English Language Learner KnowledgeBase for Administrators & Teachers

Enrolling and Identifying ELL Students

This Central Rivers Area Education Agency website offers processes and procedures with flowcharts on Enrolling and Identifying new ELL students.

Ensuring Meaningful Communication

State education agencies (SEAs) and local education agencies (LEAs) have an obligation to communicate meaningfully with limited English proficient (LEP) parents and to notify LEP parents adequately of information about any program, service, or activity called to the attention of non-LEP parents.

LAU Plan Guidance Checklist (2016)

Districts are required to use the Lau Plan Guidance document. In addition, there is a Lau Plan Checklist 2016 that districts will want to use in alignment and check that all necessary components are in their Lau Plan. The Lau Plan Checklist will be used to approve plans by the state.

LAU Plan Guidance Document

Districts are required to use the Lau Plan Guidance document. In addition, there is a Lau Plan Checklist 2016 that districts will want to use in alignment and check that all necessary components are in their Lau Plan. The Lau Plan Checklist will be used to approve plans by the state.

Tools and Resources for Monitoring and Exiting ELLs from EL Programs and Services

As students become proficient in English, and their need of support begins to decline, they pass through three stages. Each stage involves decreased support with regular monitoring. This process provides a safety net of sorts to ensure that if the student should begin to struggle due to language, it is caught quickly and appropriate support is reinstated.

What All Districts Must Have Now for ELLs

District Lau (ELL) Plan: The district’s Lau Plan (formerly the ELL Plan) is a very important document.  This plan spells out how the district will identify and serve ELL students from the moment of enrollment until the point of monitoring progress to ensure continued success after the student has been exited from the program.  Districts are held accountable for the actions included in the plan. During the document review phase of Comprehensive Site Visits, districts must show evidence of identification procedures (ELL 1), program placement options (ELL 2), and exit criteria (ELL 3) in the district’s Lau Plan. It is crucial that the plan is reviewed regularly and revised to accurately reflect current district procedures.

Districts are required to use the Lau Plan Guidance Document. In addition, there is a Lau Plan Checklist 2016that districts will want to use in alignment and check that all necessary components are in their Lau Plan. The Lau Plan Checklist will be used to approve plans by the state.

ERIC Digest No.65: Assessing Bilingual Students for Placement and Instruction

This ERIC/CUE Digest No. 65 provides instructions for assessing bilingual students for placement.  Standardized achievement and aptitude tests may be of very limited value in making placement or instructional decisions about bilingual students. The practice of categorizing standardized test scores by ethnic groups obscures the difficulties of administering and interpreting tests taken by bilinguals. Individuals who are bilingual have two language systems that overlap and are distinct; both are relied upon in a variety of ways, depending on the linguistic and communicative demands of everyday settings.

Tip Sheet - Crafting Effective Messages

This Biodiversity Project document offers ten tips for crafting effective messages for communications plans.