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    WASHINGTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ENGLISH LEARNER PROGRAM

    Mrs. Laura Vinyard, Principal                                   Mrs. Kirsten Jackson, ELD Specialist

    Mrs. Debbie Farmer, Curriculum Specialist     Community Liaisons: Ms. Adriana Chavez & Mrs. Kaline Albarian                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

    The Home Language Survey

    California requires parents to complete a Home Language Survey when enrolling their children in California schools. The purpose of the Home Language Survey is to determine whether or not a student needs to be assessed for English proficiency.

    There are four questions listed on the Home Language Survey:

    1. What language did this student learn when first beginning to talk?
    2. What language do you use most frequently to speak to this student?
    3. What language does this student most frequently use at home?
    4. What language do adults speak at home most often?

    If a language other than English is listed on lines 1, 2, or 3 and this is the first time the child is enrolling in a California public school, the student will be assessed for English proficiency on the Initial English Language Proficiency Assessments for California (IELPAC) as required by the state of California. If a child was enrolled in another California public school, we will contact the prior school to determine the previous language designation results.

    How Students Are Identified as English Learners

    Following the administration of the IELPAC, there are two possible outcomes:

    • Your child scores proficient:
    • You receive notification of his/her status as Initial Fluent English Proficient (IFEP).
      • Your child will not be in the ELD program and will not receive ELD instruction.
    • Your child scores below proficient overall:
      • You receive notification of his/her status as an English Learner (EL).
      • Your child will be in the ELD program, meaning he/she will receive additional support and language instruction by the classroom teacher or ELD Instructional Assistant until
      • Your child’s classroom teacher will not change based on the results.

     

    *If your child was enrolled at another California public school, we will maintain the language designation from that school.

    *Refer to www.elpac.org for more information 

    ELD Instruction and Support

    English Language Development (ELD) is a structured method of teaching in English that builds vocabulary, comprehension and fluency skills. Classroom teachers and ELD Instructional Assistants work with small groups of students to improve their level of proficiency. ELD is provided 20 minutes per day in Kindergarten and 30 minutes per day in grades 1-5 utilizing the BenchmarkAdvance English Language Arts/English Language Development curriculum along with supplementary resources.

    The regular classroom teacher is responsible for ELD instruction and utilizes a variety of strategies, such as SDAIE (Specially Designed Academic Instruction in English), that enable students to master content skills as they improve their English proficiency. All classroom teachers in BUSD are required to have special training and to practice SDAIE teaching strategies with English learners in their regular education classes.

    The Reclassification Process

    Reclassification is the process whereby an English Learner is reclassified as a Fluent English Proficient (RFEP) student after meeting criteria set by the state and district (California Education Code Section 313[f]). The following criteria is based on the California Department of Education (CDE) guidelines. The criteria need to be met in all 4 areas:

    The Purpose of the English Language Advisory Council (ELAC)

    The purpose of the ELAC is to provide parents of English Learners the opportunity to learn more about the programs offered to their students. The ELAC advises the principal and school staff on programs and services for English Language Learners and advises the School Site Council on the development of the Single School Plan for Student Achievement. Parents are given an opportunity to voice their concerns and have their questions answered at the meetings. In addition, topics of interest, such as reading and math skills, stages of language acquisition, and homework strategies are addressed as well.

     

    For more information or if you have questions, please contact your ELD Specialist, Mrs. Kirsten Jackson via email at

    kirstenjackson@burbankusd.org