English Learner (EL) FAQ

PDE generally cannot accommodate requests for additional languages. On occasion, PDE may add a language based on its prevalence across the state, budget permitting.

If you have an ESL Program Specialist Certificate, you can teach an ELD course in whatever grade band you have a content certification and award a credit for the ELD course (usually an elective credit). The particular subject of your content certification area does not matter. So, for example, if you have a secondary social studies certification and an ESL Program Specialist Certificate, then you can teach an ELD course in grades 9-12 and award an elective credit for it. If you have an elementary certification and the ESL Program Specialist Certificate, then you can teach ELD in elementary school. You cannot award a credit for an ELD course that is outside of the grade band of your content area certification. For example, you cannot award a credit for ELD, even if you have the ESL Program Specialist Certificate, in secondary if you do not possess a secondary instructional certification (e.g., if you have an elementary teaching certification only). You may provide non-credit bearing support outside of your instructional grade band, but, again, you may not be the teacher of record and/or award a credit.

No, there is not. If an ELD specialist provides full day direct instruction, even if it is not in a full classroom setting, that teacher will use the Framework for Observation & Practice - Classroom Teacher. If an ELD specialist does not provide direct instruction (enrollment, scheduling, liaison, etc.), that teacher will use the Framework for Observation & Practice - Non-Teaching Profession (NTP) other. If an ELD specialist splits their day between direct instruction and non-teaching duties, then it is a local administrative decision as to which framework will be used. Please refer to Educator Effectiveness.

Please see the tutorial, Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) Evaluation, on the Standards Aligned System (SAS) EL Portal for a detailed explanation of how to measure growth and set targets for ELs based on ACCESS and other data.

This is largely a local decision. However, at a minimum, LEAs must maintain:

• All English Language Proficiency (ELP) testing and screening records 
• All information collected at the time of enrollment related to the identification process 
• The annual notification of participation in the LIEP
• Any program changes If parents have refused services, records indicating this decision should be maintained and any annual communication to recommend placement in the LIEP should be documented.

The parent only completes the form once at the time of enrollment. If they choose not to opt out, there is no need to follow up. If they choose to opt out (refuse specialized services), then LEAs should reach out at least annually to remind them of the benefits of the program and give them the opportunity to accept the recommended LIEP components that they initially refused. In either case, there is no need for a parent to complete the form more than once unless they change their mind.

There are no state recommendations for particular instructional approaches or ways to implement them. The state does not prescribe hours or minutes of ELD direct instruction or support. Program design is a local decision. It must be designed based on a sound theory and implemented appropriately to meet the needs of your ELs. There are many ways to do that, and the state and federal government do not generally get involved in that process unless there is a complaint or the district requests technical assistance. Example: Two students who score an overall composite of 2.0 on ACCESS may require very different kinds of support or instruction, so hard rules based on ACCESS scores are not usually the best approach for program placement and, in some cases, may even be problematic regarding compliance with state and federal rules and policies.

A substitute is acceptable as long as the district can ensure that the program is effective for the student and that the substitute is working closely with an ESL specialist. It's very similar to a substitute who is teaching science without a science certification. They would be implementing instruction designed by a science teacher and in consultation with those who are certified. If the ELD teacher's leave is long-term, it will require extra care and attention from administrators and the ELD team to ensure that students' language needs are being met and that the instruction is effective. PDE recommends a formal process for formative assessment and monitoring in situations like this. Schools can create these locally based on what makes sense for teachers.

Immigrant status is a code used for federal Immigrant Grant funding under Title III and is unrelated to immigration status. Students are considered immigrants for funding purposes during their first three years in US Schools. There is no action to take as a result of immigration status changes like the one described.

PDE collects district EL Coordinator contact information in Pennsylvania Information Management System (PIMS), and only LEAs can update that information. If you are a new Coordinator, you need to contact your district's PIMS Coordinator to update the EL Coordinator contact information. Do not request that PDE update this information. All field updates are re-sent to the email list that you can sign up for on the homepage of the SAS EL Portal.

LIEPs can be designed in many ways depending on local needs. PDE does not prescribe program design methodology or approaches to implementation. Also, "best practice" is situational. The best approach in one district may be less than optimal in another, even with seemingly similar demographics. PDE has produced a document that LEAs can use to help evaluate the comprehensiveness of their approach to program design, though. You can find this document on the LIEP page of the PDE EL website.

