DCPS serves more than 8,000 students who are Multilingual Learners (MLs). Our ML students come from 136 different countries and speak over 139 different languages and dialects. Nearly 84% of our Multilingual Learner population comes from a background where Spanish is spoken at home. Spanish, Amharic, French, Chinese (Mandarin), and Vietnamese are the most commonly spoken languages of our Multilingual Learner students. DCPS offers specialized English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services and programming at every school; details of the programs offered are described below.
The Language Acquisition Division (LAD) recognizes and celebrates the linguistic and cultural diversity of our Multilingual Learners (MLs). The Language Acquisition Division is grounded in the DCPS Equity Imperative, ensuring that all students and families have equitable access to instruction and enrichment in our schools. The Language Acquisition Division is committed to the following:
- Multilingual Learners will thrive through experiencing intentional and targeted supports in which language acquisition and content development processes are integrated through all grade levels.
- Multilingual Learners will have culturally affirming experiences at all grade levels and will have the opportunity to leverage their native language as a means of engaging in productive struggle and deep thinking.
- All Multilingual Learner families will be actively engaged in supporting their students and building stronger relationships with their school. This will include having language barriers removed from family engagement opportunities.
- All Multilingual Learners will be prepared for a fulfilling post-secondary path and active participation in the global community.
Who is a Multilingual Learner?
A Multilingual Learner, or ML, is a student whose home language is not English and who has been found eligible for ESOL services so they can access their grade level content. Multilingual Learners are found eligible for ESOL services based on the score received after taking the WIDA Screener Assessment, or after bringing in ESOL eligibility records from another District.
Each year, the English progress made by Multilingual Learners is measured through the ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. This test measures students’ progress in English acquisition, by examining student proficiency in the four language domains: speaking, listening, reading, and writing.
There are two exit criteria used for Multilingual Learners. In Kindergarten, ML students will exit eligibility if they reach a 5.0 Composite Score on ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. In grades 1-2, ML students will exit eligibility if they reach a 4.5 Composite Score on ACCESS for ELLs 2.0. After exiting eligibility, Multilingual Learner students will be monitored for 4 years, to ensure students are continuing to make progress. Families who feel their child would benefit from continued ESOL services may request a return to services through the school ESOL team.
How is a Multilingual Learner identified?
All parents, guardians and caregivers of newly enrolled students must answer the questions in the Home Language Identification Survey section of the DCPS enrollment form to let school staff know which language(s) the student and family speak at home.
If the family identifies a language other than English in their response to the Home Language Survey, the school will then refer the family and student to the Welcome Center (4400 Iowa Avenue NW, Wash, DC 20011) where the student will be assessed for English Level Proficiency to determine eligibility to receive English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services.
What assessments are used to determine eligibility for ESOL services?
DCPS uses WIDA’s English language screener proficiency test to assess the four domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing. For students in grades Pk3-Pk4, listening and speaking are assessed through the Pre-IPT. The WIDA Screeners are used for students in grades K-12. Please refer to the table below for further details.
Students who score NES or LES in the IPT, or Level 1 to Level 4.9 on the WIDA screener tests are eligible for ESOL services. (Students who score a 5.0 or higher on the WIDA Screener are determined to be English proficient and are not eligible for ESOL services.) Beginning in Kindergarten, these students participate in the annual language proficiency test, called ACCESS for ELLs 2.0, each spring until they exit eligibility.
When students take the initial English Level Proficiency screener test and are deemed eligible for ESOL services, parents/guardians can choose to have their children opt out of these programs by submitting a written letter to their school. Please note that even if the parent/guardian chooses to opt out of receiving ESOL services, all ML students are still required to participate in the annual ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment until they exit eligibility.
Parents and guardians of children who qualify for ESOL services have the legal right to be informed, in a language they can understand, about the available programs and services.
|
Grade Level |
Test Administered |
Designations |
Eligible for ESOL Services |
|
Pk3 & Pk4 |
Pre-IPT |
NES- Non-English Speaker LES-Limited-English Speaker FES- Fluent-English Speaker |
NES LES |
|
K-12 |
WIDA Screener
|
Levels 1-6 |
Levels 1-5.0 |
What types of Multilingual Learner programs are available?
Content-Based English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Programs: The academic content areas of English Language Arts, social studies, science, and mathematics are used as a vehicle for language learning to ensure that students master academic content and performance standards. Instruction is primarily in English, although native language support is provided when necessary and when possible. These classes are taught by ESOL-certified teachers using a pull-out, push-in, or inclusion approach.
Itinerant-ESOL Services Model: While student enrollment is an ever-changing data point that LAD will continue to monitor throughout the year, there are over 40 DCPS schools with fewer than 10 MLs enrolled, currently scheduled to receive itinerant ESOL services. The assigned itinerant ESOL teacher will work with school staff to create a schedule that take the students’ grade level, English language proficiency (ELP) level and re-opening schedules into consideration. The Itinerant ESOL Services model works to ensure that language support, family communication, and compliance pieces are all managed effectively.
Dual Language Education Programs: Students in this instructional program develop literacy skills in their native language while simultaneously learning a second language. Instruction occurs in both languages supported by the program. The following schools have Dual Language Programs in Spanish/English: Bancroft ES, Bruce-Monroe ES, Chisolm ES, Cleveland ES, Columbia Heights EC, Houston ES, MacFarland MS, Marie Reed ES, Oyster-Adams Bilingual School, Powell ES, and Roosevelt HS. For more information, visit dcps.dc.gov/DL.
