English Learners Program
In accordance with the Board’s philosophy to provide a quality educational program to all students, RISE Charter School shall provide an appropriate planned instructional program for identified students whose dominant language is not English. The purposes of the program are:
- To help ensure that English learners, including immigrant children and youth, attain English proficiency and develop high levels of academic achievement in English;
- To assist all English learners, including immigrant children and youth, to achieve at high levels in academic subjects so that all English learners can meet the same challenging state academic standards that all children are expected to meet;
- To assist teachers (including preschool teachers) and other school leaders, state educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools in establishing, implementing, and sustaining effective language instruction educational programs designed to assist in teaching English learners, including immigrant children and youth;
- To assist teachers (including preschool teachers), other school leaders, state educational agencies, and local educational agencies to develop and enhance their capacity to provide effective instructional programs designed to prepare English learners, including immigrant children and youth, to enter all-English instructional settings; and
- To promote parental, family, and community participation in language instruction educational programs for the parents, families, and communities of English learners.
Accordingly, the Board shall adopt a program of educational services for each student whose dominant language is not English. The program shall include bilingual/bicultural or English as a Second Language instruction.
The Executive Director or designee shall implement and supervise an English Learners program which ensures appropriate English Learners instruction and complies with applicable laws and regulations.
The Executive Director or designee, in conjunction with appropriate stakeholders, shall develop and disseminate written procedures regarding the English Learners program, including:
- Program goals;
- Student enrollment procedures;
- Assessment procedures for program entrance, measurement of progress, and program exit;
- Classroom accommodations;
- Grading policies; and
- A list of resources, including support agencies and interpreters.
RISE Charter School shall establish procedures for identifying students whose dominant language is not English. For students whose dominant language is not English, assessment of the student’s English proficiency level must be completed to determine the need for English as a Second Language instruction.
Students whose dominant language is not English should be enrolled in RISE Charter School upon proof of residency and other legal requirements. Students shall have access to, and be encouraged to participate in, all academic and extracurricular activities of RISE Charter School.
Students participating in English Learners programs shall be required, with accommodations, to meet established academic standards and graduation requirements adopted by the Board.
The English Learners program shall be designed to provide instruction which meets each student’s individual needs based on the assessment of English proficiency in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Adequate content-area support shall be provided while the student is learning English to assure achievement of academic standards.
The English Learners program shall be evaluated for effectiveness as required, based on the attainment of English proficiency, and shall be revised when necessary.
A student may be excluded from requirements to participate in Idaho’s direct writing assessment and in Idaho’s direct mathematics assessment, if either test is required to be given, if the following requirements are met:
- The student has not been enrolled for two full school years in an elementary school or secondary school in the United States;
- The student scores less than a level four on the State assessment used to determine English language proficiency; and
- If the parent/guardian of the student and the student’s teacher agree that such an assessment exclusion is educationally appropriate for the student.
At the beginning of each school year RISE Charter School shall notify parents of students qualifying for English Learners programs about the instructional program and parental options, as required by law. Parents/guardians will be regularly apprised of their student’s progress. Whenever possible, communications with parents/guardians shall be in the language understood by the parents/guardians.
RISE Charter School shall maintain an effective means of outreach to encourage parental involvement in the education of their children.
Reporting
At the conclusion of every second fiscal year during which grant funds are received, the Executive Director or designee shall provide the Idaho Department of Education with a report, in a form prescribed by the Department, describing RISE Charter School’s English Learner program and activities and providing the School’s applicable demographic data.
Cross Reference: § 4160 Parents Right-to-Know Notices
Legal Reference:
20 U.S.C. §§ 1701-58 Equal Educational Opportunities Act of 1974
20 U.S.C. § 6811, et seq. English Language Acquisition, Language Enhancement, and Academic Achievement Act
42 U.S.C. § 2000(e), et seq. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
I.C. § 33-1618 Assessment Exception
Policy History:
Adopted on: June 14, 2021
Revised on:
Reviewed on: