MOSS PONT SCHOOL DISTRICT

Comprehensive English
Language Learner
(ELL) Policy and
Procedures
August 2013

Table of Contents
Introduction2
Mission of the MPSD's ELL Program.2
Federal and State Laws....3 - 4
Procedures for Identification and Placement of ELLs....5-8
I.

Identification..5

II.

Screening....6

III.

Parent Notification6

IV.

Program Placement...7

Assessing ELL Students8

Overview of Language Proficiency Levels...9 - 10
Exiting ELL Students..11
Grading of ELL Students12
Glossary of Terms13 - 14
References.....15

Introduction
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We often focus on gender, age, race, national origin, and ethnicity when we discuss diverse
populations. Terms that should also be included are the wide range of academic, linguistic,
physical and emotional characteristics that students bring to the classroom. English Language
Learners are students from diverse backgrounds who come from homes where a language other
than English is spoken. As a result they have the opportunity to develop some level of
proficiency in a language other than English, and are also faced with specific challenges in
acquiring the English language. While ELL students enrich the cultural and linguistic
environment of the classroom, they also require additional resources to improve their limited
English proficiency.
The ELL population is growing at a rapid rate statewide and nationwide. It is therefore critical to
establish a program which not only addresses the needs of this population of students, but also
incorporates and taps into the valuable resource of linguistic and cultural diversity that ELL
students bring to a school district.
The Moss Point School District will ensure that students residing within the school districts
boundaries will be allowed admission regardless of their ability to present a birth certificate,
social security number, their immigrant status or English-Language Proficiency (Plyler v. Doe).
The Moss Point School District will ensure that registration procedures include a process for:
a. Assigning a student number if the student does not have a Social Security Number.
b. Enrolling a student pending receipt of required immunization records.
Mission of the MPSD's English Language Learner's Program
The mission of the Moss Point School District is to graduate empowered, world-class citizens.
An important element in achieving our mission statement is to adequately service the English
Language Learner's students of the Moss Point School District. While our main purpose is to
ensure that our ELL students acquire proficiency in the English language as well as academic
content, there are several goals for the Moss Point School District's ELL Program:
1. To provide learners from non-English and culturally diverse backgrounds with the support
necessary to develop proficiency in the social, cultural, and academic language necessary to
become successful and productive citizens.
2. To provide ELL students with an equitable educational experience as their native English
speaking peers; the opportunity to participate in gifted, vocational, athletics etc.
3. To provide the families of ELL students with the opportunity to be equitable members of the
Moss Point School District community.
4. To provide ELL students and their families with the opportunity to share their culture with the
Moss Point School District and community.
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4. To provide adequate training to Moss Point School District employees on how to strategically
service ELL students from initial enrollment in the ELL program to program completion and
exit.
Federal and State Laws
The following laws have shaped the current expectation for the service and education of English
language learners.
1964 Civil Rights Act
"No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be
excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under
any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance"
This landmark Act barred discrimination based on race, color or national origin in federally
funded programs as well as determined that all students have a right to effective instruction.
May 25th, 1970 Memorandum
"Where inability to speak and understand the English language excludes national originminority group children from effective participation in the educational program offered by a
school district, the district must take affirmative steps to rectify the language deficiency in order
to open its instructional program to these students".
The Department of Health, Education and Welfare released a memorandum which requires
districts to work towards correcting language deficiencies that prevent a student from effective
participation in the district's educational program.
Lau v. Nichols 1974
"...there is no equality of treatment merely by providing students with the same facilities,
textbooks, teachers, and curriculum; for students who do not understand English are effectively
foreclosed from any meaningful education."
A district must establish procedures to identify and assess nonnative English-speaking students
who need additional language support to participate meaningfully in the district's educational
programs. According to the Office of Civil Rights interpretation of the ruling, these procedures
must gauge whether LEP (Limited English Proficiency) students:
a) Perform as well academically as their non-LEP peers.
b) Successfully participate in all aspects of the school's curriculum -- including Advanced
Placement and other honors courses -- without the use of simplified English materials.
Equal Education Opportunity Act 1974
"No state shall deny equal educational opportunity to an individual on account of his or her
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race, color, sex, or national origin, by the failure of an educational agency to take appropriate
action to overcome language barriers that impede equal participation by its students in its
instructional programs."
The EEOA prohibits discriminatory conduct, including segregating students on the basis
of race, color or national origin, and discrimination against faculty and staff serving these groups
of individuals, as it interferes with their equal educational opportunities. Furthermore, the EEOA
requires LEAs to take action to overcome students' language barriers that impede equal
participation in educational programs.
Plyer v. Doe 1982 (U.S. Supreme Court Decision)
"The illegal aliens who are plaintiffs in these cases challenging the statute may claim the benefit
of the Equal Protection Clause, which provides that no State shall 'deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws'...The undocumented status of these children does
not establish a sufficient rational basis for denying them benefits that the State affords other
residents...No national policy is perceived that might justify the State in denying these children
an elementary education" -457 U.S. 202
The decision means that immigrant students have the right to public education regardless
of their legal status. This also means that schools may not require proof of citizenship or legal
residence to enroll or provide services to immigrant students. Schools many not ask about the
student or a parent's immigration status and parents are not required to give a social security
number. Students are entitled to receive all school services such as free or reduced breakfast or
lunch, transportation, educational services, NCLB, IDEA etc.
Presidential Executive Order 13166
"Entities receiving assistance from the federal government must take reasonable steps to ensure
that persons with Limited English proficiency have meaningful access to the programs, services,
and information those entities provide".
Recipients of federal assistance are required to help students overcome language barriers
by implementing consistent standardized language assistance programs for LEP.
No Child Left Behind Act 2001
"Title III of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act requires that all English language learners
(ELLs) receive quality instruction for learning both English and grade-level academic content.
NCLB allows local flexibility for choosing programs of instruction, while demanding greater
accountability for ELL's English language and academic progress"
The purpose of this act is to ensure that children who are limited English proficient attain
English proficiency, develop high levels of academic attainment in English, and meet the same
challenging State standards as all children are expected to meet.
Procedures for Identification and Placement of ELL
The identification and placement of ELLs in an appropriate language program a four-step
process:
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Step I: Home Language Survey

