Title III

Southeast Local School District receives federal funds under Title III to improve the English Language proficiency and academic achievement of English Learners

English Learner Program Goals & Objectives

The primary intent of the English Learner program at Southeast Local School District is to assist English Learners in their English Language proficiency while at the same time help them meet the State’s challenging academic standards. Because the English Learner Program at Southeast is truly in its infancy stage (only one identified English Learner over the past five years), the future vision of the program is to be able to reach any and all English Learners wherever they may be in their journey to English proficiency. Program goals are based on the unique language learning needs of each student, and may be attained via self-contained instruction/tutoring and/or inclusive learning environments. Learning objectives are obtained with ongoing progress monitoring and benchmarking.

Rationale for English Learner Program

Both federal and state policies and guidance exist to assist Southeast Local School District in the development and maintenance of its English Learner program. Federal policies and statutes provide the impetus for equal educational opportunity and English language instruction (e.g., see Lau v. Nichols, 1974). In Ohio, districts have the flexibility to utilize any educational approach to English Language instruction for English Learners, as long as it is based on theory and practices proven to be effective. Examples of educational approaches offered at Southeast Local School District may include:

· Inclusion Instruction: English Learners may receive support from a second teacher in the general education classroom

· Individual/Small Group Tutoring: English Learners may receive support in individual or small-group tutoring sessions

· Resources: resources to assist students in acquiring the English language and academic content (e.g., bilingual dictionary, Imagine Language & Literacy)

Southeast Local School District also participates in annual professional development targeted towards the understanding and integration of Ohio’s English Language Proficiency Standards. The purpose of this professional development is to guide staff on the pathway to English language proficiency through general education classroom instruction and intervention coupled with English as a Second Language instruction.

English Learner Program Policies

Southeast Local School District, in line with guidance under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), uses the following tools to meet the identification and assessment requirements for English Learner (EL) students:

· Home Language Survey: the Home Language Survey is a questionnaire given to parents at the time of enrollment to assist in identifying potential English Learner students who may require assessment of their English language proficiency in order to determine whether they qualify for English Learner services

· Ohio English Language Proficiency Screener (OELPS): the OELPS is the state-approved screening tool for determining whether a student qualifies as an English Learner. The OELPS is an online, individually administered assessment that is grade-banded and includes items related to speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

· Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA): the OELPA is the annual, state-approved test of English language skills based on the English Language Proficiency Standards; it assesses the domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing.

English Learner students are also assessed annually in ELA and math beginning in third grade. English Learner students are permitted to use the accommodations of a bilingual dictionary and extended time on assessments. Additional accommodations may be provided in a student’s English Learner Plan, which is revised annually. Students will continue to be identified as an English Learner until they demonstrate proficiency in all four areas of language development (speaking, listening, reading, and writing).

English Learner Program Human Resources

Michelle Rentsch, Title III Coordinator: provides direct oversight of English Learner program, in concert with building principals and board office staff; attends regularly scheduled Title III meetings offered through the Summit County Educational Service Center (SCESC) Title III.

Katelyn Visco, EL Instructor: provides small group direct instruction to English Learner students and/or inclusion services, if appropriate, as well as consultative and other indirect services to general education staff working with English Learners. Katelyn has a Master's Degree in Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL).

Title III Fund Uses for English Learner Program

For the 2022-2023 school year, Southeast Local School District has chosen to utilize Title III funds to purchase supplemental materials to aid in increasing staff competency to integrate the English Language Standards into the core curriculum .

English Learner Program Student Demographics

For the 2022-2023 school year, Southeast Local School District has the following English Learner student demographic data:

· Number of English Learners: 1

· English Learner Grade Level(s): Second

· English Learner Home Language(s): English

· English Learner Native Language(s): Tagalog

· Number of English Learners with Disabilities: 0

· Number of English Learners with Limited or Interrupted formal education: 0

English Learner Program Effectiveness

Southeast Local School District currently has a burgeoning English Learner program with activities to help English learners increase English language proficiency and to meet the challenging State academic standards. Over the past three fiscal years (FY 2020, FY 2021, and FY 2022), the district has had one student who received English Learner services at Southeast Primary School and Southeast Intermediate School. In 2022, we had a student exit the program in the spring, based off of his proficient scores on the OELPA. For the current fiscal year, the district has one student receiving English Learner services at Southeast Primary School. The district has utilized its Title III funds over the years to purchase an iPad, as well as a subscription to the Imagine Learning Language & Literacy instructional program to supplement the early development of the English Learner program. In addition, the New Ways in Teaching series was also purchased (published by the TESOL International Association). Currently, the English Learner program is a pull-out program which is highly individualized in order to increase English language proficiency. In addition, Southeast Local School District integrates the State’s English Language Proficiency Standards into the core curriculum for any student identified as an English learner, in order to assist students in meeting the State’s challenging standards. Each year, the district coordinates professional development with Summit County Educational Service Center (SCESC) across the school year to guide staff on the pathway to English language proficiency through general education classroom instruction and intervention coupled with English as a Second Language instruction.

Results from the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA) had consistently shown that the student in the English Learner program was “progressing” in their overall performance of language proficiency, culminating in the student's exit from the program based on the OELPA assessment in Spring 2020. Listening ability has remained on a Level 5 across all years in the English Learner program, and Speaking ability had increased from a Level 4 to a Level 5. Writing ability increased from a Level 3 to a Level 5, and Reading ability had increased from a Level 3 to a Level 5 . Although this data is reflective of only one student in a program that is not fully established, the data suggests that the English Learner program at Southeast Local School District needs to continue to focus on assisting students in becoming more proficient in the areas of reading and writing, particularly as students age through elementary school and are exposed at an increasing rate to the State’s challenging academic standards.