SECTION A:
A1:
At West Oak Cove School, there are 60% of the students that primarily speak a
language other than English. 25% of the students speak Spanish, 15% speak
Portuguese, 12% speak Arabic, and 8% Mandarin. There is a total population of
1,256 students. Since over half of the population would qualify as English Language
Learners (EL), the school needs to have an EL program. According to Every Student
Succeeds Act (ESSA), schools are required to have an EL program in place
(
Resource guide: Accountability for English learners under the ESEA
).
A2:
Due to the high percentage of students that will be considered EL, there is a high
need for the implementation of an EL program. In order to identify students as EL,
they must take an exam such as the WIDA screener. If students qualify from the
WIDA screener, they will take the WIDA exam later during the year. This exam will
test their reading, writing, listening, and speaking comprehension in the English
language. If using WIDA through the DRC you can submit their scores on each part
of this exam and the DRC will determine the students eligibility.
There are several classroom instructional accommodations that can happen for
the EL students. It would be recommended to check with the curriculum that is
already being used in the classroom to see if they have a version of the lesson for
an EL student. Most of the curriculums offer a page with the same content but at a
more basic level. Another option would be to use a grade level or two lower so the
students are getting exposed to the English language but at a level that is easier to
read and understand. Another accommodation would be a speech to text option or
read aloud option on their school issued device. A third accommodation would be to
provide the student with a handheld translator for easier communication between the
EL student and the teacher and peers.
