Upon registration, every student has a Home Language Survey completed on their behalf. This survey consists of 4 questions designed to collect data on the student's early language experience. When a language other than English is listed as a response to any of these questions, the ESOL teacher is prompted to screen the student. Depending on the outcome of the screener, or information supplied from a previous school district, the student may be identified as a Multilingual Learner (ML). MLs must take the ACCESS for ELLs each spring to measure language proficiency.  

The U.S. Department of Education defines newcomers as "any foreign-born students and their families who have recently arrived in the United States." They require more extensive support in order reach their academic goals, while integrating into a new cultural society and navigating a school system where the language and processes may be differnt than what they are familiar with. Many school districts consider MLs newcomers if they have received instruction in the U.S. for less than 2 years, though it varies by state and district.

The SC Department of Education sets the criteria for multilingual learners to exit the ESOL program. Currently, MLs must earn:

• overall proficiency score of 4.4 , and

• 4.0 in listening

• 4.0 in speaking

• 4.0 in reading

• 4.0 in writing. 

When MLs meet the exit criteria, they are monitored for 4 years to ensure they were not prematurely exited from the ESOL program. During this monitoring phase, students may continue to recieve some supports and accommodations. Monitored students who continue to require support may potentially re-enter the ESOL program, if supported by evidence of language concerns.  

The South Carolina Department of Education ESOL Guiding Principles state that an Individualized Language Acquisition Plan (ILAP) is a legally binding document that provides information about an ML and the support they must receive in order to have "meaningful and equal access to the curriuculm." The ILAP provides guidance on best practices and allowable accommodations for MLs. Every ML with an English Proficiency between 1.0 and 6.0 must have an ILAP, even if the student does not require accommodations. ILAPs must be signed by each teacher providing instruction to MLs.

Allowable accommodations will vary from extensive to minimal, based on MLs' English Proficiency. Accommodations may be provided for tasks, activities, instruction, and assessments while needed in order for the student to access the curriculum. As the ML's English fluency increases, accommodations are slowly removed. You can view a list of SC allowable Accommodations and Best Practices here. 

WIDA is a U.S. based consortium made up of 42 states and housed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. WIDA drives the research around mulitlingual leaners and "is dedicated to the research, design and implementation of a high-quality, culturally and linguistically appropriate system to support English language learners in K-12 contexts."  

The WIDA Can Do Descriptors help educators differentiate instruction and assessments to meet the needs of MLs in their classrooms. The WIDA Can Do Philosophy highlights the belief that ALL students bring cultural, linguistic, and experiential assets to the learning environmet. These Can Do documents describe what each ML can do with language at eache level of English proficiency.  

MLs will enter your class with varying levels of English fluency and varying needs that must be met to obtain equitable access to the curriculum. Some of the best ways to support your MLs, though, ring true regardless of the varying levels of language proficiency:

1. Establish a welcoming environment for your MLs!

2. Learn to pronounce your MLs' names correctly.

3. Learn about your ML and their background.

4. Establish a collaborative relationship with the ESOL teacher at your school.

5. Understand your MLs' level of English proficiency. (Review the expectations based on Can Do descriptors for their level of proficiency.)

6. Review and understand your MLs' ILAP and accommodations. (Communicate with your school's ESOL teacher if you have questions.)

7. Incorporate best practices and provide the required accommodations during instruction as well as assessments. Below are a few quick best practices, but you can see the full list of best practices and accommodations here.

   1. Use visuals and gestures.

   2. Pre-teach key vocabulary.

   3. Chunk assignments into manageable tasks.

   4. Communicate with the ESOL teacher in your building if the accommodations are not supporting your ML adequately. 

8. And, in case it wasn't obvious already...communicate with the ESOL teacher at your school! They can provide you with support on differentiating, scaffolding, and designing instruction that makes the curriculum accessible to your MLs.