What am I Responsible For?

I came across this a blog post from a colleague (who has a great blog that can be found here) and thought I would pass along the information since it is concise and helpful for mainstream classroom teachers. Often, mainstream teachers wonder what role they may play in the education of their ESL students and exactly what they are accountable for. Here are a few of the responsibilities of the mainstream teacher:

1. Be sure that the student has been identified as an English Language Learner (ELL) and is receiving services. This process is normally begun via the Home Language Survey (HLS), but if you have a student that you suspect is an ELL, you should be sure that they have been identified as such and are receiving services.
2. Teach Annual Measurable Achievement Outcomes (AMAOs). These are language development and proficiency goals that are mandated by Title III of NCLB. 
3. Implement necessary accommodations. Typically, an ESL student will have a Program Services Plan (PSP) that will inform you of the accommodations they qualify for. You are required to provide these accommodations throughout the school year.
4. Communicate with parents/caregivers in a language they understand. This may mean you utilize an interpreter or translation services. 

Developing an ESL Program

To go along with the post I did on Thursday about developing an ESL program, here is a resource that walks you through each step I described and allows you room to jot down ideas, notes, and rationales. I hope this is helpful to you as you seek to ensure that your school complies with federal laws concerning  instruction of our English Language Learners. Remember that this is important because your school's federal money depends on your compliance with all federal laws.

You can find the document here.

Developing an English Language Program and the Classroom Teacher's Role

Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) mandates that every local school district provide its English Learners with instruction in English language development while also being held to the same educational standards and outcomes as their English fluent peers. Development of aforementioned program is mostly left to state education agencies (SEA). There are eight basic steps for developing an English Language program:

1. Educational Approach- The district must select a sound educational approach for providing English language development and meaningful participation in content
2. Identification- The district is responsible for identifying all students potentially needing EL/LEP services. (Administer Home Language Survey to ALL students enrolling in your district)
3. Assessment- The district is responsible for assessing each identified potential EL /LEP student for English proficiency. (Administer W-APT)
4. Placement into English Language (EL)/Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Program Services- The district is responsible for providing its EL/LEP students with a program of services consistent with its chosen educational approach.
5. Staffing and Resources- The district is obligated to provide the necessary resources and staffing to implement the educational approach selected.
6. Transition from EL/LEP Services- The district is responsible for implementing state criteria for exiting an EL/LEP student from the EL/LEP program into regular program participation.
7. Monitoring- The district will ensure that students transitioned from the EL/LEP program will meaningfully participate in the education program. (Students are monitored for two years after being Redesignated Fully English Proficient (RFEP).
8. Program Evaluation- The district will develop evaluation procedures to periodically evaluate and revise its EL /LEP program.

So as a classroom teacher, what is your role in each of these steps? Let's take a quick look at that:

1. Educational Approach- Speak up in a diplomatic way based on your knowledge of English Language Development and the unique needs of your school setting
2. Identification- Identify students who may not have been previously identified if you think they might be eligible for English Language services
3. Assessment- Encourage your eligible students to be available for testing
4. Placement into EL/LEP Program Services- Make sure that the services that your ESL students are receiving are consistent with the educational approach chosen
5. Staffing and Resources- Make your staffing and resources known to your department chair and/or administration
6. Transition from EL/LEP Services- Provide your input on whether or not the student is ready to transition out of the program
7. Monitoring- Continue to make observations as to whether or not the student is able to participate in the mainstream program
8. Program Evaluation- Provide an informed opinion on the program

Source: Kentucky Department of Education

Home Language Survey

What is a Home Language Survey (HLS)?

A Home Language Survey is a survey given to all students who enroll in a school system. It is one of the first screening processes to identify students as English Language Learners.

What questions are on the Home Language Survey?

Kentucky requires that, at a minimum, the following questions be included on the HLS:

1. What is the language most frequently spoken at home?
2. Which language did your child first learn when he/she first began to talk?
3. What language does your child most frequently speak at home?
4. What language do you most frequently speak to your child?

If the answer to any of these questions is a language other than English, the student is given an English proficiency test to determine if they qualify for English language development services.

Source: Kentucky Department of Education

Parental Obligations and Involvement Document

This is a link to a document from the U.S. Department of Education that explains the parental involvement responsibilities of the state and local education agencies as well as the school. It also includes ideas for strengthening parental involvement. It is a little lengthly (30 pages plus appendices), but it is a very thorough and accurate view of the school's responsibilities to parents. The document is also in an easy to follow Q&A format, so you can look quickly and easily for answers to specific questions. I hope this will be a helpful resource to you as you seek to comply with federal and state laws and regulations.

Responsibilities of an ESL Teacher

It is likely that you have an ESL teacher in your building, and if you have any ESL students in your classroom, hopefully you have partnered with the ESL teacher many times and understand his/her responsibilities to some extent. If not, here is a quick summary of what a typical ESL teacher knows and does:
The ESL teacher is responsible to:

• Know current laws and regulations regarding ESL students and make sure they are being followed/implemented in their school
• Educate all stakeholders regarding current laws and regulations
• Build the ESL program by training teachers, developing appropriate communication with all stakeholders, and advocating for students in the school and community
• Have knowledge of ESL approaches, methods, and strategies, as well as cultures of students and knowledge of the community in which they live 

Rights of Parents

Federal law is very clear when it comes to the rights that the parents of our ESL students have. They are as follows:
Parents must be informed:

• When a child has been identified as qualifying for support services
• Reasons for identification
• Level of English language development
• How the instructional program will help with English language development
• How methods of instructional program differ from mainstream instruction
• How exit from the program will be determined

Again, it's important that as mainstream teachers, we know these laws because we are held accountable for their enforcement. As educational professionals, it is our responsibility to our ESL students to know their rights and make sure they are being followed. For more information on what laws apply to ESL students, check out this very simple and straightforward policy guide. You can find it here.

Landmark Cases for ESL Education

Several court cases have served as the foundation for the laws and regulations guiding the education of English language learners in our country. Below are three of the most important along with a brief description of how they affected schooling. It's important to be familiar with these cases because from them spring the regulations and requirements that school districts must comply with in order to receive federal funding. That is why it is so important to understand what is legally required of your school in regards to the education of all students, but in this particular format, English Language Learners.

Keyes v. Denver (1973)- U.S. Supreme Court declared that schools must desegregate; meant that English learners could not be segregated from the English speaking peers

Lau v. Nichols (1974)- U.S. Supreme Court ruled that school districts must take the steps needed to provide English learners with an instructional program in which they can be given equal access to an education

Castaneda v. Pickard (1978)- U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled that districts must establish a three-prong test for ensuring that their educational program for English learners is consistent with a student's right to an education. The three prongs require that the instructional program be:

1. based on sound educational research
2. implemented with adequate commitment and resources
3. evaluated and proven to be effective

How Does a Student Become an ESL Student?

You may be wondering how a student goes from registration to receiving ESL services. Here is a summary:

1. When a student registers for school in a given district, they are given a Home Language Survey. 
2. If the student indicates a primary language other than English, an English Language Proficiency test is administered. More information about one example- the WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT) can be found here. Tests like this aid in making placement decisions. Students are tested in each of the four language domains--reading, writing, listening, and speaking-- and given a score of 1-6. These results are used in conjunction with other criteria, such as teacher judgment, parent request, interviews, writing samples, etc, to determine placement.
3. If it becomes evident that the student is eligible for support services, the parents/caregivers are notified and placement is given. 
4. A Program Services Plan (PSP) is developed by a committee (ESL teacher, mainstream teacher, counselor, parent, student) and includes English proficiency levels, placement, accommodations, and background information.