In accordance with LVA’s philosophy to provide a quality educational program for all students, LVA provides an appropriately planned and research-based instructional program for identified English learners (ELs) students. The goal of the LVA Regional Charter School’s English Language Development (ELD) Program is to develop English Language Proficiency (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) and Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP) to English learners (ELs) so that they can attain the Pennsylvania state academic standards, have access to the International Baccalaureate curriculum, and can function independently in the mainstream classroom setting.
To enable students who do not use English as their primary language to achieve English proficiency and meet grade-level academic standards established by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
To enable ELs to achieve grade-level use of English in the 4 domains (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) within 6 years of entering the program.
To provide the least restrictive environment for ELs at each grade level through scaffolding and accommodations.
Title 22, Chapter 4, Section 4.26 of the Curriculum Regulations requires the LEA to provide a program for every student who is limited English proficient (LEP) or an English learner (EL). For each of the categories below, links take you to the state's guidance for schools.
Upon acceptance and prior to enrollment at LVA, a Home Language Survey (HLS) must be completed. Based on the HLS, a district-trained enrollment personnel will conduct a family interview. The responses from the interview combined with evidence of English proficiency will determine if additional language screening is necessary. If additional screening is necessary, the WK-APT, K-MODEL, or WIDA SCREENER will be given and based on the results a decision is made as to whether the student is declared an EL. A score of less than 5.0 on the WIDA SCREENER, or a score of below 5 on the oral language portion of the Kindergarten Screener, is indication of the student to be declared an English Learner. A letter is sent home stating the student will be declared an EL, the score received on the screening, and the type of instruction/program to which the student will have access.
Once a student has been identified as an EL, they are continued in the ELD program until they have met the exit criteria as stated in the PA Basic Education Circular for ELs. A letter is sent home at the beginning of the school year, indicated that the student is continuing ELD instruction, their WIDA ACCESS score, and the type of instruction the student is to receive.
The state of Pennsylvania determines the criteria for exiting the ELD program. At this time a sum of 10.5 points or higher combined by the scores from the ACCESS for ELs and the two Language Use Inventories, filled out by the ELD teacher and the classroom teacher, is needed to be considered for exiting. A letter is sent home at the beginning of the school year indicating the EL has been exited from the program and entered into the monitoring phase.
Once a student has been exited from the ELD program, he/she is actively monitored for two years, which means the ELD specialists discuss the student's progress on an on-going basis with the classroom teacher. In addition to the state required exit form, At the end of the two year monitoring, the student enters a period of two additional monitoring years to ensure a successful transition. A letter is sent home to notify parents of the change in status from active to monitoring as well as monitoring to exiting the program.
At times, it may be necessary to re-enter the ELD program. This determination can be made at any time throughout the school year. If during the active monitoring stage the EL struggles academically as a result of language barriers, a process is put into motion to determine if success in the classroom is based on language. A re-designation process policy must be completed to indicate that the student should be re-designated into the ELD program. A letter is sent home stating that the student has been re-designated, and the type of instruction the student will receive.
There are five English language proficiency standards that center on the language needed by English learners in Grade levels PreK-12 attending schools in the state of Pennsylvania to succeed both socially and academically in education settings.
This document describes the major provisions of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as they affect the education of English learners (ELs) published by the Council of Chief State Officers (February 2016) .
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) provides national leadership to help ensure that English Learners and immigrant students attain English proficiency and achieve academic success. In addition to preserving heritage languages and cultures, OELA is committed to prompting opportunities for biliteracy or multiliteracy skills for all students.
Parents of ELs have the right to refuse all or some of the specialized programs and services offered to their child. Their refusal must be informed and voluntary
LVA's ELD Program uses a combination of mixed classes with English-only support and EL-Specific English-only instruction methodology which is research-based. Instruction ranges from individualized assistance, to small group-based instruction.
The amount and type of direct ELD instruction depends upon the needs of each student. ELD instruction is provided to students throughout the day by both ELD specialists and non-ELD teachers, since ELD instruction is a required component of all language instructional education programs in the state of Pennsylvania.
English Language Proficiency is measured by WIDA in 6 levels ranging from Level 1 - Beginner to Level 6 -Advanced
WIDA Performance Definitions - Speaking and Writing Grade K-12 and Listening and Reading Grades K-12
For each English Language Proficiency (ELP) Level, the CAN DOs are used make appropriate accommodations for instruction and assessment.