The Board of Trustees intends to provide English learners with challenging curriculum and instruction that maximize the attainment of high levels of proficiency in English, advance multilingual capabilities, and facilitate student achievement in the district's regular course of study.
The district shall identify in its local control and accountability plan (LCAP) goals and specific actions and services to enhance student engagement, academic achievement, and other outcomes for English learners.
(cf. 0460 - Local Control and Accountability Plan)
(cf. 3100 - Budget)
The Superintendent or designee shall encourage parent/guardian and community involvement in the development and evaluation of programs for English learners.
(cf. 0420 - School Plans/Site Councils)
(cf. 1220 - Citizen Advisory Committees)
(cf. 6020 - Parent Involvement)
English learners shall be provided differentiated English language development instruction which is targeted to their English proficiency level, integrated across all subject areas, and aligned with the state content standards. The district's program shall be based on sound instructional theory, use standards-aligned instructional materials, emphasize inquiry-based learning and critical thinking skills, and provide students with access to the full educational program.
(cf. 6011 - Academic Standards)
(cf. 6141 - Curriculum Development and Evaluation)
(cf. 6161.1 - Selection and Evaluation of Instructional Materials)
(cf. 6161.11 - Supplementary Instructional Materials)
(cf. 6171 - Title I Programs)
The Superintendent or designee shall ensure that all staff employed to teach English learners possess the appropriate authorization from the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.
(cf. 4112.22 - Staff Teaching English Learners)
The district shall provide effective professional development to teachers (including teachers in classroom settings that are not the settings of language instruction educational programs), administrators, and other school or community-based organization personnel to improve the instruction and assessment of English learners and enhance staff's ability to understand and use curricula, assessment, and instructional strategies for English learners. Such professional development shall be of sufficient intensity and duration to produce a positive and lasting impact on teachers' performance in the classroom. (20 USC 6825)
(cf. 4131 - Staff Development)
(cf. 4231 - Staff Development)
(cf. 4331 - Staff Development)
Staff development shall also address the sociocultural needs of English learners and provide opportunities for teachers to engage in supportive, collaborative learning communities.
To support students' English language development, the Superintendent or designee may provide an adult literacy training program that leads to English fluency for parents/guardians and community members.
Identification and Assessment
The Superintendent or designee shall maintain procedures for the early identification of English learners and an assessment of their proficiency and needs in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing in English.
Once identified as an English learner, a student shall be annually assessed for language proficiency until he/she is reclassified based on criteria specified in the accompanying administrative regulation.
English learners' academic achievement in English language arts, mathematics, science, and any additional subject required by law shall be assessed using the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress. As necessary, the test shall be administered with testing variations in accordance with 5 CCR 854.1-854.3. English learners who are in their first 12 months of attending a school in the United States shall be exempted from taking the English language arts assessment to the extent allowed by federal law. (Education Code 60603, 60640; 5 CCR 854.1-854.3)
(cf. 6162.51 - State Academic Achievement Tests)
Formative assessments may be utilized to analyze student performance and appropriately adapt teaching methodologies and instructions.
(cf. 6162.5 - Student Assessment)
Language Acquisition Programs
The district shall offer research-based language acquisition programs that are designed to ensure English acquisition as rapidly and as effectively as possible and that provide instruction to students on the state-adopted academic content standards, including the English language development standards. (Education Code 306; 5 CCR 11300)
At a minimum, the district shall offer a structured English immersion program which includes designated and integrated English language development. In the structured English immersion program, nearly all of the classroom instruction shall be provided in English, but with the curriculum and presentation designed for students who are learning English. (Education Code 305-306; 5 CCR 11309)
For the purpose of determining the amount of instruction to be conducted in English in the structured English immersion program, "nearly all" means that all classroom instruction shall be conducted in English except for clarification, explanation, and support as needed.
In addition, language acquisition programs offered by the district may include, but are not limited to, the following: (Education Code 305-306)
1. The district may offer a dual-language immersion program that provides integrated language learning and academic instruction for native speakers of English and native speakers of another language, with the goals of high academic achievement, first and second language proficiency, and cross-cultural understanding.
(cf. 6142.2 - World/Foreign Language Instruction)
2. The district may offer a transitional or developmental program for English learners that provides literacy and academic instruction in English and a student's native language and that enables an English learner to achieve English proficiency and academic mastery of subject matter content and higher order thinking skills, including critical thinking, in order to meet state academic content standards.
The district's language acquisition programs for grades K-3 shall comply with class size requirements specified in Education Code 42238.02. (Education Code 310)
(cf. 6151 - Class Size)
In establishing the district's language acquisition programs, the Superintendent or designee shall consult with parents/guardians and the community during the LCAP development process. He/she shall also consult with administrators, teachers, and other personnel with appropriate authorizations and experience in establishing a language acquisition program. (Education Code 305)
At the beginning of each school year or upon a student's enrollment, parents/guardians shall be provided information on the types of language acquisition programs available to students enrolled in the district, including, but not limited to, a description of each program, the process to be followed in making a program selection, identification of any language to be taught in addition to English when the program includes instruction in another language, and the process to request establishment of a language acquisition program. (Education Code 310; 5 CCR 11310)
(cf. 5145.6 - Parental Notifications)
Parents/guardians of English learners may choose a language acquisition program that best suits their child. To the extent possible, any language acquisition program requested by the parents/guardians of 30 or more students at the school or by the parents/guardians of 20 or more students at any grade level shall be offered by the school. (Education Code 310; 5 CCR 11311)
Reclassification
When an English learner is determined based on state and district reclassification criteria to have acquired a reasonable level of English proficiency pursuant to Education Code 313 and 52164.6, or upon request by the student's parent/guardian, the student shall be transferred from a language acquisition program into an English language mainstream classroom.
