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The Director of Student Services shall be responsible for taking a count of limited-English proficient students in the
District that shall be completed on or before March 1st of each school year. The District will also assess the
language proficiency of such students and classify them by language group, grade level, age, and English
language proficiency. The annual assessment will measure student's oral language, reading and writing skills in
English.
The District shall submit the report of ELL students to the Department of Public Instruction as required by law.
Assessing English Proficiency
Every family who registers for the first time to attend the District will be asked to identify the primary language
spoken in their home by the parents and by the child.
ELL students shall be assessed to determine their English language proficiency using a Department of Public
Instruction-approved English proficiency assessment instrument.
ELL students assessed shall be classified according to their English proficiency level as outlined in State rules.
When required, the District will provide programs for English language learners (ELL)/limited-English proficient
(LEP) students so they may become proficient in English while achieving academically.
Parental Notification and Consent
If a student is identified and assessed as ELL and determined to be eligible for services, the District will send
written notice to the student's parent. If the District uses Federal funds to provide language instruction for ELL students, the District will send written notice within thirty (30) days of the start of the school year or within two (2)
weeks of assessment (if the student is not identified prior to the beginning of the school year). The notice will
include the information required by law.
No student will receive ELL services without having received written permission from the student's parents. The
notice to parent(s) shall be in their native language. Additionally, the student's parent(s) will be given the
opportunity to participate and provide input into the student's program and will be regularly informed of the student's
progress. Finally, the student's parent(s) shall be given the opportunity to participate in the determination that their
student has the language skills necessary to compete with mainstream English language speakers, as identified
below, and the student may exit the program.
ELL student's English proficiency assessment records shall be maintained by the District in accordance with State
and Federal laws and District student records policies and procedures.
Assessing Academic Achievement
An ELL student may not be exempted from academic assessments based on their ELL status. The District shall
administer State-required tests to ELL students unless a determination has been made that an individual student's
results on the test, with allowable accommodations made for the student as needed, will not be a valid and reliable
indicator of the student's academic knowledge and skills.
If an ELL student is exempted from taking a State-required test, the student shall be administered a DPI-approved
alternative assessment. All ELL students' assessment results, as well as a student's alternative assessment
results, shall be communicated to the student's parent(s) and to the DPI as required by law.
Exit Procedures
Once a student has been placed in the ELL Program, the student will be provided with programs and services and
will be evaluated on an annual basis until it is determined that the student has the language skills necessary to
compete with mainstream English speakers in age and grade appropriate settings in all areas of language
development without the use of adapted or modified English materials.
ELL students with the language skills necessary to compete will:
A. Understand and speak English in relation to the full range of demands of the classroom and
the academic language needed to succeed;
B. Read, comprehend and write English as evidenced by successful classroom performance and average
District score on standardized achievement tests;
C. Meet or exceed District guidelines in their academic subjects.
The Director of Student Services may also consider reclassification of an ELL student in grade four or above as
fully English proficient by applying the criteria and evidence prescribed by the Department of Public Instruction.
Upon exit from the ELL Program the reclassification/exit decisions will be monitored and reviewed, and documen-
tation maintained, for two (2) years. The documentation will include, at a minimum, grade level, ELP composite
score and two (2) or more pieces of evidence. Evidence that may be used to document that the student has
become fully English proficient include:
A. Writing samples that meet or exceed grade level expectations;
B. Scores of 5.5 or above on the reading section of ACCESS for ELLS®;
C. Scores of proficient or advanced on the WKCE without ELL accommodations in all assessed content areas;
D. Academic achievement at their age appropriate grade level without the use of adapted or modified English
materials.
Re-entry
During the two (2) year monitoring period, if the student is unable to compete with mainstream English speakers in
age and grade appropriate settings in all areas of language development, the student will be allowed to re-enter a
bilingual or ESL program.
The Director of Student Services will be responsible for assuring that parents are involved in each entry, exit
and re-entry decision, that these guidelines are followed and that ELL reclassification/exit and the re-entry
decisions abide by Department of Public Instruction standards.
115.96 Wis. Stats.
U.S.C. Sec. 1111(b)(7)
Approved/Adopted: July 13, 2009
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