Several years ago, in response to a growing number of students who did not speak English as their first language, our school district implemented a dedicated English Learner (EL) program. This program is designed to assist in meeting the needs of these multilingual students and their families. The ultimate goal of the district’s EL program is to develop proficiency in language and literacy. In achieving this goal, we can ensure that our English learner students will be able to access and participate in all of our educational and extracurricular programming.

Our district’s EL program is staffed by two TESOL (Ohio Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages) certified teachers and two licensed classroom aides. These committed individuals identify students who are in need of EL services, and then determine the necessary supports these students need throughout the school year. These supports are provided through a close partnership with the students’ academic content area teachers. Each student is initially screened to determine his/her English language proficiency level. A language learning plan is then developed for each student that includes the necessary accommodations to ensure academic success. These plans are shared with and implemented by all of the students’ classroom teachers. Each plan is monitored and will be adjusted as individual goals are achieved.  Throughout the academic year, our EL educators regularly work with our students during individual and/or small group “pull-out” sessions in a dedicated tutoring room. EL staff members will also “push-in” to the regular education classrooms to provide additional support.

Students in our program are provided instruction based upon the Ohio English Language Proficiency Standards. This instruction culminates with the yearly administration of the Ohio English Language Proficiency Assessment (OELPA). Provided the student meets the necessary score on this assessment, he/she is able to exit the EL program. As a result of the work of our entire teaching staff, we have students successfully exiting our program every year!

During the 2023-2024 school year, approximately 80 students (K-12) received EL services. We anticipate that our EL program will continue to grow in the coming years. In response to that growth, we are constantly adjusting our approaches and striving to expand our outreach to both students and families. Additionally, we are planning on-going professional development in best practices for all of our district’s educators. We are very proud of our EL program, as there are very few districts in the area providing a comparable level of service. We intend to remain at the forefront of English language learning in order to achieve our district’s vision of “a community that empowers each student to discover and pursue a fulfilling future”.  Should you have any questions regarding this exemplary program, please feel free to contact a building administrator. Our EL Department is looking forward to an outstanding 2024-2025 school year!