Who is an English Learner?
Here's the process:
First...
When any student enrolls in Burlington School District, the parent or guardian is asked to fill out a Home Language Survey. On this survey, linked below, parents/guardians are asked about the language influences in the home.
From the State of Vermont Agency of Education:
From the State of Vermont Agency of Education:
- The State of Vermont requires that all schools administer the Primary/Home Language Survey to all students entering Vermont elementary or secondary schools (public or public/private academies) for the first time in order to identify those who are potentially eligible for programs/services. Depending on survey and interview responses, students from linguistically diverse backgrounds may be screened to assess their level of English language proficiency for academic purposes. If the test shows the student needs support, the student is then an English Learner.
Then... screening
Once the home language survey determines the student could be eligible, the student is given the MODEL screener.
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, requires that states test English Learners from kindergarten to age 22 annually to track growth. The assessment also provides a benchmark for program accountability.
To meet these requirements, Vermont in 2004 joined WIDA Consortium, a group of now 39 states that share standards, assessments, research and professional learning.
WIDA provides the WIDA MODEL (for kindergarten) and WIDA Screener Online, which determine program eligibility, as well as ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, an annual assessment used to monitor growth and provide a vehicle for students to exit the program. Both assessments test a student's ability to perform across the curriculum in listening, speaking, writing and reading.
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, requires that states test English Learners from kindergarten to age 22 annually to track growth. The assessment also provides a benchmark for program accountability.
To meet these requirements, Vermont in 2004 joined WIDA Consortium, a group of now 39 states that share standards, assessments, research and professional learning.
WIDA provides the WIDA MODEL (for kindergarten) and WIDA Screener Online, which determine program eligibility, as well as ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, an annual assessment used to monitor growth and provide a vehicle for students to exit the program. Both assessments test a student's ability to perform across the curriculum in listening, speaking, writing and reading.
Finally, placement. |
If the student qualifies for service, the district has created procedures to place students in the appropriate learning environment as quickly as possible.
Our district currently has a self-contained program (English Learners Studying Toward English Proficiency, or STEP) for elementary students new to the United States, housed at the Integrated Arts Academy at H.O. Wheeler Elementary School. The program is voluntary for students who score at the beginning level of proficiency and have been in the country a limited amount of time. Other students eligible for the program could receive push-in, pull-out or co-teaching services. New arrivals also have special classes at the middle and high school levels, in which teachers try to meet students where they are. Class offerings change based on demand. But meeting students where they are sometimes can mean starting with basic literacy and math when students have experienced interrupted schooling. |