Module 4: Students that are Determined Fluent English Speakers

ELL Programmatic Assessment for Academic Placement

To effectively place ELLs in academic programs, school personnel should review and document student’s prior schooling experiences using school records, transcripts, parent and student interviews and other evidence of educational experiences. Gathering information about the student’s educational background and prior academic placement achievements will provide a basis for developing appropriate placement and scheduling. ELLs must have equal access to all instructional programs. Special attention should be given to placement in honors, college preparatory and advanced placement as appropriate.

Programmatic assessment for new ELLs must be conducted at the school site by trained school staff at the time of registration and must be documented in the ELLSEP folder. A student’s limited English proficiency should not be a factor in determining the student’s level of knowledge/skills in the basic subject areas. Initial determination of students’ academic abilities or potential performance is done based on a parent/guardian/student comprehensive interview. This should be done at the time the student is registering at the school for the first time and must be documented in the appropriate section of the ELLSEP folder.

At the elementary level, especially in the early grades, placement decisions for all students are made based on age-appropriateness. However, as curriculum and student expectations are raised, these decisions become more complicated. Bilingual teachers and bilingual paraprofessionals should be available and used to assist in the programmatic assessment of these students.
At the middle school level, ELLs are also often placed in academic classes based on age/grade appropriateness. However, academic assessment must still be conducted and documented for students in sixth through eighth grade. The same guidelines and procedures described above for elementary students may also be applied to middle school students.

Transcript evaluation and analysis for high school students, who attended schools outside of the United States, present unique challenges not encountered on a regular basis by guidance personnel. Appropriate academic skills assessment of ELLs is crucial at this level. Special care must be taken to ensure that (1) ELLs have full and equal access to the entire range of courses offered at the high school, and (2) that the
placement of ELLs in courses is not based on English language proficiency level.

Schools should refer to Foreign Educational Systems: A Guide for the Placement of Foreign Born Students for guidelines regarding the grade placement of students who enter the district with foreign educational credentials which are available from the District Guidance Department. The guide also serves as a tool in identifying the grading scale and academic year of each country as well as diplomas awarded upon completion of secondary education.