Procedures for the Identification and Placement of English Language Learners

• Primary Home Language Survey- The parents of all students new to Shelby County Schools should complete a primary home language survey at registration. There are 3 questions about the student’s home language. If all answers are English, no further action is required. If one or more responses are other than English, the student is classified as NELB and assessed for English language proficiency. (Check w/ SCS for previous test data.)
• WIDA Screener (formerly W-APT, WIDA-ACCESS Placement Test) - The results of this assessment determine if an NELB student is proficient or limited English proficient and classified as an English Learner (EL) or fluent at entry (FEP).
• Parent Notification Letter- Parents are to be notified within 2 weeks of enrollment of the status of their NELB student: EL, Exited, or Transitional. This letter also informs parents of the instructional model and what assessment was used to designate students as ELL or FEP.
• Parent Response Letter-This letter asks the parents to acknowledge receipt of the notification by agreeing or disagreeing with the ESL teacher’s recommendation for placement of the student.
• Transitional Monitoring Form-The academic progress of students who have exited the ESL program is followed for 2 years. This form is completed twice yearly to document monitoring and assure the continued success of students in the mainstream classroom.