Presenter:

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What School CounselorsNeed to Know aboutEnglish
Language Learners
Presenter Lauren Harvey, Assistant
Director Office of English Language Learning
Migrant Education Indiana Department of
Education [phone] (800)
382-9962 www.doe.in.gov/englishlanguagelearning
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Overview

• Legal Guidelines Enrollment Placement
• Transferring Credits
• Coursework Scheduling
• Grading Retention
• Technical Education (Vocational) Licensure
• Access to Higher Education
• Upcoming Professional Development

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Terminology

• English Language Learner (ELL) or Language
  Minority (LM) a student whose first acquired
  language is not English
• Limited English Proficient (LEP) a student
  whose social and academic level of English
  proficiency is below that of age/grade level
  native English speaking peers
• Fluent English Proficient (FEP) a student who
  has attained the ability to speak, understand,
  read, and write in English without difficulty and
  displays academic achievement comparable to
  native English speaking peers
• Immigrant a student between ages 3 and 21 who
  was not born in any U.S. State (or Puerto Rico or
  other U.S. territory) and has been enrolled in
  U.S. schools for less than 3 academic years

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Characteristics of LEP Students

• The diversity within the LEP population is very
  broad. Teachers receive students with varied
• levels of English proficiency (Beginners to
  Fluent English proficient)
• linguistic cultural backgrounds
• educational experiences
• literacy levels in English and the native
  language
• socioeconomic backgrounds and
• learning styles

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Legal Guidelines

• Enrollment
• ALL students have the right to enroll
• Home Language Survey for ALL students
• Placement
• Age and grade appropriate
• English Proficiency Assessment
• LAS Links Placement Summative Tests
• Equal Educational Opportunity
• Instructional adaptations record keeping
  Individual Learning Plans (ILPs)

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Enrollment Guidelines

• The Indiana compulsory school attendance law is
  applicable to any student age 7 to age 18 who
  resides in Indiana, without regard to legal
  domicile. See IC 20-33-2.
• Students over the age of eighteen are not
  required to attend school but they have a right
  to an education. IDOE policy is that students who
  have not graduated (earned a diploma) from high
  school are eligible for attendance in public
  schools.
• Whenever practicable, written translations of
  printed information must be provided by parents
  with limited English proficiency in a language
  they understand. However, if written
  translations are not practicable, it is
  practicable to provide information to limited
  English proficient parents orally in a language
  that they understand.

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Transferring Credits

• High schools should make an effort to transfer
  credits for students enrolling from other
  countries.
• The following courses from the home country may
  count as Indiana World Language credit
• English development classes
• Native language arts classes (i.e. literature,
  writing in the native language)
• In order to receive English/Language Arts credit,
  a course from the native country would need to
  meet Indiana E/LA standards and content.
• It is recommended that the school attempt to
  obtain a list of course descriptions from the
  native country (in English) to determine the
  content of courses. Professionally translated
  evaluation services may be available.
• The number of credits for each course varies in
  other countries. A year long course from another
  country may only count as one credit in U.S.
  schools.
• Schools may administer available End of Course
  Assessments or final exams to students to verify
  mastery of content.
• Awarding credits based on transfer transcripts is
  a local decision.

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Scheduling

• Provide structured, daily schedule of quality
  English language development through ENL
  (recommended minimum of 1hour/day)
• Provide content area instruction that is
  sheltered with appropriate modifications and
  accommodations to assignments, homework, quizzes,
  test/assessments based on each students English
  proficiency level (ILP)
• Offer sheltered content area courses specifically
  designed for LEP students
• Offer a study hall/resource time for content area
  support
• Offer Spanish for Heritage Speakers to maintain
  students native language literacy

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English as a New Language (ENL)

• ENL, course 1012, provides LEP students with
  instruction in English that would improve their
  proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and
  writing. Emphasis is placed on helping students
  to function within the regular school setting and
  within an English speaking society.
• A maximum of four (4) credits may be earned
  through this course title in the world language
  area (elective credit), or in the English/
  Language Arts area, or a combination of the two
  areas, provided that Indiana English Language
  Proficiency (ELP) Standards are utilized. A
  maximum of four (4) elective credits may also be
  earned.
• Under Certification Type Rules 46/47, any
  licensed teacher may teach the course although
  the K-12 ESL endorsement is strongly recommended.
  Under Certification Type Rules 2002, teachers
  must have the content area certification (ENL)
  and the high school setting licensure to teach
  the course.

