Bilingual ESL

Contacts

There are no constituents to display

Princeton ISD recognizes that the mastery of English language skills is a prerequisite to effective participation in the state's educational program. Bilingual education and special language programs can meet the needs of emergent bilingual students and facilitate their integration into the regular school curriculum. Therefore, in accordance with state (Texas Education Code 29.051 and Texas Administrative Code 89.1201) and federal (Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)) requirements to ensure equal educational opportunity to every student, and in recognition of the educational needs of emergent bilingual students, Princeton ISD provides bilingual and English as a second language programs for each student identified as an emergent bilingual in pre-kindergarten through grade twelve.

Bilingual/ESL Handbook (English) Bilingual/ ESL Handbook (Spanish)

Definitions

Emergent Bilingual is defined as a student identified by the language proficient assessment committee (LPAC) who is in the process of acquiring English and has another language as the student's primary or home language. The term is interchangeable with English learner as used in federal regulations and replaces the term "limited English proficient student" formerly used in TEC, Chapter 20, Subchapter B.

Bilingual Education Program is a full-time program of instruction for students in grades PK-5 in which both the students' home language and English shall be used for instruction. Bilingual education is required for grades PK-5 if 20 or more emergent bilingual students are enrolled in one grade level. Princeton ISD has 20 or more emergent bilingual students whose native language is Spanish.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is defined by the Texas Education Code (TEC) §29.052 as a program of intensive instruction in English from teachers trained in recognizing and dealing with language differences. The purpose of Princeton ISD's ESL program is to provide second language instruction for elementary students of other languages than Spanish and older students in grades 6-12 in which bilingual education is not available.

Program Goals

The goal of bilingual education and English as a second language programs (ESL) shall be to enable emergent bilingual students to become competent in listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the English language. Bilingual education and ESL programs shall be integral parts of the total school program. These programs shall use instructional approaches designed to meet the specific language needs of emergent bilingual students. Such programs shall emphasize the mastery of English language skills, as well as mathematics, science, and social studies, as integral parts of the academic goals for all students to enable emergent bilingual students to participate equitably in school. The basic curriculum content of the programs shall be based on the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills and the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) required by the state. These programs shall be designed to consider the students' learning experiences and shall incorporate the cultural aspects of the students' backgrounds. The program shall address the affective, linguistic, and cognitive needs of emergent bilingual students.

LPAC

The district shall by local board policy establish and operate one or more Language Proficiency Assessment Committees (LPACs). LPAC committees shall include an appropriately certified bilingual educator (for students served through a bilingual education program), an appropriately certified English as a second language (ESL) educator (for students served through an ESL program), a parent of an emergent bilingual student participating in a bilingual or ESL program (who is not an employee of the district), and a campus administrator in accordance with Texas Education Code (TEC), §29.063. The parent of each bilingual and ESL student in Princeton ISD shall be extended an invitation to attend all meetings regarding bilingual or English as a second language program placement, review, and exit for their child.

LPAC Duties

Upon a student's initial enrollment in Texas public schools, a student's transfer from a previous Texas public school district, and at the end of each school year, the LPAC shall review all pertinent information on all potential and identified emergent bilingual students, including emergent bilingual students with a parental denial of program participation, in accordance with §89.1226 and shall:

