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Student Identification and Placement

Initial EL and Former English Learner (FEL) Identification

When new students register at Milford Public Schools (MPS) through the Family Welcome Center (FWC), families receive a Language Survey (LS) in the registration packet.  Students may not enroll in school unless this document is completed.  The LS is available in all of the languages currently spoken by students represented in MPS.  If a native language is not currently available, the EL program director will obtain the appropriate document for the language requested.

The LS is administered in the newly enrolling student's preferred language and returned to the Family Welcome Center manager, who will determine whether the student will be screened for English language proficiency. If any of the following questions below are answered indicating a language other than English, the district is required by law (Title VI; EEOA: 20 U.S.C. 1703(f); M.G.L. c. 76, s. 5; 603 CMR 26.02(2)) to screen the student to determine whether or not they will be offered English language development (ELD) instruction:

  1. Please list the language(s) that parents and/or primary caregivers use to communicate with your child at home.
  2. Please list the language(s) that your child currently uses to communicate with others.
  3. Please list the language(s) your child first understood and used to communicate.
  4. In what language(s) would your family prefer to receive written communication from the school? 
  5. Would you prefer for the school to arrange for an interpreter to be available to you free of charge during meetings and phone calls with the school about your child (including American Sign Language or other types of sign language)? 

 

Initial Language Proficiency Screening Procedures

Milford Public Schools screens every newly enrolled student whose LS indicates that a language other than English is spoken at home. In other words, MPS administers a language proficiency screening test when the answer to any question on the LS is a language other than English with the following limited exceptions:

  • students who were previously classified as ELs and were then reclassified as FELs in their former districts;
  • students who transferred from another district within Massachusetts or another WIDA state and who did not qualify as ELs on the English proficiency screening test administered in their former districts; and
  • students who transferred from another district within Massachusetts or another WIDA state with WIDA ACCESS results from the last calendar school year.
    • less than an Overall score of 4.2 and a Literacy score of 3.9 = EL
    • greater than an Overall score of 4.2 and a Literacy score of 3.9 = FEL Year 1

All students identified as needing to be screened for language proficiency based on the LS and as described in the EL and FEL Student Identification Process above will be promptly assessed to determine whether they are designated as either an English Learner (EL) or a Fluent English speaker.  The data gathered will pinpoint the student’s levels of English proficiency across all four language domains (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) to inform appropriate designation, programming, and placement.

The FWC Test Administrator, trained in the administration and interpretation of the state-approved standard screening instruments: WIDA Screener and the WIDA Alternate Screener language proficiency screenings and assessments, will complete the screening at the Family Welcome Center. Milford Public Schools currently uses the following research-driven screeners to determine appropriate student placement.  

  • WIDA Screener (Paper-based) for Kindergarten
    • First Semester: Listening and Speaking
      • Oral proficiency levels 1-4 in both Listening and Speaking are classified as EL
      • Oral proficiency level 5 in both Listening and Speaking is classified as Not EL
    • Second Semester: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing
      • Overall composite proficiency levels 1-4 are classified as EL, and a composite literacy proficiency level lower than 4 is classified as EL
      • Overall composite proficiency level higher than level 5 and a composite literacy proficiency level higher than 4 are classified as Not EL
  • WIDA Screener (Paper-based) for Grade 1 for first semester
    • Overall composite proficiency levels 1-4 are classified as EL, and a composite literacy proficiency level lower than 4 is classified as EL
    • Overall composite proficiency level higher than level 5 and a composite literacy proficiency level higher than 4 are classified as Not EL
  • WIDA Screener (Online) for grades 1-12
    • Overall composite proficiency level 1-4.4 and a composite literacy proficiency level 1-4.4  are classified as EL
    • Overall composite proficiency level 4.5 or higher and a composite literacy proficiency level 4.5 or higher are classified as Not EL

The results of the initial screening will be recorded on the district’s language proficiency test results document, explained to the parent/guardian and/or student by the FWC test administrator, entered in the district’s Student Information System (SIS): Aspen, and filed in the student’s green EL cumulative folder. 

