Our ELD Instructional Program is designed to promote language development in the areas of listening, speaking, reading, and writing based on Colorado English Language Proficiency Standards. All eligible MLs receive daily targeted literacy-based language development instruction taught by highly qualified teachers and support staff. Our ELD teachers use data to tailor instruction, set goals, and monitor progress to effectively implement instruction. Our program goals are to address any barriers to ML students’ learning, increase opportunities to close the achievement gap for our ML students, and improve student learning supports to ensure our MLs achieve English language proficiency within a reasonable period of time.

Our ML students are given meaningful access to their grade-level core curricula and extracurricular programs; to help ensure they meet promotion and graduation requirements. All content teachers are provided with supplemental training through quality EL professional development in order to help MLs learn and succeed in core classrooms.  This includes providing appropriate opportunities for sheltered instruction, scaffolding materials, translating lessons, and differentiated instruction to make learning comprehensible for MLs.

We have procedures in place to timely and accurately identify potential ML students. Our district identifies ML students using a home language survey at the time of enrollment to gather information about the student’s language background and identify students whose primary language is other than English. We may also conduct student interviews, family interviews, and gather a body of evidence of student work to help us determine if a student qualifies for ELD services. We must also determine if potential ML students are in fact ML through a valid and reliable test. We administer the WIDA Screener for K-12th grade students to determine a student's English proficiency level in the four domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Based on the screening assessment, a student may qualify for and receive daily targeted English language development (ELD) instruction from a highly qualified teacher.

Elementary schools. ML students (NEP & LEP) receive daily targeted language development classes taught by highly qualified LDE endorsed teachers, utilizing a “pull out” whole group Tier One model. This means students are pulled out during the general education setting for this intensive language instruction; this does not occur during core instruction. Tier Two small group and Tier Three targeted one-on-one individual instruction can also be utilized throughout the day, as needed, to address the learning needs of our ML students. “Push-in” and co-teaching can be utilized to support ML students, specifically Newcomers, to facilitate English language acquisition within the general education classroom.

The following skills are emphasized: social communication, academic vocabulary, grammar, reading strategies, writing skills, and the use of technology in the classroom. ML students are utilizing online intervention programs Lexia English and Duo Lingo to master reading and speaking skills incorporating classroom technology.

Middle School. ML students (NEP & LEP) receive daily targeted language development classes taught by highly qualified Linguistic Specialists and support staff, utilizing a “pull out” whole group Tier One model. This means students are pulled out during the general education setting for this intensive language instruction; this does not occur during core instruction, offered instead as an elective. Students receive differentiated instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, depending on their specific language level identified in their English Language Plan, that is shared with their entire Educational Team. Tier Two small group and Tier Three targeted individual instruction can also be utilized throughout the day, as needed, to address the learning needs of our ML students. “Push-in” and co-teaching can be utilized to support ML students, specifically Newcomers, to facilitate English language acquisition within the general education classroom.

The following skills are emphasized: social communication, academic vocabulary, grammar, reading strategies, writing skills, and the use of technology in the classroom. ML students are utilizing online intervention programs Language Tree and Duo Lingo to master reading and speaking skills incorporating classroom technology.

High School. ML students (NEP & LEP) receive daily targeted language development classes taught by highly qualified Linguistic Specialists and support staff, utilizing a “pull out” whole group Tier One model. This means students are pulled out during the general education setting for this intensive language instruction; this does not occur during core instruction, offered instead as an elective. Students receive differentiated instruction in reading, writing, speaking, and listening, depending on their specific language level identified in their English Language Plan that is shared with their entire Educational Team. Tier Two small group and Tier Three targeted individual instruction can also be utilized throughout the day, as needed, to address the learning needs of our ML students. “Push-in” and co-teaching can be utilized to support ML students, specifically Newcomers, to facilitate English language acquisition within the general education classroom.

The following skills are emphasized: social communication, academic vocabulary, grammar, reading strategies, writing skills, and the use of technology in the classroom. ML students are utilizing online intervention programs Language Tree and Duo Lingo to master reading and speaking skills incorporating classroom technology.