Step II: WAP-T Assessment
Step III: Parental Notification
Step IV: Program Placement
I. HOME LANGUAGE SURVEY
PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE: School Registrar, ELL Coordinator
TIMELINE: Within 30 DAYS of enrollment at the beginning of the school year, within TWO
WEEKS of enrollment when school year is in progress.
ELL students should be identified, assessed, and placed in a program within 30 days of
enrollment or the start of the school year. This process begins through the Home Language
Survey located on the district wide registration form. The MPSD's Home Language Survey
asks the following questions:

What is the language this student most often speaks?

What was the first language your child learned to speak?
What language does your child speak most often?
What language is most spoken in your home?
What is the date that your child first enrolled in a school in the United States?
Did your child(ren) receive English Language Learner services during the
previous school year?

If the answer is yes to any of these questions, then the student must take the W-APT
screener to determine their English language proficiency level.
The home language survey allows the district to identify those students who speak a language
other than English outside of school, as well as find any academic and family history that may
affect the types of services the student will require.
It is the responsibility of each school's registrar to ensure that ELL students are identified and
properly coded in SAMs. Copies of the student's registration forms should be provided to the
ELL coordinator for ELL records. It is also the responsibility of the registrar to provide the ELL
coordinator with a copy of the schools ELL roster at the end of each month to ensure that all
ELL students are assisted, including those who enroll when the academic year is in progress.
Teachers should also observe their classrooms to identify ELL students which may not have
been flagged in the enrollment process. If a teacher would like to recommend a student for ELP
testing, they must communicate with their administrator to request a teacher recommendation
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for ELL services form.

