Edmonds School District No. 15
Lynnwood, WA 98036-5789
7345-R1 - PROCEDURES FOR TRANSITIONAL BILINGUAL SERVICES
Adopted
5/9/89
Revised
1/19/93
The following procedures will guide the administration of the English As A Second Language (ESL) program in the district.
I. Identification of Students
It is the responsibility of the district to identify the primary language of bilingual students and limited English-speaking students. The primary language is other than English when a student meets at least one of the following descriptions:
A. the student's first acquired language is other than English;
B. the language most often spoken by the student is other than English;
C. the language most often spoken in the student's home is other than English regardless of the language spoken by the student.
II. Eligibility Of Students
At the time of registration at school, parents of students shall be asked to identify the principal language that is spoken in the home. Students with limited-English-speaking skills will be assessed by a staff member to determine the English proficiency level of the student. If the interview reveals that the student speaks little or no English, he/she will be declared eligible for the ESL program. (Determination of eligibility must be made within 20 days of initial attendance at school.) For any student for whom the building staff is unable to determine eligibility through the interview process, a state approved test to assess eligibility will be administered.
III. Processing Eligible Students
When the primary language has been established for a student at the building level, ESL program services will be available. Before services begin, a Student Eligibility Form must be completed and submitted to the district special programs office. For state reporting purposes, it is essential that the Student Eligibility Form be filled out completely.
IV. Continued Eligibility
Each student served in the ESL program shall be reassessed with a standardized reading and language arts test each year to determine continued eligibility. Any student who scores above the 35th percentile will be exited from the program. Any student who has received services from the ESL program for a period of three school years is no longer eligible to receive services unless he/she is still unable to score above the 35th percentile on such standardized reading and language arts test.