ASSESSING ML Students

During the months of January and February, all NEP and LEP MLs in the ELD program take a state assessment called the WIDA ACCESS test, which is an English Language Proficiency test for K-12th grade students to determine a student's English proficiency level in the four domains of listening, speaking, reading and writing. This test allows us to monitor a student’s English language acquisition progress on an annual basis. Parents receive an ACCESS Report, which shows their child’s language proficiency levels and areas of strengths. Teachers receive ACCESS score reports that help with instructional decisions to plan what is best for the student. The District ELD Coordinator uses the ACCESS score reports to ensure that MLs are moving through the program at a desired pace, to help make redesignation decisions, and make staffing and program changes to help provide the best ELD services for all ML students.

We use CDE recommended cut points as a guide in determining redesignation and exiting processes.

WIDA ACCESS cut points to guide districts in making Non English Proficient (NEP), Limited English Proficient (FEP), and Fluent English Proficient (FEP) determinations for state reporting:

NEP: 1.0 – 2.4 (Overall)    LEP: 2.5 – 3.9 (Overall)      FEP: 4.0 (Overall) AND 4.0 (Literacy)

All ML students are monitored to ensure they achieve English language proficiency and acquire content knowledge within a reasonable period of time, using online Language Development Plans for students that are in our daily targeted ELD classes. We also use online Monitoring Plans for students who have been exited out of the ELD classes and are considered fully fluent.  The online Plans are shared with and updated by the ML student’s educational team and include important, relevant and reliable information to help ensure that ML students are achieving English language proficiency and demonstrating when they may be ready to exit from ELD classes. Once exited, MLs are then monitored for four years to ensure that ML students have not been prematurely exited, and to ensure that they are able to participate academically on par with their peers who were never in an ELD program.

ML students’ parents are entitled to meaningful communication in a language they can understand. Our district offers translated materials in the family’s first language. We also provide language interpreters for school enrollment, parent/teacher conferences, and other school meetings. For more information on District Translation Services please contact: Teresa Nelson 970-565-7282 x1107 or email: Teresa.nelson@cortez.k12.co.us

For more information about the civil rights of ML parents and guardians and districts’ specific obligations to parents of ML students, visit: http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/dcl-factsheet-lep-parents-201501.pdf.

Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (1964)

• Prohibits discrimination based on race, color or national origin
• Students may not be excluded from any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance

Office of Civil Rights Memorandum (1970)

• Requires school districts to take affirmative steps to rectify language deficiencies
• Prohibits assignment to special education classes based on English language skills
•  Requires parent notification of school activities
• Forbids specialized programs for English learners to operate as an educational dead-end or permanent track

Supreme Court Case Lau v. Nichols (1974)

•  Requires schools to make linguistically appropriate accommodation in order to provide students equal educational opportunities

Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974

• Denial of equal educational opportunity prohibited
• Prohibits discrimination against faculty, staff and students, including racial segregation of student
• Requires school districts to take action to overcome academic and linguistic barriers to students’ equal participation

Lau Remedies (1975)

• Districts and schools are required to
  • Determine instructional English language development programs
  • Decide when English learners no longer need English language development services
  • Determine the professional standards educators must meet to deliver the English language development program

Supreme Court Case Casteneda v. Pickard (1981)

• Established a three-prong approach to measure compliance with the Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974 as it relates to English Learner Programs
  • Theory-the program must be based on sound educational theory
  • Practice-the program is implemented with fidelity and with appropriate fiscal and human resources to transform theory into practice
  • Evaluation-measures the effectiveness of the program

Supreme Court Case Plyer v. Doe

• Public schools may not deny admission to a student during initial enrollment or at any other time on the basis of undocumented status

CDE - Comprehensive New Resource from the Elementary Literacy and School Readiness Office

 Biliteracy Professional Development Series

This is a four-part course comprised of an Introduction and three Modules. This course is designed to provide participants with evidence-based strategies for teaching students in English and Spanish while working towards bilingualism and biliteracy. It is an open-source format designed to be accessible to anyone interested in learning more about best practices for providing biliteracy instruction in Spanish and English. There is a note catcher that corresponds to each course component for you to capture your learning. Additionally, you will find support documents and websites to further your learning. You may take this course at your own pace. If you choose to take the quiz at the end of the course, you will be eligible for two hours of professional development.