This is problematic because it is discriminatory. ELs must be given credit for all courses taken. An EL may take an ELD course year after year, but the content of the course should not be the same. ELD content is based on student needs and should move them along the language acquisition continuum. Therefore, it will not be the same from one year to the next. ESL teachers should not be teaching scripted curriculum, which is the only plausible scenario in which ELD content is being repeated. If courses need to be named differently (ELD9, ELD10, ELD11, etc.) due to scheduling or recording/reporting requirements, then the district can name them in whatever way makes sense internally, but credit must be awarded for each instance that an EL completes the course.

You cannot deny students something that would be academically appropriate and beneficial for them in the name of equality. If you have resources in Spanish, then provide them to students who could benefit from them. Of course, the district should strive to provide native language resources to as many of their students as possible, but it is inappropriate to deny any students these resources until you can provide them to all students.

A comprehensive Career and Technical Education Center (CTC)/Area Vocational-Technical School (AVTS) must provide the full curriculum, which will include ELD in some form. A non-comprehensive or occupational CTC/AVTS is only responsible for providing the specialized content courses in whatever area they serve. However, ALL schools serving ELs are required to make content comprehensible for ELs. So regardless of whether it is a comprehensive or occupational CTC/AVTS, the school is responsible for taking all steps to overcome language barriers in order to make the instruction meaningful for ELs. It is not the responsibility of the sending LEA to provide support to make content comprehensible in a CTC/AVTS.

You may re-screen at your discretion if you have compelling evidence that the results of the original screener were inaccurate based on sufficient classroom observations, academic performance, and interaction with the student to justify it. Generally speaking, it is not a good practice to re-screen within a month or two of the initial screening. However, as stated previously, if you have compelling evidence that the student may need language supports, you may re-screen to either refute or verify the initial result during a single school year.

Yes, you should screen the student if you have reasonable evidence that she is struggling as a result of language needs that were missed during the initial identification process.

Students whose parents have refused specialized separate services are still ELs, which means that they are required to participate in the annual ELP testing in accordance with federal law, and LEAs are still required to provide all of the necessary supports to overcome language barriers in order to make the academic program accessible and meaningful for them.

Test tiers do not matter for reclassification. If the student attains a 4.5 overall composite proficiency level, then he/she is eligible for reclassification with the required language use inventory evaluations, regardless of the tier.

Since ACCESS does not assess content, it is not necessary to cover or remove anything that would provide an advantage purely for content (e.g. a periodic table or math formulas). However, as stated on page 37 of the Test Coordinator Manual (in the WIDA Secure Portal under "resources"), you should remove any posters that could assist students with language (e.g. grammar posters, color charts, classroom labels, etc.).

Mark the test, or necessary sections of the test, with the appropriate "do not score" code, as per the Test Coordinator Manual in the WIDA Secure Portal under the "Resources" tab. LEAs must arrange for administration of the test and document individual reasons for non-participation.

This is covered in the Test Coordinator Manual. You can find the Coordinator Manual in the WIDA Secure Portal under the "Resources" tab. You will code the domain with a do not score code of SPD.

If they can, it is recommended. It is likely that students who move during the testing window will not be tested in their new district, and that is problematic for the student. Tests can be transferred from one district to another through Data Recognition Corporation (DRC) if the receiving school contacts DRC.

Please contact the Pennsylvania Department of Education close to the end of the window to request an extension if you need one. Very limited extensions may be granted, but there is no guarantee. It is dependent on the state testing timelines negotiated with DRC. As a reminder, LEAs are expected to start testing as soon as possible when the testing window opens to leave room for unforeseeable delays or disruptions later in the window.

Students who are homebound are required to participate in the annual ELP testing. If the student cannot participate in the school, then a trained and qualified staff member should, if possible, administer the test at the student's home with the appropriate security protocols.

The home school program must be taught in English in accordance with home school law. Since the student is no longer enrolled in the district, EL testing requirements do not apply. The district may still choose to provide services and testing at its discretion, even though the student is no longer enrolled.

Just return the books at the end of the testing window. If they moved, then they are no longer enrolled and will not be captured in the winter snapshot PDE uses for accountability.

Parents may not opt out of the annual ELP assessment. It is required by federal law. LEAs should explain this clearly to parents.

You must decide which students are likely to reach an overall composite proficiency level of 4.5 on the ACCESS and have teachers complete rubrics before the scores are released at the end of May. Some students may not score a 4.5. In those cases, they are simply not eligible, and the rubrics should just be filed. Some students for whom rubrics were not completed prior to the score release may unexpectedly score above 4.5. In those cases, you may complete the rubrics after the scores are released. This is covered in the guidance on the reclassification webpage.

You can find all important ACCESS testing dates on the Pennsylvania | WIDA website.

