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ESSA, Title I & English as a Second Language

Title I Programming 

Title 1 is the largest federal assistance program provided to public schools.  Originally passed as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, it was reauthorized in 2001 (et al.) as the No Child Left Behind Act.  It was most recently reauthorized as the  Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in 2015. The objective of the legislation is to provide assistance and resources and instruction to the economically disadvantaged who, based on research, need it most. The goals are to support student access to the Standards in ELA and Math as well to our rigorous curriculum to increase student achievement. How many district students are determined to be Economically Disadvantaged is based on  based on the number of Free and Reduced Lunch Applications.  In the Plumsted Township Schools we run targeted programming  because fewer than 40% of our students qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch.

For Disrtict Resourcs for ESSA, Title I, Bilingual and ESL, please see the related links and documents below. For Department of Education Resources please use this link:ESSA Title I

The goal of the English as a Second Language (ESL) Program in the Plumsted Township School District is to enable the English Language Learner (ELL) student to acquire English language skills and to become mainstreamed into the academic and social context of his/her school environment

English as a Second Language (ESL) Programming

Identification of ELLs (English Language Learners)

During the registration process, if a language other than English is spoken at home, an English as a Second Language Teacher will screen your child. The teacher will use the W-APT Screening Process The WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test (W-APT)™ WIDA model test to see if he/she is eligible to receive services. After completion of the Speaking, Listening, Reading, and Writing, the Test Administrator (ESL Teacher) will use the instructions on the scoring sheet to calculate the student’s overall Proficiency Level. If the student is eligible for services, the parents will be notified about their child’s eligibility and the services that will be provided. If parents consent to placement in the program, the child is placed in the appropriate grade and school.

All students who are eligible to receive services will be notified no later than 30 (thirty) days of being screened. Parents will be notified of the score, method of instruction, ESL teacher and placement location.

Program

The ESL curriculum  is aligned to the WIDA Standards, developed by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), and which have been adopted into code by the New Jersey State Department of Education. Our program addresses these standards and integrates grade level content as appropriate. The ESL Program is a combination push-in/pullout program for grades and is dependent on the grade level and needs of the students.  The ESL Program follows the mandates as put forth by the N.J. Department of Education. for more information, please click here:

Assessment

ACCESS for ELLs

All English Language Learners are tested once each year using the ACCESS for ELLs test to measure English Language Proficiency as well as to determine placement for the following year. All students also participate in the state assessment process with recommended accommodations. As soon as students meet the multiple exit criteria, within three years of participation,  they will be placed in the general education program.  Please note, per federal program requirements, any student that is found eligible to receive ESL services will participate in the ACCESS for ELLs test even if services have been refused.

For more information about the ACCESS for ELLs test, please click here

NJSLA

All ELLs in grades 3-8 will participate in the NJSLA test and will be given extended time on every subject to complete the test. Students are given time and a half to complete the test. For example, if the test is normally given in one hour, ELLs will be given one hour and thirty minutes. ELLs will take the NJSLA test in small groups. Some students will also be entitled to and will be given a word-for-word dictionary in their native language.

NJSLA ELA Special Exemption

For grades 3 through 8 newly arrived students attending U.S. schools on or after June 1 of the prior school year, are not required to participate in the English Language Arts Literacy (ELA/L) portion of the assessment. However, they must take the mathematics portion of the assessment.  Newly arrived ELL high school students must participate in the NJSLA ELA/L assessments with the appropriate ELL test accommodations only if they need to take the assessment to meet graduation requirements.