Although the district did not have any new registrants during the COVID-19 school closure, any potential English Language Learners (ELLs) who register during the summer of 2020, will be tested prior to the opening of the 2020-2021 school year, so that they may be appropriately placed within state identified levels of ELL instruction. Testing for these students will take place in the last two weeks of August in preparation for the start of the school year. Pursuant to Part 154 of the Commissioner's Regulations, all identified ELLs henceforth, will be tested and placed in their appropriate courses within the required ten day time frame starting in September. Therefore, the 20 day grace period flexibility will not be utilized. All potential ELLs who register during summer months, and those who may register during the 2020-2021 school year, will be tested in person according to the safety guidelines provided by the CDC and DOH.

All ELLs will receive the required instructional units of study in stand-alone and co-taught courses as mandated by Part 154.2 guidelines. The required instructional units for each student will be determined by the 2019 New York State English as a Second Language Achievement Test (NYSESLAT) scores, as well as any current New York State Identification Test for English Language Learners (NYSITELL) scores for those who did not take the NYSESLAT exam in the spring of 2019. These units of study will be provided through Google Suite and live instruction. Students will use programs such as Rosetta Stone, Screencastify, Nearpod, and other technological platforms which aid in language and content area development. Program teacher assistants (TA) will be assigned to monitor progress for students in mainstream courses when the English as a New Language (ENL) teacher is not present in that course. The TA will act as a liaison between the ENL teacher, the ELL student and the mainstream teacher so as to establish ongoing communication and support for the ELL. The district is committed to serving our ELL population. Therefore, students who wish to receive extra support services during the school day, schedule permitting, will be given an additional period of support stand alone ENL. In addition, students who would like to receive extra support, but who do not have the required schedule flexibility will be invited to participate in an after school program, called Homework Club, which is specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the varied ELL population.

Communication with ELLs and their families will take place on a continual basis. All ELL students and their families will receive literature in their native language made possible by Propio Language Services and document translation when an in-district translator cannot be utilized. Phone calls and general communication will be achieved through district-approved translation softwares and services. Local BOCES resources will also be used to ensure that ongoing communication with ELL families is maintained. Required parent outreach programs, such as Parent Orientation, ENL Parent Night, and any parent educational programs, such as highlighted in The Commissioner's Regulations Part 154, will continue to take place and will be adapted to reflect the appropriate reopening model and will include up-to-date information regarding the reopening of schools. When on-going communication has not been established, or when parents do not have the technological advantage to continually maintain contact, parents can opt-in to receive one-to-one, in person contact.