English Language Learners

ENGLISH LEARNERS

The goals of the Selinsgrove Area School District English Language Development (ELD) program are to provide English Learners (EL) with the support they need to access the curriculum and achieve state content standards while they are learning English.

 

To reach these goals, each EL will be provided ELD services to meet their individual need.  Individual needs vary based on factors such as, English language proficiency level as determined by English proficiency screening test (WIDA screener); literacy and proficiency levels in first language, and prior academic strengths and experiences.

 

In general, students with less English proficiency require and receive more support than those who have attained higher English proficiency. Entering and Emerging students receive daily pull-out ELD instruction in addition to content-based English-only instruction. Developing and Expanding students may be seen daily, or less frequently as appropriate, based on individual need. Bridging and Reaching students will be monitored for up to four years upon meeting the required exit criteria as set forth by the PA Department of Education.

 

All EL students are systematically monitored with multiple measures.  Progress is monitored through an ESL report card system completed at the end of each marking period by the classroom / subject teacher and the ESL teacher.  Grades are monitored to ensure the students’ assessments, assignments, and classroom work is appropriate for student success.

 

Active ELs take the WIDA ACCESS 2.0 test (as mandated by PA to measure English fluency) and required state assessments. Progress is also monitored at the district level via local assessments and grade specific benchmarking.

 

 

RECLASSIFICATION

Reclassification of current ELs to former EL occurs annually between June and September.  The criteria for exiting ELD are:

  • For kindergarten students—overall composite proficiency level score of 5.0 on an ACCESS for ELs Kindergarten assessment (accountability score).
  • For grades 1-12 students—overall composite proficiency level score of 5.0 on an ACCESS 2.0 Grades 1-12 assessment.

 

Additional Exit Criteria

  1. Recommendation from an ESL teacher who has taught the student during the school year

OR

2.  Recommendations from at least two (2) core content area teachers who have taught the student during the school year and who have a functional knowledge of the WIDA performance definitions and ELD standards.

OR

3. Writing sample that demonstrates proficiency at the Expanding level and speaking at the Bridging level as measured using the WIDA writing and speaking rubrics scored by an ESL teacher.

 

Once students obtain sufficient proficiency in English to exit the ELD program, they are monitored for up to four years using the PDE post-exit monitoring system. Teacher observation, classroom assessments, report cards, and standardized assessments are all taken into consideration as dictated by the PA Department of Education.