The SET will then evaluate the student by means of the six questions asked in the Home
Language Survey. Language barriers can often be the cause of misreading or misunderstanding
on behalf of parents when initially filling out the HLS.
II. WAP-T ASSESSMENT
PERSONEL RESPONSIBLE: ELL Teacher, Personnel certified to administer WIDA WAP-T
TIMELINE: Within 30 DAYS of enrollment at the beginning of the school year, within TWO
WEEKS of enrollment when school year is in progress
Once a student is identified as ELL, it is the responsibility of the ELL teacher to administer the
WAP-T placement test. Students are tested in the domains of writing, reading, speaking and
listening for comprehension and English language proficiency. Based on the screener results, the
student is recommended for placement in the ELL program.
When testing Kindergarten students, a student who scores a 27 or above is deemed ineligible for
ELL services. If the Kindergarten student scores less than a 27, he/she is deemed eligible for
ELL services. In grades 1-12, a student who scores a 5.0 or higher on the W-APT is deemed
ineligible for ELL services. If the student scores less than a 5.0, the student is eligible for ELL
services.
III. PARENT NOTIFICATION
PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE: ELL Coordinator/Teacher, Classroom Teachers, and Principal.
TIMELINE: Within 30 DAYS of enrollment at the beginning of the school year, within TWO
WEEKS of enrollment when school year is in progress
Official notification must be sent to the parent making them aware that their child is eligible for
ELL services, based on the results of the W-APT assessment. Parental response is not required
to place the student in an ELL program. Parents are also notified that they reserve the right to
decline enrollment in the ELL program, and that they have the right to remove their child from
the Title III supplemental program immediately upon their request. If a student is identified as
ELL through the Home Language Survey or W-APT screener however, he/she is still required to
take the annual ELP (English Language Proficiency) assessment.
IV. PROGRAM PLACEMENT
PERSONNEL RESPONSIBLE: SET (Student Evaluation Team)
TIMELINE: Within 30 DAYS of enrollment at the beginning of the school year, within TWO
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WEEKS of enrollment when school year is in progress

Students are placed into one of two programs, the Complete Immersion program or the Pull Out
program. The decision of how to place an ELL student, and what kind of program to place
him/her in, is made by the school's SET (Student Evaluation Team).
This committee is comprised of the ELL staff, the content classroom teachers, the school
administrator, counselor, and when applicable speech therapist or special education teacher. This
committee will meet at the beginning of the year with the ELL student's parents to describe the
ELL student's placement determination and LSP (Language Service Plan).
As favored by the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Arizona vs. Flores, the Moss Point School
District applies a Structured English Immersion program. ELL students learn content in an
English classroom but are provided additional support from an ELL instructor based on their
need and level of proficiency.
OPTION #1: The Complete Immersion program
In this program, students are completely immersed in the English language classroom. The
student may be provided with software usage for reinforcement of the English language upon
parental consent. The ELL Teacher is responsible for monitoring these students' grades,
classroom performance, as well as scores on state examinations.
An ELL student stays in this complete immersion/monitored period for 2 years. If the student
maintains the qualifications for exit throughout this two year monitoring period, he/she
successfully exits from the Moss Point School District's ELL Program.
OPTION # 2 The Pull Out program
In this program, the Student Evaluation Team creates an LSP (language service plan) for the
ELL students. By examining their proficiency results in the four domains of reading, writing,
speaking and listening from the W-APT screener or annually administered WIDA ACCESS
exam, the SET determines the specific needs of the ELL student. In addition to being provided
with software usage of an English proficiency building software, the students also participate in
individual or small group tutoring sessions. In these sessions the ELL Staff is responsible for
addressing the students challenges in the classroom by translating when necessary, assisting in
comprehension of academic content, and providing English language building activities.
When creating the LSP, the SET should refer to p.32 of Mississippis Guidelines for English
Language Learners (MDE 2011). Required processes include ensuring that the systematic
procedures put in place (identification, assessment, placement) are implemented, reviewing the
students background and progress, informing all faculty and staff who interact with and provide
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instruction for the student, and ensuring the school communicates this information to the
students parents in their native language.
When the SET is creating an individual ELL students LSP, an essential task is determining the
types of accommodations the particular student needs to ensure academic success, and accurate
measure of the students comprehension of the content.
Assessing ELL Students/ Accommodations
The accommodations allowed by the state of Mississippi for ELL students, are changes made to
the testing procedure in order to provide ELL with the equivalent opportunity as their peers to
perform successfully on the state mandated examinations, and provide an accurate display of
their abilities. Accommodations include, but are not limited to:

Provision of a bilingual word for word dictionary which must be utilized in class
throughout the school year to be utilized on state mandated examinations.

Seating in the front of the testing room

Testing in a separate or small group setting

Testing in a familiar classroom

Testing with a familiar instructor

Having the test directions and test items read aloud to them (except on reading exams).

