LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY INSTRUCTION
The Board of Education will provide a program of language instruction to students who have limited English proficiency. Student participation in any language instruction program or instruction in English as a second language is voluntary and requires written parental permission.
Students who meet any one or more of the following criteria shall be identified as being limited in English proficiency:
A student who:
1. Was not born in the United States or whose native language is a language other than English and comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant;
or
2. Is a Native American or Alaskan Native or who is a native resident of the outlying areas and comes from an environment where a language other than English has had a significant impact on the student’s level of English language proficiency;
or
3. Is migratory and whose native language is other than English and comes from an environment where a language other than English is dominant;
and
4. Who has sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language and whose difficulties may deny such individual the opportunity to learn successfully in classrooms where the language of instruction is English or to participate fully in our society.
Tutorial Programs
Students who are certified to receive educational services through the State Migrant Education Department in cooperation with the State Department of Education are offered 30-minute tutorial help during the school day in the areas of reading, math, and language arts. Criteria for eligibility include students who have moved into a district within the last six years from another district or state and whose parents seek either seasonal or temporary employment in agriculture.
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001
If this district receives federal funding for Limited English Proficient (LEP) Programs, the following will be provided:
1. Parents will be notified of their student’s placement in a language program and their options associated with that placement. Notification will include the reasons for identifying the child as LEP and the reasons for placing the child in the specified program.
LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY INSTRUCTION (Cont.)
2. Students will participate in regular assessments in a manner that will yield an accurate assessment. (See also policy EK.) Test waivers may be granted on a case-by-case basis for LEP students who demonstrate unusual and unique circumstances; however, students who have been educated in the United States for three years are required to participate in reading/language arts assessment in English.
3. Certification that teachers in the program are fluent in English as well as other languages used in instruction (if the district receives subgrants).
4. Evaluation of the program and the academic success and language achievement of the students in the program. Parents will be notified of:
A. Their child’s level of English proficiency and how such a level was assessed.
B. The status of their child’s academic achievement.
C. The method of instruction used in the program in which the child is placed, and the methods of instruction used in other available programs.
D. Information as to how the program will meet their child’s educational strengths, assist him/her to learn English, and meet age-appropriate academic achievement standards.
E. Exit requirements for the program.
F. If the child has a disability, a statement as to how the LEP will meet the objectives of the child’s IEP.
Consequences of inadequate yearly progress include notification of parents, development of improvement plans, and restructuring of programs or the district will lose federal funds.
For non-English speaking parents, the district will arrange to provide translations of this information in their native language.
REFERENCE: ESSA Sections 3111-3116
THIS POLICY REQUIRED BY ESSA