The Taylor County School System is committed to offering a program of instruction to students of limited English proficiency who meet the guidelines as established by State Board of Education Rule 160-4-6-02.

The purpose of the program is to assist students in developing proficiency in the English language, including listening, speaking, reading, and writing at the current assigned grade level.

Eligibility

Students eligible for the program are those whose native language or home language is not English and who, by reason thereof, have sufficient difficulty speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language. Students are screened to determine if ESOL

services are needed. In accordance with state policy, a student’s language proficiency will be assessed by the W-APT placement test and ACCESS. These assessments will be based on the WIDA standards, which is the curriculum for instructing students with limited English proficiency.

Notification

Parents are notified of students’ eligibility into the ESOL Program and must provide consent prior to services. Parent conferences are

encouraged and may be arranged by the Principal of each school.

Curriculum

All students are taught and have access to the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS). However, to accommodate the needs of English Learners (EL’s), eligible students are provided a supplemental curriculum focusing on English acquisition & proficiency.

Delivery of Services

The Taylor County School System provides special language assistance through one or more of the following delivery models:

1) Pull-out (student meets one-on-one or in a small group with ESOL teacher)

2) Inclusion (ESOL teacher sits with student in class in and facilitates instruction)

3) A scheduled period

4) Before/after school tutoring

ESOL services will be provided by teachers who are highly qualified and have obtained approved endorsement or certification in Georgia. However, a teacher may be selected to work with students if the following conditions are met:

1) currently enrolled in ESOL courses for certification.

2) has applied for a non-renewable ESOL Endorsement certificate.

3) has been recommended by principal to work with EL’s.

Assessment

English Learners (EL’s) are assessed for proficiency on an annual basis using the state approved assessment battery called the ACCESS tests. The test is usually administered during the Winter or Spring of the school year.

Exit Criteria

Students who are served in the Taylor County School System’s City ESOL program may exit based on the following:

proficiency on the state language proficiency test

satisfactory performance on the Criterion-referenced Tests (CRCT), and/or standardized tests and/or classroom performance

Usually, students will continue to be monitored (EL-M) even after meeting the exit criteria above.

For more information:
Andrew Britt, ESOL Coordinator
abritt@taylor.k12.ga.us
478-862-3314