Enrollment

Enrollment Center EL Intake Team

Jeanne Barr, Josh Smith, and Gaoyee Xiong make up our EL Intake Office team at the Enrollment Center. This team receives all the referrals for students who are entering our district and from teachers who have language-related concerns about a student. They are responsible for ensuring students are correctly identified as English Learners and receive appropriate levels of service. They also keep track of information in Synergy and Ellevation, monitor students who have exited, work with teachers to exit students, and can provide many different forms of data or demographic information about EL students in our district. If you need information about a specific student, ask Jeanne or Josh.

They can help with questions about students, referrals, Ellevation, and the Google EL student lists.

English Learner Referral and Intake Process

Who makes a referral for EL assessment?

Enrollment Center Secretaries refer a student to the EL Intake Office at the Enrollment Center when

• Parents indicated a language other than English on the Minnesota Language Survey (MNLS) which is a part of the enrollment packet.

• Parents indicated the student was born outside of the USA, regardless of language.

Teachers may also refer a student to the EL Intake Office if

• Teachers have a concern that students appear to have language gaps in comprehension, speaking, reading, or writing.

• Teachers notice that the family had indicated a language other than English or that the student was born outside of the USA, but the student was not previously referred to the EL Intake Office.

How can teachers make a referral?

• Contact the EL Intake staff at the Enrollment Center if you have questions about a student.

• Complete the Post Enrollment EL Referral, send it to EL Intake at the Enrollment Center (ENR), and keep a copy for the CUM file.

English only, born in the USA students:

In some cases, a family may have failed to indicate a language other than English spoken in the home.  The teacher who is making the referral must:

• Contact the family and complete the MNLS carefully with the parent/guardian

• Fill out a Post Enrollment EL Referral with the language information included, and

• Send a copy of the form to EL Intake at the Enrollment Center (ENR) and keep the original for the CUM.

EL Intake Teachers will schedule a language assessment at the school after the Post Enrollment EL Referral form is received.

Initial Assessment and Identification

Once referred, how are students identified as English Learners?

Students who are transferring from a WIDA consortium state

• EL Intake staff will review records and the previous year's ACCESS scores. If eligible for EL, the student is identified.

Students who are transferring from a non-WIDA consortium state

• EL Intake staff will review records and any available language proficiency data. If necessary, EL Intake staff will schedule a language proficiency assessment (WIDA Screener or WIDA MODEL) at the Enrollment center or at the school.

Students who are enrolling for the first time in the USA

• EL Intake staff schedule an appointment for a language proficiency assessment. This is usually done at the Enrollment Center, but may take place at the school after the student has started attending.

Kindergarten and PreKindergarten Students

• EL Intake staff assess as many Kindergarten and PreKindergarten students at the Enrollment Center as possible before the start of the school year. Remaining students who have been referred take the MODEL or PreLAS at their schools. In these instances, EL Intake teachers or EL teachers from the school administer the assessments.

Communication with Schools

How do I know which students in our building are identified as English Learners?

Ellevation is a database that EL teachers use to access a list of all current English Learners (see below). Once students are identified as English Learners, and they have a school start date in Synergy (the district student information database), they will be uploaded into Ellevation and appear with their EL Status (Direct, Refusal, or Consult) and their English Proficiency assessment data.

How do schools learn about NEW EL students?

As new English Learners are enrolled, EL Intake teachers add their names, proficiency levels, and other important information to a Google List. This list is shared with EL teachers, counselors, registrars, building managers, secretaries, principals, and others at each building. This sheet is used to inform schools about students who have begun the enrollment process and whose EL status has been determined. Since students will not appear in Ellevation until after their actual enrollment begins, this Google list gives schools the information they need to create schedules, assign classrooms, assign EL teachers, and plan for EL instruction.

How can I know what is happening district-wide in the English Learner Program?

Approximately every month, the English Learner program sends out EL Program Updates to all EL department staff. These electronic newsletters are the main form of communication in our department and include information about upcoming staff development, training opportunities, program guidance and procedures, and monthly topics for EL teachers to follow. Also included in each Update are links to the most frequently requested forms and documents that teachers in our department use.

Refusal of EL Service

What if a parent or a student does not want English Learner services?

Parents have the right to opt out of EL services. They must do this in writing using the Refusal of Service form linked here. This form is also available in other languages in Schoology if needed, and a new form needs to be signed for each school year that parents wish to opt out. Students whose parents have refused EL services do not receive direct support from EL teachers, but they are still eligble for other types of support offered at their school. Even though these students do not receive EL service, they are still required to take the ACCESS for ELLs.

At any time, a student or parent may choose to opt back in to EL services, they simply need to contact an EL teacher who would then contact an EL Intake Facilitator at the Enrollment Center.