Weekly Update
Wayne Township LAP 8/2/19
Back to School Welcome
Greetings! I hope your school year is successfully underway. I'm looking forward to assisting you with instruction for your English Language Learners this year. I'll send a Weekly Update from the Wayne Township Language Assistance Program every Friday. Please call me at (317) 332-7940 or email jody.horning@wayne.k12.in.us if I can be of assistance with supporting your English Learners.
Timelines/Dates for the 2019-2020 School Year
If a language other than English is indicated on an incoming (newly enrolled in the state of Indiana) student's Home Language Survey, an English proficiency assessment (the WIDA online Screener or Kindergarten paper/pencil Screener) must be given within 30 days of the beginning of the school year, or within two weeks if the student enrolls after the start of the school year. If the student qualifies for services, the parent notification letter must be sent within two weeks of the student being placed in the program.
Parents of returning students must be notified annually by sending the parent notification letter within 30 days of the beginning of the school year. I will share parent notification letter templates with you by email.
Resources for Back to School
Please let me know if your teachers would like some beginning of the year resources like Welcome Books for ELL Newcomers, bilingual labels for items in the classroom, interest inventories for students, parent information tips, or resources for teachers of English Learners.
Assessing Proficiency for New Students
For students who are new to Indiana or from non-WIDA states, we use the Home Language Survey to identify students as potential English Learners. If a language other than English is indicated for any of the the three questions, the WIDA online Screener or Kindergarten Placement Screener (paper and pencil test) should be administered by a trained, certified staff member to determine the students' English proficiency and whether or not he/she will be identified as an English Language Learner.
Migrant Forms for Students
As a reminder, all schools in Indiana should ask parents to fill out a Work Survey for students each year. Here are the Work Survey Memo and Instructions from the Indiana Department of Education.
Guidance on Enrolling Recently Arrived ELs in School
The Indiana Department of Education's Office of Accountability offers this updated guidance on Recently Arrived ELs and their graduation cohort status.
Information about high school credits for English Learners is available here.