designate the language proficiency level of each emergent bilingual student in accordance with the guidelines issued pursuant to TAC §89.1226(b)-(f);
recommend, subject to parental approval, the initial instructional placement of each emergent bilingual student in the required bilingual or ESL program without restricting access due to scheduling, staffing, or class size constraints;
facilitate the participation of emergent bilingual students in other special programs for which they are eligible while ensuring full access to the language program required under TEC, §29.053;
determine the continuation of the required bilingual or ESL program participation with parental approval for students previously identified as emergent bilingual or determine the need for monitoring of students who have previously met reclassification and are in their first two years of monitoring;
For transferring students previously enrolled in a Texas public school district,the LPAC shall review permanent record and LPAC documentation from the previous Texas school district to determine if the student has been identified as an emergent bilingual student based on the original home language survey and initial identification process.
review linguistic progress and academic achievement data of each emergent bilingual student to inform instructional practices.
At the end of the school year, for all identified emergent bilingual students, including emergent bilingual students with a parental denial of program participation, the LPAC shall review language proficiency progress in English and, to the extent possible, the primary language of each emergent bilingual student;
review academic achievement data in English and, to the extent possible, the primary language of each emergent bilingual student;
reclassify eligible emergent bilingual students as English proficient in accordance with the criteria described in §89.1226(i):
recommend exit from program of reclassified English proficient students, pending parental approval, or continuation of program participation for reclassified students participating in a dual language immersion one-way or two-way program model, according to the goals of the program; and
prepare parental reports on student progress for all identified emergent bilingual students to be provided to parents within the first 30 calendar days after the beginning of the next school year, which include data on linguistic and academic progress, benefits of bilingual or ESL program participation, and the criteria for reclassification as English proficient.

Before the administration of the state criterion-referenced test each year, the LPAC shall determine the appropriate assessment option for each emergent bilingual student as outlined in Chapter 101, Subchapter AA, (relating to Commissioner's Rules Concerning the Participation of English Language Learners in State Assessments).

Identification & Assessment

It is the policy of the state that every student in the state who has a primary language other than English and who is identified as an emergent bilingual student shall be provided a full opportunity to participate in a bilingual education or English as a second language (ESL) program.

Home Language Survey

For each new student enrolling for the first time in a Texas public school in any grade from prekindergarten through Grade 12, the Texas Education Agency (TEA)-developed home language survey shall be administered. This home language survey will serve as the original and only home language survey throughout the student's educational experience in Texas public schools.The TEA-developed home language survey shall be administered in English and a language that the parents can understand.

Princeton ISD shall require that the survey be signed by the student's parent for each student in prekindergarten through Grade 8 or by the student in Grades 9-12 as permitted under Texas Education Code, §29.056(a)(1). It is the school district's responsibility to ensure that the student's parent understand the language used in the survey and its implications. The original copy of the survey shall be kept in the student's permanent record and transferred to any subsequent Texas public school districts in which the student enrolls.

English Language Proficiency Test

Within four calendar weeks of initial enrollment in a Texas public school, a student with a language other than English indicated on the home language survey shall be administered the state-approved English language proficiency test to determine whether the student qualifies for bilingual or English as a second language service:

In pre-k through Grade 1, the listening and speaking components of the state-approved English language proficiency test for identification; and
In Grades 2 through 12, the listening, speaking, reading, and writing components of the state-approved English language proficiency test for identification.

Princeton ISD shall accept testing, and parental consent, and placement from another district in Texas when a new student enters at the recommendation of the LPAC committee. For students new to the country or the state, a new HLS must be conducted, new testing must be administered, and new parental approval must be obtained before a student can be placed in the bilingual or ESL program.

Services

It is the policy of the state that each school district that has an enrollment of 20 or more students identified as emergent bilingual students in any language classification in the same grade level district-wide shall offer a bilingual education program. PISD provides the program for students whose home language is Spanish. The bilingual education program is a full-time program of instruction for students in Grades PK-5 in which both the students’ home language languages, Spanish and English, will be used for instruction. PISD has adopted the transitional bilingual/early exit program model in which students identified as emergent bilingual students are served in both English and the students' primary language and are prepared to meet reclassification criteria to be successful in English instruction with no second language acquisition support not earlier than two or later than five years after the student enrolls in school. Instruction in this program is delivered by a teacher appropriately certified in bilingual education under TEC, §29.061(b) (1), for the assigned grade level and content area. The goal of early-exit transitional bilingual education is for program participants to use their primary language as a resource while acquiring full proficiency in English. This model provides instruction in literacy and academic content through the medium of the students' primary language and English using content-based language instruction methods. PISD has adopted a ninety percent English and ten percent Spanish transitional/early exit model for its bilingual program. However, the actual amount of instruction in each language within the bilingual education program shall be commensurate with the students’ level of proficiency in each language and their level of academic achievement.