To utilize any of the state approved accommodations with ELL students, the Student Evaluation
Team is expected to include the chosen accommodations in the individual Language Service Plan
for the student and ensure that they are implemented. In addition, the accommodations must be
listed in an accommodations chart that is kept in the students cumulative files. The accommodations chart detailing all state approved accommodations can be located in the MPSD ELL
program resource guide, or on the Federal Programs page of the Mississippi Department of
Education website.
ELL students are required to participate in all state mandated examinations. The sole exceptions
are those ELL students who have spent 12 months or less in a United States school. These
students are not required to participate in the MCT Language Arts examination. However they
are expected to participate in all other exams with allowable, predetermined accommodations.
Overview of English Language Proficiency Standards
Based on the results of the annual English Language proficiency exam WIDA ACCESS, a
student's language proficiency is classified into one of six stages: Entering, Beginning,
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Developing, Expanding, Bridging, and Reaching. It is important for teachers and administrators
to be aware of their ELL students' proficiency levels, to provide each individual student with
adequate services. The following details the WIDA Consortium's English Language Proficiency
Standards:
Level 1: Entering
At this stage of English language proficiency a student is limited in all four domains of
proficiency; reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Often at this stage of English language
development, ELL students go through a silent period. This most commonly occurs when a
student has had little to no exposure to the English language, and is then immersed into an
English-only environment. In this silent period the student will listen and may even respond
through gestures and nonverbal communication. Because elaborate oral responses are not
provided, it is difficult to determine the level of comprehension of the LEP student.
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

Pictorial or graphic representation of the language of the content areas.

Words phrases or chunks of language when presented with one-step commands,

directions, WH-questions, or statements with visual and graphic support.

Level 2: Beginning
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

General language related to the content areas

Phrases or short sentences

Oral or written language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that often
impede the meaning of the communication when presented with one to multiple-step
commands, directions, questions or a series of statements with visual and graphic
support.

Level 3: Developing
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

General and some specific language of the content areas.

Expanded sentences in oral interaction or written paragraphs.

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Oral or written language with phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that may impede
the communication but retain much of its meaning when presented with oral or written,
narrative, or expository descriptions with occasional visual and graphic support.

Level 4: Bridging
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

Specific and some technical language of the content areas

A variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in oral discourse or

multiple, related paragraphs

Oral or written language with minimal phonological, syntactic, or semantic errors that do
not impede the overall meaning of the communication when presented with oral or
written connected discourse with occasional visual and graphic support.

Level 5: Expanding
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

The technical language of the content areas

A variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral or written

discourse, including stories, essays, or reports.

Oral or written language approaching comparability to that of English proficient peers

when presented with grade level material

Level 6: Reaching
According to the WIDA Consortium, at this level of proficiency, a student demonstrates the
following abilities:

Specialized or technical language reflective of the content area at grade level

A variety of sentence lengths of varying linguistic complexity in extended oral or written

discourse as required by the specified grade level.

Oral or written communication in English comparable to proficient English peers

Exiting ELL Students

As required by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the Mississippi Department of Education
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has established the following criteria for exiting ELL students from the ELL program. ELL
students are ready for exit when they have attained the proficiency of a native-English speaking
peer, and are able to succeed academically without supplemental assistance. A student's ability
to succeed in the mainstream is examined in their abilities to:
1. Understand and speak English
2. Read and comprehend academic English
3. Write in English, and
4. Demonstrate proficiency in other areas of the curriculum.
If a student demonstrates proficiency in these four areas, he/she is then placed in a federally
mandated two year monitoring period. Throughout this two year period, the student's grades,
performance in all classes, and results on state mandated assessments will be reviewed. The
student's teacher will also fill out an end of the year recommendation form, either recommending
the continuation of the monitoring period, or reconsideration for program participation. The
Student Evaluation Team will jointly decide when to begin exiting a student and whether a
student should or should not continue the monitoring period (refer to MS Guidelines for English
Language Learners for exit criteria.