Secondary Newcomer Literacy Program: This program supports those Multilingual Learner students who come to DCPS with a limited or interrupted formal education background. Classes provide students with language development and focus on core academic, literacy skills and foundational math to address gaps in their prior education. Instruction may also include native language literacy. In addition, the program offers orientation on adapting to the life, culture, and educational system in the United States, as well as tutoring, parent workshops, and links to community resources to ease the transition.
Internationals Project Soaring: This is a model that is supported through the Internationals Network for Public Schools research-based model in which recently arrived Multilingual Learner students are engaged in rigorous, collaborative, content-based study in which students are enrolled in their core content classes from day one. The language of each content area is supported using a variety of strategies. School teams are training and coached on best practices to ensure success for the students.
Sheltered Content: The goal of Sheltered Content programs is for ML students to develop English proficiency, content knowledge, and academic language skills such that they can enjoy success in mainstream classes. Sheltered classes are taught by either a dually certified teacher who holds licenses both in ESOL and in the content being taught, or a content-certified teacher who has had professional development in ESOL instruction. Co-taught Sheltered Content classes may also be offered.
What is the annual ML assessment (ACCESS for ELLs 2.0)?
The Assessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State (ACCESS for ELLs 2.0) is an online secure large-scale English language proficiency assessment administered to kindergarten through 12th grade students who have been identified as Multilingual learners (MLs). It is given annually in WIDA Consortium member states to monitor students' progress in acquiring academic English. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 is aligned with the WIDA English Language Development Standards and assesses each of the four language domains of Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing and across the following content areas: social and instructional English, language arts, math, science, and social studies.
The test places students in English language proficiency (ELP) levels 1 to 6.0; students exit once achieving a Composite 5.0 in Kindergarten or a Composite 4.5 in grades 1-12.
See the chart below for an explanation of the five scoring levels. It is expected that at level 4.5, students are ready to meet state academic content standards with no language support services. ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 measures language across the four domains: listening, speaking, reading, and writing, and across the following content areas: social and instructional English, language arts, math, science, and social studies.
|
Proficiency Level |
Name |
Description |
|
1 |
Entering |
Knows and uses minimal social language and minimal academic language with visual and graphic support. |
|
2 |
Beginning |
Knows and uses some social English and general academic language with visual and graphic support. |
|
3 |
Developing |
Knows and uses social English and some specific academic language with visual and graphic support. |
|
4 |
Expanding |
Knows and uses social English and some technical academic language. (At a level 4.5 EL students exit ESL services.) |
|
5 |
Bridging |
Knows and uses social English and academic language working with modified grade level material. |
How does a student exit eligibility for ESOL services?
Once a student exits eligibility in the annual ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment (Composite 5.0 in Kindergarten and Composite 4.5 in grades 1-12), they are monitored for a four-year period by their school.
Monitoring services begin at the time of exit and continue for four consecutive years. The student’s progress is monitored throughout the school year so that support can be provided as needed. These services ensure that every student who exits eligibility is successful in the general education program in their school.
Families may request that a student return to ESOL services if the family believes the ESOL services will support their student in their studies and development of English. Families should speak with the school ESOL teachers or school principal for more information.
Whom can I contact for more information?
The Language Acquisition Division (LAD) helps schools provide quality educational services to Multilingual Learners and support for Linguistically and Culturally Diverse (LCD) families. The office is composed of three units: Language Access Unit, Welcome Center Unit, and the Instructional Unit. Each unit works together to support LCD students and their families.
Language Acquisition Division
Office of Teaching and Learning
Emery Education Campus
1720 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20002
Rosanna DeMammos, Deputy Chief LAD
(202) 384-7896
Language Access
The Language Access Unit provides translation and interpretation services to schools and central services teams to ensure that information about programs and services is accessible to students and families with limited English proficiency. All families have the right to identify their preferred correspondence language; families identify their preferred language when they fill out the home language survey on the DCPS enrollment form. By doing so, families are requesting that vital communication is provided in the identified language. All families are able to connect to telephonic interpreters upon calling their school. Families will hear a menu and may select the language needed prior to connecting with school staff.
For more information, visit dcps.dc.gov/page/language-access-families.
Claudette Monroy, Language Access Manager
(202) 480-3166
DCPS Language Access Unit
[email protected]
(202) 868-6508
Welcome Center
At LAD’s Welcome Center students are assessed for English Language Proficiency. Based on assessment results, students receive grade and program placement recommendations. Parents and students receive orientation on DCPS programs, services, and activities, and information on their rights, roles, and responsibilities. The Welcome Center provides guidance to secondary students regarding graduation requirements and transcript evaluations of high school courses taken abroad. Additionally, referrals are provided for community-based resources when needed. If you want to reach out via email, please contact [email protected]. We are located in the MacFarland Middle School Building, in the basement level. Families should report to this location for assessments and intake appointments.
4400 Iowa Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20011
Raquel Ortiz, Welcome Center Director
(202) 868-6510
Asunción Alvarado, Receptionist
(202) 868-6506
Main LAD Testing Inbox: [email protected]
(202) 671-0750 (Main Line)
Ana Acevedo, Foreign Transcript Evaluation Specialist
(202) 868-6505
Instructional Programming and School Support
The LAD Instructional Unit provides ML students with access to rigorous and engaging academic experiences at all schools within DCPS. As part of that work, the LAD instructional unit plans specialized summer programming for MLs, supports curriculum development and amplification, and facilitates professional learning opportunities for teachers and staff working with MLs and supports the DCPS School Cluster Model by working closely with groups of schools and school leaders. The Instructional Unit is guided by the belief that all ML students and multilingual students bring great assets to their school communities.
Dr. Maria Joie Austria, Director of Curriculum, Strategy and School Supports
(202) 280-8979
Erika Pereira, Director of Academic Programming and Itinerant Services
(202) 868-6572
