Notification of Services

Continuation of Services

All identified English Learners despite program placement take the annual English Language Proficiency assessment. Citation is ESEA as amended by NCLB - ESEA as amended by ESSA implementation year 2017-18

Districts are required to notify parents of their student’s identification and placement in a language instructional program (ELD program) within the timelines listed below:

  • Not later than 30 days after the beginning of the school year for ELs participating in an ESL program or identified at the beginning of the school year.
  • Within two weeks if the student enrolls after the school year has begun.

All notifications must be in an understandable and uniform format, and to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand. Notification letters must be dated and signed by district or school personnel.


Option to Waive Services

Parents can choose to remove their children from an EL program. This decision must be an independent decision of the parent/guardian. Districts are required to provide parents with student English proficiency level and describe what educational supports the student is eligible to receive. When a parent declines participation, the district retains a responsibility to ensure the student has an equal opportunity to have his or her English language and academic needs met. Districts can meet this obligation in a variety of ways (e.g., adequate training to classroom teachers on second language acquisition; monitoring the educational progress of the student). http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/qa-ell.html

*Students not served by district programs are required to participate in all state-required assessments, including LAS Links, and are counted in the district’s accountability requirements.

Exit Criteria and Protocol

In order for students to exit English Learner status and no longer receive English language support, the students must reach the state mandated exit requirements. All identified English Learners grades K-12 must obtain an overall level of 4 or 5, AND a reading score of 4 or higher, AND a writing score 4 or higher on the LAS Links to exit services. Source: https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/English-Learners/EL_exit_criteria.pdf?la=en