• EL PROGRAM and COURSE PLACEMENT

     
     
     

     


    Short-Term ELs are new to the country or have attended U.S schools for less than 6 years. Short term ELs are typically developing social and academic language in all four language domains (reading/writing/listening/speaking).

    Long-Term ELs have been in U.S. schools for 6 years or more. Long-term ELs may be fluent in social language and/or approach oral fluency criteria in English, but typically are still developing literacy in academic English. For many long- term ELs, English is the dominant language, and most were born in the U.S.

     

    Language Acquisition Goals for Short-Term ELs

    BEGINNER

    • ELD Focus: Developing baic grammatical structures and social-instructional language
    • Proficiency growth: PL 1 (Entering) through PL 2 (Emerging)
    • Placement: In most cases, newcomer ELs (including newcomers) with a composite proficiency level of 2.0 or less should be placed in Beginning/Newcomer courses. Verify that the student has not previously taken Beginner EL at the high school or middle school level. Students should not repeat the course. If a student has scored higher than a 2.0 in the past three years on ACCESS, do not place in a Beginner Course.

    INTERMEDIATE

    • ELD Focus: Developing organization and coherence in discourse.
    • Proficiency growth: PL 2 (Emerging) to PL 3 (Developing)
    • Placement: In most cases, ELs (including newcomers) with a composite proficiency level of 2.1 - 3.0 should be placed in these courses. Verify that the student has not previously taken Intermediate EL at the high school or middle school level. Students should not repeat the course. If a student has scored higher than a 3.0 in the past three years on ACCESS, place in an Advanced Course.

    ADVANCED

    • ELD Focus: Developing academic language around the cognitive demands of content.
    • Proficiency growth: PL 2-3 (Developing) to high PL 3 or low PL 4 (Expanding)
    • Placement: In most cases, ELs (including newcomers) with a composite proficiency level of 3.1 - 4.0 should be placed in these courses. Verify that the student has not previously taken Advanced EL at the high school or middle school level. If a student has scored higher than a 4.0 in the past three years on ACCESS, place in an ELA course and possibly EL Mainstream Support.

     

    Use of ACCESS score for placement:
    Use highest ACCESS score from the past three years to appropriately place students.        

    Newcomer Program

    The WCSD NEWCOMER PROGRAM (Beginning EL courses and EL Foundational Courses) is typically offered only at the following high school Newcomer sites:

    • Hug High School
    • Sparks High School
    • North Valleys High School
    • Wooster High School
    • Incline High School (as need demands)

    If a student qualifies for newcomer services and/or Beginning EL, they have the option to attend the appropriate Newcomer site or their zoned school; contact the Newcomer Program Consultant at the Department of ELD for assistance.

    Nicholas Rhea           Nicholas.Rhea@washoeschools.net      775-293-8027

    * NEWCOMER STUDENTS:

    In consultation with the Departments of Student Accounting and Curriculum and Instruction, the Department of English Learners Administrative Procedure 6708 (revised May 2018) states that for students enrolled in EL Beginning English and EL Beginning Reading/Composition, the course instructor(s) may determine - through diagnostic procedures and conferencing - that a student’s course enrollment should be changed to either EL Fundamentals of English, EL Fundamentals of English Literacy, or both (see subsequent pages) in order for them to be able to repeat Beginning courses (rather than fail them) yet still earn elective credit for seat time spent in language development courses.

     If the student lacks fundamental literacy in his/her first language, EL Foundational Courses may be taken instead of or in addition to either EL Beginning Reading/Comp or EL Fundamentals of English Literacy.

     Prior to changing a student’s schedule, a graduation plan must be developed to establish a target graduation date, and a conference must take place with the counselor, student and parents/guardians in order to ensure that all parties understand the timeline and potential necessity for extra semesters in high school beyond the prescribed 4 years.

     

     
       

     
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  • EL Courses