EXIT CRITERIA
Grade

WIDA TIER

3-5

Performance on
WIDA ACCESS
5.0

Performance on
State Exams: SATP / MCTII
proficient

3-5

4.5

proficient

6-8

5.0

proficient

6-8

4.0

proficient

9-12

4.0

proficient

9-12

4.0

proficient

Grading of ELL Students

A "letter" grading system does not adequately reflect an ELL students progress in proficiency
development, as it The Mississippi Department of Education prohibits failing grades to ELL
students who score within level 1 (Entering) through level 3 (Developing). The following are
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suggestions by the Mississippi Department of Education's for grading ELL students:

Kindergraten - 5th Grade:
Levels 1, 2 & 3 (Entering, Beginning, Developing):
a. 65-100% (S = satisfactory)
b. 46-64% (N = needs improvement)
c. 0-45% (U = unsatisfactory) documentation must be provided
d. "ELL" noted on Report Card
Levels 4, 5 & 6 (Expanding, Bridging, Reaching):
a. Common criteria for assigning grade
(apply accommodations and modifications when necessary)
b. "ELL" noted on Report Card
6th - 12th Grade:
Levels 1, 2 & 3 (Entering, Beginning, Developing):
a. 65-100% (S = satisfactory) modifications and accommodations when necessary.
b. 46-64% (N = needs improvement) documentation must be provided.
c. 0-45% (U = unsatisfactory)

documentation must be provided.

d. "ELL" noted on Report Card

Levels 4, 5 & 6 (Expanding, Bridging, Reaching):
a. Common criteria for assigning grade
(apply accommodations and modifications when necessary)
b. "ELL" noted on Report Card
It is emphasized that an ELL student cannot earn an "F" when language limitations are
affecting the students performance. Because of this, additional factors must be taken into
consideration. Important background information for teachers to be aware of when grading their
ELL students, is that in the TESOL field it has been shown that it takes one to two years to
develop oral fluency, while it takes five to seven years to develop proficiency in all four
domains.
Glossary of Terms
ACCESS

The WIDA Consortiums Annual English language proficiency test.

This is the current state mandated assessment for English language
learners.
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Accommodations

Allowable changes in ELL testing administration or setting

Beginning

WIDA Consortiums 2nd level of English language proficiency

Bridging

WIDA Consortiums 4th level of English language proficiency

Complete Immersion

Students develop acquisition through immersion in English classroom

Developing

WIDA Consortiums 3rd level of English language proficiency

EEOA

Equal Education Opportunity Act (1974)

EL

English Learner

ELL

English Language Learner

ELP

English language proficiency

Entering

WIDA Consortiums 1st level of English language proficiency

ESL

English as a Second Language

Expanding

WIDA Consortiums 5th level of English language proficiency

Exit Criteria

Requirements for a student to be considered for ELL program exit

FORMER ELL

Once an ELL exits ELL services, there is a federally required 2

calendar year monitoring period. Students are designated as Former
ELL during monitoring period.

FLL

Foreign Language Learning, the learning of a second language

HLS

Home Language Survey (located on MPSDs registration forms)

Imagine Learning

Computer software utilized by the Moss Point School District created

specifically for English language learners and struggling readers.

LEP

Limited English Proficiency

L1

First language, Native language

L2

Second language one is attempting to acquire

LSP

Language Service Plan

MODEL

English language proficiency screener option for W-APT for K, 12, and 3-5

Pull Out Program

Students receive individual or small group tutoring

NCLB

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

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NL

Native Language, A persons first language

Reaching

WIDA Consortiums 6th and final level of English language proficiency

SET

Student Evaluation Team

SLA

Second Language Acquisition

TESOL

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages

TL

Target Language

W-APT

WIDA screener of English language proficiency

WIDA

World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment

WIDA Consortium

Collection of all states which are WIDA members

Word-for-Word

A dictionary which does not provide definitions, but solely translates a

word to the direct word in another language.

Dictionary

References
Brown, H. (2007). Principles of language Learning and Teaching 5th ed. White Plains, NY:
Pearson Education.
Gass, S. M., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course 3rd
ed. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hakuta, K. (2001). Key policy milestones and directions in the education of English language
learners. Washington, DC.: Presented at the Rockefeller Foundation Symposium.
www.stanford.edu/~hakuta/Docs/Rockefeller%20Executive%20Summary.doc.
Mississippi Department of Education. (2011). Guidelines for English Language Learners:
Policies, Procedures, and Assessments. Jackson: MDE.

Williams, M. (1991). Policy update on schools obligations toward nation origin minority
students with limited- English proficiency (LEP students). Washington D.C. :
Memorandum fromn Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights to the United States Department
of Education. www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/ell/september27.html.

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