Alternative Language Program for English Language Learners (ELL)

It is the policy of the Susquehanna Township School District and Board of Directors to provide English as a Second or Other Language (ESL/ESOL) Program to Non-English Proficient (NEP) students and Limited English-Proficient (LEP) students. The district provides appropriate instruction and instructional programs to facilitate the acquisition of English language skills in listening, speaking, reading and writing. It is the policy of the Susquehanna Township School District and Board of Directors that no student shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination in any program or activity having been identified as an English Language Learner (ELL).

The Susquehanna Township School District and Board of Directors will include provisions for the ESL/ESOL Program in its Strategic and Professional Development Plans.

Goals and Objectives:

• Provide equal educational opportunities to students who have a primary or home language other than English.

• Create a well-defined ESL/ESOL Program for English Language Learners (ELL) in listening, speaking, reading and writing that will encourage and facilitate the language acquisition necessary for them to achieve success and meet the Pennsylvania and ESL standards and requirements as well as Susquehanna Township School District’s graduation requirements. (for ESL students)

• Develop and disseminate written procedures, forms and policies regarding the ESL/ESOL Program.

• Familiarize the ELL students to the cultures and customs of the United States while promoting their own ethnic pride.

Student Placement/Program Evaluation:

• Upon presentation of a local address and proof of immunization, all new students entering Susquehanna Township School District will be administered the district’s Home Language Survey. Based on those results, services are provided to students according to each student’s level of proficiency as determined by the WAPT.

Projects, journals, observation checklists, portfolios, informal teacher observations and various rubrics will be used during the school year to provide further assessment measures to reflect student academic success in listening, speaking, reading and writing based on Pennsylvania and ESL standards. Program evaluation will be based on the results of these multiple assessment tools in determining the success of student improvement toward proficiency levels in English in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Students exiting the program will be monitored for a minimum of two years.

Testing Procedures:

Students enrolled in the ESL/ESOL Program will participate in PSSA testing according to Pennsylvania state regulations and based upon accommodations and state recommended testing procedures. Students will be given necessary accommodations for similar district large-scale, standardized assessments. Students are also required to participate in the WIDA Access Program. 

Staff:

One full-time elementary teacher and one full-time secondary teacher will implement an ESL/ESOL Program to district students. These teachers shall possess a Pennsylvania Instructional l or Instructional ll teaching certificate, have extensive background working with ELL’s, and have been trained in second language acquisition, ESL methods, cross-cultural processes, adapting content area instruction for ELL, and using appropriate assessment practices. They shall be enrolled in an ESL Program Specialist certification program. Professional teaching staff employed by Susquehanna Township School District shall be required to possess an ESL Program Specialist certificate. They will work as a team with guidance counselors, content teachers and administrators. The superintendent or her/his designee shall coordinate an ESL/ESOL program that meets all the legal requirements for ESL/ESOL program compliance.

As part of the Susquehanna Township School District’s Act 48 Professional Development Plan, our ESL/ESOL team will offer in-house training to all district teachers at the elementary and secondary levels.

Additionally, teacher aides will be utilized to enhance program implementation.

Activities:

Students enrolled in the ESL/ESOL program are encouraged to communicate with their English-speaking peers through peer tutoring, classroom projects, games, social events, clubs, music programs, and through involvement in intramural and interscholastic programs.

Resources:

Instructional resources shall be comparable to the resources provided to other core academic subjects. An ESL/ESOL budget has been established as part of the annual General Fund budget. The ESL/ESOL budget includes allocations such as staffing, staff development, assessments, materials, and services.

Approved by the School Board – August 26, 2002