What is the Multilingual Learner Program?

Darlington County School District's ML Program is designed to provide equal educational opportunities to students who have a primary or home language other than English and who are considered to be Multilingual Learners (MLs). The primary focus of the program is to provide an English-rich learning environment so those students will become proficient in English as soon as possible.  The ML program addresses listening, speaking, reading, writing, content vocabulary, cultural awareness, and study skills through clearly articulated objectives.  Instruction is delivered by ML specialists who are experts in second language acquisition and content knowledge.

How are ML students identified?

Upon enrollment, a home language survey is to be completed by the student, parent, or guardian to determine if there is an influence of a language other than English is in the home.  If any response on the survey indicates the use of a language other than English by the student or an individual in the home, then a state-approved language assessment/screener will be conducted by the ML specialist to determine language dominance and proficiency levels.

The presence of a language other than English does NOT automatically signify that the student is not a competent and proficient speaker of English.  Some students may actually prove to be bilingual after consultation with the parents/guardians while others might have a parent/guardian who speaks another language while the student speaks only English.  It is important to use the Home Language Survey as a springboard for further investigation with the student, parents, and/or guardians of anyone who has an answer other than English on the survey even before an English placement test is administered. 

Multilingual  Teachers