Princeton ISD’s bilingual program is implemented on the Godwin, Harper, Lacy and Lowe Elementary campuses. Transportation to these campuses is provided for bilingual education students whose attendance zone is Smith and Mayfield Elementary.

The English as a second language program at PISD will be an intensive program of instruction in English for students in grades PK-12. PISD has adopted the ESL/pull-out program model, which is an English acquisition program that serves students identified as emergent bilingual students through English instruction provided by an appropriately certified ESL teacher under the TEC, §29.061(c), through English reading and language arts. The goal of the ESL pull-out is for emergent bilingual students to attain full proficiency in English in order to participate equitably in school. Instruction shall be provided by the ESL teacher in a pull-out or inclusionary delivery setting(TAC §89.1210).

Princeton ISD’s ESL program is implemented on every campus within the district PK-12.

PISD offers an optional summer school program for emergent bilingual students participating in the bilingual or ESL programs who will be eligible for kindergarten or first grade at the beginning of the next school year. Instruction shall focus on language development and essential knowledge and skills appropriate to the level of the student.

The required bilingual education or ESL program shall be provided to every emergent bilingual student with parental approval until such time that the student meets exit criteria as described in TAC §89.1226(i) or graduates from high school.

Appeals

Exit & Monitoring

Accordion

Exit Criteria

For exit from a bilingual education or ESL program, an emergent bilingual student may be reclassified as English proficient only at the end of the school year in which a student routinely demonstrates readiness for reclassification as English proficient and the ability to successfully participate in grade level content instruction that is delivered with no second language acquisition supports. This determination shall be based upon all of the following:

A composite proficiency rating, which includes ratings in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing, on the state-approved English language proficiency test for reclassification that is designated for indicating English proficiency;

Passing standards met on the reading assessment instrument under the Texas Education Code (TEC), §39.023(a), or, for students at grade levels not assessed by the aforementioned reading assessment instrument, a score at or above the 40th percentile on both the English reading and the English language arts sections of the state-approved norm-referenced standardized achievement instrument; and

The results of a subjective teacher evaluation using the state's standardized rubric.

An emergent bilingual student may not be reclassified from the bilingual education or ESL program in prekindergarten or Kindergarten. A school district must ensure that emergent bilingual students are prepared to meet academic standards required by the TEC, §28.0211.

An emergent bilingual student may not be reclassified from the bilingual education or ESL program if the LPAC has recommended designated support or accommodation on the state reading assessment instrument on the student's second language acquisition needs. Designated supports or accommodations for non-linguistic purposes that are recommended for student use by any other committee, including the ARD committee for students served in special education, do not prevent the student from being eligible to reclassify.

Monitoring of Exited Students

The LPAC shall monitor the academic progress of each student including any student who previously had a parental denial of program participation who has met the criteria for exit in accordance with TEC, §29.056(g), for the first two years after reclassification. In accordance with TEC, §29.0561, the LPAC shall review the student's performance and consider, at a minimum, the following:

The total amount of time the student was enrolled in a bilingual education or special language program;

The student's grades for each grading period in each subject in the foundation curriculum under TEC, §28.002(a)(1);

The student's performance on each assessment instrument administered under TEC, §39.023(a) or (c);

The number of credits the student has earned towards high school graduation, if applicable; and

Any disciplinary actions taken against the student under TEC, Chapter 37, Subchapter A (Alternative Settings for Behavior Management).

Reevaluation / Reenrollment

If the student earns a failing grade in a subject in the foundation curriculum under TEC, §28.002(a)(1), during any grading period in the first two school years after the student is reclassified, the LPAC shall determine, based on the student's second language acquisition needs, whether the student may require targeted instruction or, after careful consideration of multiple linguistic and academic data points, should be reconsidered for placement in a bilingual education or ESL program.

Logo Image

Logo Title