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English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards

• ELP standards are linked to the Eng/LA academic
  standards
• Indicators within each standard provide
  practical measures of English development
• Drive English language development programs
  lesson planning to incorporate activities
  measuring all domains of English language
  acquisition (listening, speaking, reading,
  writing, and comprehension)
• Provides guidance to empower classroom teachers
• Electronic copies may be downloaded from
  http//www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/standards.html
• Hard copies and inservice on implementation are
  available through the Office of English Language
  Learning Migrant Education

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Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

• Purpose to document instructional and
  assessment accommodations based on level of
  proficiency
• Implementation responsibility of each mainstream
  teacher to complete, update, and maintain ILP
  data. Collaboration between ESL staff and
  classroom teacher is recommended
• Outcomes drives instruction and assists in
  grading
• Documentation copy in teachers file and
  students cumulative file
• Working document updated annually based on
  growth in English proficiency and instructional
  needs

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Individual Learning Plan (ILP)

• Instructional and academic assessment
  accommodations must be documented on each
  students ILP. Accommodations used on ISTEP must
  be those already in place for regular classroom
  instruction.
• ILP content is based on each students Overall
  level of proficiency (Level 1-5) on LAS Links
• Revised sample draft ILP forms are posted at
  http//www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/documents.html

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Grading Strategies

• Classroom grading should be based on LEP
  students demonstration of their knowledge of the
  content, not their level of English proficiency.
• Content area teachers should focus on the LEP
  students meaning, not on the language or grammar
  in which the meaning is communicated.
• Grades should be based on LEP student
  improvement, effort and meaningful participation
  in classroom assignments to the degree that
  students English language proficiency allows.

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Retention Policies

• Retention of LEP students shall NOT be based
  solely upon English Language Proficiency. Prior
  to considering retention, the following factors
  should be considered
• level of English proficiency
• length of enrollment
• type and frequency of English language
  development services
• implementation of appropriate instructional
  adaptations
• alternate grading strategies
• Retention policies, especially for LEP students,
  should not be based on one specific piece of data
  alone or any sole criterion.

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Technical Education Licensure

• Health related and other professions (i.e,
  dental assisting, auto mechanics, etc.) are
  licensed through the Professional Licensing
  Agency (PLA).  In Indiana, the Professional
  Licensing Agency is authorized to require social
  security numbers.  I.C. 4-1-8-1.
• No person without a social security number may
  be granted a professional license by the Indiana
  Professional Licensing Agency.
• Undocumented high school students should be made
  aware of this statute. They can be enrolled in
  technical education courses to learn the skills
  but are not eligible for the licensure.

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Access to Higher Education

• Scholarship resources
• La Plaza, Inc. http//www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/pd
  f/meta_scholarship_guide.pdf
• El Puente Project http//www.elpuenteproject.com
  /?pageId53
• 21st Century Scholars program
  http//www.in.gov/ssaci/2345.htm

• Undocumented students
• K-12 public schools are prohibited from asking
  about a students immigration status in
  compliance with Plyler v. Doe (1982).
• Each college or university maintains its own
  admissions policy regarding undocumented
  students. Some colleges, such as Indiana
  University and Ivy Tech, allow undocumented
  students to enroll at all campuses to enroll and
  qualify for in-state tuition rates if they meet
  State residency criteria.
• Undocumented students are still ineligible
  to receive State and Federal financial aid.

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Recommendations

• Limited-English proficient student should be
  counseled in their native language, when possible
  or necessary.
• The school corporation should provide counseling
  services to language minority students in the
  following areas
• social, emotional adjustment to United States
  culture
• drop-out prevention
• technical vocational training
• college preparatory coursework
• substance abuse
• teenage pregnancy and prevention

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Support Programs

• The following programs offer academic, career and
  emotional support to Latino high school students
• Project Stepping Stone http//www.projectsteppings
  tone.com
• M.E.T.A. http//www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/metaworks
  hop.html
• El Puente Project http//www.elpuenteproject.com/?
  pageId53

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Additional Guidance

• Guidance is available upon request on topics
  including
• Individual Learning Plan (ILP)
• Grading
• Retention
• Referrals to Special Education
• High School ENL course

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Professional Development

• Educational Equity for Indianas Latino
  Students Conference October 23, 2008
• Indiana Association for College Admission
  Counseling (IACAC) Congress
• October 26-28, 2008
• K-12 ESL Conference
  March 20, 2009
• Drop-Out Prevention Summit
  June 2009
• For more information and other events, visit
  http//www.doe.state.in.us/lmmp/professional_devel
  opment.html

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Questions?
lharvey_at_doe.state.in.us [phone] (800)
382-9962