in the year of 1970 the federal Office for Civil Rights, distributed a letter to all school’s districts mentioning that all school districts must offer services to students who are English language learners (Office for Civil Rights ,2006). After the ruling of Lau v. Nichols was pass, the congress passed an act called Equal Educational Opportunity Act (EEOA). The act is based upon that all children must have equivalent educational opportunities. This is important for the reason that each student should be treated equal and it does not matter if they are familiar with the English language. Every student should have the right to a proper education and nobody should be discriminated upon.
Efficient administrators must make certain their schools are in compliance with district, state, and federal educational guidelines. These statutes include identifying and delivering specified instructional lessons for students who qualify for services under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and the students who qualify for ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Academic leaders who ensure compliance among these regulations and educate themselves on the appropriate instructional practices, will properly assist their teachers and students in finding academic success.
All children should be able to participate in all school activities, whether they need additional support or they require the environment to be adapted to meet their needs e.g. wheelchair access or individual learning plans etc.
The elementary educators both viewed the strengths of the program as flexibility to servicing the students, and being able to work with students in small groups. The middle school teacher thought that the participation of the general education teachers in the program was a definite strength. Among the weaknesses, teachers thought scheduling was difficult, and there is not enough staff to service the students. Also, teachers thought it was difficult to provide consistency of services and communication throughout all the buildings in the district. The middle school ELL teacher also noticed a lack of formal assessments and progress monitoring to help meet the changing needs of the students. The teachers’ goals addressed these weaknesses. They wanted to improve communication, and consistency of the ELL program, learn more about assessing Ells and ensure that the current ELL program moves forward. The elementary teacher also thought it was important to keep ELL students a priority even though our district doesn’t have many students who qualify. I also thought it was interesting that the middle school teacher also wants to provide general educations teachers with more support and guidance. I think that is a great goal that will help the students and the teachers!
Florida is a state composed of diverse cultures and languages. Prior to 1990 there were not any modifications or accommodations in the classroom for English Language Learners (ELL), which had become an increasing issue. During this decade Florida was the third largest state with residents that were not native-born. Historically, Florida has become the home for many individuals who migrated from Central and Latin America (MacDonald, 2004). According to the Consent Decree (n.d.), the Florida English speakers of other languages (ESOL) Consent Decree was a result of the case, LULAC et. al v. State Board of Education, August 14, 1990. This case addresses the civil rights of English Language Learners (ELLs). The plaintiffs in this case were LULAC and Multicultural Education, Training and Advocacy (META) and the defendant were Florida Board of Education. LULAC and META came together to bring justice to students whose native language was not English. The plaintiffs’ sought to implement policies to protect students whose native language was not English in order to create an equal learning environment. For example, English was the only means of communication in the classrooms and students who did not speak or understand the language would find themselves at a disadvantage. Due to the lack of modifications in place, students would eventually fall through the cracks of the school system. This case brought
As the ELL services grow to service the increasing number of students who require them, the organization will need to continue to examine practices and make educated decision about how
The primary goal of any school district’s English Language Learner policy should be to ensure that all students receive equitable access to the curriculum. The Office of Civil Rights memorandum (May 25, 1970) requires school districts to take affirmative steps to provide equal access to instructional program for students with limited English proficiency. The Illinois Constitution guarantees every child from kindergarten through grade 12, access to a free public education; which means, regardless of a child’s home language, he/she deserves a free and appropriate education (Illinois State Board of Education, 1998).
“Successful program models for promoting the academic achievement of language minority students are those that enable these students to develop academic skills while learning English. The best program organization is one that is tailored to meet the linguistic, academic, and emotional needs of students; provides language minority students with the instruction necessary to allow them to progress through school at a rate commensurate with their native-English-speaking peers; and makes the best use of district and community resources.” (Colorin Colorado, 2014)
When it comes to students that have not officially mastered the English Language, schools should give students the opportunity to learn it. Schools are supposed to arrange services for students who are not familiar with the English Language. All students should be treated with the same respect and all students should receive some type of education no matter what their background comes from. English is a language that is very popular today in this world. When it comes to legal obligations for students that are English language learners, every student is supposed to have equal access to their education. It was mentioned that in the year of 1970 the Federal Office for Civil Rights, distributed a letter to all school’s districts mentioning that
The G/T coordinator also pinpointed three areas where the program could improve. At Plummer Middle School, she said there could be more assessments for ELL students. She added that there has been a lower focus for these students since the main priority is for them
In attempting to understand the current design and/or adapt the design to meet current specific federal and state ELL requirements, an ELL teacher could first determine the highly-qualified status of instructors and how many ELL students are being serviced. In addition, the ELL teacher would need to ascertain how the services are being provided. Some probing questions that may assist in this endeavor are:
My school district also outlines many other instructional requirements that are not founded in law but in best practices identified by school leaders. I am required to teach adopted remediation programs, use locally adopted instructional resources and apply mandated strategies. Our most recent initiative is the