PDE coordinates with DRC to finalize testing dates in mid-July. In most years, the dates are published by mid-August.

If you are a district Coordinator, you just need to contact the DRC helpdesk for access to the WIDA AMS, and they will create a Coordinator account for you. You can then create accounts for your teachers if needed. For access to the WIDA Secure Site, where test administrator training is housed, contact WIDA to create the account for you if you are a Coordinator. Once that's done, you can create accounts for your teachers, and they can complete the ACCESS test administrator training. If you are a teacher, contact your district Coordinator for access to either system.

We do not make recommendations for any specific word-to-word translation dictionaries. Keep in mind they must follow the guidelines set in the referenced Accommodations Manual, be approved by your School Assessment Coordinator (SAC), and most importantly should be resources that students are familiar with using and have used prior to the assessment. They may not be introduced for the first time on the date of the state assessments.

That is allowable at the district's discretion. There's no need to update the Home Language Survey (HLS) or the reported languages.

The federal definition of a long-term EL is an EL who has not attained proficiency within five years of enrollment in an LIEP. In PA, students are allowed up to six years to attain proficiency under the state accountability calculations.

Yes, the three ACCESS test scores leading to reclassification for ELs with disabilities must be consecutive. If a student misses a year, then the timeline starts over.

A school must have a minimum of 20 ELs to have an EL calculation in the Future Ready PA Index.

Accountability calculations are attributed to the school in which the student is enrolled at the time of the most recent testing.

Schools should start to plan for reclassification in March once testing is complete. First, ELs must be selected who are likely to reach the minimum threshold of 4.5 overall composite proficiency level on ACCESS. Next, teachers should be assigned to complete rubrics for each of the selected students. Teachers should be familiar with the rubrics and comfortable with using them prior to conducting evaluations. Teachers should begin evaluating their students for language use around the end of April or the beginning of May at the latest. The rubrics should be completed based on a holistic review of student work and multiple evaluations of student language use over an extended period during the normal course of instruction and prior to the release of ACCESS scores at the end of May.

Yes, data shows that younger students tend to make larger gains than older students and students at lower proficiency levels tend to make larger gains than those at higher proficiency levels. In some cases, the difference is significant. You can use the percentile growth charts posted to the LIEP page of the PDE EL website to plot your students' growth compared to their like peers from across the Commonwealth. This will show you if the growth they are making is in line with the average for other ELs at the same grade and starting proficiency level.

Yes, ELs can be retained in a grade as long as you rule out English proficiency as the main or sole reason for the retention. If adequate supports were not provided, or you are uncertain about whether or not language proficiency is the root cause for the lack of academic progress, then you should reconsider retention and focus on the effectiveness of efforts to make content comprehensible for the student. See the EL Basic Education Circular (BEC) for this requirement.

This exemption is allowable only once for students who have been enrolled in US school for fewer than 12 months. The time starts on the last day of the testing window for the PSSA ELA or Literacy Keystone Exam from the previous year. If a student enrolled in US schools for the first time after the last day of PSSA ELA or Keystone Literature testing the previous year, then he/she is eligible to be exempted from the test. This is covered in the PSSA/Keystone testing accommodations manual. From the manual: "The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) signed into law on December 10, 2015, allows flexibility for EL students whose enrollment in a school in one of the 50 States in the United States or the District of Columbia fewer than 12 cumulative months (not consecutive) an option of taking the ELA PSSA or Literature Keystone exam. A student's enrollment in a school in Puerto Rico is not to be considered as enrollment in a U.S. school. It is incumbent upon the LEA to determine a student's status. The eligible student will have been enrolled in a US school less than or equal to 12 cumulative months by the end of the current school year PSSA ELA/Keystone Literature testing window."

Yes.

To the greatest extent possible, LEAs should work with students to ensure that they are not being restricted from taking courses that they wish to take. When there is a conflict, the district should work to accommodate the student's wishes when possible. One approach might be to consider rotating the pullout time by semester so the student can take an elective for part of the year or consider changing the time of the pullout for part of the year. Another approach might be a different format for ELD, such as incorporating it into other instruction through push-in or co-teaching. Note that ELD cannot be scheduled in place of any core content course (math, science, social studies, ELA).

No. ELD must be delivered by an educator holding an ESL Program Specialist Certificate.

Foreign exchange students must be subject to the same process that you use for other students when determining EL status. If the student comes from an environment where another language is used that is also tied to their national origin, which will likely be the case for most foreign exchange students, then you must follow the steps in the identification procedure to determine if they are an EL. This may include screening with the WIDA Screener. You may not use scores from another assessment for this purpose.

