English Learners

Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP) for English Learners (ELs)

South St. Paul Public Schools welcomes English learners (ELs) and the many assets they bring with them. An English learner is a student who speaks another language other than English and has yet to demonstrate full proficiency in English. Students classified as EL are as diverse and different from one another as any other student in a classroom. English learners come to school with a wide range of home languages, cultures and proficiency levels in English. English learners complement and enrich the school environment. Some English Learners speak no English; others have high levels of oral proficiency and only need support with their academic language.

In South St. Paul, we embrace the WIDA Can Do Philosophy. English learners have an unique set of assets that enrich the learning experiences for all learners. By focusing on what our ELs can do, everyone grows and learns.

WIDA Can Do Philosophy

LANGUAGE INSTRUCTION EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM (LIEP)

IDENTIFICATION

Identification for Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP):

Identification of English Language services is a two step process:

1. Minnesota Language Survey (MNLS)

When any new family registers in South St. Paul Public Schools they are required to complete the Minnesota Language Survey. The MNLS asks parents to provide information related to their student’s language use:

The language(s) your student first learned.
The language(s) your student speaks.
The language(s) your student understands.
The language(s) your student has consistent interaction with

2. If any language other than English is indicated on the MNLS, than the child will be screened for EL services. Students must be screened and identified as English language learners in no more than 30 days from the beginning of the school year and within 10 business days from enrollment in South St. Paul Public Schools.

PLACEMENT

Placement in Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP)

Only a student who has a completed the Minnesota Language Survey (MNLS), participated in the grade-appropriate English language screening assessment, and has been identified as an English learner can be enrolled in an English language educational program.

Teaching and instruction models come in different forms to effectively address the unique needs and proficiency levels of the EL students in South St. Paul. EL teachers, along with content teachers, teacher assistants, special education staff, and cultural liaisons all provide instruction or instructional support to EL students. All EL students receive the greatest part of their instruction in the general education classroom. Therefore, some of the instructional approaches that support the learning of our ELs are clustering ELs for increased collaboration and push-in service time, co-teaching, classroom teacher accommodations, and pullout by EL teachers.

EL schedules are coordinated with the classroom teacher and building schedules so that students do not miss important instructional time. We believe that focused English language development instruction in speaking, listening, reading, and writing is important for students to gain the skills needed so they are academically successful in the English-speaking classroom and can effectively communicate and interact with their English-speaking peers.

EXITING

Exit from Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP):

Districts must wait until ACCESS test scores are available before beginning the exiting process. The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) has established the following criteria that all districts must adhere to for exiting students from the program.

If a student has an overall composite score of at least 4.5 and all four domain scores (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of at least 3.5, that student has met the ACCESS proficiency score and must be exited from the Language Instruction Educational Program (LIEP).
If a student has an overall composite score of at least 4.5 and three out of four domain scores (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) of at least 3.5, that student has met the ACCESS proficiency score. The district must use additional EL Exit Criteria to determine if the student should be exited from the LIEP or kept in the program for additional instruction.
If a student has not met the ACCESS proficiency score, the student must continue to receive instruction in an LIEP. The district may not exit that student from the LIEP.

Minnesota Department of Education Exit Flowchart

DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS

English Language Development Standards

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) adopted the World-class Instructional Design and Assessment English Language Development (WIDA ELD) standards in 2011. WIDA is a multistate consortium focused on academic language development and academic achievement for linguistically diverse students through high-quality standards, assessments, research, and professional development for educators.

The WIDA ELD standards promote academic language proficiency in four content areas: language arts, mathematics, science, and social studies, to facilitate students' success in school. WIDA provides a host of tools and resources educators can use to differentiate instruction for English Learners (ELs) and promote their academic language development. For an overview of the WIDA ELD Standards, please visit the WIDA English Language Development (ELD) Standards page. MDE is committed to supporting effective implementation of the WIDA ELD Standards.

(Taken from MDE website)

FAMILY SUPPORT AND INVOLVEMENT

Family Support and Involvement

South St. Paul Public Schools welcomes family support and involvement in their child’s education. We all do better when we work collaboratively! We encourage active participation and welcome all families.

South St. Paul Public Schools communicate to families in English and their primary home language. Parent/Teacher conferences are held in the fall and spring with interpretive services available. Parent-Teacher Conferences are utilized to establish relationships and partner with EL families. During conferences, families and students are encouraged to engage in goal-setting with EL and general education teachers. Additionally, school staff seek input and feedback about the effectiveness of the school’s plan of service for the student. Funds of Knowledge

In addition, interpretive services are available at all open houses and family events. Cultural Liaisons are employed at all buildings and are available for any family support that may be needed.

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