Georgia Department of Education ESOL / Title III Resource Guide 2015-2016 Cori Alston, Program Manager Dr. Meg Baker, Program Specialist – North Region Amy Lacher, Program Specialist – Mid Region & Consortium Budget Manager Tammie Smith, Program Specialist – South Region Table of Contents General Information ......................................................................................................................4 Preface..............................................................................................................................................4 ESOL Frequently Asked Questions .................................................................................................5 Federal Law and English Learners (ELs) .................................................................................11 Office for Civil Rights Laws..........................................................................................................11 Other Federal Laws ........................................................................................................................12 Court Rulings .................................................................................................................................13 State of Georgia Rules .................................................................................................................14 State Board Education Rule 160-4-5-.02 ...................................................................................... 14 ESOL Class Size Allowances ........................................................................................................18 Minimum Time Requirements for ESOL FTE Segments..............................................................18 Approved ESOL Delivery Models for FTE ...................................................................................19 Proposing an Innovative Delivery Model ......................................................................................20 Identification and Placement of English Learners ...................................................................21 Eligibility Screening ......................................................................................................................22 Eligibility Flowcharts.....................................................................................................................26 District Responsibilities Following EL Identification ...................................................................29 Parent Waiver of Direct Language Assistance Services ................................................................29 Creating a Welcoming Environment .............................................................................................30 Program of Service and Considerations for Placement of ELs ......................................................30 Developing the English Learner’s Schedule ..................................................................................31 Monitoring Academic Progress of ELs..........................................................................................32 Collection of Data for Monitoring Student Success ......................................................................33 Assessment and Accommodations ..............................................................................................34 Exiting ESOL Services ................................................................................................................35 Exit Criteria ....................................................................................................................................35 Language Assessment Conference (LAC) .................................................................................... 37 Exit Flowcharts ..............................................................................................................................39 Post-exit Monitoring ......................................................................................................................41 Data Reporting for Exited ELs ......................................................................................................43 Beyond ESOL: Additional Services for ELs .............................................................................44 Overview ........................................................................................................................................44 Response to Intervention & GA’s Student Achievement Pyramid of Interventions .....................44 ELs with Disabilities ......................................................................................................................45 Georgia Department of Education Richard Woods, Georgia’s School Superintendent July 14, 2015 Page 2 of 64 All Rights Reserved How do ELs and Students with Disabilities Differ? ..................................................................... 47 ELs and Gifted Education ..............................................................................................................49 WIDA Consortium .......................................................................................................................51 About the Consortium ....................................................................................................................51 Assessments and Screening Instruments .......................................................................................51 ACCESS for ELLs Alternate ACCESS for ELLs W-APT MODEL WIDA English Language Proficiency Level Performance Definitions .........................................52 WIDA English Language Development Standards .......................................................................53 Model Performance Indicators .......................................................................................................53 CAN DO Descriptors .....................................................................................................................53 ESOL Teacher Certification and Preparation ..........................................................................54 ESOL Standards and Course Offerings ....................................................................................55 Standards ........................................................................................................................................55 Elementary Courses .......................................................................................................................55 Secondary Courses .........................................................................................................................55 Middle School High School Language Acquisition ESOL English Language Arts ESOL I-IV Sheltered Content Program Evaluation and Monitoring ........................................................................................60 Title III Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) ................................................ 60 Title III Monitoring ........................................................................................................................62 Quick Reference ESOL Information and Resources ................................................................63 Georgia Department of Education Richard Woods, Georgia’s School Superintendent July 14, 2015 Page 3 of 64 All Rights Reserved General Information Preface As diversity in the state population of Georgia has increased, school personnel at the Local Education Agencies (LEAs) have requested more detailed information regarding district responsibilities to English Learners (ELs). The ESOL Program Resource Guide provides assistance with program management and with the effective instruction of ELs. The goal of the ESOL Program Resource Guide is to present an organized, fluid and clearly written document that facilitates the communication between the Georgia Department of Education’s ESOL Program and LEAs. The Resource Guide is a living document and the dates of revised editions are included in the footers of posted documents. It is the suggestion of the Title III & ESOL team that interested parties maintain accessibility to the ESOL Resource Guide in its electronic format to benefit from revisions and from the internet links that are included for reference. The responsibility for the ELs’ whole education, both in language and academic content, is shared by regular classroom teachers and English language assistance teachers alike. English language assistance professionals may include ESOL teachers as well as other instructional staff who provide services to ELs. Classroom teachers, ESOL teachers and other support staff should plan jointly to determine instructional accommodations needed to make language and content as comprehensible as possible throughout the whole school day for ELs. As a result, all teachers function as language teachers when ELs are enrolled in their classes. While English is designated as the official language of the state of Georgia, and the state assessments are in English, our responsibility is to successfully prepare ELs to access all available postsecondary options. This objective requires that instructional approaches be flexible to accommodate the needs of a very diverse student and parent population. The goal is to ensure that EL students succeed both socially and academically. It is essential that they understand the American culture and how to function