Program Evaluation
To evaluate the effectiveness of the district's educational program for English learners, the Superintendent or designee shall report to the Board, at least annually, regarding:
1. Progress of English learners towards proficiency in English
2. The number and percentage of English learners reclassified as fluent English proficient
3. The number and percentage of English learners who are or are at risk of being classified as long-term English learners in accordance with Education Code 313.1
4. The achievement of English learners on standards-based tests in core curricular areas
5. For any language acquisition program that includes instruction in a language other than English, student achievement in the non-English language in accordance with 5 CCR 11309
6. Progress toward any other goals for English learners identified in the district's LCAP
7. A comparison of current data with data from at least the previous year in regard to items #1-6 above
8. A comparison of data between the different language acquisition programs offered by the district
The Superintendent or designee shall also provide the Board with regular reports from any district or schoolwide English learner advisory committees.
Legal Reference:
EDUCATION CODE
300-340 English language education, especially:
305-310 Language acquisition programs
313-313.5 Assessment of English proficiency
430-446 English Learner and Immigrant Pupil Federal Conformity Act
33050 State Board of Education waiver authority
42238.02-42238.03 Local control funding formula
44253.1-44253.11 Qualifications for teaching English learners
48980 Parental notifications
48985 Notices to parents in language other than English
52052 Numerically significant student subgroups
52060-52077 Local control and accountability plan
52160-52178 Bilingual Bicultural Act
56305 CDE manual on English learners with disabilities
60603 Definition, recently arrived English learner
60640 California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress
60810-60812 Assessment of language development
62002.5 Continuation of advisory committee after program sunsets
CODE OF REGULATIONS, TITLE 5
854.1-854.3 CAASPP and universal tools, designated supports, and accommodations
854.9 CASSPP and unlisted resources for students with disabilities
11300-11316 English learner education
11510-11517.5 California English Language Development Test
11517.6-11519.5 English Language Proficiency Assessments for California
UNITED STATES CODE, TITLE 20
1412 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act; state eligibility
1701-1705 Equal Educational Opportunities Act
6311 Title I state plan
6312 Title I local education agency plans
6801-7014 Title III, language instruction for English learners and immigrant students
7801 Definitions
CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS, TITLE 34
100.3 Discrimination prohibited
200.16 Assessment of English learners
COURT DECISIONS
Valeria O. v. Davis, (2002) 307 F.3d 1036
California Teachers Association v. State Board of Education et al., (9th Circuit, 2001) 271 F.3d 1141
McLaughlin v. State Board of Education, (1999) 75 Cal.App.4th 196
Teresa P. et al v. Berkeley Unified School District et al, (1989) 724 F.Supp. 698
ATTORNEY GENERAL OPINIONS
83 Ops.Cal.Atty.Gen. 40 (2000)
Management Resources:
CSBA PUBLICATIONS
English Learners in Focus: The English Learner Roadmap: Providing Direction for English Learner Success, Governance Brief, February 2018
English Learners in Focus, Issue 4: Expanding Bilingual Education in California after Proposition 58, Governance Brief, March 2017
English Learners in Focus, Issue 1: Updated Demographic and Achievement Profile of California's English Learners, Governance Brief, rev. September 2016
English Learners in Focus, Issue 3: Ensuring High-Quality Staff for English Learners, Governance Brief, July 2016
English Learners in Focus, Issue 2: The Promise of Two-Way Immersion Programs, Governance Brief, September 2014
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
California English Learner Roadmap: Strengthening Comprehensive Educational Policies, Programs and Practices for English Learners, 2018
Matrix One: Universal Tools, Designated Supports, and Accommodations for the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress for 2017-18, rev. August 2017
Reclassification Guidance for 2017-18, CDE Correspondence, April 28, 2017
Integrating the CA ELD Standards into K-12 Mathematics and Science Teaching and Learning, December 2015
Next Generation Science Standards for California Public Schools, Kindergarten through Grade Twelve, rev. March 2015
English Language Arts/English Language Development Framework for California Public Schools: Transitional Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2014
Common Core State Standards for Mathematics, rev. 2013
English Language Development Standards for California Public Schools: Kindergarten Through Grade Twelve, 2012
THE EDUCATION TRUST- WEST PUBLICATIONS
Unlocking Learning II: Math as a Lever for English Learner Equity, March 2018
Unlocking Learning: Science as a Lever for English Learner Equity, January 2017
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
Accountability for English Learners Under the ESEA, Non-Regulatory Guidance, January 2017
Innovative Solutions for Including Recently Arrived English Learners in State Accountability Systems: A Guide for States, January 2017
English Learner Tool Kit for State and Local Educational Agencies (SEAs and LEAs), rev. November 2016
English Learners and Title III of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Non-Regulatory Guidance, September 23, 2016
Dear Colleague Letter: English Learner Students and Limited English Proficient Parents, January 7, 2015
WEB SITES
CSBA: http://www.csba.org
California Association for Bilingual Education: http://www.gocabe.org
California Department of Education: http://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el
National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition: http://www.ncela.us
The Education Trust-West: https://west.edtrust.org
U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov
Policy RED BLUFF UNION ELEMENTARY SCHOOL DISTRICT
adopted: September 18, 2018 Red Bluff, California