English Learners: State Compliance Issues

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English Learners State Compliance Issues

• Tough Questions and the Correct Answers

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Overview

• State and Federal law requires specific actions
  to occur for students identified as English
  Learners.
• The chief piece of legislation regarding English
  Learners in California is Proposition 227 which
  was approved by voters in 1997.

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Intention

• Proposition 227 legislates that
• Local District is to determine Reasonable
  English Fluency
• Children are to be taught English As rapidly
  and effectively as possible.
• English learners shall be educated through
  sheltered English immersionnot normally intended
  to exceed one year.

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State/Federal Requirements

• Some Major compliance factors
• Teacher credentialing
• Home Language Surveys
• Initial Identification
• Instructional Methodologies
• Data-driven Program delivery

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EL Compliance Quiz

• How much do you know?

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Question 1

• An English Learner is identified during the first
  two weeks of a semester by teacher referral to
  the site resource teacher.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. Law requires the administration of a
  Home Language Survey for EVERY new enrollee.
  An answer other than English on the first three
  of the four questions triggers follow-up
  assessment of the student using the CELDT test.

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Question 2

• If a high school does not have many staff members
  with appropriate certification to teach English
  Learners, then a waiver is available from the
  CDE.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. If you have identified English Learners
  in your classroom, then you must have some type
  of English Learner certification, including LDS,
  CLAD, BCLAD, or SB 1969.

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Question 3

• There are eight possible language proficiency
  related classifications for students.
• True or False?

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Answer

• True. They are
• English Only (EO)
• Fluent English Proficient (FEP) (I-FEP)
• Beginning
• Early Intermediate
• Intermediate
• Early Advanced
• Advanced
• Reclassified Fluent English Proficient (R-FEP)

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Question 4

• Central Unified currently uses the SAT-9 as the
  annual measurement of English Learner students
  annual progress in mastering English.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. CUSD and other California districts are
  required to use the CELDT (California English
  Language Development Test) to identify initial
  stage of language acquisition and annual progress
  in speaking, listening, reading and writing.
  SAT-9, Benchmarks, and other measurements are
  used as local tools for monitoring students
  academic progress.

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Question 5

• Each identified English Learner in the school
  must receive ELD, regardless of their level.
• True or False?

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Answer

• True. Even Early Advanced or Advanced students
  enrolled in SDAIE content courses must receive
  designated ELD instruction.

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Question 6

• In order to reclassify an English Learner, all
  California Department of Education criteria must
  be met.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. Reclassification criteria is set locally.
  Current CUSD high school policy requires
• Overall CELDT score of Early Advanced or Advanced
  
• AND
• 36ile or above on previous administration of
  SAT-9 (Total Reading or Total Language)
• AND
• LA Benchmark with 75 or above OR Academic GPA
• of 2.0 or above for 2 consecutive semesters
  (within
• CUSD)
• OR Passing HSEE CELDT score of EA or Advanced
• Parent Opinion and Consultation

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Question 7

• Bilingual Education is illegal in California.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. There are instances when bilingual
  education can occur. A parent does have the
  right to request a waiver from the District EL
  program and, if 20 waivers have been granted by
  the district at a grade level at a school, a
  bilingual class can be formed.

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Question 8

• English Language Development classes are most
  similar to foreign language classes.
• True or False?

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Answer

• True. Often, ELD is looked upon as an area of
  Language Arts. Rather, you are teaching
  non-English speakers how to speak English, while
  using English as the medium of instruction. ELD
  Standards are pathways into the English/Language
  Arts Standards, but ELD has its own distinct
  standards.

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Question 9

• A district-adopted curriculum does not exist for
  English Language Development classes.
• True or False?

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Answer

• False. The district adopted ELD curriculum
  (9-12) includes
• Fast Track Reading
• Oxford Picture Dictionary Program
• McDougal Littell Bridges to Literature Reading
  Series
• Longman Ready to Write Series

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Question 10

• The goal of SDAIE designated courses is to
  provide modified grade-level instruction.
• True or False?

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Answer

• True. SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic
  Instruction in English) courses should differ
  from mainstream classes only in the methodology
  used to TEACH the content. CHS SDAIE courses
  have been approved by the University of
  California as fulfilling A-G college preparatory
  requirements.

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Question 11

• An English Learner with less than reasonable
  fluency should be placed in SDAIE courses so
  that they can have access to grade-level
  curriculum.
• True or False?

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Answer

• FALSE. The CUSD EL Program design places
  students with less than reasonable fluency in
  Structured English Immersion classes (as mandated
  by Prop. 227). In SEI, students are taught
  English and core curriculum at their language
  ability level.

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Question 12

• CUSD defines less than reasonable fluency as
  student performance at the Beginning or Early
  Intermediate levels.
• True or False?

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Answer

• TRUE. Beginning and Early Intermediate students
  are placed in Structured English Immersion
  classes known as Accelerated English Language
  Development (AELD).
• Students with REASONABLE FLUENCY (Int., EA,
  Advanced) should be in SDAIE courses learning
  grade-level core curriculum.

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Extra Credit

• Identify three ways that CELDT data can be used
  for English learners.

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Possible Answers

• Initial identification as an English learner
• Appropriate placement in classes (ELD, SDAIE,
  Mainstream)
• Classroom grouping
• Measurement of student growth
• Exit from EL program
• Instructional methodologies

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