What is ELL? The English Language Learner (ELL) program supports students who come from homes where one or more languages are spoken and who are not meeting grade level criteria in core academic areas. The ELL teacher helps students to become proficient in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing through the integration of balanced literacy strategies.
How are ELL students identified? Students are identified for screening at the time of school registration in the fall and throughout the school year using the W-APT / WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test. It is an English language proficiency "screener" test given to incoming students who may be designated as English language learners. The W-APT measures a child's English proficiency in the areas of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Parents are notified if their child is eligible for ELL services. This test allows the ELL teacher to provide students with ELL services based on their age / grade and test levels.
The WIDA Test This test is given once a year. Students are exited from the ELL program when they score proficient and when they are at or above grade level in the core academic areas.
What kind of services does the ELL teacher provide? Depending on proficiency level, students receive ELL services in their classroom or in small groups with the ELL teacher. The proficiency levels span from beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of English. The ELL program also includes bilingual tutors who work with the ELL teacher to assist students with classroom work and translation. - The ELL teacher collaborates with the classroom teachers to provide any necessary accommodations and to monitor student progress. - The ELL teacher reinforces classroom academic language skills at the appropriate instructional level. Using balanced literacy strategies, specific areas are targeted in which individual ELL students need help. - The ELL teacher liaisons with ELL parents, students, classroom teachers, and bilingual tutors to facilitate communication about student progress.
What language should I use once my child enters the ELL program? Families are encouraged to use their native languages with their children at home. Communicating in native languages can actually help children acquire English faster. Talking in your native language helps your child to develop a more complex and extensive vocabulary that can be incorporated when learning English at school.
Kindergarten: EL students in Kindergarten work with the EL Teacher or an EL Instructional Assistant either in the room or in a small group with the EL teacher throughout the week. In collaboration with the kindergarten teachers, the EL teacher helps reinforce the kindergarten curriculum with work such as building vocabulary, expressing ideas, letters/sounds, word solving, and writing skills.
1st - 5th Grade Beginning and Low Intermediate Students: These students work with the EL teacher in small groups and in their classrooms 3-4 times a week. They are building speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills through balanced literacy methods aligned with their grade level curriculum.
1st - 5th Grade High Intermediate and Advanced Students: These students focus on developing vocabulary, reading comprehension, and writing skills, including identifying the main ideas and supporting details, organization of events, and of course, grammar and spelling. They work with the EL teacher 1-2 times a week during their classroom reading and writing workshop times.
Testing - The WIDA English Language Proficiency Test When potential ELL students enter Thurston, they are assessed with the WIDA screening test to help determine which students are eligible for ELL services. ELL students are also identified by grade level reading and writing scores. The full WIDA test is given to all ELL students in March, with results sent home to families in the summer.
The M-STEP Test (Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress) This test is administered in the spring to all 3rd - 5th grade students who have been in the country for at least 1 school year. It is designed to measure student growth on content learned in the current school year. English language arts (reading and writing) and mathematics will be assessed in grades 3-8. Science and social studies are assessed in grades 5 and 8. -ELL students who have been in the the USA schools for less than 1 year are not required to take the English Language Arts sections of the test.
The NWEA (MAP) Test This is an interim district test in reading and math that is given three times a year to all K-5 elementary students. It helps teachers to assess students' understanding and to guide instructional goals.
Ways to Help Your Child at Home -Read books with your child at your child's reading level and ask questions about the book. Who are the main characters? Where does the book take place? What are the main ideas or problems? What did you learn? Can you connect this to your life in some way? Have your children identify words that they know and try to read the ones they don't know using letter sound strategies. -Sometimes EL students might have difficulty doing all of their classroom homework. It is okay to tell your child's teacher that some things are too hard or take too long. Your child's teacher can work with you to adjust homework to fit your child's needs. Do have your child attempt to do the homework that your child can do in a reasonable amount of time. If time spent on an assignment exceeds 30 minutes, make a note of it and contact your child's teacher for support. -Encourage your child to play with English-speaking friends or to join a club where English can be used in a fun activity.