Initial Grade Level Placement Process 

Upon registration in the FWC, MPS assigns students transferring into the district from outside the United States a grade level placement based on a variety of factors. Factors include, but are not limited to:

  • Student’s age based on birth date (MPS district’s cut-off date is September 1st);
  • The month of the school year a student transfers into the district;
  • Student’s previous academic grade placement, program, and available school records;
  • Amount of prior schooling and differences in the skills and knowledge base at different grade levels in other countries and cultures;
  • High School Specific Considerations: The potential for additional years of schooling based upon prior school experiences and transcripts, Massachusetts’ mandatory high school course requirements, and the oral and written English proficiency students need in order to pass mandatory state graduation requirements.

The Milford Public Schools make every effort to assign students appropriately based on the above factors. 

The Massachusetts Department of Education has established guidelines for the amount of English Language Development an EL student should receive based on their proficiency level. 

Plan for English Language Development and SEI Instruction and Programming

Classroom placement will be based on the student's individual needs.  The MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) requires all core-content and vocational-technical teachers to obtain their Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement so that ELs are effectively taught in mainstream SEI classrooms.  ELs will receive varying amounts of English Language Development (ELD) skill instruction, following either a pull-out (students are taught in small groups outside of their classroom by a licensed ESL teacher), push-in model (students are provided English language instruction by a licensed ESL teacher in their general education classroom), or in a co-taught setting with a licensed ESL teacher and a licensed General Education Teacher.  Students at foundational WIDA levels 1-2 of English proficiency receive two to three 45-minute blocks of English Language Development instruction per day with a licensed ESL teacher, either in a push-in or co-taught setting.  Students at a transitional proficiency level 3-5 will receive at least one 45-minute period of English Language Development instruction per day by a licensed ESL teacher.  ELs will be placed in mainstream core-academic SEI classes where the core-content teacher has received sheltered English instruction (SEI) endorsement. 

Parent Notification of ELD Services

MPS provides parents of newly enrolled ELs with an email notification no later than 10 days after the student enrolls.  Parents will be informed of:

  • the purpose, method, and content of the available ELE programs in the district;
  • information regarding the parents’ right to choose an ELE program among those offered by the district;
  • information regarding parents’ rights to request a new language acquisition program in accordance with the law;
  • information about available conferences or meetings for parents to learn about the ELE programs offered in the school district;
  • information regarding parents’ rights to visit an ELE program in the school district; and
  • information regarding the parents’ right to withdraw a student from a language acquisition program.

MPS annually notifies parents of ELs identified for participation in, or participating in, an ELE program within the first 30 days of the school year. This notification includes:

  • the reasons for the identification of their child as an EL and the need for the child’s placement in an ELE program;
  • the child’s level of English proficiency, how such level was assessed, and the status of the child’s academic achievement;
  • the methods of instruction used in the program in which their child is participating and the methods of instruction used in other available programs, including how such programs differ in content, instructional goals, and the use of English and a native language in instruction;
  • how the program in which their child is participating will meet the educational strengths and needs of their child;
  • how the program will specifically help their child learn English and meet age-appropriate academic achievement standards for grade promotion and graduation;
  • the specific exit requirements for the district’s EL program, including the expected rate of transition from such program into mainstream classrooms;
  • how the district’s EL program meets the objectives of the individualized education program of the child, if applicable; and
  • information pertaining to parental rights that includes written guidance:
    • detailing the right that parents have to have their child immediately removed from their EL program upon their request;
    • detailing the options that parents have to decline to enroll their child in such program or to choose another program or method of instruction, if available; and
    • assisting parents in selecting among various programs and methods of instruction, if more than one program or method is offered.

MPS provides both parent notification letters in the parents' preferred language, to the extent practicable. We generate parent notification letters in all home languages through our partnership with Ellevation.
 

Using Annual WIDA ACCESS or WIDA Alternate ACCESS Results to Inform Placement

The ACCESS assessment is a required annual state exam that assesses English proficiency across the four language domains: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. It meets U.S. federal requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) for monitoring and reporting ELs’ progress toward English language proficiency. The assessment is administered to Kindergarten through 12th-grade students identified as English learners (ELs). It is administered annually in January through February to monitor students' progress in learning academic English.

ACCESS provides data that informs district stakeholders to develop and implement curriculum, instruction, and classroom assessment. Additionally, the assessment identifies ELs who are progressing toward or have achieved English language proficiency and are eligible for reclassification. Language proficiency results inform program planning, as the EL Coordinator team reviews them every year.  Language proficiency scores are also provided to administrators and teachers to support the design of learning interventions and/or to assist in the decision-making process when evaluating an EL for special education services.