The host family, with input from the student, can complete the HLS and the family interview. There is no need to send the documents to the student's family abroad.

Yes, but that person needs to complete a non-disclosure agreement if they are exposed to test materials.

ESL teachers can be pulled to cover courses if that practice is used in your district and other teachers are subject to these requirements as needed and in accordance with your local collective bargaining agreement/contract. If pulling ESL teachers to cover other classes will have a negative impact on the implementation of the LIEP, then it must be discontinued.

The state does not prescribe teacher ratios or ways to implement LIEPs. Like the federal government, PDE uses the Castaneda test to ensure program compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. LEAs have the flexibility to design their programs in whatever way makes the most sense for them given their local populations and needs. Each program must be resourced appropriately in order to ensure effectiveness, though. There are certainly no formulas that dictate how to calculate the number of ESL teachers required, since there are many ways to design and implement an LIEP. If you do not have a sufficient number of ESL teachers to effectively implement your stated program, and the ELs are not making adequate progress in learning English and/or achieving academic success, then the district is obligated to make changes to its program to increase the effectiveness of it. This may include additional ESL teachers. See the program evaluation and improvement tools provided by PDE on the LIEP page of the EL website.

LEAs have some discretion here. They should first determine which form of Liberian English (or English from another country) a child or family speaks through a family interview process. Some forms are quite distinct from American English (Kru Pidgin, Kreyol, etc.). That being the case, we do allow screening for students whose HLS indicates English for all questions but who speak one of the forms of English that are different enough from standard American English that the student might require language supports. After all, if the form of English a student speaks could put them at an academic disadvantage, and it is tied to their national origin, then providing them with language support is required to protect their civil rights under Title VI.

You can request this report from the EL program areas staff at PDE. Each year when the reports are available, PDE notifies LEAs in a field memo. They are generally available in mid to late October.

PDE uses the term English learner in line with the federal government. However, the term multilingual learner (MLL/ML) is increasingly used in research and professional learning activities. Either term is acceptable in formal communication.

ELs are entitled to remain enrolled in school through the end of the year in which they turn 21. Please review the Enrollment of Students Basic Education Circular (BEC) for more information.

The screener is not designed for this purpose. You should either use the WIDA MODEL, which must be purchased from WIDA, or use a locally developed assessment. Keep in mind that formative information that ESL teachers can gather during ongoing interaction with students is very valuable when considering a student's current ability and level of need. The WIDA proficiency level descriptors, rubrics, Language Charts, and ELD standards can be used to help in this type of analysis.

No, non-public schools are not technically "recipients" of federal funds when they are only participating in Title III with a local LEA, and are therefore not required to provide a full LIEP. If a non-public school receives a federal grant or funding on its own from some other source, though, then the non-public school is required to provide a full LIEP in accordance with Title VI and all other federal civil rights requirements. In this case, the non-public school is responsible for providing the LIEP, not the local LEA.

An LEA can purchase assessments for non-public schools, with a few restrictions:

• Supplement, Not Supplant — Title III funds must be used to supplement existing services, not replace those required by law or already funded through other sources. Remember, though, that non-public schools participating in Title III are not considered recipients of federal funds and are not required to meet all Title VI requirements. 
• Control & Ownership — The LEA, not the non-public school, must control and administer the Title III-funded assessments. The materials remain the LEA's property and must be used for Title III purposes. 
• Equitable Services Requirement — Non-public school students and teachers are eligible for equitable services under Title III, but funds cannot be given directly to private schools. Instead, the LEA provides the assessments as part of the services it offers. 
• Assessment Purpose — The assessment must be used to evaluate English language proficiency (ELP) and help determine or improve services for English learners.

PDE produced a self-paced online tutorial that explains, in detail, how an LEA should evaluate its LIEP. This tutorial explains all of the program evaluation tools that have been made available by PDE as well. You can find the tutorial on the professional learning page of the SAS EL Portal .

You can contact the Division of Assessment and Accountability at ra-ed-pssa-keystone@pa.gov.

No. There is no option for administering any WIDA assessment virtually or remotely at this time. Any virtual or remote administration of any WIDA assessment is unauthorized and could constitute a test security violation.

Generally, no. The only time a reclassification rubric can be modified after the initial score is if the LEA has robust and convincing evidence that the original score was inaccurate for some reason (e.g., the evaluator did not understand the use of the rubric or the scores diverged significantly from the ACCESS score and each other). If rubric scores are modified after ACCESS scores are released, you must notify PDE and provide a justification.