CCSD Department of Multilingual Services

The Charleston County School District has a wonderfully diverse population of Multilingual Learners (MLs)! Over 8,000 students from all over the world, representing as many as 80 different languages, are enrolled in 80 CCSD public schools and programs. The DMS has an amazing team of educators who provide services for these students. The students learn the English language by studying not only English, but content areas such as Science, Social Studies, and Math. 

The DMS staff is as talented and diverse as the student population they serve. Our Multilingual Learner Program Specialists (MLPSs) are an asset to our program and prove to be of tremendous assistance to the MLs and their families in the district. This dedicated group of teachers works with children in schools, at home, and even during the summer to ensure that their students' language skills continue to progress and that the lines of communication with parents remain open.

MLP (Multilingual Learner Program) is the term used for the program that identifies and serves the linguistic, academic, social, and cultural needs of Multilingual Learners (MLs)  who enter our schools without having attained English proficiency.  These students are protected by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (and other subsequent legislation and court decisions to be discussed later).  They are entitled to an equal education regardless of their national origin, English proficiency, or immigration status.  

An ML brings diverse cultural identities and new perspectives to strengthen our classrooms and communities. MLs achieve the South Carolina College and Career Readiness Standards while navigating between native and instructional languages. MLs provide the global perspective that is needed by the South Carolina Graduate and emphasize the advantages of bi-/multilingualism to honor students’ identities as strengths rather than deficits. 

The term ML embodies the shared core values of diversity and inclusion, which are integral parts of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The ML Program in Charleston County will continue to grow and reflect these values to increase MLs’ opportunities.

Charleston County School District has experienced significant growth in its Multilingual Learner ML population over the last 15 years, from approximately 1,560 MLs in 2006 to over 8,000 at the beginning of the 2024-2025 school year. Currently, our ML population represents over 80 world languages from countries all over the world. The top five home languages in our district are Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, and Mandarin.

The CCSD ML Program provides students with the opportunity to reach English language proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing as measured on the World Class Instructional Design and Assessment (WIDA) English language proficiency assessment, the Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State-to-State (ACCESS) for English Language Learners.  Additionally, CCSD must also comply with federal requirements under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). One of the performance goals of ESSA requires MLs to become proficient in English while reaching high academic achievement standards in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science. ESSA also requires that MLs participate in annual academic achievement assessments in reading/language arts, mathematics, and science.

CCSD is committed to providing all students equal opportunity to benefit from its educational programs and services. Further, CCSD is committed to supporting research-based, effective programs, practices, training, and accountability so that all MLs can become proficient in English, acquire the state’s academic content, and meet the student achievement standards.

Alongside our fellow colleagues we, believe in the ability of all students to learn. Our vision also aligns with the South Carolina Department of Education that all students will graduate prepared for success in college, careers, and citizenship. Our collective role is to help create a positive learning environment that encourages students' pride in their cultural heritage and provides instructional support that is appropriate for the age and ability level of each student to help them become contributing members of our society. 

Students who are attaining English proficiency present us with special opportunities and challenges. Together, we become those students’ links to understanding, adapting to, and succeeding as productive members of the global community. In agreement with the Office of Federal and State Accountability (OFSA), the MSO office "takes an asset-based approach by referring to English learners (ELs) as multilingual learners (MLs). An ML brings diverse cultural identities and new perspectives to strengthen our classrooms and communities. MLs achieve the South Carolina College and Career Readiness Standards while navigating between native and instructional languages. MLs provide the global perspective that is needed of the South Carolina Graduate and emphasize the advantages of bi-/multilingualism to honor students’ identities as strengths rather than deficits. The term ML embodies the shared core values of diversity and inclusion, which are integral parts of the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate. The Multilingual Learner Program (MLP) in South Carolina will continue to grow and reflect these values to increase MLs’ opportunities. Additional terminology updates can be found in the Multilingual Learner Program Terminology memorandum." (Title III Multilingual Learner and Immigrant Student Program Guiding Principles)

This website will provide an overview of the MLP offered in CCSD, provide guidance on legal requirements for serving MLs, and share ideas with all personnel who assist MLs daily.  

• For content area teachers, our goal is to enable you to best meet Multilingual Learners’ (MLs) needs through appropriate classroom/content instruction, accommodations, and assessments. 

• For administrators, our goal is to clearly identify the procedures that must be followed to remain in compliance with federal law and ESSA mandates.  

• For office staff and other personnel, our goal is to provide a detailed explanation of what must occur during and immediately after enrollment. 

Thank you to all CCSD staff members who work with our district’s MLs to help them feel welcome in a new school and often in a new country. We look forward to working with you to create a productive learning environment in which students find success. With school-based and DMS staff working together, our students will have every opportunity to achieve their potential.

1. Identify all students whose first language acquired, language spoken most often by the student, and/or primary language used in the home is one other than English;

2. Assess the language abilities of identified students;

3. Provide appropriate instruction for MLs; 

4. Support the curriculum and instruction of the regular classroom as appropriate to the developmental stage of the student, in accordance with state and CCSD standards;

5. Provide professional development, with appropriate instructional and assessment strategies to administrative staff, school counselors, content teachers, and any other support staff who work with MLs;

6. Assess the academic progress of students served by the program; 

7. Exit students from the program when their language abilities are educationally appropriate for the mainstream classroom;   

8. Provide follow-up monitoring for students who have exited the program and readmit students who demonstrate a continued need for language support; and

9. Communicate instructional goals and expectations to parents and encourage their participation as viable members of their children’s educational team.